***
“What are you waiting for?” Bethesda said, her human fingers curling like claws as she pointed at the folding chair in front of the couch. “Sit.”
Julius almost sat right there on the floor. He hadn’t actually seen his mother since the night she’d kicked him out, and as always after an extended absence, the first sight of Bethesda the Heartstriker hit him like a punch.
It was a disconcerting thing to notice about your own mother, but Bethesda the Heartstriker was mesmerizingly beautiful. All dragons were pleasing to look at in their human guise. That was the entire point: to be so beautiful, actual humans fell at their feet. But Bethesda’s beauty had always been in a class by itself, and she knew exactly how to use it.
Today, for example. She was wearing a super short, electric-blue cocktail dress that set off her black hair and dark complexion so perfectly, there had to be some sort of advanced color calculation going on behind it. Her eyes, the original Heartstriker green, were thickly lined in the fashionable new Egyptian style, a heavy counterpoint to the overt sexuality of her razor precise red lips. Her hair followed the Egyptian trend as well, falling in a perfectly straight, ink-black curtain over her shoulders and down her bare back. Gold flashed at her ears, throat, wrists, and anywhere else that would hold it, including her shoes, which looked to be little more than diamonds and gold chains knotted around her perfectly pedicured toes. The combined effect was classic Bethesda: dazzling, unspeakably expensive, and just past the edge of good taste. Her most striking accessory of all, however, was the dragon leaning on the wall behind her.
He wasmassive, six-foot-six easy with shoulders that took a lot of creative tailoring to fit into human-sized clothes. Between his giant build and the massive Fang of the Heartstriker positioned prominently at his side, the dragon strongly reminded Julius of Justin, though the truth was the other way around. Julius might have spent his life avoiding the upper alphabet members of his family, but even he knew that the dragon standing guard behind his mother was none other than Conrad, First Blade of Bethesda, Champion of the Heartstrikers, and the last surviving member of C-clutch aside from Chelsie herself. He was also Justin’s idol, and if they looked alike, it was because Justin copied everything Conrad did, from his military-short haircut to his preference for motorcycle boots to the way they both wore their swords low on their right hip, despite the fact that Justin was not left-handed.
But terrifying as it was to have his mother and her champion appear unexpectedly in his living room, Bethesda’s fancy get-up and Conrad’s presence actually gave Julius hope. His mother would never waste this kind of display on a disciplinary visit to an underperforming child. He was probably just a stop on their way to somewhere more important, and he was scrambling to think of what he could say to make sure it stayed that way when a high-pitched squeak went off right next to his ear.
“Oh myGod,you’reBethesda the Heartstriker!”
In the shock of seeing his mother, Julius had completely forgotten about Marci. She was still beside him, staring at the head of the Heartstriker clan with eyes wider than he’d known a human’s could go.
“I’ve wanted to meet you forever!” she cried. “You look just like you do on TV!”
Her excitement was met with stony silence as Bethesda’s eyes narrowed to dangerous green slits before flicking back to her youngest son. “Is thisyourhuman?”
“Yes!” Marci proclaimed happily, producing a business card from her sleeve with a flick of her hand as she charged forward. “I’m Marci Novalli, Julius’s mage and business partner. We’re—”
“Why is it talking to me?”
The chill in her voice would have stopped most mortals cold, but this was Marci. She rolled right over the warning with barely a pause for breath.
“I’ll only be a moment. I just have a few—”
“Still talking,” Bethesda said sweetly. “Conrad?”
Conrad pushed off the wall with a sigh, dropping his hand to his sword. But while he didn’t actually seem ready to draw, the threat alone was enough to finally knock Julius out of his shock.
He lurched into motion, grabbing Marci and dragging her behind him before Conrad’s hand finished tightening. “I’m very sorry,” he said, holding Marci in place as he bowed low before his mother. “It’s my fault. She’s new, she doesn’t know—”
“So teach her,” Bethesda snapped, running her fingers through her perfect hair. “Really, Julius. If you’re going to keep a pet, the least you can do is teach it some manners.”
“Yes, Mother,” he whispered, tightening his grip on Marci’s arm in an attempt to make her understand just how much danger she was in.
A wasted attempt, it turned out.
“I meant no disrespect,” Marci said, squirming against Julius’s hold. “I just have so many questions! You were old and powerful before the magic vanished, right? If I could just get a few seconds of your time—”
“Marci!”
She jumped at his tone, but Julius didn’t even look at her. “Getout.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Marci froze in shock, her whole body going still. Julius was a bit shocked himself. He’d never heard his voice sound so menacing and, well, draconic. But it was the only way he could think of to make Marci stop talking and go. And she had to go. Right now. Before his mother’s infamous temper turned her into a pile of ash.
“I’m sorry,” she said, softly now. “I was just—”
“Hush, child,” Bethesda said, her voice switching from terrifying to honey sweet again as she gloried in Julius’s discomfort. “Can’t you see you’re embarrassing him? Surely you know my son doesn’t need any help onthatscore. Now run along. Clan business is no place for chattering humans.”
For one long moment, Julius thought the hurt on Marci’s face would actually kill him. Then, without a word, she turned and fled, running up the stairs toward her workshop. He was still staring at the place where she’d been when his mother heaved an exasperated sigh.
