Lady Merla pours hot liquid from her teapot and hands the mug to me.I sip the steaming tea, savoring each sip until only the dregs remain, then follow her instructions to swirl the cup three times counterclockwise while focusing intently on the question burning in my mind.Worried that I am being too basic, I can’t stop asking, “Now what?”in my head.With trembling fingers, I turn the cup over onto the saucer, feeling the warm liquid drain away, before carefully lifting it to reveal the unusual patterns formed by the damp leaves clinging to the porcelain.
The elderly lady takes my porcelain-white cup and studies the insides with a curious smile on her lips.Her bright eyes jet up to meet mine and I watch her study my face.I feel exposed, but not scared.
“Valencia, the first thing I must tell you is to always trust your gut when you feel unsafe,” Lady Merla says, not unkindly.
“Um, okay.”
“Don’t let society’s expectation for women to be subservient and polite stop you from getting the help you need.Ever.That is key.”
I nod my head, feeling my cheeks burn.
“My girl here used to be in a verbally abusive relationship,” Kaye shares, annoying me.
“I haven’t seen or spoken to Topher since before Grandma died,” I retort irritably.
Lady Merla smiles, reaching her soft, wrinkled hands across the table to cover mine.
“Nevertheless, if you take nothing else from what I will tell you this morning, please hold on to that, my dear.”She says, and her quiet intensity tells me she’s not fucking around.
“Yes, Lady Merla.”
On my firstday back to work since Kaye returned home, I stand aimlessly in the break room mulling over the last few days.My friend made sure to bring up my inheritance and my new multi-million reality every day.I know she thinks it’s nuts that I haven’t quit my barista job yet, but I enjoy working here.Plus, I don’t really know what else to do with myself yet.After leaving the hustle and bustle of the corporate world years ago, I have loved my basic, chill beach town life.I was okay with living paycheck to paycheck in a beautiful place like Sea Glass.
But Kaye is right.I now can pursue any dream.I just need to figure out what that dream truly is.
“Some guy is looking for you out front,” the new employee, Molly, says when she pokes her head into the break room.
Following her out, my heart lurches into my stomach when I come face-to-face with the person I never expected to see again.
“Toph, why are you here?”
“I heard that rich bitch grandmother of yours died,” he replies, sending sickening pulses of fear into my veins.
2
Kaidon
Standing in front of my staff, I release them to their weekly duties.My fellow minotaurs, Garrison and Walter, hang back as the rest of the staff head to their desks.
“What can I do you for, boys?”I say, organizing the papers on the podium.
“Well, boss, Walter and I here are going to a speed dating thing on Friday night and thought you might want to join us?”
Although I have been their employer for the last decade or so, my bullmen employees and I have been friends since we were kids.When I started my security company, Beastly Bulwark Bodyguards, they were my first hires.Our location on Cape Cod, and our paranormal staff, made us a quick hit with the wealthy and celebrity circles who travel here on the regular.I think having Walter and Garrison by my side at the getgo really helped me build my business’s brand and reputation quickly.They’re not only lifelong friends, but stellar employees.
But there’s no fucking way I am going to a speed dating event with them.
“Did you just meet me, Gar?”
Walter snorts as Garrison quickly says, “You were just saying the other night that you wished you had someone to love on, remember?Now that all three of us are in our 70s and officially middle-aged, we need to get serious about finding our one true loves.”
“That does not sound like me.”
“Well, you were pretty wasted,” Walter says with a laugh.
“Well, either way, I am definitely not interested in speed dating.I mean, would these poor women even know that there will be hulking minotaurs to talk to or will they be expecting humans?Or human-looking, like that lot out there,” I say, indicating my shifter employees sitting at their desks.
“Well, it’s for everyone,” Garrison says with a shrug.
