A Dragons Tale

A Not So Generous Offer

I find Eugene in the nurse’s office. His face is pretty banged up and his arm is wrapped in gauze. The academy can afford real-time doctors to attend to the student's needs thanks to the Laxon family, so I’m allowed back to where he’s resting on a gurney.

    “Do you mind giving us the room?” I tell the nurse. She blinks at me but nods and scurries away closing the curtain as she does. I sit in a chair beside his bed and just stare at him. His eyes are glued to the ceiling almost as if he can sense my disapproving glare.

    My urge is to add salt and lime to all his wounds, really make him feel the ridicule I’d felt trying to tell people my boyfriend hadn’t picked a fight with John McIntosh in the middle of the field.

    “What’s your excuse.” My voice is low and unassuming, he turns his head to me and flashes his signature smile. Except his face is all bruised so he really manages a flinch.

    We’ve been engaged since we were ten. To the public, our torrid love story had been constructed by a few expertly placed cameramen and some geniusly spread rumors. Outside of our parents and ourselves, no one else on the face of the world knew about the arrangement between our families.

    My father is considered a King in the financial world. He owns all of the world's highest standing distilleries and wants to own a certain dock located in San Francisco.

    The one the Willow’s family currently has ownership of.

    In return, my father funds Eugene's studies at the Academy and has promised the Willows a hefty amount of money. As well as a position for their son’s future. The contracts signed by our marriage will literally be forged in blood.

    Our son or daughter will mark the connection between two very powerful families.

    “What happened,” I ask again because apparently the fight had left him deaf as well.

“Boys will be boys?” He asks with a wince.

    “Yes, you’re right. I snap. “Only a boy would pick a fight with someone older and bigger than him. What the hell were you thinking?”

    He grits his teeth blue eyes narrowing as he looks away.

    John Mcintosh, the entire Mcintosh family comes an old family in Ireland with ties to the British Queen. My father had been attempting to secure a deal with them this past month. Now thanks to my fiancé that could all go down the drain. I hope he hasn’t heard about it yet.

    As if he senses that I’m thinking of him, my phone vibrates. It’s a text from Charlie:

    Your father requests your presence at the manor tonight at 6:30 p.m. He asks that you bring a date and dress appropriately.

    Great. Now I’m being summoned.

    “Why did you hit him,” I drop my phone to rub my temples.

    “He said something…” He trails off.

    “What possibly could have made you swing at him?” I nearly growl.

    Seconds tick by and he stays mute. The urge to ram my foot up his butt is tenfold. I take a deep breath and stand.

    “My father wants a meeting tonight. He said to bring a date.” I survey him pointedly. “Obviously he can’t see you like this. I need to try talking to John, you need to head home immediately and stay there until you heal up.”

    “Lia—”

    “Shush.” I bite my tongue. He looks apologetic, but a part of me is still grappling with anger. Feeling my reason give way I grab his good hand and smile warmly. “Just get better. I’ll fix it.”

    He smiles and I turn to leave.

    Whispers follow me as I speed-walk to the other side of the school to the other nurse's office. Evidently the two delinquents had been split up after the fight and taken to separate wings.

    “John Macintosh? It’s Aurelia Laxon, I was wondering if we could talk.” I stand outside the curtain of his gurney.

    “Ms. Laxon?” He sounds shocked but mostly guarded. “Please come in.”

    “Call me Lia,” I tell him as I stand at the foot of his bed. The eighteen-year-old is a senior and built like a football player, he's also almost a whole two feet taller than Eugene. His height and build are the reasons why he just is suffering from a bandage on his chin and a wrap-around his fists. “I saw what happened on the field.”

    “Yeah, your little boy toy has a hard head.” He mutters rubbing his chin. He studies me warily. “What is this about?”

    “I don’t know what happened out there, but I do know he swung first. As his fiancé, I would like to apologize. He’d be here too if he wasn’t as banged up.” Make myself look frail to feed his sympathy for me and tell him his opponent is in worse shape than he to feed his ego.

    My plan seems to work as he sits straighter puffing out his chest more.

    “Little punk got what was coming to him,” He huffs. “He even sends his girl out to fight his battles.”

    “I would hate for you to think in any way that his actions reflect in any way the Laxon brand—”

    “You’re worried I’ll tell my father.” He deduces, he eyes me a glint swirling between the twitch of his brows. “I won’t”

    I instantly feel my shoulders relax, “Thank you. You don’t know how much that—”

    “I won't tell him if.” He interrupts me and a cold chill travels down the back of my legs. I don’t like the look on his face, and his tone is dangerous. “If you agree to have s*x with me.”

            #

“Hey are you alright,” The ringing sound in my ears suddenly ceases and I look up at Oryn. His eyes are completely covered by his long black hair but he seems concerned.

    “Huh?” I blink. Looking around I realize I’m back out in the halls. The school is mostly empty so it must be time to go home. I couldn’t remember anything after I’d agreed to Johns demand. My eyes burn and I can't blink back the tears.

    “Aurelia,” Oryn takes a step towards me wrapping his arm around my shoulder he guides me somewhere. He smells like firewood and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. For some reason, I find it comforting. “Did someone do something to you.”

    His voice is low, demanding—angry.

    I start crying harder.  

    I’m pretty tall without heels and Eugene isn’t much taller. The rare times we hug I always feel clumsy and awkward with my limbs. But when Oryn pulls me into his chest I can feel myself sink into his hold.

    “Tell me his name,” His voice is softer now as my crying begins to cease. But I can hear rumbling in his chest almost as if he’s growling.

    “His name is John Mcintosh. He said he wouldn’t tell my father what Eugene did if I agree to have s*x with him.” I can feel vile rising in my throat. The fear of my father losing an important business deal because of me led me to agree. I agreed.

    The rumbling in his chest grows louder and I can feel the room shake. I chalk it up to my shambled head.

    I don’t even know why I’m telling Oryn this. By all means, we are complete strangers, he didn’t even know my name until this morning.

    But there's something about having his arms around me that makes me feel safe. It shouldn’t—I know that—but it does.

    He mutters something, words I can’t understand. I realize a second later he is speaking some foreign language. “Where is he now.”

    “The infirmary—wait!” I grab his arm just as he turns to undoubtedly find John Mcintosh. “You can’t do anything. If he tells his father that Eugene hit him it could put the deal between our parents in jeopardy.”

    “Some business deal can not be more important than a man’s child.” I can’t ignore the way he genuinely does growl, his accent thickening. I drop my hold of him my eyes widening.

    He breathes heavily running his hand through his hair as he jerks around.

    All I can do is stare at him until he finally calms down enough to look at me. His eyes are covered again.

    “How much money does your father stand to gain?”

    “The deal is worth 3.5 billion,” the land being offered by the Mcintosh family could help bring Laxon holding higher in the financial world. Not to mention the connections it will help foster overseas. Pulling out my phone I check the time, “I have four hours to get home. My father undoubtedly called me to discuss the situation that took place today.”

    He mutters some harsh words in that other language.

    On top of dealing with keeping John Mcintosh satisfied, I need a plan to appease my father. The dinner tonight would no doubt be an interrogation to acquire more information from me. The fact that he insists I bring a date suggests he doesn’t know the state Eugene is in right now.

    I have time. I still have time.

    The tension in my chest eases a but the major issue still remains. I have exactly four hours to find a date.

    “Oryn, what was it you said the Ásta family does?”

    He frowns, “Why?”

    “You really feel like helping me?” I ask, he nods rapidly. “Well how would you feel about getting a haircut”