Three
Riley
Tatsuya, still in his human form, led me to the SUV and opened the door for me, looking at me expectantly.
With little choice but to comply, I approached the vehicle.
Unlike a human cop car, it didn’t have the metal cage separating the driver from the passengers in the back.
It was pretty much like any luxurious car you’d find in an affluent area.
Apparently, Greyhaven wasn’t hurting for cash if this was what they gave their cops to ride around in.
“You mind if I fly back?” he asked me, his voice on the gruff side.
His fingers were firm on the cold metal of the car door.
How was the weather not affecting him? Was it part of his dragon magic?
He stared at me impassively. This was such a strange welcome wagon.
I was getting whiplash from it. “I don’t get many chances to spread my wings,” he finally explained at my confusion.
I stared at him, frozen for a second. “Uh, sure. Whatever.” I couldn’t come to grips with what I was feeling. Finding Greyhaven after searching for so long felt like a dream. Being met by dragons? Well, that left me feeling off balance. All wrong and twitchy.
“You’re in safe hands now. Don’t worry. That’s Ryuu, my brother,” Tatsuya said with the same gruff tone as before.
Though his words were supposed to be soothing, I got the impression he didn’t like me for some reason. It broke me out of my reverie as he pointed to the driver and put me on edge. I wouldn’t find allies in the car.
“He’ll drive you to the town hall. All newcomers go there first unless they need medical attention. Do you need medical attention?” He looked me over and held my eyes until I answered. He was difficult to read, aside from the subtle disdain. I guess that was important in his line of work.
“Nah,” I answered after a brief pause. He dropped my gaze, sharing a look with his brother.
There was no way I was going to get checked out.
I hated hospitals and doctors. There was no way I was giving this guy any information he could use against me either.
“All good here. Just a little cold.” My extremities felt like they were about to fall off, but I wasn’t admitting that.
“Right then, hop in,” Ryuu called. Now that I looked at him, he was similar in features to Tatsuya, though softer and sweeter somehow.
I knew then that if I needed something from the police, however unlikely, Ryuu would be the one I’d approach.
Tatsuya felt too guarded to trust. He was too sharp, distant and judgmental.
“See you at the town hall,” Tatsuya said as I got in and buckled up. He closed the car door behind me and backed away, shifting seamlessly into his dragon form and launching himself into the sky without a backward glance.
With a sigh, and ignoring the other passenger’s muttered curse, Ryuu put the car in drive, did a neat turn, and followed the flying dragon into town.
There was another string of curses in a language I didn’t understand.
“Ignore Longwei. He’s just butthurt that he can’t fly and has to power the spells to keep the car on the road.
” I had noticed that the car was cruising along at a decent speed without concern for the poor road conditions. Magic was useful.
“Rude! And don’t call me that. My name is Fen! When will you all get it into your heads—” The other dragon glared at Ryuu.
“You’ll always be Longwei to us, cousin,” Ryuu said in a placating tone, as if this was an old argument.
“That’s not my name anymore. I’ve told you all countless times, I cannot claim that name.” The passenger turned in his seat to meet my eyes. He had a more angular face than Ryuu. I really didn’t see any family resemblance. “Call me Fen, okay? Everyone other than the dragons do.”
“Is that like a family thing, since he’s your cousin?” I asked, leaning forward to be heard over the sound of the engine. I didn’t know what dragon hearing was like when they were in their human form.
Fen gave a mocking grin. “Oh, we aren’t related.
They call me cousin because I’m a dragon like them.
That’s it.” He turned back to face forward, putting an end to the conversation with so many unanswered questions.
“Tatsuya could have come with us. I’ve not flown in ages,” I heard him grumble, as he used his magic to straighten the car before it could skid on ice.
“What my cousin isn’t saying is that he’s on a flying ban and it’s making his dragon mad.” Ryuu smiled into the rearview mirror, showing a neat line of pearly white teeth that wouldn’t look amiss in a toothpaste commercial.
“Why?” I blurted out. It wasn’t really any of my business, but sue me, I was nosy. Besides, I needed to get the lay of the land here. I’d made it a habit to study people. Learn everything about them, including their tells.
“You roll midair and crash into one building—”
“It was the theater! And they were in the middle of a play! People thought it was going to crash down around them.” Ryuu’s expression was complicated. There was exasperation, but also fondness there for the other dragon.
“Gareth fixed it up.” Fen waved off his concern.
“Magic doesn’t fix everything.” Ryuu thumped his fist into Fen’s shoulder. “You’ve just got to apologize to the mayor and do your hours—”
“Hours?” I asked.
“He means community service.” Fen looked over his shoulder at me.
“That’s why I’m here, right? Part of the Greyhaven welcome wagon.
Using my magic to protect the community.
” He used a weird sort of announcer’s voice that he pointed toward Ryuu, who shrugged him off.
“Hey, maybe with this guy—” He turned in his seat. “Sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“Riley,” I answered thickly. This was always the worst part of starting somewhere new.
The introductions, repeating my name for everyone until I stopped being the new guy and just became Riley, the withdrawn shifter.
Then, eventually, I was just a memory. I didn’t give him my last name.
It didn’t matter if I wouldn’t be here long.
I just had to wait and see if they could help me.
“Right, then, Riley. Nice to meet ya.” Fen winked at me. The change from moody to sunshine in a matter of seconds was startling. “So, I was thinking that Riley could say how bad it was out here, how much magic I used. Then I’ll say how sorry I am, and bam! Ban lifted!”
Ryuu laughed so loudly that even my lips lifted into a smile. “You act like the mayor won’t know exactly how bad it is out here, or how much magic you’ve used.” I could see Ryuu roll his eyes in the mirror. “I’ve never seen anyone lie to the mayor and get away with it.”
Right, so the mayor went onto the list of people to be careful around, along with Tatsuya.
He seemed too aware of everything around him.
His sister as well, just for being the police chief.
It worried me that a family was in charge of the police department.
What kind of place was Greyhaven? Though, when I weighed up the punishment that Fen had received for his stunt, I wondered if maybe they had it right.
Damage that could be easily repaired with magic shouldn’t have a hefty punishment, right? No harm, no foul.
The car whisked us through the quiet streets of Greyhaven. It was late afternoon now and nearly full dark. The odd person dashed around, getting last-minute things or closing up their store for the day, fighting against another flurry of snow and the biting wind.
I took in the sights as we got closer to a regal-looking town hall. It was Grecian in style, with columns set in a uniform order, each set proportionally from its neighbor. Just the sight of the orderly building was soothing. It had an aura that I just couldn’t explain.
Ryuu pulled up in front of a clearly marked space.
Turning in his seat, he spoke to me. “Look, the mayor… well, she can be a lot.” He and Fen shared a look.
“Just, whatever you do, don’t lie. If you don’t want to answer something, tell her that.
She would rather have you avoid answering than make shit up. ”
“Right! He’s so right on that. Just tell the lady mayor the truth, or as much as you’re comfortable with, okay?” Fen added.
After another silent conversation with his cousin, Ryuu looked at me again. “Whatever happens, you’ve got sanctuary here. You literally cannot enter the town’s borders with bad intentions. We just need to know if you’re bringing trouble with you.”
A prickling feeling ran up the nape of my neck. I literally had no clue if I was about to call shit down on Greyhaven by being here. The entire point of getting here was to find a way to break this fucking curse. Then I could go kill Boyce myself. Fuck what Paxton said. I’d save Mom alone.
The dragons got out of the car. Fen opened my door for me, and they waited expectantly for me to get out and join them on the sidewalk.
With a deep breath, I stepped out, the sudden chill making me shiver.
They escorted me as far as the lobby, leaving me with a short woman with close-cropped brown hair of an indistinguishable age.
I barely noticed their goodbyes, too busy trying to work out what the woman was.
She gave me a sunny smile while I noticed a plaque on the desk that said, “Debra, Mayor’s Executive Assistant. ”
“Hello, I’m Debra. You are?” she asked politely, her blue eyes twinkling.
“I’m Riley. I uh, I’m here to see the mayor?” It came out as a question. Her scent was making my nose tickle. I felt a sneeze coming on.
Debra held out a tissue. “Here. You shifter types are always so sensitive to brownie magic.”
I grabbed it just in time, sneezing three or four times into it while she watched with a rueful grin. “Thanks,” I managed. She pointed at a waste bin next to the wide desk. “Appreciate it.”
“Well, at least you’ve got manners. Lemme see those hands.” I frowned, but did as I was bid.
With a flourish, Debra worked some glittering magic over me and dropped into her chair with a pleased sigh. “Cleansed your hands and basically inoculated you against brownie dust.”
“Um, thanks, I think.”
“Oh, you’re welcome, hun. You’re a nice boy.” Was she slurring? She leaned forward to peer at me. “You want me to help you with anything else?” Debra really was slurring. What the fuck was going on?
“That won’t be necessary, thank you, Debra.” A being of immense power rounded the corner. I hesitated to call her a woman, though the form they were in was female. Their aura was oppressive. So much of Greyhaven made sense now. “Please go and get yourself a coffee while I speak to Riley here.”
“Of course, Madam Mayor.” Debra hustled off, looking a tad unsteady.
“Sorry about that, Riley. Debra can’t resist her brownie nature, and the inoculation always does that to her.”
“Oh, it’s um, it’s fine.” I paused. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be right as rain shortly. Come through to my office and we can chat.”
I followed the ancient being into a classically decorated office. It fit with the Grecian theme they had going on. They sat behind the desk and motioned for me to take one of the plush armchairs nearby so we could talk.
“Tell me why you’ve come to Greyhaven, Riley.”
Without preamble, I just let it all out. All I’d been keeping in these last few years, while I searched for someone to help me with no success. Everything. Without sugarcoating it.
“So, you see, I’m cursed, and I came here to find someone to break it.”
“And what will you do once this curse is broken?” The way they looked at me left me feeling as if I were being flayed open, my every thought and emotion on show.
I let the truth pour out of me again. Had Debra given me truth serum?
Or was this something to do with the mayor’s magic?
“Revenge first. Then heal. After—” My voice broke.
“I see how much of my mom is left.” Tears welled in my eyes unbidden, but I refused to cry in front of her.
Seemed I had no choice, though, when the tears rolled helplessly down my cheeks.
Debra appeared by my side with another damn tissue. I took it with a broken word of thanks, earning myself a smile from both the mayor and their assistant.
“Life has not been easy for any of you. I’m sorry for your hardships. I believe there’s someone here who can help you. Unfortunately, that person is not me. I guard this place, my home, but I cannot interfere in this. The way is blocked for a goddess such as myself.”
“A goddess?” The words slipped unbidden from my mouth. I’d sensed her power, though somehow missed how deep it went.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” She actually blushed! “I always forget to introduce myself. I’m the goddess, Hestia.”
For a moment, I sat there, utterly dumbfounded. “Like the goddess of the hearth?”
“Hearth, home, and family, yes. That’s what Greyhaven is to me, my home. I made this place as somewhere for supernatural beings to be safe from the outside world. Other sanctuaries exist, of course, though this one was the first of its kind in the US.”
My mind was spinning. I was speaking to an honest to goodness goddess! “But you said you can’t undo the curse?”
“No, I’m sorry, but we have many magical beings here: witches, druids, warlocks—”
“No warlocks!” My shout was loud in the quiet room.
Hestia assessed me for a minute, leaving me squirming in my chair. “Not all warlocks are the same, young metamorph.”
Fuck! She knew! How?
Panic flared inside me. No one could know the truth of what I was. I spoke without thinking of the consequences. “You can’t! You—”
“Fear not, your secret is safe with me—and Debra, of course.”
“Lips zipped!” I heard Debra call.
Hestia looked out the window, a slight frown on her face. “It’s getting late. You must be hungry. We can set you up in a cabin nearby, and we can discuss our options in the morning.”
“But—”
“No,” she said firmly. “After food and rest. We start anew tomorrow.”
“Come on, Riley,” Debra called. “I’ll have Fen take you to the cabins where the newcomers usually stay.”
Hestia didn’t speak. She rose from her desk and sauntered over to the window, looking deep in thought. I caught a glimpse of a frown on her ageless face before I turned to follow the brownie out of the room without offering a goodbye.
I couldn’t help but think that I’d offended the mayor, and that bothered me more than I thought it should.