It’s Tricky
MORGANA
T he dragon doesn’t look in the least bit surprised or contrite.
In fact, his expression is impassive as he stares at our group lounging with this high-powered demon hybrid.
He’s not even responding to Li’s sarcastic comment—no, the stony bodyguard act is in full effect.
His broker looks jittery with Celestara in the room, all bravado fading as he gauges the temperature of our chilly cohort.
“I, uh, didn’t know he was—I’m so sorry, Lady Celestara. I would never attempt to poach?—”
“ Silence .” Her one word stops the babbling Cubi in a split second, as does her lazily raised hand. “you may leave. Confirm the transfer when you go.”
“Yes, right away. On it.” Punky guy scrambles away from the doorframe and out of view like his ass is on fire, and for a second, I admire the calm control the woman has over those below her.
It’s a palpable feeling that didn’t require her to even voice anger; her claims must not be completely off-base.
“I didn’t agree to a change of broker.”
Liam looks up from the document with an amused expression. “I believe I outrank you as much as Celestara does your demon.”
Kaspar enters the room with a subtle huff, closing the door behind him. “We may not be asking for the same boon. That would make the contract you’re reviewing useless to me, Your Highness.”
Celestara smirks, clearly enjoying the discord. “Ah, but I have something you would be interested in as well. Though I suspect you are being less than honest about that, I have truth besides the current services requested.”
My eyes narrow as I tilt my head to study her.
She’s a hard read, but the lilt of excitement in her tone tells me what I need to know.
Whatever this demoness knows pleases her—why, I’m not sure—but she’s eager to relay the information.
That puts us in an unusually good position to draw the info out of her without yet another amendment to this cursed document.
“As far as I know, neither the prince nor his employee know you. What could you possibly know that would interest us?”
“Good question, Morgana,” Iggy says with a sly grin. “I also believe she’s bluffing. Liam’s magic would have sensed hers if they’d met in the past under another guise. This is just a distraction.”
Of course, the sneaky ass mage would pick up the vibe I’m laying down—it’s in his nature.
Celestara rolls her eyes, slinking further into her seat with a bored sigh.
“You will not goad me into telling you, hybrid. Better and older supes than you have tried it and every other manipulation in the book. My ego does not need stroking; I know my worth and the value of this tidbit to your family.”
Lucas hums as if he is considering her statement, then shrugs. “I say we let it go. Li’s gotta be close to finishing that thing and I can’t imagine anything she could offer that would be commensurate with giving her more than we’ve already agreed to. It’s definitely bogus.”
Squeezing his hand, I smile at the brave bear. “You’re right, Lucas. All we need is in this room, plus this one task we’re negotiating. We have plenty of resources on our own. Whatever she’s sitting on will come out, eventually.”
“It hasn’t been for centuries; why would your current situation change that?” The smug demoness shrugs casually as she studies her long nails. “My contracts guarantee confidentiality on that level… unless the employer breaks the deal of their own volition.”
“You make it sound like you’re Rumplestiltskin,” Slade mutters. “We know that’s not true. Your verbiage in this supposed deal must have been contingent on the contractor meeting specific terms they failed to uphold. It’s not as simple as someone guessing your name.”
“Of course not,” she replies. “That’s a stupid fairy tale humans developed to account for brokers like me and other demons giving out fiddles of gold and such.
However, like any good dealmaker, we certainly include stringent provisions for failure to meet payment terms and conditions.
This particular individual did not follow their own rules, violated the terms of the deal, and failed to make good on their payment.
I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to present itself for a long time. ”
I frown. “It seems odd that you don’t go after welshers immediately. Why is that?”
“Because revenge prolonged is much sweeter than sought in haste,” Celestara admits on husky chuckle.
“I could have gone looking to fuck up this client, but it would not have been as satisfying as it will be now. The passage of time has made this infinitely worse for them, and what happens afterward is going to be a delight to witness.”
Slade nods as he listens, then looks at me.
“Whatever she’s sitting on probably caused a lot of problems. The longer she waits to correct the situation, the angrier those involved will be when they find out.
It’s a slow play torture; Azul is good at those, especially with traitors or spies.
Axel can’t hold his wad long enough to do it. ”
I had no idea how useful his background was going to be now that he’s comfortable enough to talk about it, but my darling mate is proving his mettle like a boss today.
Li finally puts down the paper, rubbing his eyes for a moment.
Once he’s ready, he gives me a slight nod before saying, “This contract is acceptable. I’m uncertain what you’d want to amend for this ‘need-to-know’ gossip about your former client, but it sounds like it would benefit you more than us. ”
“I’d say it’s fifty-fifty, actually,” Celestara grins. “I will get my vengeance, but you? You will get peace you didn’t even know you needed. It’s mutually agreeable.”
Kaspar grunts as he stalks over to stand by Liam’s chair.
He doesn’t believe her, but that’s his job.
Bodyguards are supposed to protect their employer, and he obviously thinks there’s nothing this woman could offer that would be enough to add more debt to our column.
“If it’s mutually beneficial, isn’t the action we take after we are told your payment?
One would assume you anticipate your vengeance being achieved by us rather than exerting yourself. That makes our action your payment.”
The demoness blinks, taken aback by his suggestion.
It’s perfectly logical, and it would fit within typical terms of these bargains, I think.
But she didn’t expect or hasn’t had many clients figure that out, so she’s stalling now by pretending to consider his offer.
The many years the dragon has spent amongst the Fae are paying off in real time, and I hate to say it… but I’m impressed.
“I suppose one could say that,” she purrs slowly. “However, your payment must be commensurate with my loss to be equivalent. You would have to agree to action that meets that criteria for your offer to work.”
Liam arches a brow, his focus solely on her as he says, “If you are asking us to make the punishment fit the crime, that is something I can guarantee. I cannot promise it will match your version of justice, but as the heir to Daybreak, I can confidently agree to being fair and just.”
“Very clever, Prince,” Celestara replies with a smirk.
“And quite honorable, at that. I will accept your offer, but know that crossing me with tricky Fae language never works out well for clients. The blunt truth of your words will be held as your contract—no more, no less. And I require notification when you mete out the punishment so I can verify its equanimity.”
“Done.” Liam’s magic bursts from him, crossing the distance to meet hers, and I wince.
I expected her to add it to our grand total, not be solely with him.
That will be yet another burden to bear, and when the demoness’s magic hits his, it pushes back until it leaves a dark brand on the inside of his wrist.
“That will be your reminder until we are even, Your Highness. Trust me when I say it cannot be removed until you pay the toll.”
Slade groans, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes. “Fabulous. One of those fucking bargains. Just great.”
I’ll have to ask him about that later; I don’t want her to know his statement worries me.
“Don’t worry, siren. He will not be affected in any way other than the mark.
It doesn’t have a timeframe, though it may remind him occasionally that repayment is necessary.
” Celestara sits up, looking at my family seriously as a pen appears.
“Now, if you’re going to sign this, let’s do it.
Then I will release the information and start fulfilling your contracted request. I have other potential customers waiting. ”
I grab the pen and reach for the document, then scribble my name quickly.
Passing it around, each of my men and the damn dragon sign off on it one by one.
When it makes its way back to the hybrid, she smiles in satisfaction.
“Excellent! Now, tell me what you require so I can get my contacts working.”
“We need a unicorn shifter to move onto campus.” I look her in the eye as I continue, my expression firm.
“They will be employed, taken care of, and hidden in plain sight. No one but us will know of their status, so they need to be gifted in disguising their species amongst supernaturals of varying levels. They will sign an NDA regarding their work and be on call with a dedicated line when needed. I do not have a length to the contract, so it will be open. Can you do it?”
She blinks, looking at me as if I’ve grown a third head. “That’s all? You simply need a rare shifter with alpha level skills on an open contract? Oh, you certainly gave up more than you should have, my dear. But that is not negotiable anymore, I’m afraid.” She tsks and I roll my eyes.
“The finer details of their contract are not your business, but I assure you, it will be worth our while and the employees. If they will not agree to the terms, they will sign the disclosure agreement and you will seek another until we have what we require. That is when your end of the bargain is met.”
Liam holds a finger up. “Note that your contract does not indemnify you from damages if you choose someone who violates our own contracts. Reading it twice allowed me to glean that detail. I would recommend being extremely cautious about who you send our way.”
Her expression flickers for a moment, then she nods. “Done. I will begin efforts to recruit this person immediately.” With a snap of her fingers, dark magic appears, then crashes through the door again to head into the world. “Are you ready for the vital secrets I have to share?”
“As ready as we can be with no context,” Lucas mutters. “Rip the Band-Aid off, woman.”
Her smile turns wicked as she leans in, putting her elbows on her knees.
“The story begins many, many years ago, when a young Fae approached a hybrid broker in a tavern in Faerie. The broker was not young or Fae, but appeared as such because she was on vacation. Long periods of back-breaking work making deals had taken its toll, and some kind beings offered a treat for her dedication.”
Kaspar growls softly. “Get moving.”
“Patience, dragon. That is the drawback of your kind—you are too quick to ignite and slow to find clarity of thought. Which brings me to the Fae girl in the tavern because she was poor and unloved, by her estimation, and sought a way out of her boring, hard-working life. She yearned for romance and wealth and all the shiny things she’d seen in the capital of her court.
Not an uncommon start to a bargain by any measure, but this girl was so hungry that she didn’t read a single word of the contract. ”
“That’s a set-up for failure,” Slade says with a frown. “It explains why she isn’t paying—a clause probably made her dream a nightmare. Djinn love to do that, too.”
“I was on vacation; sue me. It was a lark to gain another sale and find amusement in her very earned suffering. After all, she could have sought love and happiness in any income bracket, but she only wanted it from the richest, most powerful people she could find. But nothing in our deal said that it had to last or that she would come out ahead in the end.”
Liam’s face turns pale suddenly, and he freezes in place. I look at the dragon, whose eyes are full of furious electricity despite the stony expression on his face. Turning back to the demoness, I ask, “What did you do, Celestara?”
“I gave her what she asked for—no more, no less.” The woman shrugs, her fangs protruding as her evilness spreads across her face. “I gave her the tools to become beautiful, mysterious, and moneyed looking so she could go to Court and hook someone there who fit the bill.”
“But you didn’t say it would last, nor did you mention her desire for more would cause her to never be satisfied…” Liam whispers as he blinks. “So she found what she wanted, but couldn’t help trying to trade up for more.”
“Exactly!” Celestara laughs huskily, her eyes bright with amusement.
“Which simply sent her running back to her original hovel in shame and exile—something she heartily deserved for her greed. And now… the peace you were seeking without knowing it will come, Your Highness. Both for you and the angry ball of resentment behind you. Voila!”
I don’t know this story, but there’s no way it’s going to give either of the shocked and infuriated men in my family peace anytime soon—we were hoodwinked.