Page 73 of Awaken the Dragon
“I haven’t been able to get in touch with Enes. Twilight is closed indefinitely,” Ziva said.
“Nothing from the Royal Blood either. Not even a whisper about Warrick or what went down at the Tower,” Bleu added.
Magnum shook his head. “The calm before the storm.”
Theo nodded. “Probably. But for now we’ll proceed with business as usual. We have some client accounts that we need to catch up on and a new member on our team we need to train.”
A spurt of pride and then nervousness bloomed as Shola greeted every set of eyes that stared back at her. The decision to stay with Theo was easy; this was where she belonged. Mobo would always be her home, and she was elated to know that her people would now be safe, but she realized that she liked using her power and was excited to start using it to help others. Her destiny was here with this man and his dragons.
“You’re staying?” Ziva asked. “Well hot damn! Another woman in this house. Can you talk to him about more leisure activities? Maybe a New Year’s Eve party or something like that.”
Shola smiled. She really liked Ziva. “We will see what we can do to spruce things up around here.”
“Welcome to the Legion Security Company,” Reece said and grinned down at Shola.
“Is that all we are?” Steele asked. “I mean, is that what we’ll remain after everything that just happened?”
Steele sounded a bit irritated, which was not unusual, but she looked at Theo, waiting to see how he was going to handle the question. Their conversation about this particular aspect of their lives had been abbreviated as they needed to get to this meeting, so she wondered, just like the others at the table, what he would say.
“We’ll remain the Legion Security Company,” he said evenly. “We’ll work in the Human Realm just as we always have. If or when we need to deal with the vampires again, we will. As Drakon.”
Reece did a fist pump in the air, and Aiken elbowed him in the ribs.
“Minimizing exposure is no longer our top priority. If what I think is going to happen as a result of these last couple of weeks happens, we’re the best protection the humans and preternatural beings will have. Hiding in our cave or working within limiting parameters isn’t going to help anyone. The vampires aren’t happy with us right now. We’ve interrupted a very lucrative plan, and they lost one of their own, although they’d practically disowned him. They’re going to come for us, and we’ll be ready for them when they do.”
“And the rest?” Bleu asked.
He was talking about the Far Realm, asking the question that she hadn’t asked of him yet. When he reached out a hand to twine his fingers with hers, she smiled with the warmth that always spread through her at his touch.
“For the moment Byou will do what needs to be done to reestablish the Drakon rule on the Far Realm. The rest will be what it was meant to be,” he said and lifted her hand up to his lips to kiss.
Shola’s heart swelled with love and respect for this man. He had a choice to make and he’d made the best one for himself, for now. She admired his strength and resolve and knew that whatever he chose to do in his life, and whatever she chose to do in hers, she would always love him.
“Does that mean we are going to get a wedding? Because I have come all this way, and I would like to see my daughter get married.”
Shola’s head shot up to see her mother and father entering the conference room. Isla followed behind them.
“These two showed up at the Tower this morning looking for their daughter,” Isla said when the other Drakons stared at her in question.
Ziva had told Shola that no one except the Drakon had ever been at the Office. Now her parents were coming toward her, grabbing her into a tight hug the moment she got up out of her chair.
“I cannot believe you are here,” she said when they broke the hug. “I have so much to tell you. So much to explain.”
“Nonsense,” Ejaita snapped and kissed her daughter on the cheek for the second time. “This lovely lady told us everything on the ride here. She said it was time it was all out in the open. Secrets are evil, I believe were her exact words.”
Isla nodded proudly from where she stood in a corner of the room. She was the shy Drakon. Theo and the others thought she was just into her work and didn’t socialize well, but Shola could see how shy and unsure of herself the woman was when around other people.
“I...um, I wasn’t supposed to. I mean, I didn’t know how to and then I was going to wait but—” Shola started and stopped and then sighed with how simple she must have sounded.
“Stop it,” Joku said when he draped an arm over her shoulder and hugged her again. “I made a mistake and the mighty Oya fixed it. I will forever be grateful and make many offerings to her until the day I leave this earth.”
“As will I,” Ejaita added. “I always knew it was a miracle that I conceived a child, and you were such a special one, spending all that time at the river. I’d wondered if you’d ever seen the great Orisha who ruled the river. And you had, because she was a part of you.”
Shola didn’t know what to say. How had this turned out to be her life when it was so far from anything she’d ever imagined?
“And this one,” Ejaita said while stepping away from Shola. “He is the one.”
“The one?” Joku asked as he too went to stand in front of Theo.
Shola hadn’t realized that Theo had stood, but now he faced her father.
“He who loves the vase, loves what is inside,” Ejaita said. “It is clear, Joku. No matter what you say or see. He is the one for our Shola. I knew this trip would end in love. I just knew it.”