Page 42 of April's Fool
“Not your fault. Just be quick, okay? Cody promised the rule was done.” He gave a suggestive leer, complete with wiggled eyebrows.
My laugh burst free. I couldn’t help hugging him tight enough to make him squeak. Another kiss, then I broke free. “I’ve left a gem to pay for a portal backto Toth’s. There’s a guild a few streets over. Do not fly with whoever comes to get you. From now on, you only fly with me, okay?”
Unable to stand the look on his face, I darted forward for another kiss. His lips were addictive.
“Be safe.”
Damon smiled. “Come back soon.”
“Promise!”
The area around the hotel was a no portal zone while the renovations I’d ordered were being done at the back of the hotel. Inconvenient, yet nothing to get in a tizzy over. Keren was not in the mood to deal with delays, though.
He didn’t have to say a word. His hulking presence with his own personal rain-cloud was bad enough.
“Keren, we’ll get there in plenty of time. I didn’t take that long to get ready.”
“I abhor lateness,” he growled, “so I told you we had less time than we actually needed. Do you need to return home or to Toth’s castle before the meeting for anything? We have time for you to prepare.”
“Relax. There’s nothing I need. I just need to make my bids when it’s time. The shifter council and thepack have both agreed that should I bid the highest, I won’t be barred from buying the club.”
His steps faltered. “That was a possibility?”
“Yes. There was concern that demons could cause problems to the shifters. Then I explained the intricacies of how we feed and gave proof of other demon owned clubs in Europe.” Demons were more accepted in Europe for some reason. They had protections under law that prevented witch contracts and bindings. There were also anti-discrimination laws in place we didn’t have in the US. “Once they saw how it worked, they actually seemed excited about it.”
“So today is a formality?”
“Well, no. There are other bidders. Independent shifters, other packs from surrounding areas. The council is sick of running it, so they are glad someone wants to take it off their hands.” My feet slowed as a scent caught my attention. “I’m starving. Can we get breakfast first?”
That time, Keren did roll his eyes. “Of course, Sir.”
The bakery we entered was small, with just a handful of tables, all of them packed with the lunch-time rush. We really had slept late.
While we waited to place our orders, I messaged Damon to tell him that Keren had tricked me, Mama to tell her I needed a better guard, then my darling boyto tell him someone needed to come get Damon while I went to the auction.
Mama: Of course, Sweetheart. Poor Keren should be relaxing, not dealing with troublesome demonkin. He was a temporary measure. Let me figure something out.
Rude, though as long as I got my way, I didn’t really care what she said. I knew I wasn’t that much of a hassle for a bodyguard. Gregoris had been with me for over a century, after all.
Damon: Keren sucks, and not in the good way.
That earned a snort from me and a side eye from Keren.
Cody: I’ll ask Toth if he can go, if there isn’t anyone to spare. He was busy with something, but I’ll get him to go. Maybe we both could fly.
Keren ordered for me, which was just overbearing in the extreme, further cementing my dislike. I much preferred him when he was just Gregoris’ grandpa. He made it worse with what he’d ordered. I didn’t want a black coffee; I wanted a chai latte. At least he had the decency to order me a pastry. Perhaps my stomach grumbling was bothering him.
I sent Cody a reply:
Me: If you can’t get Toth, call the hotel and see if Barr is free. I’ll give him another gem if he can take Damon back safely. It’s quite a long flight for new wings.
There was a weird feeling in my gut. I texted Damon back and asked him to only go with Toth, or Barr, if Toth was unavailable. It didn’t immediately go on read, so I assumed he was in the shower.
By the time I put my phone in my pocket, our order was ready. We took it outside to a bench and ate in silence. The city moved around us, bringing a smile to my face. I was proud of where I came from and hoped after Damon had seen more of it he would be willing to settle here, somewhere close to Cody so I could spend plenty of time with my son, yet somewhere where we had our own space, and most importantly, privacy.
“Ready, Sir?”
I stood, brushing the crumbs from my pants. “Sure. I’m excited to see the pack grounds.” He said nothing, just waited for me to be ready.
