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Land of Dragon 43
The MissionRemin Noduan had been the last person he suspected would stand upfor him. But when the night ended and Treylen and the small army of assassins found themselves leaderless and staring down the empty tunnel in the base of the tower, the spycatcher had surprised him.Not only had Remin kept his mouth shut about the fact that Treylen had been the last one seen in the shadow’s presence, but he had also suggested that Treylen had the most experience in caves and should lead the expedition to search for the shadow.They had only gone as far as the old city. There they had found a scrap of clothing belonging to the shadow as well as one of his daggers on the beach amongst a mass of hoof prints. After a lengthy search of the city the body of his dragon was found. Rendrak had tied himself into knots and died in the back of an old storeroom.It was decided that the countess had made a bargain with the lowsater, and, possibly with the help of spies from Ketaresk, had set an ambush fo
Land of Dragon 44 : Corrupted Union
FrancescaThe painting of the young woman might seem plain compared with the other more colorful pieces of art at the Met, but it’s always stood out to me. Her youngface, the small smile on her lips, the modesty she exudes, and the hope in her eyes.“Study of a Young Woman” by Johannes Vermeer is the reason I come to the Met every month. I see myself in the girl in the painting. I could look at this painting for the rest of my life and never get bored.People walk past me, taking in the more vibrant paintings nearby. Leaving me alone to study it, memorize its every detail. I don’t feel alone when I’m in a museum. You can’t be. Not when you’re surrounded by so much history and beauty. Compared with the chaos that is my home life, this is where I feel most at home.Someone bumps into me, breaking me out of my concentration. I turn to see it’s a man in his thirties, fairly handsome by societal beauty standards. I expect him to apologize for bumping into me. After all, I’m the one st
Land of Dragon 45
And finally, at the other end of the table, is my uncle Franco. He sits there, overseeing my family, like he owns the place. After our father died when I was fourteen, which was six years ago, Franco moved in and took over as head of the business my father left behind. I know the business is shady. I’ve heard the words “mob boss” and “Mafia” thrown around enough times to understand, but I don’t ask too many questions. It’s not really proper for the women in my life to ask questions about such things.Gemma sits down next to her husband, Viktor, who’s honestly one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. I always find myself tongue-tied around him.Viktor shoots me a grin. “Hey, Franny. How’s it going?”“Uh, good. I just got back,” I manage to say. See? Tongue- tied. And it’s not because I have a crush on Viktor. I don’t. It’s more that Viktor is one of the only people to actually acknowledge me when I’m in a room, and it always startles me. I’m dragged out of my safe hiding place of b
Land of Dragon 46
FrancescaI leave for the airport this morning, and no one woke to say goodbye. I’m used to it by now. My siblings are busy with their own lives, and I’m ok with that. It would just be nicefor my mom to say goodbye before I leave, but she doesn’t even make the effort to come down and see me off.I think back to a few days ago when I saw Franco hit her. I still haven’t asked her about it. I want to make sure she’s ok, but I keep holding back. It’s cowardice. I just don’t know how to talk to my mother.I say a quiet goodbye to the house before meeting George outside. He’s driving me to the airport. “Ready to go, Francesca?”“I am, George.”He puts my bag away for me. “You know, I’m going to miss you.”“It’s too bad you can’t come with me, but you have your family here to be with.”We both get into the car and head for the airport. New York in the early morning hours is at its quietest, even though the occasional horn and roar of a garbage truck can be heard. The snow makes everything
Land of Dragon 47
LA IS SURPRISINGLY cold when I land. It’s the winter, after all, but without all the snow, looks are deceiving. I wrap my jacket around myself, waiting for Emilia and Marco to pick me up. I wait and wait and wait.Checking the time, it’s well past the hour they were supposed to come for me. I try to keep my tears back. I’m just exhausted after traveling and dealing with all the people. It’s so draining for me.When another half hour passes, I decide to just get a taxi and head for Emilia and Marco’s house. It takes another hour to get to their place, and once I see the familiar Spanish-style mansion, I feel instantly better. I can’t wait to snuggle into my new bed with a good book about Greek sculptures.I knock on the door when I arrive. A middle-aged woman answers. “Yes?”“Uh, I’m Francesca. Is Emilia and Marco home?”“Yes, they are. May I ask your business with them.”“I’m Emilia’s sister,” I say with a frown. “I’m here to stay with them for a while.”She motions me inside. “I’ll l
Land of Dragon 48
LeoFrancesca Moretti is a pretty little thing. I can’t stop thinking about her pretty face as sit down in my brand- new therapist’s office. Today is a special occasion. Thetherapist before me is Dr. Elizabeth Shay. In her fifties, she has a golden bob and a pearl necklace. She reminds me more of a country club trophy wife than a therapist. I chose her for a reason.“Hello, Leo.” She takes a seat across from me, her Prada heels crossed at her ankles. Her office smells faintly like vanilla. Must be used to calm the crazies who come in here. The thing is, I’m not crazy. I have a purpose. “Since today is our first session together, I thought you could tell me why you wanted to see me. What are you hoping to get out of therapy?”“I need help. I’m struggling, you see, because I’m in need of a good woman.”Dr. Shay nods, keeping her expression neutral. “And what makes you feel like you need a good woman in your life?”“I’m a bit of a womanizer.” I wink at her. “Like your shoes by the way.
Land of Dragon 49
“THAT WAS COLD, MAN,” Henry says, taking a sip of his beer. We’re at some dive bar Marco owns. The barstools are falling apart, and the bar is always stained with something sticky, but out of all of Marco’s properties, this one is my favorite. It even beats out the nicer ones he owns. Henry is one of Marco’s employees, just like me, but as Marco’s second in command, I outrank every one of Marco’s other employees. I have the job they all want and know they’ll never get. “Cold.” He laughs softly.“What can I say? I love doing it. It’s fun to mess with women like that.”“I get it.” Henry smiles widely, showing off his insanely white teeth. Like, dude goes to the fucking dentist every week and uses whitening strips every day type of white. His tan skin and dark hair just make his teeth look even brighter. “If I had your charm, I’d fuck my way through every woman in this city.”“It’s not my charm. Henry. It’s my looks.” I take a swig of my beer and dodge Henry’s hand as it comes for the ba
Land of Dragon 50
FrancescaMy father, Riccardo Moretti, knew how to light up a room. When he was home, that is. Most days, he’d be busy with work, but on the odd day he’d have off,he’d make sure to spend it with my siblings and me.I was never forgotten when it came to him. The last memory I have of him still sticks with me to this day. I was fourteen at the time.He was in the kitchen, trying to pour himself a glass of orange juice, but his hands were shaking too much. Riccardo looked years younger than he really was, but at that moment, he seemed to age twenty years.No one else was in the there at the time, so I approached him, offering to help pour his juice. He gave me a kind smile. “No, Fran. I need to do this. I can’t have you and the rest of the family doing everything for me. I’m still the man of the house. I need to act like it.”I rested my hand on his, and his hand instantly stopped shaking. “Dad, let me help you.”After looking at me for a moment, he relented. “All right. Thank you, hone