Chapter Four #5
“Aside from the hookup event we now need to organize?” he snarks, but then adds, “Yes. Many things. So… call list. It’s on your desk.
So is a stack of updates, phones for Caolan and Garin, and a printout of your updated schedule for the day.
You have two new meetings in addition to dinner at our place.
Percy wants a few minutes of your time when you have it, but he said to stress that it’s not urgent.
And I booked out a few floors at that executive short-stay hotel two blocks over for the advance team.
It took some fast talking, and we paid more than the going rate because they had to find other places for some other guests, but I made a big deal about it being a foreign delegation who are really unfamiliar with America and how we wanted to keep them together.
” He turns to face our guests. “Did you hear that? If anyone at the hotel asks, mention how glad you are to all be staying together. And how strange you find this place.”
I can’t see his face, but from the widening eyes and fast nods, I’m guessing it’s somewhat manic.
“How much coffee has he had today?” I murmur to Noah, who shakes his head vehemently.
“We don’t ask those sorts of questions,” he hisses.
Gideon and I exchange a glance.
“Sam, why don’t we go over to the hotel and get everyone checked in?” he suggests. “It’s a great day. We can walk.”
“Great idea,” Andrew agrees as Sam spins back to look at us. “We’ll work out assignments and get everyone sorted with their phones and show them how things work, and you and Gideon can update each other on what’s happened today, then report to the rest of us when you get back.”
“Is this the room list?” Noah asks, taking a sheet of paper from Sam. “Great! By the time you’re back with the keys, we’ll have allocated everyone to rooms.”
“I do not like being managed,” Sam announces, and for a moment I think we might all need to duck for cover. “But I do want to go for a walk. Come on, Gideon.” He turns toward the elevator, then calls over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in thirty minutes. There had better not be chaos waiting for me.”
As if on cue, the elevator doors open, and Gideon obediently follows him inside.
“That was close,” Andrew says when they’re gone. “I love Sam, but since he stabbed Alistair with that pencil, I’ve been afraid to turn my back to him.”
Since he…
“I’m sorry, what?”
“It was beautiful,” Andrew tells me, his expression going dreamy. “Alistair was being Alistair, sticking his hands in everywhere while we were trying to get work done, and Sam finally snapped, grabbed a pencil, and stabbed it right through his hand.”
How long was I gone? I’ve left them alone for longer than this before. And for it to be Sam who snapped…
“What was Alistair doing ?” Sam loves Alistair. They’re best friends, have been for years. What could he have done that was so much worse than everything else he’s done over the years?
“Just being Alistair,” Noah says dismissively. “I think Sam was just really on edge. He was sorry after, especially when Al got back from the infirmary with his hand bandaged and started acting all pathetic.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, because fuck me, now we’re all going to have to deal with Alistair nursing an injury. Nobody is whinier than an injured hellhound. “Was there any significant damage?”
“According to Alistair, he’s maimed for life,” Andrew says dryly. “But Noah called the medic, and she said the pencil didn’t hit anything important. With his natural shifter healing, it should be fine within a week.”
“Did someone tell Percy?”
Noah rolls his eyes. “Percy knows. Believe me, everyone knows. They all heard Alistair howling like a big baby.”
I leave that alone. I mean, just this once, Alistair might have been justified in being dramatic, but I don’t want to encourage him.
“Has Al gone home?” That might explain why he hasn’t come out to see the newcomers. I expected him and his enthusiastic curiosity to be the first in line.
“No, he’s being brave and determined at his desk. The guilt was killing Sam.”
I sigh. “Okay. Okay. Can you two do those room allocations—use the exec conference room. And, Andrew, did you say something about phones?”
“Yeah, Sam figured everyone would need to be able to communicate, so he got a bunch. The guy at the store loves him now—gave him a pretty good discount and chucked in some accessories too.”
“Great. So allocate rooms, hand out phones, and demonstrate how they work?”
“We got it,” Noah assures me. “Go do your things.”
I look around. “Did everyone get that?” I feel crappy about abandoning them all right after they arrive—and before I even meet them properly—but I’m itching to get my own phone back in my hands and see what else has happened while I’ve been gone.
“I have a question.” My new friend, the flirty dragon, waves a hand.
“Yes. Of course.”
“Are you taken?”
“You seem to be overly concerned with this, Hagen,” Caolan snaps, stepping forward. “Do I need to remind you why you’re here and what’s at stake?”
There’s a general air of surprise, maybe because Caolan’s not usually a snappy person, but the dragon—Hagen—inclines his head. “Of course not. My apologies.”
That last is directed at me, and I stretch my mouth into a smile, murmur “No problem,” and shoot a pleading look at Noah.
“Great! So we’ll let David go check on things—don’t worry, he’ll be back later for you to perv on—and get you settled before Sam comes back and stabs more of us with pencils.
I’m Noah, and yes, I’m human. This is Andrew, and he’s a vampire.
Why don’t we go around the group, and you can introduce yourselves and tell us whether you’re an elf or a dragon.
Oh, and if I’m talking too fast or say something your translator spell doesn’t understand, please speak up. ”
I back away from Noah’s chipper yet somehow scary impersonation of a camp counselor and escape down the hallway toward the office.
Where I find Alistair.
I know he knows I’m standing in the doorway.
He’s a hellhound—he smelled and heard me coming down the hall.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d heard at least some of what happened in reception.
But he continues to peck one-handed at his keyboard, cradling his bandaged hand against his chest and sighing pitifully.
If things weren’t so ridiculously busy today, I’d find his performance amusing.
“Do you want me to have you reassigned?” I ask, heading for my desk. “Or maybe you should be on injury leave?”
His head snaps around. “What? No! How can you even contemplate that at a time like this?”
“Should I report Sam to HR, then?” I scan the call list. Sam really has done an excellent job of narrowing these down to essentials only.
“Not after I spent twenty minutes convincing the medic not to,” Alistair grumbles. “I’m devastated that my bestest bestie could treat me this way, but he’s under a lot of stress, and maybe he’d told me six times to get out of his way.”
“Only six?” I’m only half listening by this point. The idea is to give Alistair the chance to unload his woe so he and everyone else can actually get back to work.
“Maybe it was more. Who remembers these things? Well, now I’ll have a wound to remind me, but I will survive and come out stronger for it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I refuse to abandon you all in this time of need, no matter how difficult and painful work is as a result of my grievous wound.”
“We appreciate your sacrifice.” A thought strikes. “Have you called Aidan yet?”
His expression turns sheepish. “Not exactly. I texted and told him I’d had an accident but am okay.”
“That’s very low-key of you. Why?”
“He’ll take Sam’s side, and I can wait until tonight to hear my lover say ‘I told you so.’” He shrugs.
“He said last night that I should try to stay out of everyone’s way while people were so stressed out.
I laughed, because everyone loves me, right?
But I guess Sam was a little too close to the edge. ”
“He still loves you, though,” I assure him.
“Oh, I know. And as soon as all the stress is passed, I’m going to milk this for everything I can get. Two hundred years from now, Sam will reach for the last cookie, and I’ll make a sad face and mention how my hand still aches sometimes when it’s cold, and he’ll let me have it.”
I can’t help it; I laugh. “You’re such an asshole, Alistair.”
“And yet, I’m universally revered. Where are the others? They didn’t come back with you?”
“Sam and Gideon went for a walk to prevent another stabbing incident. Andrew and Noah are—”
“Phones!” Andrew races in, looks around, then dives behind Sam’s desk and comes up with a two-foot-square box that looks to be full of boxed smartphones. He then comes over to my desk and grabs the two sitting on top.
“They’re handing out phones and room allocations to the elves and dragons,” I finish, and Alistair leaps up, knocking his chair back.
“There are dragons here? Wait, I’ll help! I need to see if my new tertiary best friend is among them.”
My eye twitches, but Noah and Caolan will be there, and I’m sure between them they can keep things from getting too far out of hand.
“David’s going to host a hookup party,” I hear Andrew say as they leave, but I don’t bother calling them back to correct him. It’s not worth the effort.
Thanks to Sam’s strict guidelines, the call list only takes half an hour to get through, and I manage to go through my emails at the same time. I am the master of multitasking. Then I text Noah to see if I’m needed there. He replies immediately.
Phones a HUGE hit. Have gone through basic functions already, and Alistair is now introducing them to apps. Should be good for a while.
Has Alistair made any friends?
Too many
Great. When this crisis is over, Alistair is going to have a bunch of flying, fire-breathing dragons to egg him on.
Pushing the thought aside, I go to see if Percy’s got a few minutes.