Page 31 of Mochas and Minotaurs

Chapter 15

Griselda

“Now that the coppersare gone let’s get down to business.” Seth leaned back in his seat.

I was surprised that the EA had sent him when there were so manyotherenforcers they could send.

Seth was Prax’s friend. He was also a wizard, though he wasn’t the annoying, stuffy kind, like many old-school wizards. I’d met him a few times at the Howling Wolf, a bar Prax and his friendsliked to frequent. This was the first time I’d seen him in anything other than his usual historically inspired or punk goth clothing.

“You look…different.” I eyed the uniform, trying not to show my amusement.

I was glad I’d been able to pull on a long black robe to make myself more presentable. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as my plush bat wing one, especially in winter, but it looked like a dress in a pinch. I’d also used a bit of magic to make my hair look less like a rat’s nest and hide the pillow marks on my face.

He grinned. “Liam does like me in a uniform.”

“What’s he going to say if he finds out you’ve been flirting with Officer Cooley? I didn’t know you swung that way, wizard.”

“I swing any way I want to, witch. But Liam knows. I’ve caught him looking more than once.”

Marcus was looking more and more irritated. So, I placed a calming hand on his forearm. “Seth is Prax’s friend,” I explained.

“I see you glaring at me, minotaur. Don’t worry, I’m not interested in your witch.”

Was that why Marcus was acting so strange? Was he jealous? No way!

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Seth continued, “onto more important things. The first of which is that I’ve noticed your magical ward is exceptionally strong. Is there a reason for that?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Let me be more clear. Have you already been attacked magically lately?”

I sighed, realizing I wouldn’t be able to hide something like that from him. Next to him, I was a magic novice. He might not look it, but Seth was scary powerful. “You might as well know. Yes, someone was messing with my wards. I’m a hundred percent sure it was Arcane as well.”

And I hadn’t told the cops because I didn’t want them to bring in the EA. Well, the joke was on me. I guess I should be glad it was Seth and not someone else.

“AnythingelseI should know about?” Seth looked directly at Marcus.

We were both silent. Seth was Prax’s friend, but he also worked for Desmon, the dragon of Darlington, and I doubted Marcus would want his secret known.

“What if I promise that everything you tell me from now on is off the record and not a part of the investigation?” Seth waved his hand, and he was no longer in a uniform. He had a black button-up shirt, left unbuttoned over a ripped black tank top. His piercings, which had been hidden before with magic, were back. A studded belt held his pants low on his hips, and his boots were spiked, too.

Marcus looked taken aback by the sudden change.

“Seth has that reaction with most people,” I said. “When he doesn’t look like a punk, he looks like a dead poet.”

“I’m going to stop beating around the bushes. The real reason I’m here is because Desmon sent me. There is a certain dragon sniffing around Darlington, looking for a lost minotaur. Desmon has known about you since you arrived.”

Marcus’s body language changed, but Seth kept speaking.

“He hasn’t ratted you out and doesn’t plan to. He’s quite enjoying watching this other dragon’s frustration, but he can’t actually help you. It’s against the rules, so consider this advanced warning that your dragon is near.”

So Desmon already knew. Things just got interesting.

After a long moment, Marcus replied. “Your advanced warning comes too late. Elise has already found me.”

“Your whore mother?”

“Seth!” I exclaimed.

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