Page 25 of Dragon Unleashed
It sucks.
So, I let her complain until we break for lunch. At least, it takes my mind off the dragon currently discovering the American pastime of baseball in my apartment.
I’m so lost in my own thoughts that I don’t notice Hoc until he’s come into the break room behind me and blocked the exit.
“There you are,” he says, and I jump, the move sending lettuce and tomato flying as I nearly drop my salad.
“You startled me,” I say, gasping for breath. Heart pounding, I hurry to clean up my mess.
“Are you all right?” Hoc asks.
“Fine,” I say, “Great. What’s up?”
“I haven’t seen you all morning.”
“Busy day,” I say, way too chipper.
“Right.” He hesitates.
I force myself to meet his eyes, focusing on my breaths. Hoc is supernatural with senses to match. If he notices my heart rate is trying out a techno beat, he’ll know something’s up. “Is there something else?”
“I only wanted to say I’m very proud of you for the work you’re doing.” He softens. “The smooth past couple of days are a testament to your commitment and ability. Keep this up and you’ll be elevated to keeper, I’m sure of it.”
The guilt nearly drags me to my knees. “Thank you,” I tell him.
“I saw the report this morning,” he goes on. “Mag had a near-miss last night.”
“Oh?” My voice comes out way too high.
“When I asked him about it, he admitted the long shifts are getting to him. We are definitely spread thin here. I think we’re all looking forward to adding you to our ranks to help balance things out.”
“I’m just glad everything is in order,” I tell him. The lie is bitter on my tongue. Letting Mag take the fall for my fuck up—even if no one here knows the full gravity of it—Mag included—is so damn wrong.
But Mag isn’t on his last strike.
And Mag won’t have his memory wiped if he fucks up one more time.
I am, and I will. So, I let it slide and make a mental note to owe him a shit-ton of covered shifts once I do finally become a keeper.
“As am I. The last thing we need is another extrication on our hands. I’m too old to slay anything anymore.” He pauses, and I shudder, thinking of Hoc and Aries coming to blows. “Anyway, keep up the good work.”
I offer a slight nod. “Will do,” I call as he walks out.
When he’s gone, I sink into the plastic chair and stare down at my salad as if it’s my last supper. One wrong move and it damn well will be. I have to get Aries home—tonight. Both our lives depend on it.
Chapter8
Aries
On the tiny box in Paige’s living room, men hit the ball with a strange blunt stick. The crowd goes wild, jumping to their feet and screaming like madmen as the ball soars through the sky. They cheer even louder when the man who hit it drops his stick to run in a wide circle.
Truthfully, it makes no sense. But it is quite intriguing to watch what passes for entertainment in this world. Back home, if there is not a blade being used, it is rarely considered crowd worthy.
My stomach rumbles. Shit. Did she tell me what to do should I get hungry? So far, I haven’t seen a single servant. Pushing to my feet, I make my way into her kitchen, toward the white box that made a mind-numbing humming sound all night.
After gripping the handle and pulling it open, I’m blasted with a gust of cold air that has the hair on my arms standing on end. Like winter when the rest of the apartment feels like autumn.Interesting.I lean in closer, feeling the icy air on my face and smiling.
What other fascinations might this world hold?
