Page 10 of Cassian
She decided on Ace since he wasn’t her cousin, and being mayor of their town would hold a lot more weight than anyone else would.She had to take four tests over the next five days in order to opt out of seven of her classes for this semester.Raven was very happy about that.But only if she passed them.Cassian knew she could do it.
She was planning on taking a full load of classes so that she could finish in a reasonable amount of time.It wasn’t as if she didn’t have plenty of time to become an attorney, but she wasn’t used to being immortal yet, and he knew she’d be able to live out her life without hurrying through things when she lived a few hundred years.He knew that he’d wanted to do everything quickly so he could learn different trades, but that hadn’t worked out so well when he got bored with life.If Raven hadn’t come along when she did, he didn’t want to think about how bored he’d be right now without his mate.She was brightening up his life like nothing had ever done before.
When she left to talk to Ace, he decided to finish up on the paperwork that he’d been putting off in favor of hanging out with Raven.It didn’t take him long to get it finished up just as his phone was ringing.It was his old buddy and dragon friend, Harlin Spelling.
“I got your message, but I don’t understand it.We’re putting in new schools around here, as well as a rec center.If we’re not going to be a town anymore, no one bothered to tell me about it.”He said that he’d heard that the mayor had been run out of town and that he was being usurped by some animal.“Nothing like that happened.We do have a new mayor, but he’s been getting things fixed up at a fanatical rate.What made you think that?”
“I don’t know why, but I figured it was you guys having the town put to dirt because they weren’t playing ball with you.Isn’t that what happened to the other town that you lived in?They forever had their hands out wanting something done, and you just got tired of it?I heard that they’ve been closed down as a city and can’t even get mail delivered, as the post office was shut down about ten years ago.I guess there are a few people still living there, but they’re not doing much in the way of trying to save the town.”
“You should come by and see what our cousin has been up to.If there is a grant or a federally subsidized loan that he can use, he’s been right on top of it.In addition to the new schools being built this spring and into summer, we have just about all new sidewalks, and the pool is being redone as well.It looks like a new town around here.”He told him he might just take him up on it.“I’ll tell my new mate.”
“You have a mate?Why didn’t you start with that?Congratulations on her finding you.Christ, it’s been so many years since my own mate has passed that I nearly forgot that there are still some dragons out there that are still looking.”He told him how Tucker and Kings had found them as well.“What is this world coming to, I ask you?I’m glad to hear that Tucker isn’t going by Savage anymore.I always felt sorry for him when we were growing up.He just seemed so down all the time.”
Tucker didn’t even know that he had a first name other than being called Savage by his family.When one of the others pointed out that his first name was Tucker, he’d been about as shocked as he’d been in finding a mate after all this time.Of course, it helped him too that Kaida called him that, along with the others who were around now.Tucker had had a horrific life before his parents were all murdered by Margo, his sister, and he felt bad for the older dragon about it, too.Not that his nor Brenin’s life had been all that different.It seemed to him that they heard that their last name was Savage and took it to heart, treating everyone around them like the name implied.
Now that they were all dead, they all had a better life.They certainly were richer in their friendship with each other.It had always amazed him how much his parents had always hated the other cousins, especially Tucker.That had always surprised him in how much hatred they’d had for the sweetest guy he knew.Well, he was sweet now, thanks to Kaida.She made them all want to be better men.
After talking with Harlin and inviting him to come and stay with them, he felt better.He was going to remember the story about the town to tell Ace the next time he saw him.It was funny to him that people would make up stories like that and expect no one would check on them.It would have been bad for them to get businesses to come around if they thought that the town was going down the tubes.
He knew that Harlin would make sure that it got around that the town wasn’t in trouble and tell people that he knew it was being updated all over the little burg.He was especially excited about the sidewalks being fixed.They were a danger all on their own.But Ace, true to his word to the people who had voted for him, had gotten them fixed with little to no fuss at all.
Walking over to see him now, he kissed Raven when he saw her first.Her cheeks were all flushed like she was happy, and it made him feel really good.He didn’t know why he wasn’t jealous about her spending time with his cousins, and he was for everyone else.Especially Daniel Winters.
Daniel had knocked her around on her last day of work and had been arrested again.And since he’d failed his anger management classes, he no longer had a job to go to.Right now, he was sitting in jail waiting for his trial for causing a scene in the class.There was also another hearing going on for the Connors and Waggoner about the kidnapping and murder of Trevor’s family when he was about one year old.
They were only going to be sentenced at the second, three people to see when they were going to prison and for how long.He figured that Jason Waggoner would get several life sentences, as he had confessed to killing as many as fifty people when he’d been free.That was another guy that he wanted off the streets.He’d been causing Skye to have nightmares of him getting loose and hurting her again since he’d been arrested.His heart broke for the other woman.
Ace wasn’t busy when he was talking to him, but he did have the specs on the new computer company that they were hoping would come to their town.As it was now, they had to travel all the way to Zanesville, about a twenty-minute drive, to get anything fixed up when it came to cell phones and computers alike.Having one in their own town was going to be epic, not to mention nice to have, so that when the schools had trouble with their setup, it could be dealt with quickly.They didn’t have a lot of trouble, at least he didn’t think they would when they started out at the new buildings.That was another thing that would be updated when they built new classrooms: all the computer equipment for the classrooms.
“I talked to him for about three hours.He wants to start out large and then have room to expand when he wants.I think he has some good ideas about his shop.He wants to be able to repair computers and resell them to some of the customers who might not be able to afford up-to-date computer systems.Also, he’ll have a showroom where he can show off the newest computer systems.Raven got a good deal on the laptop that she needed for classes, as he gives a discount on the ones that are purchased just for school.She was excited.”He told him that she was downloading the links on it so that she would have the books that she needed before classes started.“I heard that teachers are doing that.You pay for a book online so that it’s nothing you have to carry around with you.Brilliant idea if you ask me.”Hethen told him about the story of the town being demolished.
“He said that he’d take care that the people who told him about it knew the true story.I thought it would hurt us with new businesses coming around to see if they want to build here or not.”Ace said that it might well have.“I also thought that we could be a good town for others needing help with getting things around town done, like the pool and the sidewalks.You’ll probably be getting calls from people to see what it is that you’ve done.It could be a good feather in your cap when it comes to reelection time again.”
“I’m having fun right now, but I’m sure that once things are finished being repaired or replaced, I’m going to have nothing to do but walk around town shaking hands and kissing babies.Do men do that anymore?”Cassian said it sounded dangerous to him, what with all the rules regarding safe distances and other rules that people have.“Yeah, you’re probably right.I’d hate to have my head bashed in for trying to kiss a kid who has a cold or something.I can’t catch whatever is wrong with them, but it’s still nasty to think about.”
They talked about some of the other things that were going on around town.The pool would be finished by next spring.Even though it looked like it might not ever be finished, he could see that the holes were being planned out and things like rebar for the walls were coming into the town via the trucks he’d seen around the area.
The pool was going to be twice as big as it had been, and there was going to be lift equipment for the handicapped who wanted to use the pool, too.The lift was what started the whole thing about Ace becoming mayor.He’d found enough money without raising taxes to get the job done for nothing to the townspeople.The only thing they were paying for was the renovation of the pool itself, and most were excited about that.It would certainly be more room for those who wanted to use the pool in the summer.
“I have two more businesses that are thinking of coming here.One of them will take over the old building out on Route Sixty where the old basket plants used to be.It would be fifty-five more jobs for the people around here, and that would be great.Because the building was meant to make baskets, it had a lot of open spaces around that could be used for just about anything.And that would save them time and money when moving in.”He asked about the other business.“It’s a business that trains people on how to use a sewing machine.And the products that they sell will be made locally.I’m very excited about that one because there are a lot of people who would be good at that.He said that he trains women who are going back into the workforce after so long and just need to update their resumes.I’m not sure on all the ins and outs, but we’re just in the talking stages of having them put their plant here.”
The four of them talked about getting dinner.Ace was all for it, but his brother was going out on a date tonight.Good for him was all he could think about, as before meeting Raven, he’d not been out on a date in a long time.Sometimes they would hear the name Savage and would immediately think of money.He had some, but he wasn’t going to give it away on some date that he’d had with a human.Then he remembered that his mate was human and decided that he’d keep his opinions to himself from now on.It might well get him in trouble at home if he didn’t.
They decided to go out somewhere fancy for dinner.Not super fancy, but some cloth napkins as well as a wine list.It wouldn’t get them drunk at all, but it was nice to get a little buzz off of drinking it.He was also fond of a beer with his pizza for the same reason.
Dinner was nice, as it was wonderful conversations too.They talked about the new schools as well as the new pharmacy that was coming to town.The one that had been in town until recently had been purchased by some larger group, and they had decided to close it down.It had been difficult for the people around town to get their medications, especially those who didn’t drive and had been dependent on the local pharmacy that had been in town.It also sold school supplies in the school year, which would be good for last-minute projects for students.
~*~
Raven was reading one of her college texts the next morning when she was called to the station houseby one of the officers.Apparently, Daniel wanted to talk to her, and she was debating whether to go.He was a pain in the ass, and if she could talk to him where he couldn’t get to her, she’d be fine with that.The man wanted to knock her around something terrible, and she didn’t like him all that much.
Walking to the stationhouse, she was there in just a few minutes.Her plan was to go to the library when she was finished so that she’d have something to read other than school books for the rest of the summer.When she got to the stationhouse, she couldn’t believe how calm they all looked, probably from living in a small town where they had very little crime and not much to do.She was asked to leave her purse and sweater behind in the event that he would grab them to get to her.Anything to keep her safe.She’d also told Cassian what she was doing in case things got out of hand.She didn’t think that it would; he was in jail after all, with armed men.
“Just make sure that you don’t sit close enough to him so that he can touch you.”She said she was going to do that so that he’d not hurt her.“If he does, the entire department will be gone.I won’t hold back if they let you get hurt.”
“Surely you don’t mean that.”When he didn’t say anything, she changed the subject.“My classes start in just two weeks.I’m so excited about them that I could bust.”
“I can tell.I’m glad to be able to be around when you need help, too.It might well have been a long time since I was a practicing attorney, but I remember enough to keep me and the rest of us out of hot water all the time.”She asked him if she’d be able to help them out as well.“I don’t see why not.You’ll have fresh eyes on things, and that will be helpful in all kinds of situations.Plus, I think that you’ll be more up to date on laws than I am right now.I know nothing about cybercrimes that would be helpful.I have read about it, but I didn’t take any classes that would have me knowing what sort of laws are being broken.”
