His dragon practically purred at the sight. Still in dragon form, Wrath climbed onto the pile of treasure and curled into a ball like a cat. This is where he slept when the need arose. It was also where his dragon felt most at peace. The perfect place to meditate.
Blissfully relaxed, Wrath began his meditation. He let his magic flow through every part of his body and mind.
~
Mr. Drake was reluctant to have Jess work, that was clear. When Jess had asked for an assignment she could work remotely, the immediate response from Clarence was that she was on paid vacation and she should enjoy it. Her bonus was already in her account. Why not take some time off and live a little?
She’d pushed and then she got an assignment. Test the security of the website of a small chain of coffee shops in Montana. Mr. Drake had hundreds of employees who could do that.
It didn’t matter really. She was just working to get the insanity of the last day out of her head.
It wasn’t until Wrath went down to meditate in his basement (weird) that she’d been able to concentrate. Soon, she was lost in her work. So lost, that she started when Lily appeared by the dining room table where Jess had set up her laptop.
“Poppy’s still meditating, huh?” Lily asked.
“He is,” Jess said, itching to return to her task. The company had failed to update their website software and she knew just the exploit to use on it.
Lily fiddled with her fingers and shifted her weight. She was eager to talk to Wrath about something. The way she avoided looking Jess in the eyes told Jess that thing was her.
She closed her laptop.
“Did you find out anything?” Jess asked vaguely.
Lily narrowed her eyes. “What did he tell you?”
“Not a lot with everything going one. You know Etel visited today, right? That’s going to be a big deal.”
“I know something’s going on, but no one will tell me anything,” Lily said with a pout. “I asked Iris what he looked like, and she got all snippy.”
“He looks like your poppy, mostly. But he’s got this kind of...dark energy around him. He’s coming back. Judging by Iris’s reaction, I’d say follow her when he does. She might have a crush on him. It’s not every day you get to see your sister swoon at the sight of a dragon prince.”
“You really think she likes him?”
“He’s handsome and powerful. There’s no reason for her to not want to talk about him unless she’s got some personal reason. I’d keep an eye on her when he’s around.”
“I will. I’ll rip him to shreds if he hurts her feelings. She’s a pain, but she’s my sister.”
As fearsome as Lily’s basilisk was, Jess doubted she’d be much of a challenge for an elder dragon. Nonetheless, Jess replied, “As you should. Well, with that settled, what news do you have?”
“What do you know about how you got the money to pay for college?”
“I hadn’t thought about it until Wrath mentioned it. I thought I got money from my maternal grandmother but, as far as I know, she was living paycheck to paycheck until she died.”
“The dragon she was hunting paid for your college. He also sent two thousand dollars a month to your grandparents until you turned eighteen. Apparently, he put in a good word for you with Kurtis who wasn’t far from Austin at the time. Aegidius is the protector of Austin. He keeps all the shifters there in line. I still don’t know why he felt he owed you. I know it has something to do with the fire. It has to.”
“I’ll just have to ask,” Jess said. “What’s his last name?”
“Calvin. Whether it’s junior, senior, or whatever, they’re all the same dragon.”
“I’ll find him and I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
And so, she set to work while Lily helped herself to a soda and busied herself on her own computer.
Number acquired, she debated leaving the room to make a voice call. Instead, she composed a text and submitted it to Lily for her approval.
Hi there. I’m Jess Etherton. I’m acquainted with a few of your brothers, Kurtis, Wrath, and Etel. I was wondering if we could talk.
“He might not know Poppy goes by Wrath now. Ezzu means basically the same thing in Akkadian. It’s spelled E-Z-Z-U,” Lily said.
Jess dutifully replaced Wrath with Ezzu and then sent the message. Just as she was setting her phone down, it buzzed with an incoming call. Jess answered, with Lily hovering over her shoulder.
“This is Jess,” she said.
“Are you alright? Did Etel get you away from Ezzu?” Aegidius asked.
“I’m fine, thank you. No, I’m still with Ezzu. I’m not contacting you about ancient family rifts. What I’m more interested in is how you and I are connected. What can you tell me?”
“What do you know about me and my brothers?”
“I know what you are. Wrath showed me. I fainted. He said that’s one of the worst reactions he’s seen.”
Lily stifled a laugh.
“It’s certainly not the best,” Aegidius said.
“Look, I know my grandmother and mother seemed to be out to get you. Tell me what happened.”
Aegidius sighed. “It was my fault, not theirs. I didn’t know your mother, but your grandmother was a lovely woman.”
“What happened?”
“Your grandmother was a young woman when I met her at the diner where she worked. I was dating a mage at the time, but it wasn’t serious. At least, it wasn’t for me. She wasn’t my mate. We were just having fun, or so I thought. Your grandmother was a single mom and she got lonely. She gave me her number and…”
“Stop! She’s my grandma. Please, don’t make me think about it.”
“Right, sorry. Anyway, the mage found out and cursed her and your mother. If they ever saw me, they would try
