Charity and Revenge

MADDIE

The next day, I skipped up the steps of the new Requiem City Orphanage.

AKA the insanely gorgeous Dobrzycka mansion.

The new residents had had time to settle in, but I was here to make some big changes.

~Ah, revenge.~

Nothing could ever be so sweet.

I prowled through the marble hall, which resounded with the joyful sounds of children playing.

But then I heard a familiar voice shouting:

“Get your feet ~off~ the furniture this ~instant!~”

Just her voice made my blood boil.

Elle.

I hadn’t had to deal with that bitch for what felt like ages but was instantly transported back to when I lived under her “care.”

She made Greensward a living hell for me and every other orphan in that place.

Elle didn’t care about the kids. She just wanted to profit off the crimes resorted to by the orphans in her care, since she made sure they didn’t get any other opportunities.

Just like the fucked-up shit that went down with that scumbag Dominic, when I was forced to steal for that asshole.

I poked my head into the library to see Elle with her nose in a trashy tabloid. Her skin was still orange from her fake tan.

Little kids surrounded her, seeking her attention so they could read to her. But she brushed them all away.

I shook my head in disgust. I was going to take this bitch down.

“Excuse me,” I called sweetly.

Elle’s bottle blonde head appeared from behind her magazine. When she noticed me, I could practically see her gulp.

~That’s right, bitch.~

“I need to speak with you for a second,” I said sweetly.

And then I crossed my arms, waiting for her in the hall.

Our talk would be brief. We wouldn’t need to sit.

She came into the hallway and plastered a sickly-sweet smile on her face.

~Elle was sucking up to me!~

~If only my younger self could have seen this.~

“Madeline!” she exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting to see ~you~ here.”

I just glared.

“My boyfriends are the ones who donated this building. Loch and Hael Dobrzycka? I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of them…”

Elle’s face fell.

“Boy~friends?~” she asked arrogantly, trying to belittle me.

“Yes, I’m a very lucky girl,” I said as I flipped my hair, “and they’ve assigned me some authority over how this place is run.”

Elle was really starting to sweat.

~Good.~

“It’s very important to me that the supervisor of the orphanage has the children’s best interests at heart,” I explained, “and I know for certain that you do not.”

“But—” Elle stammered.

I held my hand up.

“Cut the shit, Elle,” I snapped. “When I was in your ‘care,’ you let Dominic manipulate me into doing illegal shit that could have ~totally~ fucked up my future. You kicked me out of the only home I had!”

Her eyes were beginning to narrow, the nice act going to shit…

“I want to personally make sure you never do that to another kid again,” I said. “You are fucking ~fired.”~

Elle stamped her foot.

“Fuck!” she shrieked. “After everything I did for you?”

“Name one thing,” I snapped, staring at her blankly. “I’ll wait.”

“This… This is a hard job, Maddie! You won’t find anyone else to do it.”

“Oh, please!” I spat. “Get out!”

In what was perhaps the most triumphant moment of my life, I escorted Elle to the front door.

“Sayonara, bitch!” I called, wiping off my hands.

Now that I had taken out the trash, I could focus on other matters.

I headed back through the house and out into the backyard.

Kids swarmed the playground and kicked balls back and forth.

Hael and Loch appeared from a path in the forest. They were followed by a group of children who were all laughing and fighting for their attention.

~Oh my God!~

I never imagined that my icy mates would be so warm around kids. It was a major turn on.

A young girl tugged on Hael’s hand, and he swung her up into his arms.

~Awww!~

Loch was talking with one of the older boys with spiky hair. He put his arm around the kid’s shoulder encouragingly.

~AWWWWW!~

It was just about all I could handle.

My heart soared as I looked out at the beautiful scene.

The orphanage was shaping up to be the best thing my mates and I had ever done.

ZAYDA

I stared at the ceiling.

After Xythor had died, I went to the nicest department store in Requiem City and spent my internship money on the most luxurious sheets I could buy.

I hoped they might make sleeping easier or even just make me want to go to bed at night.

They did help somewhat, though I still slept on the left side. Xythor always slept on the right.

The night after my fucked-up meeting with Xander, I didn’t sleep a wink.

Today I was exhausted. A nap was just what I needed, but I wasn’t sure if sleep would come.

My mind was racing.

The last place I wanted to be was near Xander again. But he knew just what to say to rope me back in.

If he could bring Xythor back to life, how could I say no?

I closed my eyes and pressed on my eyelids with my fingers.

When I opened them again, my fatigue was so intense that I started to hallucinate…

My ceiling looked different. The edges of the room were rimmed in gold.

I realized then that I was in an entirely different room…

It was another vision.

~I was in a luxurious hotel filled with gorgeous baroque furniture and huge mirrors in elaborate frames.~

~I caught sight of myself in one of them and noticed a figure beside me in the bed.~

~I whipped my head around and then saw him…~

~Xythor.~

~Sleeping peacefully beside me on his stomach.~

~I would recognize those shoulders anywhere.~

~I touched the soft skin next to his spine, and he stirred.~

~He began to turn, and I saw Xythor’s face, slack with sleep.~

~I wanted to call out to him, or scream with delight, but I knew I would just have to enjoy the moment while I had it.~

~Xythor pulled me under his big arm, and I nestled in close to him.~

~His body held the same heat it always had.~

~Running my fingers over his abs, I felt a raised scar.~

~Xythor had never had that before…~

~But as I stared up at his face intently, I knew: this was the man I loved. In the flesh.~

~For the first time since Xythor had died, I felt safe. I felt complete.~

~I didn’t dare close my eyes. I wanted to stay there with him as long as I could.~

~But eventually, fatigue got the best of me.~

~Safe in Xythor’s arms, I fell asleep…~

Later, I woke with a gasp.

I was back in my bedroom, alone, and the sun was setting outside.

~I had slept all day…~

~With Xythor.~

I laughed out loud. I felt relief so intense that I flopped back into my pillows.

~Xythor was coming back. We could be together again.~

When I looked at my popcorn ceiling, I thought of the hotel where we were together…

Where we ~would be together!~ My visions predicted the future, and I could only hope this one was telling me that I’d one day be in his arms again.

That vision was so much better and brighter than my reality, it was all I saw.

As I lay there, my relief slowly combined with a cold dread that settled in my stomach.

I would work with Xander again.

Even though it was the last thing in the world I wanted, anything was worth being with my love again.

MADDIE

Aneurin’s hand shot into the stream like a spear. When it emerged, he held a fish.

“Shit!” I cried. “That’s awesome!”

“Dragon reflexes,” Dane explained.

I sat on the big rock on the bank of the stream. It was damp and cool beneath my legs.

“I’m impressed,” I admitted. “You guys have a really cool setup here.”

The twins smiled.

“Thanks, Mads,” Aneurin said as he looked around the forest affectionately.

“It sure as hell beats the Quarter,” Dane added.

I nodded. It was only by some miracle that we’d all escaped its dark allure.

It warmed my heart that my friends had created a space with all the comforts of a good home.

Especially since I’d known them when they’d had nothing.

Life in the wild clearly suited them. Their skin was tan instead of sickly pale, and they stood straighter and taller.

“You guys look like different people,” I said with a smile.

The twins shared a glance.

“We basically are,” Dane said.

“Overhead kept us down,” Aneurin explained.

“And now you’re riding a natural high.” I winked.

“Exactly,” Dane smirked.

Aneurin eyed the fish in his hand. “You want some dinner, Mads?”

“I have to get home,” I told my friends, “but I’ll catch you guys later.”

***

After the trek back through the woods, I walked into Req Tower and rode the elevator up to the penthouse.

My mates were in the living room, both holding open books on their laps.

“You guys read?” I asked, leaning in to see the cover of Hael’s.

~Robinson Crusoe?!~

“When we’re bored, yes,” Loch answered.

“And this is a tremendous tale of adventure,” Hael added wistfully before returning to his normal, commandeering tone. “Where have you been, street rat?”

“I was at Dane and Aneurin’s campsite. It’s actually a really nice space—”

“You know I hate them, mouse,” Hael interrupted.

“Well, ~I~ don’t,” I shot back, rolling my eyes.

“Watch your attitude. We’re the only dragons who get to keep your company,” Loch said grimly.

~So that’s what this is about.~

~Good old-fashioned dragon jealousy.~

“Oh, please!” I shouted. “You guys think you’re the only dragons that like me?”

My mates stared at me blankly. Their books slipped to the floor.

“Storm ~loves~ me!” I shouted. “That’s why he wants to meet with me all the time. He thinks I’m ~powerful.~ That I could be the second coming of ~Freesia!~”

I finished my big news, thinking it would make my mates laugh.

But they weren’t laughing. They met each other’s gazes and then looked back to me.

“Really?” Loch asked.

“Yes!” I replied.

“So, Storm thinks you could be the one to break her curse? So we could leave Requiem?” Hael asked.

I shrugged. It was what ~Storm~ thought.

The brothers suddenly sprang from the couch and prowled toward me like I was prey.

“This is a very interesting development, indeed, little mouse,” Loch smiled.

“We’ll help you get to the bottom of this,” Hael promised.

I shrugged again.

If I ~was~ the second coming of this bitch, some backup wouldn’t hurt.