Chapter Five
Angelica
I wasn’t exactly surprised by my children’s protectiveness, but I was surprised at how much their assumption that my wrist injury was Trey’s fault bothered me. David had been violent toward the end of things, and I had gotten good at hiding the bruises. I suspected that all three of my sons knew that to varying degrees, but they’d all felt helpless to do anything about it. And, in truth, I wouldn’t have wanted them to. I had prolonged my exposure to his abuse by holding stubbornly onto a hope for a cure. It had been my mess to clean up, no one else’s. In truth, I had always been ashamed to admit how much of a relief it had been to allow the Archive to imprison David and be free of his darkness.
I was barely seated when Nathan handed me a scotch and looked at Trey, who was standing behind me, with an assessing frown.
“You’re a…gin and tonic man, aren’t you?” Nathan asked.
Trey’s eyebrows winged up.
“Yes. Is that a Celestial thing?”
“No, it’s a nightclub owner thing actually. Double or single?”
“Double.”
“Dragon after my own heart,” Nathan said as he prepared it.
River gently unwound the bandages to look at my wrist. Derek and Max were looking at something on a laptop in the corner, their deep murmurs an interesting contrast to the quiet outside. This room had become much cozier since the last time I was here, and I could see River’s subtle touch everywhere, softening the edges of Derek’s bachelor tastes.
The large bay window that looked out onto the southern side of the house was devoid of the heavy drapes from before, and now there were sheers in a soft cream color, with a shade lowered slightly to block out the late afternoon sunlight. I could just glimpse lush rose bushes waving in the breeze beyond the porch, and mountains rose like silent sentinels in the distance. The room was cool, thanks to the industrial strength AC that Derek had installed when River had been pregnant, and the dark leather couches and clunky tables had been replaced with light browns and oak tables with beautiful carved legs. Every sharp edge was covered in baby proofed bumpers, and all the outlets were covered as well. And in each doorway there was a baby gate mounted to the frame, left open since there were no kids around.
A large flat screen sat above the rock-faced fireplace, and a well-stocked bar sat inside a hutch where it could be easily put away when Ava, a recovering alcoholic, visited. An intimate reading area, with two comfy chairs and a small table between them, was set up near the window, and the couches arranged in a U shape facing the fireplace and TV.
A small playpen was against one wall, along with a brightly colored toy box. A pang went through my chest, wishing the kids were here. It had been far too long since I’d held my grandchildren.
I winced as River turned my bruised wrist over and began casting her healing spell. Behind me, Trey sucked in a breath ending on a low purr. The pain faded into the background as the sound washed over me, warm and soft like a hug. My eyes started to drift shut and my body become languid.
“What is that?” Derek murmured.
“Shhh,” River chided. “It’s keeping her calm. But don’t make her fall asleep. I need her conscious for this.”
The purr receded slightly and I shot River an irritated frown.
“Your friend can purr you to sleep later, right now I need to know how this feels.”
“It hurts,” I said through gritted teeth.
Because now that the purr had become almost too soft to hear, I could feel the way River’s healing magic was working on the tendons and muscles. She studied my face as she worked, the spell warmer in some places and cooler in others. It was strange to see silvery strands dip under my skin and feel their undulations, like probes inside my body that my mind wanted to rebel against, but I had to allow.
When she finally pulled the strands back, her magic was more all-encompassing than focused in a few places inside my wrist, like having my arm under a heated blanket. It was far more comfortable than before; I almost missed it when she was done.
“It’s definitely a sprain,” River confirmed. “The healing spell will take care of the worst of it but you still might be a bit sore for a few days.”
The spell tingled along the inside of my wrist, building in intensity until I once again had to grit my teeth. Trey’s purring picked up and my jaw relaxed. By the time River was done, my bones felt liquid from Trey’s soothing attentions and my wrist was warm, no longer painful.
“Thank you both,” I said, giving them a smile and trying not bring my mind back from the pleasant fog.
It would’ve been heaven just to drift away and let everyone else handle this situation for a few hours, but I wouldn’t do that to my kids. This was a mess I definitely wanted to shield them from as much as possible.
“Now, that’s done, why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Derek asked.
I looked around the room to find Nathan standing behind his wife with a glass of his own scotch, Max against the wall, arms crossed and face unreadable to most but I could see his nerves in the way he sometimes reached up to touch the ear that had a hearing aid in it. Derek was sitting, his bad leg stretched out and his cane still clutched in one hand like he was ready for anything. Alexis was sitting on the couch, drinking a soda, and River was getting herself a glass of water.
I kept the backstory as vague as possible, giving details when they asked or when it would’ve been confusing otherwise. Trey interjected here and there with the Dragon side of things until the picture had been painted.
They all listened, taking it in their own ways.
Nathan drank.
Derek’s mouth pinched as his hand twitched on his cane.
Max fidgeted with the lobe of his deaf ear.
Tessa took notes, River stood behind Derek, her expression much like his. Alexis seemed to be the only one relaxed at all, though I could see the way her fingers tensed around her glass on occasion.
No one said anything for a few moments after I was done, either thinking it all through or trying to manage their feelings; it was hard to tell with my sons. All three were very good at hiding their feelings. They’d had to be when David was alive. It was Nathan that spoke first, much to my surprise.
“So, he,” Nathan pointed at Trey, “saved your life then?”
“He did.”
Nathan’s usual Devil-may-care expression was gone, replaced with naked gratitude.
“Thank you,” he said, sincerity thick in his voice.
“Do you know where Viktor might be headed?” Derek asked, the strategist side of him coming out in times of crisis like always.
“I’m afraid he might be coming here, or at least looking for you,” I said. “I’m sorry about that. If he doesn’t know for certain that you have David’s safe then he’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“You kept that piece of junk?” Nathan asked.
“Of course he did,” Max interjected. “And good thing too because we need that journal. Do you know what the markings on the astrolabe are?”
“There are drawings of them in the journal, we pieced it together but they’re either in a language no one has ever heard of or in code because we couldn’t decipher them.”
“Considering the actual history of the astrolabe,” Max said, “it’s possible the symbols are meant to only be understood by a Dragon.”
“That’s a good thought,” I glanced back, “Trey, what do you think?”
“It’s possible. Though, written Draconian from that time period was the mystics language, one that I don’t read fluently. It won’t be easy to translate, but I’ll try.”
“I can help you,” Max offered. “I have a software I’m testing to translate written works easier. We can run the symbols through with a sample text, see what pops up.”
“I assume this little scholarly interlude will be after drinks and dancing to celebrate River’s birthday?” Nathan asked.
“We should probably cancel that,” River said, with a deep frown.
“Why?” I asked. “It’s your birthday, you should celebrate.”
“We all should,” Alexis said. “If I remember correctly, that safe is not easily accessible in the dark, which it’s going to be in a few hours.”
“We definitely can’t get it today,” Derek gave me a sheepish smile. “I sorta buried it in an old mine shaft.”
“It’s got runic protection against theft or cave in,” River was quick to add.
“But it’s a pain in the ass to get to, my shoulder still aches from digging that damn hole,” Alexis said.
“You didn’t dig all that much,” Derek said with a side eye.
“I can make short work of digging it up,” Trey offered.
The boys looked at him with assessing stares and I knew what they were thinking. In his Mundane form, Trey was handsome, beautiful actually, but he wasn’t big.
“Trust me, he’s bigger as a Dragon,” I said.
Alexis snorted, Tessa blushed, River bit her lip while my sons looked scandalized.
Trey gave me a crooked smile.
“I’m glad you noticed,” he said.
“I didn’t mean it like that, head out of gutters, children,” I chided and ignored the way my own face was heating up. “So, Max you work on the translation. In the morning River, Derek, Trey and I will go get the safe.”
“The hole isn’t deep so much as inside a portion of a wall, down an elevator shaft,” Derek said. “But the help is appreciated.”
“We have a reporter at the magazine who’s apparently made some inroads with the Supernatural underground,” Tessa said. “I’ll check and see if anyone is doing any heavy recruitment. Could be that Viktor doesn’t want to use his own people for this, especially if the Archive has flagged any of them.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, thank you,” I said.
“I’ll see if any of my contacts with INTERPOL or customs can track down Viktor,” Alexis added. “Anyone else you recognized with him?”
My stomach dipped as I glanced at Derek. He and Dahlia had been friends before he’d gone to work at the Archive. After, she’d betrayed one of his friends to Francesca and they’d never spoken again. After Francesca’s death I tried to find her, to explain, to make sure she had access to her inheritance. But it was as if she had disappeared off the face of the planet.
Until last night.
“Mom?” Derek asked. “What is it?”
“Dahlia.” The name came out hoarse. “She was at my penthouse.”
His face paled.
“You’re positive?”
I nodded.
“It was like she wanted to be sure I saw her face, that I knew she was working with him.”
“She wants revenge,” Nathan said. “Though she should be thanking you for setting her free from that monster.”
“Who’s Dahlia?” Tessa asked.
“Francesca’s daughter,” Max bit out.
“Sounds like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” Nathan said.
“Excuse me,” Derek murmured, limping from the room.
I frowned after him, moving to get up when River put her hand on my shoulder to stop me.
“Let him go. He needs time to work through how he feels about the past, especially anything having to do with that place.”
That place…the place I work, that I devote my time to instead of being with them .
I never asked if they understood why I did it, or if they were still angry with me about it. I hoped they weren’t, I hoped they could see why I had to take the position when Francesca died. If they didn’t want me here, I’d know it. Still, the guilt ate at me as the awkward silence in the wake of Derek’s departure dragged on.
“So, dancing!” Alexis’ bright voice was a welcome distraction. “I know, I know, world ending danger, past comes back to haunt us. But what’s better for that stress than cheap whiskey and dancing?”
“Here, here,” Nathan said, tipping his glass to her. “I’m with Alexis. Nothing much can be done about all of this tonight, and instead of moping around here waiting for someone to drop out of the sky and attack us, we should be blowing off some steam.”
“It’s River’s birthday,” Tessa said. “She should be the one to decide.”
River rubbed her fingers across her forehead and let out a long breath. She had her own trauma when it came to the Archive, and I hoped this didn’t dredge up too much of it for her either.
“You know what? Fuck it,” she finally said. “I’m not letting this get in the way of my life anymore, that’s what Derek and I had promised each other when we got married. So yeah, let’s go.”
“Yes!” Alexis clapped her hands.
Max looked a bit disappointed but grinned at Alexis.
Nathan drained his glass and pulled Tessa up.
“Let’s get ready,” he said to her.
“We’re not leaving until after dinner, that’s two hours.”
“Just enough time to bathe and dress.”
“You’re worse than a woman,” she said with a silvery laugh.
“We should check on dinner,” Alexis said, grabbing Max’s hand.
I choked and looked up at Max with an alarmed gaze.
“Oh, she’s not cooking,” he reassured me.
“I’m supervising,” she said, smacking Max on the ass. “And ogling.”
Max scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, returning the ass smack with one of his own.
“Come on, you naughty thing,” he said.
“Ooh yes, carry me away, Angel Boy,” Alexis teased as he carried her out of the room. “Maybe we can go ‘flying’ later.”
“One more image that I never asked for that’s now permanently branded in my brain,” River said.
“You’re welcome!” Alexis shouted from wherever Max had taken her.
River shook her head on a quiet laugh.
“Okay, let’s get you two settled so you can clean up before tonight. I assume you’re coming with?”
“If you’d like us to,” I glanced at Trey. “Do you dance?”
He looked at me like I was crazy and nodded.
“Of course I do.”
“Really?”
He leaned closer, the playful look on his face shooting through me like fine liquor.
“I’ll prove it to you later, if you’d like.”
I stared into his dark eyes, spirals of blue just barely visible. Somewhere in the distance, I heard bells and the wind through mountain peaks.
River cleared her throat, the sound pulling me from the fire of Trey’s presence, and I jumped to my feet.
“I could use a hot shower,” I said quickly.
Or a cold one.
River was biting her bottom lip and I could tell she was trying not to smile but she didn’t say anything about how flushed I was, or the way my voice was too loud, too sharp. Much to my relief.
She led us up the staircase, Trey close to my back.
“I hope this one is okay. It’s not the biggest guest room, that one went to Nathan and Tessa. I swear that man brought a whole department store with him for just one weekend.” She led us to the last room, down the left hallway, and opened the door.
It was then that I realized that Trey and I would be sharing a room.
My mouth gaped, opening and closing like a dying fish as my face blazed. River saw my face and hers went from relaxed to horrified.
“Oh my god, Alexis said…I mean I just assumed…I’m so sorry!”
“No, it’s alright,” I reassured her. “I just didn’t expect it, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s fine.” I turned to Trey, who was enjoying this far too much, and shot him an aggravated frown.
“I’m definitely fine with it,” he said, grinning down at me.
“That’s good to hear, because you’ll be sleeping in the bath tub.”
“Um…there’s the couch downstairs,” River offered innocently.
“No, the tub sounds wonderful,” Trey said, the stubborn set to his jaw only making him more handsome.
“Good, I’m so glad you’re alright with it.”
“I’m great with it.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
“Okay, then,” River said, partly to herself. “There’s extra towels in the bathroom and I’ll bring up another blanket for the…tub.”
We walked in and the garment bags with Trey’s clothes sat on the king sized bed. The room had an adjoining bath and an east facing window that showed the mountains bathed in copper from the reflection of the setting sun. The room was very light and airy but no matter the space, I could feel Trey’s eyes on me. I couldn’t use my children as a buffer between us, or even the excuse of needing to work like I usually would. It was just the two of us, in a bedroom.
“Are you really okay with this?” his voice soft, free of the playful competitive tone from just a moment ago.
“Yes,” I nodded.
He waited and when I didn’t say anything else, he began to rummage in one of the garment bags.
“Well then,” he said. “I’ll take a shower.”
“Okay.”
He chuffed out a laugh.
“Okay.”
I was far too okay with it. I wanted him near, for him to cross that invisible line that we’d nearly obliterated before he left. I wanted to feel his body on top of mine, pressing me into the bed, whispering in that purring growl that I felt down to my toes.
If I had any illusions that a year apart had perhaps cooled my lust for Trey, I was disabused of it utterly in this moment.
The water turned on and all I could think of was the hardened planes of his chest under the spray, the way his scales had felt under my hand. He wouldn’t turn me away if I decided to strip down and join him. I’d seen him look at me like I was a meal to be devoured far too many times to doubt what Trey Park, Dragon King, wanted from me.
It could just be sex, couldn’t it? Why not? I’m an adult, I can make that decision. It doesn’t have to be anything more than scratching an itch for both of us. Get it out of our system, and then move on.
Oh, the lies we tell ourselves!
And I couldn’t care less.
If this was true, then I could ignore the alarm bells in my head. After all these years of being alone, protecting myself, pouring all my unfulfilled desires and passions into protecting the world, didn’t I deserve to be fucked into the mattress by a gorgeous male?
But even as I made the decision to let myself have this, I was held immobile by the fear of letting Trey in. I stood there so long, mind spinning and body hot with pent up arousal that the shower turned off.
I should go, he could walk in—
And so he did.
Chest and hair still damp from the shower, his Draconian markings a bright startling blue all over his chest and shoulders. A towel was wrapped low on his hips, showing off that delicious V of muscle that I had the insane desire to run my tongue up.
I was going to apologize for standing there and gaping, say that I would shower in the bathroom across the hall. Or just move so it wasn’t obvious that I was in the same spot he’d left me in ten minutes ago. But the words clogged my throat and instead a choked sound came out of my mouth.
“You okay?” he asked.
Not meanly, not even playfully, more concerned and confused.
“Yes,” I said, far too breathy, my nod way too enthusiastic. “I was just lost in thought…and I, um, I should get my things and go.”
I reached out for the bag with my hurt wrist and I gasped at the twinge.
“Why not just take the shower? I’m done,” he said. “And I’ll be out of here by the time you’re finished so you don’t need to worry about taking your bag.”
“Yes, that makes sense.”
I almost sprinted toward the bathroom and stumbled over my own feet in my hurry, smashing into his chest. It was just as warm and firm in this form as it had been in his Dragon form. The arm that wasn’t holding the towel came around my back and held me tight, his pupils dilated, shifted to vertical and back again.
My body melted against his and I couldn’t stop it. He was so strong and solid, I could lean on him in a storm and he wouldn’t budge. I just wanted to sink into him, and not for sex, although that was definitely on my mind. But just to have someone to hold me, to let me be weak, just for a second.
“What is it?” he asked, his hand trailing up my back, soothing.
I let out a long breath through my nose and gave in.
“Don’t ask me any questions, just hold me, please?”
I leaned in without waiting for a reply and laid my head on chest, right where his heart was. It was the most natural thing in the world for me to simply lean on him, let him take my weight and close my eyes. His arm tightened around me, and he pressed his cheek to the top of my head. A tight weight in my chest loosened, peace filling me with warmth and soothing those jagged edges of my armor.
This was vulnerable, and stupidly weak, but I wanted it all the same. To put down the burdens of the world, the insane expectations I placed on myself, and trust someone to carry me, just for a moment.
And it felt amazing.
My body started to unwind, and so did my mind. Which was why all the recriminations and fears were suddenly shouting at me. I usually kept a tight grip on them, firmly controlling when I let them out. But this time, they’d snuck up on me.
I fought against the rising tide of panic that began to steal that peace and squeezed my eyes tight.
“It’s okay,” Trey crooned, his hand still running up and down my back in a slow motion. “You can trust me. I’ll never hurt you.”
That’s what David had said too.
It was like being thrown from a warm bed out into the freezing cold as the ghosts of past shattered the peace that I had almost grabbed hold of. I jolted in his arms and stepped back so abruptly that Trey lurched forward before catching himself.
“I’m sorry,” I wiped my eyes and bolted for the bathroom, “I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.”
I slammed the door and locked it before sitting on the toilet and crying.