Page 55 of Mochas and Minotaurs

“I’m speaking about the incubus.”

Elise let out a shriek when her purse suddenly moved, morphing and changing until Prax stood next to her.

“There’s a demon in my maze!” the dragon growled.

“Prax Incubus at your service.” Prax bowed low before turning to Elise and winked, the Hermes logo still imprinted on his forehead. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Since everyone is here,” I said, wanting this to be over before I lost my nerve, “let’s get started.”

I listed all the criteria for the deal, and Prax helped, morphing a part of himself off so that he could float the words I had to say above the dragon’s head. I couldn’t forget any of the details of the carefully crafted and ironclad deal. Not only would thedragon free Marcus and let him return safely, he would also absolve him and future generations of his line from the original deal.

“And in exchange, I will put a stop to the information getting out the second I am in a safe location. Any attempt to attack us or our friends and family after the completion of this deal will result in the whereabouts of your treasures being leaked directly to Desmon, the dragon of Darlington, and to Emmett, his brother. As long as you hold up your end of the deal, we will hold up ours.”

Of course, the dragon could simply move his treasures, and the coordinates we had would no longer be of use. But a dragon’s hoard was massive, and it would take years, maybe decades, to move piecemeal. He wouldn’t be able to move it en masse without calling attention to it. Making the deal was his best bet.

The dragon, not stupid, realized it as well. His face screwed into a menacing scowl, as he realized he’d been outsmarted. Eventually he conceded, but not before trying to change the wording to better suit himself. We didn’t budge, having already been warned that he would do this.

When he finally signed, I leaned in to check the name. Ernest. His name was Ernie? No wonder he never used it.

But it was done. And it was official. Marcus was free! And so were his future generations.

Pissed off and unable to do anything about it, the dragon turned and stormed away.

“Great doing business with you, Ernie,” I quipped, unable to stop myself.

“You silly woman,” Elise said when we were portaled out of the dragon’s maze as per the agreement and into a back alley in Paris. “You could have lived a life of luxury. Just one baby.”

I wrinkled my nose at the stench. I wasn’t sure if it was the alley or all of Paris that smelled like piss. Maybe it was Elise. Ugh. Talk about ruining the illusion.

“Unlike you, I don’t see Marcus as a paycheck. Now get out of my face before I sic my demon on you.” Prax wasn’t mine to sic on anybody, but the threat worked, and the woman stomped indignantly away.

“Come on,” Prax said. “We have a reservation at a nearby hotel.”

I looked around but had no idea which way to go.

Prax came to the rescue. “I’ll take you there. But you might want to use some magic to cover up before someone calls the police thinking you were attacked.”

I glanced at my reflection in a window and saw how I looked. My hair was a mess and my clothes torn after my encounter with Marcus in the maze. I concentrated and crafted an illusion of proper clothes and decent hair and makeup around my body.

The hotel was just a block away and booked under Prax’s name, which had been a good plan since I had no method of payment on me. I didn’t even have my purse, which meant no phone and no wallet. It sucked.

“You two just relax,” Prax said. “Bella’s plan ends here, but we’ll figure out a way to get you two home. You did the hardest part already, Gigi. It takes some kahunas to face down a dragon. We’ll do the rest.”

Then he was gone. Lucky demon. I wished I could just pop back to the States like that and be at home.

“Bella’s plan?” Marcus asked. “Who’s Bella?”

“Our compact friend,” I said. I explained everything to him, from learning about her special magical talent to all the planning, and finally, to the relief of seeing him in the maze.

“I owe you, and her…I owe everyone my life.”

I shook my head. “You don’t owe anyone anything. That’s what friends are for.”

“Just friends?” he asked with a raised brow.

“No. Not just friends. Not for me anyway,” I said honestly.

“I should have told you this the moment I realized it, Kitten.” He cupped my face gingerly in his hands. “I never knew that minotaurs had mates until I met you. I know now because you are mine. I can feel it down in my very soul. I love you, Gigi.”

---