Roses Are Red, Dragons Are Blue

7. I Won't Do This Job

Hi guys,

I hope you are all doing well! I know it's been quite a while. Seems with this second story I struggle a little more to fit it in around my other (paid) writing, my family, and my sadly my health. I'm still going to try my very best to keep working on this one.

Much love,

Robin

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7. I Won't Do This Job

My grandfather's office was decked out stylishly, with old oak bookshelves and a grand desk. The drapes were cream with gold highlights, making the otherwise masculine room bright and airy despite the dark color pallet. It was much like my grandfather in that sense, who wore a sharply tailored black suit, offset by a silver tie, and even more silver hair.

His blue eyes were sharp and cold as he looked at me, they never once flicked in Fletcher's direction as if he wasn't even giving my escort the time of day. That was a lie, of course, my grandfather would have noticed every single detail at a glance. It was possible he already knew who Fletcher was, but though I'd said his name in the lobby yesterday at my work, I doubted that would have been enough to track him down.

Unless... Unless we'd been tailed, unless my grandfather had a surveillance detail on me. In that case wouldn't my grandfather also already know about my stalker and made the problem disappear? Or did he not see any issue with the roses being delivered, with the invasion of my privacy?

"What did you want, grandfather?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and taking a page from his book by ignoring the other people in the room. I knew who they were. The older man with the silver walking cane was one of my grandfather's closest friends. I'd seen Lord Mercury on more than one occasion, though we'd never once exchanged words. His assistant was hovering just beyond his shoulder, an average-looking, middle-aged man whose name I'd forgotten.

In any case, it was my grandfather who I needed to watch, he was the only one that mattered in this meeting. He leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow raised to indicate he was displeased with my lack of manners. I wanted to shuffle on my feet, but I suppressed the bad habit immediately. A part of me felt the urge to do as my grandfather wanted and politely greet Lord Mercury, greet him. But I wasn't feeling like being so polite, with Fletcher watching all of this, I also didn't want to fold and act weak.

So I raised my chin a notch and looked down at my grandfather, my palms sweaty where I pressed them against my thighs. His cold blue eyes remained locked on me as he got to his feet, neatly tugging on his suit jacket to make sure he was fully presentable. He came around the desk, still ignoring Fletcher while he took my hands and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek. "I'm glad you are here, Lily. You do remember my friend, Lord Mercury do you?"

My eyes went back to the man in question, who stood near one of the large picture windows, gazing out over the city. Like my grandfather, he was dressed in a tailored suit. While my grandfather looked sharp and modern, like a lawyer, this man managed to have an old-fashioned elegance to him that was hard to describe.

When I did as expected and politely greeted the man, he turned and inclined his head my way. Dark hair only lightly brushed with silver at the temples sleekly styled against his head, his face unlined. The man's eyes went from me to Fletcher at my side and for a brief moment, it looked almost as if his eyes went a shimmering gold, the pupils looked like narrow slits.

Cold stole down my spine and I was grateful that Fletcher was still pressing a large, warm palm against the small of my back. For a moment, it was almost as if that point of contact was the only thing that kept me upright. Lord Mercury was a dragon shifter just like Fletcher was. Or at the very least, something similar.