Page 15 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Tony was gaping. He couldn’t help it. That was amazing. He’d seen magic before in the military, mostly in battle, but the shifters he’d interacted with had never been flight shifters before. And never as beautiful as this thunderbird was. And when he went full power, Tony almost had to shield his eyes to look at him. No wonder that man volunteered. He was insanely powerful and would probably help the project by a lot. He almost wished he could wander over to see the bird up close. Probably not safe to do that, even if he could, but still.
Taron crossed his arms over his chest, a grumpy frown on his face. Tony knew it wasn’t his business, but he couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know him?”
Taron flicked his gaze to Tony and back to the thunderbird again. Oh. Not a thunderbird anymore. He’d shifted back.
“Who? Zephyr? He’s an old acquaintance. And a huge pain in my ass. Now we’re going to have to recalibrate the thresholds thanks to that stunt. Thunderbirds don’t need to put off that much energy unless they’re fighting.”
Zephyr. He’d missed the man’s name during their argument, and it felt weird to call him ‘the thunderbird’ in his head. He was glad he had a name to put to the face. And it was a very handsome face, at that. His eyes were a warm brown when he smiled, more amber when he was angry and scolding Taron or when he was shifted. His entire demeanor seemed to give off waves of calm self-control. Even when dealing with Taron, he didn’t raise his voice or do anything to make Tony think he’d lash out. He was Taron’s opposite in that way. It was a curious mix, and Tony wanted to know more, but from the look on his face, he wasn’t going to get much of a story out of Taron.
The wards were reinforced before the next thunderbird shifted. This one’s feathers were more brown and burned orange. He stood just as tall as Zephyr’s thunderbird, but he was sleeker, and had a crest of white on his chest. His output wasn’t as intense, but still impressive, and Tony was excited to see the next one in action.
“Tony. Can you make a note for me? I feel like the conductor needs to be a stronger material. With the upper thresholds I’m seeing, I don’t want anything melting,” Taron said, frowning at the tablet in his hand. Tony didn’t know where he’d gotten it from, but he didn't question it, scribbling down notes as Taron spouted them. Having Tony take notes freed up Taron to focus on what was happening and get his thoughts organized. Tony would rewrite anything he’d gone back on and changed last minute, so the notes were neat and easy to read later.
The youngest thunderbird was significantly smaller than the other two. Tony didn't realize the size and age correlated, which was interesting. He had similar coloring to Zephyr, with those blacks and browns that flowed so prettily together. His thresholds were lower, but his magic was more chaotic, and Tony understood better why Zephyr had been cautious about his cane when bolts of lightning started escaping past the first wards.
“It’s not intentional,” a familiar husky voice said beside him. Tony whipped his head around, looking up at Zephyr. He cast a glance down at Tony before jerking his chin at the younger thunderbird. “He’s not trying to hurt anyone, so the wards struggle to distinguish if it’s a normal thunderstorm or magic. It’s why they can’t just ward whole cities. It wouldn’t have mattered.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that. He can’t control where it goes?”
“Not at his age,” Taron answered automatically. Tony didn’t miss that he’d positioned himself slightly in front of Tony, almost like a shield. It gave Zephyr the opening to approach without facing him directly, and Taron seemed to be going out of his way to ignore the man.
Zephyr seemed to find his behavior amusing, and a smirk pulled at his lips as he agreed with Taron. “Most thunderbirds don’t have their first flight until they come of age. Around thirteen. For the first few years, he lives alone with his family in the open plains. It gives him the space to shift without fearing that he’d hurt someone. This is the first time he’s shifting outside his convocation.”
So he’d only been shifting for five years. Wow, yeah. Tony could definitely understand the lack of control then. It was different for every species. Some started shifting in their first year, others not until they were a lot older.
Tony felt it before he saw it. The air went hot around them, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Zephyr moved suddenly, stepping in front of him and Taron both, blocking them with his big body. He put his arm up and something metallic flashed on his wrist, drawing the bolt of lightning that shot their way. It hit his arm and traveled down his body before dispersing at his feet. If it hurt, he didn’t show it. He barely grunted. His hand came down, and he strode away to where the thunderbird was starting to move around and caw.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s getting nervous,” Taron said, eyes on the young thunderbird. “They’re a little skittish when they’re younger. They manage easier with their families present.”
Tony looked around with a frown. “Where’s his family?”
“Zephyr is his family,” He explained. “They’re in the same convocation. Apollo petitioned to join the project. That’s probably why Zephyr is here, too. To watch over him.”
Sure enough, Zephyr ignored the crowd at large and walked straight up to the shrieking animal. Apollo was small enough that Zephyr could reach his face, and he put a hand on his beak, speaking to him in low tones to get him to settle.
Tony’s phone rang, and it took him a second to answer since he was so busy watching what was happening. He didn’t even look at the caller ID, answering with a distracted, “Hello?”
“Hello? Is that seriously how you answer a business call? Is Spellbound really that unprofessional?”
Tony blinked for a few seconds, the frustrated voice drawing his focus. He’d forgotten he forwarded his work calls to his cell phone so he could be reached while they were out here. “I’m sorry, sir. Is there something I can do for you?”
“Why the hell do you think I’m calling? Do you think I call random secretaries to have a nice chat? Use that useless lump between your ears and think!”
Stunned, Tony wasn’t sure how to proceed. The guy was obviously pissed, and Tony didn’t really like how he was speaking to him. But it was his job, and he had to be professional, so he didn’t know what to say.
“Give me that.”
Tony looked up, confused, to find Taron standing right in front of him, his hand outstretched for Tony’s phone, and a dark look on his face. His whole body seemed to darken, almost like when he’d gotten upset after Tony’s fall at the restaurant. Like he was fighting to keep his human form. Tony didn't like causing Taron so much trouble, but he couldn’t exactly argue with him. He wasn’t in charge. He handed his phone off to Taron, muttering an apology under his breath. He dropped his gaze to his feet. He should’ve been paying more attention. Answering the phone like that was so unprofessional.
“Who is this?” Taron demanded. Tony’s phone was loud enough that he could hear the voice on the other side, though it was muffled. Supes probably heard it better than he could.
The guy must not have recognized Taron’s voice, because his tone was snide when he replied, “This is Robert Stutton. Do all the staff at Spellbound speak to their superiors so casually? They might not be a company I want to do business with if that’s the case.”
“Mr. Stutton. This is Taron Cunningham. I don’t know what you’re calling about, but I guarantee we aren’t interested. If you ever speak to my assistant that way again, I’ll share exactly what kind of person you are with every company in the city. We’ve got a lot of allies, Mr. Stutton. Do you?”
He hung up without waiting for the man’s reply, handing Tony back his phone. “If he calls again, let me know right away.”
Tony nodded quickly, shoving his phone away. He tried to avert his gaze, ashamed that Taron had to protect him again, but Taron wasn’t having it. He cupped Tony’s chin, lifting his face to force him to look up.
“You don’t deserve to be treated that way, Tony. If I have anything to say about it, you’ll never be treated unfairly again. Understand?”
Tony’s heart skipped a beat at the sincerity and determination in Taron’s tone. He wanted to ask why the man was so determined to care for him, but he couldn’t get the words past his throat. All he could do was nod, leaning his cheek ever so slightly into Taron’s palm. He couldn’t remember the last time someone comforted him like this. It made it so much harder for him to make a decision on what to do about work. He wanted to take Taron’s offer because he valued that kind of support. But he also didn’t because then Taron really would be his boss. And he shouldn’t have a major crush on his boss. Right?
“What happened?” Zephyr demanded.
Tony jumped a little, startled. Zephyr was a big man, but he was surprisingly light on his feet. That was the third time Zephyr approached him without him noticing. Taron must’ve been more used to it, because he didn’t react outside of a scowl.
“Nothing,” Tony murmured, pulling away from Taron’s touch and frowning at the notepad in his lap.
Taron made an irritated noise. “It’s not nothing. You shouldn’t let people treat you that way. As my assistant, you have my full permission next time to tell people to fuck off.”
“Of course you’d say that. What would your co-owner say in response to that?” Zephyr countered.
“He’d understand. Unlike some people, he actually gives a crap.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Tony sank lower in on himself the more they bickered. This felt a lot like his fault. Again . Maybe he should find a job where he doesn’t have to interact with people as much. Then he wouldn’t screw things up as often and cause the people who were nice to him so much trouble.
What kind of job could he even do?
Cemetery Caretaker?
Mortician?
Dead people would probably complain less if he screwed everything up. Yeah. He should probably look into that.