Page 2 of Fated to the Dragon King (Alpha Dragons’ Fated #4)

Alaric

“I don’t like her.”

I sat in my office with the heavy glass door closed and the small sliding window between Willow’s office and mine open. In the reception area, Hayley’s silver hair gleamed under the fluorescent lighting. Her fingers flew over the computer’s keyboard as she worked. True, she was gorgeous.

But I needed people who had brains more than I needed beauty.

“Give her time.”

I shook my head. “She’s as dumb as a box of rocks.”

“Hayley lacks confidence, Alaric, not smarts. She’s highly intelligent, but has been beaten down by life.”

“How do you know that?”

Willow sent me a smug smile. “I know these things. Give her a chance, will you?”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Take a minute to read the blogs on our website. She’s been rewriting what Crystal wrote last month.”

I called up my company’s website on my machine and scrolled through it.

Crystal, my last receptionist, made a hash out of updating it, and her articles read like a child’s primer.

I didn’t fire her butt because she needed the job so desperately.

I’m getting soft in my old age. Have no business running a company .

“Hmm.” I rub my jaw, reading. “Not bad.”

The rewrites were intelligent, written in a flowery yet interesting voice, and made me appear in the public’s eye as a real estate genius. Hayley had definitely done her homework as she wrote, forcing me to admit that perhaps she wasn’t as dumb as she sounded.

“Okay,” I said at last. “You made your point.”

“You intimidate her, Alaric,” Willow commented. “Don’t growl at her. Compliment her once in a while.”

I glanced sidelong at Willow. “She is cute.”

“Cute?” Willow snorted. “Did you even look at her? She’s stunning, flawless. She’s kind, warm, smart, and afraid of her own shadow. Being a grouch won’t help her.”

“I’m not here to help her, you know. She works for me, not the other way around.”

I recognized the crusty look Willow sent me. The one intending to inform me that while I may have money and privileges, I’m still Willow’s pupil as well as her nephew. Willow still had enough authority to humble me every now and then.

In our native language, Willow said, “You must marry and soon, boy. That girl out there is an exceptional candidate.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me.”

“You cannot inherit unless you have a mate at your side. Even if you set her aside later, you will wed this girl. You have been commanded.”

***

Commanded or not, I still didn’t care much for Hayley.

Nor did I want to marry her, even for a short time while I achieved my inheritance.

I did my best to ignore her, permit her to do her work without interacting with her.

My website improved drastically, and because of it, more sales leads came in.

Richard, and to some extent Sammy, grew busier showing properties that otherwise might not have crossed our desks.

“You should reward her with a bonus,” Willow commented blandly at the end of Hayley’s first week.

“Why? She’s just doing her job.”

“You had no problem giving Crystal bonuses. Or Bertie for that matter.”

“I like both Bertie and Crystal.”

“She needs help.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s my job to know. Now, will you offer her a bonus for the good work that brought you more business?”

“I didn’t necessarily want more business.”

Once again, Willow shot me that I know better than you and do what I say look. “Do it, Alaric.”

“All right, all right,” I grumbled, typing out a quick e-mail for Bertie to cut Hayley a bonus check. “I should sack you and put Hayley in your job.”

“You’d never get on without me.”

“I would. Quite easily, in fact.”

Watching surreptitiously from behind my computer monitor, I observed Bertie hand Hayley the check.

Hayley looked at it, and dropped it on her desk as though it burned her fingers.

Bertie said something, smiling, and patted Hayley’s shoulder.

When she returned to her cubicle, Hayley sat still, staring at the check.

Soon, I received a phone call on my cell, and quickly forgot about Hayley. And her bonus.

“What have you got for me?” I asked my caller.

“Sorry, sir, precious little. They left a paper trail leading into Mexico, and I then lost it.”

I swore under my breath. “Mexico isn’t exactly planet Mars, Henry. We can and still do cross the border.”

“Except I don’t speak Spanish,” Henry said dryly. “I need a translator. When I have one, I can cross over and pick up the trail again.”

I sighed. “All right. I’ll pay the expense of a translator. Make sure he’s an American citizen. I don’t need the Border Patrol to lock him up on the wrong side.”

“Actually, I found a Spanish speaking Caucasian of Irish ancestry,” Henry said, a grin in his voice. “And he’s a she.”

“Great. Pretend you’re on your honeymoon or something. That sort of cover may prevent Fiona from spotting you.”

“Will do. I’ll make arrangements to fly both of us to Acapulco right away.”

“Is that where you think they went?” I demanded. “This isn’t your real honeymoon.”

“Yes, sir. I don’t think it, I know it. Fiona and friend flew to Acapulco yesterday.”

“Okay, then.” I breathed in deeply. “Good luck and stay in touch.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Henry clicked off, I sat and stared into space. “Why Mexico?”

“To escape you,” Willow replied.

“She can escape to Monaco and fit in there like a native,” I said. “Why hop to a beach resort in the jungle?”

That paused Willow. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “That’s very unlike her. She’s snobbish enough to want to rub elbows with the world’s elite. Acapulco is the last place she’d want to be seen in.”

“Or not seen.” I met Willow’s gaze. “Maybe she’s putting up a smokescreen.”

“Yes, but of what sort? She has to know you’re following her. She’s running to escape your anger.”

“But he isn’t.” I rub my jaw thoughtfully. “He’s not afraid of me. Fiona is foolish enough to believe he loves her.”

“I suppose that’s true enough,” Willow said. “Damon is a chameleon. Always shifts his shades to make people believe what he wants them to believe.”

I chuckle. “I almost feel sorry for Fiona.”

***

The work day was nearly over when I looked up from my computer to find Hayley standing in the doorway. Her skin was pale, and small beads of sweat dotted her forehead. I squashed my irritation with her and beckoned to her with my forefingers.

“Come in.”

“I – I want to thank you, sir. For – for this.”

Hayley was turning her bonus check over and over with hands that trembled. She couldn’t seem to look me in the eye.

“You’ve earned it.”

A tiny smile twitched the corners of her lovely mouth and her impossibly green eyes flicked to mine for a moment. “This means I can move out of my sister’s house sooner.”

Taken aback by her sudden ability to speak without stammering, I grew curious. “You live with your sister?”

“Yeah.” Hayley’s smile widened a fraction. “She hates having me there. I won’t bore you with details, sir, but the sooner I’m out of there the better.”

“You can call me Alaric, you know.”

“Well, thank you.”

Hayley was thanking me for asking her to call me by name rather than the check. How I knew that, I don’t know. I just knew it’s true.

“You and your sister don’t get on?” I asked.

“Not at all. We never have.”

Hayley smiled with more confidence and met my eyes briefly. “You’re very generous, Alaric, and this really helps me. I found a small apartment I can afford on the east side. With my upcoming paycheck, I can pay the deposit plus first and last month’s rents.”

I grimaced. “East side? That bites. Sign a short lease, girl. Maybe in time you can move to someplace better.”

Why my words echoed within my mind, I don’t know. I felt confused, listening to them bounce around inside my head like a pinball. What the hell? Unless Hayley becomes one of my commissioned salespeople, she’ll never be able to afford anything else. Not on what I pay her.

You must marry, and soon. Hayley is an exceptional candidate.

I eyed Hayley in the new light of Willow’s comment. Was she ideal? Beddable, certainly. Would I want to keep her as my mate once my inheritance is final? I shrugged inwardly. Hayley’s a damn sight better than Fiona.

If my bewilderment showed on my face, Hayley gave no indication. “I’ll take your advice, sir – I mean, Alaric.”

I waved her away, too baffled by what just happened to continue any sort of intelligent conversation. Hayley retreated to her desk while Willow watched me with concern.

“Anything wrong?” she asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “Nothing.”

***

“Were you born stupid or do you take lessons?”

Hayley’s face blanched at the harsher than necessary reprimand. Her skin color resembled that of raw bread dough, and tears glimmered in her emerald eyes. My instant regret did little to calm my temper. I’d entered my office already pissed at events that had nothing to do with Hayley or the office.

“I – I’m sorry, s – sir.”

“For God’s sake, don’t cry,” I yelled, my voice echoing around the reception area.

Bertie pretended she didn’t hear, her shoulders hunched nearly to her ears. Richard leaned back in his chair long enough to give me the side eye, then returned to his work. Willow, naturally and predictably, scowled.

“Just,” I snapped, feeling trapped and helpless, “just pay attention, all right?”

Hayley nodded, her gaze cast down, her hands trembling as she handed me the few phone messages she’d taken. I stalked down the hall to my office, trying to ignore Willow’s anger and reproach.

“What did she do?” Willow asked, her voice deceptively sweet. “Dump ice water on your hot crotch?”

“That’s uncalled for,” I growled, booting my computer up.

“By the way you screamed at her, I’d think she’d just stuck an icepick in your balls and popped them.”

“Drop it, Willow.”

For a long moment, Willow said nothing, and I had a brief belief that she’d obey me. No. She was merely formulating her next attack. I should have known better.

“I know you have difficulty in relating to the common folk, Alaric,” she said quietly. “Even so, we must live among them. You may think you have the right to treat people like Hayley as dirt under your boots, but you don’t. Not here.”

“I think you’ve said enough.”

Willow pursed her lips. “No. I haven’t. It’s you who’ve said enough. Far too much.”

Grumbling under my breath, I called up a web browser and continued my hunt for Fiona and Damon.

I permitted Willow and my staff to bring in the business, and money, while I searched for that troublesome pair.

Oh, sure, I meet and talk with prospective customers, home buyers and property investors.

I’ll sell beach front condos to retirees who want to sit in the sun and watch the ocean.

The grunt work was left to my staff.

This real estate business was primarily a front, a cover, for my main purpose in life.

Running a country humans knew nothing about.

Throughout the day, Willow gave me the shoulder cold enough to create snow inside my office.

I did my best to ignore her, but my own regret at having treated Hayley so badly kept rising until I saw nothing else.

I knew I should apologize. Her mistake of not yet unpacking fresh brochures for the stand in the lobby was so minor as to be worthy of a simple reminder. Still, why should I apologize to her?

It’s not like Hayley meant anything to me.

At the end of the day, Hayley rushed from the office as though her ass was on fire. The way she ducked her head, her silver gilt hair tumbling from her tidy bun, made me angry all over again. How dare she make me feel guilty? Who is she to demand I lower myself to her level?

“You’re going to let her go like that?”

I snapped my face around to glare at Willow. “I don’t have to chase her down and apologize.”

Willow shrugged. “No. You don’t. You disappoint me, Alaric.”

I slam my hands down on my desk and stand up. “I’m going flying. Are you thinking you can stop me?”

“No. I wouldn’t even think to try.”