Just as I started putting out the flower fire, Ethan entered the office. He blinked a few times at the change in décor, then noticed the smoldering flowers and scorch marks on the drapes.
“Whoa. What the hell happened? Was the yellow so bright it burst into flame?”
Shaking my head, I gestured to Taco and frowned. “Apparently, he hates yellow.”
He eyed the dragon with a raised eyebrow, bending to look at him walking around my desk. “Where did he come from?” The dragon raised its wings in warning as he walked in front of Ethan.
“Watch out. He spits fire. Just look what he did to my shirt.” I gestured to the holes in one of my favorite shirts. “My grandmother stopped by while I was at the beach. She gave me this little dude as a gift... I think. She says he can protect me.”
Ethan looked at me skeptically, but nodded. “Interesting.” Deciding not to press the issue, he walked over to me. His hands trailed up my arms as he brought me in for a kiss. I moaned, leaning into him.
I heard the dragon say something in his tiny voice that sounded an awful lot like “Eww”. He fluttered over to my bookcase and sat on the edge. It looked like he was glaring, but I couldn’t be sure.
There was a knock at my door. I sighed, kissing Ethan’s nose. “Come in.”
Maggie opened the door and started to say something when she noticed the flowers. “Oh... I take it you didn’t like them?”
I laughed, pointing at Taco on the bookcase. He breathed fire in her direction. Startled, she stumbled backwards and crashed into the wall.
“Oh, my gosh. It’s a dragon!” Taco jumped off the bookcase and flew around Maggie. Her eyes widened. “Does he bite? Oh! What’s he doing?”
“Being an asshole. I’ve come to realize it’s his personality.” I walked over and held out my palm. He tilted his head. I could have sworn I saw him roll his eyes. Finally, he landed on my hand, smoke puffing out of his nose.
Maggie took a deep breath and looked around the room. “I thought I would make your office more cheerful, but it looks like he hates the color.” She placed a finger to her lips, as if thinking. “I guess we can try baby blue. It needs to feel like summer in here.”
“You don’t have to do this, Maggie. I’m fine with the way it is.” I set Taco on the desk, where he promptly started ripping up paper. “Is the Council still reviewing the treaty paperwork?” I asked her, grabbing a piece of paper out of his mouth.
She nodded. “They want you to sit in on the next review session.”
I groaned, letting my head fall back. “Please no.”
“It’s probably for the best, Sophie. You should have gone through it from the beginning,” Ethan told me, grinning when I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I already made my notes and jotted down additional things I wanted in the agreement. They can review it themselves.” I stuck my tongue out like an immature brat and sat in my chair. Taco tossed paper into the air and set it on fire. I patted it out, then frowned and shook a finger at him in warning.
Ethan rested a hip on the edge of my desk, crossing his arms. “Jenna decided she was going home. I guess she felt better.” He shrugged.
I was a little concerned she left too early. “I’d hoped she would stay for another day at least.”
“Well, apparently, she’s staying with Mikey for the week.”
Surprised, I raised my eyebrows. “That’s interesting.”
I heard someone knock on my door. When I looked, I frowned, not pleased to see Roark standing there. He was on my shit list for taking Drake before we could confirm he was ready to go out into the public. I didn’t have time for his drama.
“Hey, Roark. What can I do for you?” I asked, trying to sound professional.
Roark glanced at Ethan and Maggie. “Can we speak privately, Sophie?”
He seemed nervous, fidgeting with his hands and shifting from foot to foot. Yep, something was going on.
“You can talk to me in front of Ethan.” I looked at Maggie, who smiled before hurrying out, closing the door behind her.
Scowling at Ethan, Roark took a seat in one of my chairs. He pulled the pillow from behind his back, looked at it, then tossed it into the chair next to him before meeting my gaze.
“I don’t think Drake’s demon is completely gone.”
Chapter Eight
I sucked in a breath and sat forward in my seat. “Are you sure? How do you know?”
Roark stood and paced the room. “He’s missing pieces of time, so I did some digging. People are being murdered again, yet it seems more organized. Almost like some kind of ritual.”
I felt slight pity that Roark had to deal with this. Stella, his wife, had committed suicide, which took a toll on him. Even though they didn’t get along most of the time and she was actually in love with Drake, they shared some sort of bond. He hadn’t been the same since. Now he had to take care of a brother who was probably still possessed by a demon?
“Thinking it strange he couldn’t remember where he was the night before, I sat outside the mansion gates, waiting for him to leave. When he did, I followed him to a bar, where he hung out with some woman. She’s not really his type.” He glanced at Ethan. “Then again, maybe he’s willing to take anyone to bed now.”
Ethan bristled and opened his mouth, but I touched his arm, shaking my head. Roark was worried. I couldn’t blame him for anything that came out of his mouth.
“So he left with this woman, then what?” I prompted.
Roark sighed, nervously itching one of his hands. “Well, they got into his car
