Henchgirl (Dakota Kekoa Book 1) (27 page)

“I did have a success, but not with uncoiling him or any of what we talked about last time,” I said, “Actually, I really wanted to talk to you about that assignment… just so much has happened. Can human’s water-ward their souls?”

He stayed silent as we walked forward slowly.

I clarified, “I don’t know how to describe it exactly…it was not external like a witch’s wards. It was as if his soul, itself was a water ward. I could not pull any of him into me, and when I tried to enter him I passed out, as if I had actually hit a water ward.”

“That is very interesting,” my grandfather said.

I whispered, “And I was remembering what…what happened, when my aspect first manifested, Senator Hale’s soul had felt like a waterfall…”

“This is something we will definitely have to take into consideration,” my grandfather said, “For now, I will have you back off from manipulating the boy’s emotions. Even from experimenting, passing out in his presence will leave you too vulnerable. I will look into this matter. And the update?”

“We copied Senator Hale’s security recordings at least from his office, maybe his whole house.”

“The destroyed house,” he said.

“Yes, but not the destroyed office,” I said, “He may still use his office.”

“We will find a use for your intelligence, I am sure,” my grandfather said, tapping my hand. “You know that the way I acted last night was not the way I felt,” he said, not a question.

“I get it,” I said, blinking back the stupid tears that formed in my eyes, “I mean, I did not get it then, but I figured it out since then.”

“Good,” he said as we stepped into the entrance hall. “We will have to send a very different message tonight.” He gave me a kiss on my forehead. “Go take your place with your sisters.”

I walked back to where Clara and Ashley stood behind Aunt Glenda who stood behind Uncle Glacier.

“You both stand behind me,” Ashley said with a cordial smile.

Which was total bull, the only reason I would ever stand behind Ashley would be to kick her in the butt.

Ashley sighed when I did not follow Clara, who had obediently stepped behind her. Ashley whispered, “It’s grandfather’s orders.”

Even though I doubted Ashley was telling the truth, I went and stood behind her with Clara between us. Standing all in a row, I could guess what we looked like. Ashley and Clara could be twins; their similarities to each other overshadowed any similarity I had to Clara. They looked like two tall, voluptuous porcelain dolls, while I was shorter, slighter and much darker. They both looked like New Anglo Mainlanders while my features were much more Mabiian.

If Lorien stood next to us, no one would believe that he was my father. If Lorien had been my father, I would be entirely of New Anglo Mainlander descent; while I was mostly from New Anglo Mainlander descent, the thought of denying my true father and his heritage made me supremely uncomfortable.

Ashley whispered back to me, “Can you please try not to embarrass us tonight, Dakota?”

“Ashley,” Clara said, “That is not very nice.”

“Don’t worry, Ashley, I’ll make sure to be the life of the party,” I whispered, “I’ll even put in a good word for you with our guests.”

“Oh, please don’t,” Ashley whispered back, sounding genuinely afraid. It warmed my heart. “It would be better if you just did not talk to our guests at all.”

“But what if they talk to me?” I asked, trying to sound perplexed, “It would be rude not to respond…”

I felt a sudden pulse of tension from her soul. Even though she inherited two aspects, Ashley’s soul was only a little denser than the average one-eighth blood dracon. She was really not as special or as powerful as everyone thought she was.

The bones of my elbow ground together for one excruciating second. I could not help gasping during the throbbing pain, but I clamped my mouth shut after so I would not yell at my stupid cousin.

She turned, giving me a little smile, “Just do your best to behave Dakota; some of us don’t want to be stuck in Mabi for the rest of our lives.”

If Clara wasn’t between us, I might have smacked Ashley. As it was, I just gritted out, “When I get home, I am going to find that friendship bracelet you spent eight days on when you were nine and burn it.” I said it despite knowing she did not care. It just freaking hurt when she used her aspect to grind my bones together, and that was the first thing that came into my head.

“Oh excuse me while I go cry,” Ashley said.

“I hope you end up marrying a human,” I said then closed my eyes and held out my hand like I was seeing the future. “He will be human and he will be homeless and smell like urine—”

“Stop talking,” Ashley snapped as the doors were opened by Susan, my grandfather’s butler.

“Here you are,” Susan said formally as she ushered in Braiden McCormick, his sisters and Wyvern Manderson into the reception area. Susan gave me a little smile as she closed the doors behind the group; I would honestly rather go hang out with her than this crowd.

Glenda facilitated the greeting and all three, my grandfather, Glacier and Glenda, lowered their heads a little deeper than necessary in greeting them.

I realized that I had never actually met Braiden McCormick’s sisters, but everyone must have assumed I had, as they did not do any introductions.

When the group came to greet Ashley, Ashley greeted, “Braiden, Cordelia, Jezebel, Mr. Manderson,” before giving a bow.

I could not stop my eyes from rolling; why in all the hells was she bowing to them?

With the same greeting, my sister bowed to the group too. They weren’t bowing to her, why should she bow to them?

I did not get it and I was not going to bow to anyone. I mean, what could they do? Cry for my head on a platter?

“Hello,” I said to the group when all their gazes landed on me. I raised a hand in a half wave. “How’s it going?”

Braiden McCormick smiled wide and said, “We’re all very well, Dakota. How are you?”

“Honestly, barely standing I’m so tired, but otherwise, good,” I said.

“Well, let me offer you my arm, then,” Braiden said kindly.

Wyvern placed a hand on Braiden’s shoulder, “Let me, friend,” he said.

Braiden smiled wide at Wyvern saying, “Yes, go ahead.”

Wyvern looked like a million bucks, literally. He was dressed in a suit that was made of smooth lines and the perfect shade of gunmetal. The smooth lines of his suit seemed to complement the sharp angles of his face. He wore a tie and a collared shirt that only added to how absolutely sleek he looked. He offered me his arm.

“I would, but I think wrinkling that suit is a capital offense in some countries,” I said.

“I won’t prosecute,” he deadpanned, “This once.”

I hesitated for another second before I took his arm. Wyvern silently followed my grandfather and led me into the dining room.

Unlike humans, if dracons were serving dinner, they went straight to dinner. By nature, we were a hungry bunch, and we did not muck about. We walked down a hall that was a direct route to the enormous dining room. However, unlike all the other times that I had dined here for parties and holidays, we were led directly to the dais that had been closed off with what I guessed was a sliding wall.

It made me wonder if this was how the dining area usually looked. I had never actually dined formally with my grandfather other than big occasions. Usually we would go grab pizza or subs out. I knew that some of my female cousins did go to dinners with guests this way. Clara had been invited to go to formal dinners like this more than once.

The dining room was as functional and block-like as the rest of the house. Basically, it looked more like a boardroom than a dining area. We walked along the table which was a long and wide slab of black glass held up with metal legs.

Wyvern and I stopped next to where my grandfather always sat at the head of the table. “We need to talk,” he whispered, “Tonight.” Wyvern pulled out a chair letting go of my arm.

“I—”

“Dakota, you are here,” Ashley said in a polite voice, though her smile was tense. She pointed to a chair furthest from the head of the table that I had already passed while walking with Wyvern.

Across the table, my aunt Glenda shot Ashley a look that she usually reserved for me or Lorelei, filled with furious disapproval.

Wyvern’s eyes narrowed at Ashley as everyone grew silent.

I seriously doubted Ashley meant her comment to insult Wyvern by questioning his right to choose my seat; she probably just wanted me away from the people she hoped to impress. Unfortunately for her though, he looked like he was taking offense.

Wyvern stood straight and stared directly at my cousin. “Dakota sits here,” he said.

As if this situation wasn’t uncomfortable enough, everyone turned and looked at me.

Ashley bowed low to Wyvern. “I apologize, Mr. Manderson; you can have whatever you want.”

Well, I wouldn’t go that far. And seriously, what was with all the bowing?

“If no one objects, I will take Dakota’s seat,” Braiden said, smiling and taking my seat which I noticed had been next to Clara’s.

My grandfather’s gaze connected with mine as I sat down on his left. Coincidentally, this was actually where I usually sat at events and holidays. It had been my father’s seat too, before he died. Even though I was only eleven when my father died, my grandfather had told me to take his chair, instead of moving another one of my uncle’s into my father’s place. It must have been how tiny and ridiculous I looked in that big blocky chair, that had Glacier’s and Bobby’s souls crackling with amusement rather than resentment at the snub.

I probably still looked tiny and ridiculous in the giant chair, whereas the chair barely seemed to fit Wyvern. The guy was huge.

I turned to him, “Not that I am defending Ashley, because she is one of my least favorite people in the world, however, it wasn’t you she was trying to insult. She’s just terrified I’m going to say something to embarrass the family.”

“Do you do that often?” he asked, with a tiny grin.

“Apparently,” I said and shrugged. “They don’t usually bring me out to entertain guests.”

He leaned in, whispering, “Well, I’m entertained.”

“Tell me what I’m doing and I’ll be sure to stop it,” I whispered back and for some reason I had to fight a smile as I said it.

It was amazing, Wyvern and I had spent more than five minutes together and I had not wanted to shoot him once.

As if my grandfather read my thought, a pulse of emotions emitted from him, too many to isolate them from each other. I could tell, though, he was not happy. My grandfather turned away from me and Wyvern to make polite conversation with Cordelia or Jezebel, I still did not know which one was which.

Seated on Wyvern’s other side, Glacier was also roiling with a tension that I did not want to sense. This was one of those rare occasions that I wanted to wear my dampener even though I was not required to.

Several of the wait-staff entered carrying plates that they set in front of us. As wine and water was served, I listened around the table to the many different quiet-voiced conversations people were having. My grandfather was asking about the helicopter tour that the McCormick crowd must have gone on today while Cordeliajezebel politely, if not a little snootily, answered his questions.

The conversation the other Cordeliajezebel was having with Glenda made my stomach turn, noticing how flattering my aunt was being to her. Cordeliajezebel was telling Glenda about some sort of well-to-do party and name dropping all kinds of names that meant nothing to me but seemed to really impress my aunt.

Ashley was trying to engage Braiden in conversation asking all kinds of questions about his business that she must have researched. Braiden would smile, answer, and then ask Clara something. I almost regretted not sitting down there, just so I could have watched and listened to the spectacle.

Not surprisingly, Glacier said absolutely nothing to anyone.

The dinner was a traditional dracon dish: meat with a side of meat. I focused on eating, happy that I could just sit quietly without anyone forcing me to stumble through small-talk.

Glenda turned to Wyvern and asked politely, “How is your father?”

“Fine,” he said, and then took a bite of meat, chewing slowly.

“Will he be joining you for any more activities on the island?” Glenda asked, smiling.

“He does as he pleases,” Wyvern said.

After a silence where Glenda’s smile became strained, she asked, “Do you have any special activities planned for the rest of your trip here?”

Wyvern smiled. “I plan on spending the rest of my trip with your niece, Dakota,” Wyvern said. “She’s agreed to spend her time with me—”

“As his tour guide,” I said, clearing my throat. I kicked him under the table. I had to clench my hands together so I did not punch his huge smile off his face. “I’m going to show him the local places on the islands, you know?”

Wyvern only smiled bigger and aimed that smile at my grandfather.

Grandfather’s expression was placid enough, but his emotions reminded me of a buzzing wasp nest that Wyvern just kept poking at.

Half the table’s attention was on us now.

Wyvern placed an arm over the back of my chair. “I will be in charge of Dakota’s protection, under contract.”

And…this caught the rest of the table’s attention.

Gods! I wish I researched the whole protection thing before I threw it out there. I wish I had researched what he had meant when he mentioned the word ‘contract’ in the car too. Honestly, I had not wanted to know what it was after-the-fact, I just hoped it would mean nothing.

I had only seen one case of my grandfather taking over the protection of a dracon before, that dracon-woman, and he had to prove he was worthy of it. However, I had heard of other leaders doing it before and I knew that more than one of my cousins had taken the protection of another dracon while they traveled. I just did not really have much to do with this political side of things. I had never travelled out of the Mabi islands either. I dealt primarily with my family and my grandfather’s underlings.

I discerned from everyone’s expressions that it meant something to them, something big.