Page 40 of The Dragon's Stone Hearted Mate
“And I’m not going crazy?” I asked.
“Eh, maybe you are with how much knitting you did back at your home but you’re not crazy about this,” he said and looked around at the tall trees with trunks as fat as elephants. “Let’s make this place a little more familiar for the both of us.” Dern waved his hand, and we stood in the kitchen of his house. This kitchen on Earthside was technically part of the home I shared with my best friend Ni and his mate Teddy Moonscale. We sat down without speaking. A teapot appeared at the table alongwith our cups and his favorite teabags. Once the tea was seeping, Dern spoke again.
“I’m excited that I get to work with you. Honestly, I felt awful that I never got to tell you everything that I thought you needed to know. I think this way will be easier for you. Ormund’s out on a flight right now but he’ll be back soon.”
“What was the message all about? All in caps: YOU’LL COME WHEN HE HAS MADE UP HIS MIND!”
“It was about Torvan, of course,” Dern sighed. “The moment he decided to do his time in the Pit and figure his shit out, I brought you over here.”
“That was my assignment?” I blinked.
“No, that was not your assignment. You just got sucked into that because of who you associate with. It was all in your lifeline, though. Who you are means you were never going to say no to it. Your first assignment will be in London which works out now that Preston showed up. He got held up a bit because your parents had so many questions, but he did arrive in time to see you hit the floor.”
“Please tell me it’s not to do with that damn bear,” I said, lowering my voice because if the universe heard me it might curse me with what I wanted the least.
“Not your first one, no,” Dern shook his head and took a sip of his tea. “I think I’ll put coffee on too.”
“What do you mean not my first?” I asked.
“Eh, there are a lot of maybes there.”
“You know how that’ll end, right?” I rolled my eyes.
“I do but only because I know how people are. Clarence can only see life through his own eyes. Tony is likely to get killed by his own people in jail. The alpha bear is going to put up one helluva fight. My money is on Teal offing him or maybe Indigo. Indigo hasn’t been the same since people threatened to scramble his baby while he was still in the egg. That leaves the omega toraise that little boy all by himself. He’s going to need friends. You’re part bear. You said it yourself. He might not be a case but if I’m right about the way I think things will play out, this won’t be the last you see of him.”
“I can’t believe this is all over money,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair and holding my teacup with both hands.
“It’s not all over money. It’s about empty-souled men trying to fill the void with gambling and drugs and whatever. And it’s about love. Georgie probably thought he could marry Torvan and slip right into life with him after Morvan was dead, but Torvan would’ve offed himself afterwards. He doesn’t have the balls to live with himself. He thought he did, but he didn’t. I saw him die, Mori. Fucker didn’t try to dodge. Some part of him knew he’d fucked up beyond repair and that it was him or Morvan.”
“So what is my first actual assignment?” I asked.
“A couple of things could happen, Mori. Your work isn’t as clear cut as mine. When I worked it was go in and smash the shit out of this asshole until he can’t breathe. You’re going in to ensure as many people as possible come out alive and healed. That’s different.”
“How will I know it’s an assignment?” I asked, trying my best not to show my frustration.
“Eh, we’ll tell you when you’re done or if there’s something you really need to know. For now, you might say the assignment is to be in London. Live your life for a little while and see what happens. Think of us as your compass. We’ll put you in the right place to make the biggest difference. You might even want to start up the paranormal investigation business you keep flapping your jaws about if you can find the energy.”
“So, I’m just to go around helping everyone?” I arched a brow.
“You’re Xenos and Barry’s kid. You do that anyway,” Dern chuckled. “I always told your carrier that he had a headache fetish because he couldn’t not get involved if someone needed help.”
“So, I’m just doing what he did?” My eyebrows climbed higher on my forehead.
“Not exactly. Some jobs will be exact and some will be exact and dangerous. This one we think you can handle on your own.”
“I’m glad you have that sort of confidence in me. I was in a freezer calming down an angry dead man and didn’t even hear hell break loose, Dern.”
“That’s why you need your friends around. Your brother will work too. I think he could take out an eyeball or a liver with those knitting needles if he needed to.”
“Speaking of Preston,” I started but Dern shook his head.
“No apple for him. He can meet his true-mate the natural way. He wouldn’t accept my help anyway and you know it. He’s fine with the magical items but he’s trying to live a mundane life.”
“He should’ve chosen different parents then,” I sighed and leaned back in the chair.
“Why would you ask for that for him but not yourself?” Dern asked, stretching out his legs under the table.
“I have enough headaches,” I shrugged. “Besides, if he had a mate, I wouldn’t have to worry about him so much.”
