Family, Friends, and Nepotism

MADDIE

“The table is set. Food is on its way… What are we missing?”

I looked around the dining room of my former apartment, trying to find the missing piece.

“Here it is!” Thea called out.

I turned to see her holding a bottle of vodka in each hand. Behind her was a cart filled with every type of liquor imaginable.

“Fuck, yes!”

I took stock of the dining room one last time before pouring a glass of wine.

It had been my idea to get everyone together for a dinner party. Only a few days had passed since our big celebration, but I wanted to see everyone again.

No, I ~needed~ to see them.

After hanging out with the children at the orphanage, I couldn’t get Harry and Darshan out of my head.

We’d grown up under the worst conditions and managed to rise above the filth.

Darshan entered the room holding a steaming metal tray of pulled-pork sliders, duck-fat-roasted potato wedges, and pot stickers.

“This is just the first wave,” he said as he placed it on the table. “Eat up because I’m going to be cooking ~all night~.”

Just hearing him say that made my mouth water. Darshan had always been a great friend—not to mention a role model because of how he dealt with his disability.

Even on the worst of days, nothing ever seemed to get his spirits down.

I threw my arms around him in a tight hug.

“By the strength of your grip, I’m going to guess this is Maddie.”

I picked him up off the ground and spun in a circle before letting him down.

“Correct!”

Darshan leaned in and kissed my cheek.

“It’s nice to have you around,” he said. “Now, if you could point me in the direction of the kitchen…”

“What do you mean? It’s right there.”

Darshan pretended to walk into a wall, and then another one before he disappeared into the kitchen.

“Everyone seems to be in good spirits,” said a voice that I wasn’t expecting to hear.

Even though I knew Zayda’s voice, I had to turn around and see her with my own eyes to believe it.

There she was, standing at the front door. She was wearing a cute sundress, and her belly was pronounced.

~Zayda definitely has a child in there…~

“Surprised to see me?” she asked.

I shook my head, trying to break out of the stupor.

“No, I just didn’t realize…”

~Didn’t realize what?~

I knew damn well that I didn’t invite Zayda to the dinner party. I’d made sure that her name wasn’t even mentioned so as not to give anyone ideas…

“You made it!” Thea cried out as she swallowed Zayda in a bear hug.

“Of course I did,” Zayda replied. “Just late. As usual.”

Thea was practically gushing at her friend. Zayda looked at me before quickly scanning the room.

“The place looks nice,” she said. “And the food smells amazing.”

Thea jumped at the word “food.”

“Shit! Darshan probably needs me in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

Thea sprinted out of the room, leaving me alone with Zayda.

I sipped on my wine as Zayda smoothed out her dress and ambled over to the table.

I could see the look on her face as she smelled the food. For a moment, it looked as if she could devour the whole table before her expression changed to revulsion.

She hobbled into the living room and sat down on the couch.

I grabbed my wine and joined her, not knowing why exactly.

“So…”

Zayda was trying to break the silence, but not working too hard at it.

“So…,” I replied, taking a gulp of wine. “I guess you’re the second coming of Freesia.”

Zayda looked at me hard, trying to figure out if this was some test.

I smiled.

“Congratulations,” I added.

Zayda shook her head.

“For what?” she questioned. “Xander’s dead…the curse is still there…and I have ~this~ growing inside me.”

Zayda looked at me again, this time with soft eyes.

“To be honest, it scares the hell out of me,” she admitted. “Sometimes, I just wish we could go back…”

As Zayda’s words trailed off, I felt a tugging on my heartstrings.

The life of a college student wasn’t glamorous, but we’d made the best of it. With Thea at our side, the three of us had been damn near unstoppable.

But since then…we couldn’t seem to get anything started.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Zayda smiled at me. All the struggles we’d had over the past year seemed to disappear.

Would it really be so hard to go back to how things were?

“A lot has changed between us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch. I’m sure Xythor wouldn’t mind…”

“Wouldn’t mind what?” Zayda asked angrily.

Her eyes pierced me like daggers. I’d said something wrong, and it had set her off.

Before I could say anything else, Harry entered the apartment and spotted us immediately.

Zayda moved over to get a hug, and I stood behind her, waiting for my turn. But I couldn’t forget the look on her face or the sound in her voice when I’d mentioned Xythor.

What was going on that would make her so upset?

***

“You’re doing what!?” Thea screamed.

The raucous dinner party had gone entirely silent. Everyone was staring directly at me.

“I’m helping Loch and Hael open a casino,” I said. “And you’re all going to work there.”

The silence was interrupted by a round of cheers.

“Let’s celebrate!” Darshan shouted as he held up his glass to no one in particular.

“How did that happen?” Harry asked.

“Oh,” I said, trying to avoid the ~complete~ truth. “We were on a date, and one thing led to another—”

“We know what that means,” Thea interrupted.

~Damnit!~

I cleared my throat.

“They told me about their plan to renovate an old part of Requiem City. So, I suggested a casino. And you know dragons—they can’t say no to money!”

Thea popped another bottle and made the rounds, filling up glass after glass.

“And what the hell are we gonna do?” Harry asked. “Deal poker?”

I shrugged.

“Sure. Or you could be my right-hand man. I need a trustworthy partner, and you had my back more than once in the Skeleton Quarter.”

Harry gave me a hug, and I could see his eyes begin to glisten with tears. It’s not like he’d been hurting since we stopped selling drugs, but he’d been unemployed.

Having him as my second-in-command would keep us tight, but it would also make me feel safe. With him at my side, I knew we could get shit done.

“And the rest of us get to watch you enjoy your success?” Darshan said dryly.

“Well, you won’t be doing much watching,” I said. “But with your expertise in the kitchen, I don’t ~see~ why we couldn’t make you the head chef.”

Darshan’s milky eyes went wide as he began to comprehend what I was suggesting.

“Thea, you can even help run the restaurant!” I said.

“And this is all okay?” Thea asked. “You’ve run this past your ~mates~.”

~Oh, yeah. About that…~

“They want to be successful,” I said. “And they want me happy. I know with all of you at the casino, both things are possible. They won’t say no to that.”

I looked around the room, and my eyes settled on Zayda.

~Fuck.~

“Zayda, I don’t know what you could do, but…”

“It’s okay,” Zayda said, mustering a smile. “I have my hands full with enough stuff as it is.”

She pointed to her belly, and Thea rushed over, placing her head on the massive baby bump.

It was as good of an excuse as any.

But as the others celebrated the announcements, I couldn’t help but notice Zayda’s icy stare.

She was looking at me. And her eyes were so cold they were practically burning my skin.

ZAYDA

Though the laboratory was dark and quiet, I could still sense Xythor’s presence.

After walking the halls, I made my way to Xander’s old study.

I pushed open the door and saw Xythor sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by rubble.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Xythor looked at me and smiled.

“I woke up and couldn’t find you,” he said. “So, I went searching.”

He scanned the room as if he’d forgotten the reason why he was there.

“Well, you found me.”

I sat down on his lap as he wrapped me in his arms made of metal and skin.

He looked up into my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you feeling okay?”

~Hell no.~

I shifted on his lap before giving him a kiss. His lips were a bit cold to the touch, and it made me feel oddly disconcerted.

“I went to a dinner party tonight and saw Maddie,” I said. “We need to repair our friendship, but I don’t know if I can trust her.”

Xythor nodded silently, not showing any signs of knowing or caring about what I was saying.

And maybe it was for the best. I was sitting in the study of Maddie’s father, a man that had tried to kill his own daughter.

But she wasn’t an angel either. Maddie had done enough in her life to warrant mistrust.

Sure, she was mad at me for choosing Xythor.

But if she couldn’t see that I was choosing love and happiness over…well, over whatever she had, then maybe we weren’t meant to be friends.

Xythor continued to stare at me blankly. There was love in his actions, but I couldn’t see it in his eyes. And that made my heart break all over again.

“I’m going to make you whole,” I said. “Even if it takes all of my blood, I’ll find the spell that will bring you back.”

STORM

All of Requiem was splayed before me.

I stood on the peak of a radio tower atop a massive skyscraper, looking down at the bustling city.

There were millions of people who had no clue about the horrible war that had just been avoided.

The humans went about their business as if today were like every other…

I felt a familiar sensation pulse through my body.

My perch atop the radio tower wavered, and my vision grew dark. I steadied my body and prepared it for the vision that was coming…

***

~Blood was pooled on the ground of a dimly lit room.~

~There was so much of the crimson liquid that it looked like a lake of fire…~

~A wailing baby drowned out all noise.~

~A woman who looked like Summer walked gingerly across the blood and handed a tired, bedridden Zayda a baby.~

~But this was no ordinary baby.~

~This baby had the features of both a human and a dragon.~

~Zayda took the newborn in her arms and held the creature, staring into its eyes as it let out its terrible shriek.~

~She was a mother! But the look on her face was anything but joyful.~

~In fact, she looked distraught.~

~As Summer left the room, Zayda pulled a dagger from the bed and held it high over the child.~

~Markings and sigils on the blade gave it away as the weapon of a dragon slayer.~

~Zayda sang a sweet song, the words lost in the child’s wails.~

~She leaned forward as tears rolled down her face, blade in hand.~

~The child quieted, just as the tip of the blade…~

***

I came to with a gasp. I was lying on the roof of the skyscraper, my arm in pain from taking the brunt of the fall.

The vision had been so disturbing that it had knocked me down. And because of that, I could barely breathe.

Slowly, my gasps became less ragged.

I stood up on my feet and felt the cool kiss of the breeze on my sweaty forehead.

Zayda had a nearly impossible choice ahead of her.

And because she was Freesia’s second coming…only she could determine the fate of the dragons.