Standing on the tarmac, holding Xavier, with Darius clutching my leg, was all the convincing I needed for his time with the band to be over. Involving our children meant seeing how badly they would miss him, so often, we weren't on this side of their disappointment with our absence. 

We often left without proper reasoning or explanation after a quick goodbye. Reminding Darius that his Daddy would be gone for two months threatened to break me in my heightened emotional state, worrying if this attempt to get me pregnant would even work- I struggled to find any good reason to let this man get on the plane. 

The shame I felt in the pit of my stomach threatened to overwhelm my senses; my wolf was a tape recorded, playing back that shameful scene of Darius seemingly wondering if Verando was leaving because of actions that he had done. That his near-death experience made his Daddy want distance from him, because his little eyes had already seen me leave to punish his father. 

On our way home, the unicorn repeatedly asked me if I was taking us away from our lycan leader again. I either told them too much or nothing at all, where I could lean on my lack of experience; that lack of understanding was my fault. For six years, we had been absent in their lives. I couldn't blame him for being suspicious, for being angry that his father would, once again, leave us for a seemingly impossible amount of time. 

The coming days drifted by in a blur yet crawled so painfully slow. Verando had left me to meet with Haebom, our dragon cohort, who seemed to be our financial advisor. Leave it to a dragon to wish to manage wealth, and we were faced with the harsh reality that our lives could change in a way I'd never expected. The free ride he'd been giving a lot of our family members would be forced to end, and while that satisfied me, I knew this wasn't how he wanted to end it. 

It bothered him that last day. I could see it so clearly, despite his attempts to hide it from me, as he unloaded all of his cigarettes in an attempt to clear the house while he was gone. Much to my disappointment, of dozens of packs, a fair few were empty. He felt he was failing them, failing me, and I struggled not to prod him about his mental state as he'd packed to leave.

 Even if he were already dead, the stress would have surely killed him. Not being able to offer many solutions played on my own emotions. I'd been preparing to ask him for more money; any hope of doing that was thrown promptly out the window.

Not being able to provide, transitioning to something else, and finding out where he fits in this world were spaces he never thought he'd have to revisit. Since their freedom, he'd been a master of his own domain. Now, it would be like starting over. 

Those days slowly morphed into a week, piles upon piles of paperwork stacking up in an overwhelming tower in the office while I chased small children and fought with Darius over remedial things. It didn't surprise me that news of his farewell tour traveled fast, and while everyone was worried about it, most of our small family seemed to be avoiding me. 

Everywhere I looked, speculation on the news clouded every avenue possible. They focused on his appearance, suggesting that the circles under his eyes indicated a potential drug problem or that we were having marital issues. His behavior had been swept under the rug too often; people talked, and he was different from six months ago. Staff members were willing to tell stories of a wolf rampaging through a parking garage. 

Unfortunately, not all of the stories were false. 

It pushed me to make phone calls, reach out to Leo to gain support back in the underground, and encourage the heroes to counteract the claims. But Verando assured me it was normal for the world to engage in such blasphemy. It didn't matter that we had saved their lives; all we'd done for this planet and continued to do was cast aside simply for entertainment. 

Still, it didn't stop me from trying. 

With my war path decided, our family continued to avoid me; Stefan only stopped by if he felt I was close to the brink. I filled my days with rearranging the house, sorting through documents, and entertaining my children. Legardo helped as much as he could, but considering he was on the chopping block, he saw it fit to stay out of the line of fire.

I was beginning to see precisely how lonely this position was. 

As day ten ticked onto the calendar, after insistent nagging and a call from my warlord, Haebom finally arrived on our front porch with a look that suggested Verando's call had not been kind to him. While the man was always incredibly welcoming, there was a hint of frustration and a sprinkling of fear as he entered our home and joined me in the office. 

The children ran up and down through the hallway, I allowed for it as it was easier than attempting to pin them down. 

"Wild ones, aren't they?" Haebom chuckles, raising his eyebrows at my stack of papers. "Oh my."

"I just need to know how to do this," I explain, attempting to dissuade him from running out the door and never returning. 

"Uh.. I don't have children-"

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose, waiting for him to reveal that he was attempting a joke. The man laughs nervously, beginning to carefully look over the folders as if each one were made of a precious parchment. "Verando has been very generous with his money; I want to liquidate... I believe it is.. all of this. I don't want to be on the hook for any more of these houses; I don't want to be responsible for any of these people."

His hands were still, and he regarded me momentarily before licking his finger and sorting through a few papers. "Liquidate.... all of this? Are you planning a death?"

"No. We're simplifying." I tell him firmly, crossing my arms over my chest with a hard look. "Verando is hanging up the music business; I'd like him to have a break; this would simplify that exponentially." I keep my answers short, sweet, and lacking in much more emotion than that. I couldn't allow him to see that this had been a mounting thorn in my side since I'd discovered it. 

Nodding, the dragon invites me to sit, though I refuse as he sits at the desk. I felt better pacing, standing, anything but trying to remain still. Perhaps the children came by it, honestly; I snap my fingers at Darius as the boy enters the room, only to roll his eyes just as dramatically as his adoptive father and stomp back out. 

"Simplifying," Haebom repeats with a slow nod. "Alright. Well, Mr.Mercer-"

"Nicolas." I correct. "It's just easier..."

"Nicolas." He seems to take note that I wasn't opting for 'Nic.' "Liquidating would mean selling all of these assets, of which there are many. You would have to give everyone in the homes the first option to buy, at least that would be the kindest thing to do, and time to vacate the premises if that didn't pan out. As far as the stocks.. I'd highly suggest you don't do that. We can talk more about those later, but what I'll focus on are these-"

He pulls the thickest and heaviest folders from the stack to lay to the side. "These seem to be what you're focusing on. 

Mr.Mercer and I have discussed, at length, developing a financial plan at length, though we did not discuss the case of a sudden retirement. We've put a lot of effort into securing these investments; I'm prepared to go over your head, Nicolas, and encourage my client not to allow you to sell any more than the homes and terminate the 'employees.'" He nods, and while I feel my blood boil, his facial expression never changes. 

Folding his hands before him, he rests a pen on the table. 

"It's not up to you." I snap, "This is what he asked me to do, and I'm just trying to do it. Don't act like I'm the one playing the devil woman and selling off all of his belongings."

I knew what it looked like: Verando's career was over, I was left home alone, and I was getting ready to divorce him in the eyes of this dragon. With all the rumors floating around, I couldn't say I blamed him. He wouldn't be a good financial planner if he handed me over everything I wanted without question. I was attempting to run my husband's entire family off their borrowed houses, and knowing a Lycan's loyalty, that must come across as very strange. 

But, we had assured each other that we would act like normal people without the turns and stipulations of people under the influence of gods and otherworldly beings. 

Using my foot, I kick the door closed and stride across the room to sit at the desk before the man, arms crossed firmly over my chest.

"Do you have a large family, Haebom?"

He shrugs. "I'm a dragon; by definition, I don't. "

"Do you have a lot of friends? People who seek your wealth, your luck, and good fortune?"

Once more, he considers this, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Many people would be blessed to be in good favor of a dragon. Your husband is one of those people; let me remind you."

"My husband is like a dragon to this family. They seek his favor, but when the going gets tough, they take the easy way out, and then I'm left to clean up the mess. I'm sure I don't need to remind you what a dangerous man Verando is; you can imagine that the messes he can make are substantial. When people in a clan.. a group... a society..., or a pack.. aren't willing to do what's necessary to keep their prized dragon alive, do you truly expect that beast to stay? To act as a slave?"

I run a hand through my hair, smoothing it out instead of allowing my fingers to ruffle it. I needed to exude calm, to be the picture of control, or I'd get no help from this creature, and I desperately needed it. If Verando came home, he'd surely find a way around this task, and I would refuse to continue with these games. 

"If it makes your heart ache less, offer them the houses below market value, but I want every last one sold. If I have to fly across the country and nail notices on doors myself, I'm happy to do it. I'm not asking you to bankrupt my husband, and I'm asking you to use your common sense and decency to get him out of this financial ruin he's about to put himself and my family in. 

Verando does not understand money, and he is blinded by this... code.. that people from less fortunate walks of life cling to. If you call him, he will reconsider because he feels it's the right thing to do. You know it's not."

The words hurt me to even say, to speak so lowly of the man I adored, but the truth was he spent money often without thinking about it. He'd gotten the advisors and invested, but the reality of our situation was that he was extremely lucky and was intelligent beyond anyone's comprehension. The man could spot honesty and intention from a mile away, and he'd picked the right people and followed their advice, but the fact remained that we couldn't continue to support everyone. 

While we sit in silence, I watch Haebom reach into his coat pocket, picking up his phone, and calmly sort through the contacts. What feels like an eternity passes before he lands on the number and shows me it's Verando's. 

"I value my life, Nicolas. I'm a dragon, and I know Death when I see him, for my people have walked beside the reaper in immortality for as long as time has existed." Spotting my frustration, he closes the phone and sets it on the table. "I'm not going to call him, and I just want you to understand I'm more than willing to throw you to the wolves. If he comes for me-"

"He won't." I snap, gritting my teeth with a low growl. While he'd instructed me to act on his behalf, I couldn't be so certain there wasn't a part of him that hoped I would be reluctant to proceed. Little did he know I had too much of my mother in me to continue to give charity to those undeserving. Perhaps if I were less exhausted, I'd be feeling more kind. "Beyond Death, the wolf and the dragon share plenty. Even further, I'm a solomonari, so you'd think you'd feel some loyalty to me."

Haebom smirks, "Very little, I'm afraid. I'm a very different dragon from those who merely travel through time. I live it, unfortunately." Opening the folders once more, he nods with a heavy sigh. "Alright, so I'm going to pull some numbers on these homes; I'll write up the documents for the offer letters and have them delivered to the occupants with a police escort if I must. Some people are unwilling to be ousted from their homes, so..." 

Pulling out his phone again, he finds a few numbers and writes them down: "If you're going to act like a civilian and do things by the book, here are a few numbers you need to have handy. "

Wrinkling my nose, I examine the names: a chief of police, a relator, and a few other odds and ends. "I'm not interested in doing things by the book, but if that's the cleanest way to get this done, then so be it. The media is going to have a damned field day."

"Such is the way of the world. Think of it this way: you're immortal now. Give it about fifty years, all of these people will be dead.. and it'll be long forgotten. Unless you piss off a bunch of other immortals, then they have nothing better to do than hold grudges. Perhaps also remember that." Clicking his pen, he collects the stack in his arms; he'd at least taken half. 

"Thank you, Haebom. Next time I call you, don't make me send my husband to fetch you; feel free to answer the first time." I tell him shortly, standing to open the door for him and escort him down the stairs. Darius peers over the railing at us; I try not to take my eyes off the dragon until he's out the front door. Haebom glances at me, looking me up and down, and to my surprise, he looks amused more than angry. 

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Nicolas. You're going to do fine. Take a breath. You're about to make a small fortune once these properties are gone."

I pull my lips into a thin line and close the door, pressing my back against it as I fight my wolf away from the surface. 

Why? Why had I felt the need to say all of that?

Darius descends the stairs, and Xavier races past him into the kitchen, scrambling onto one of the stools to grab a banana off the kitchen island. I hurriedly move to peel it for him, placing it in his small hand as Darius hovers just on the edge of engaging. 

"Mr.Haebom... is he.. human?" He asks slowly, trying to form his words the best a small mind could. 

I consider this before shrugging one shoulder. "No, honey. Haebom is a dragon. From some region in Asia, if I'm not mistaken."

"Asia." Darius repeats. "What's that?"

I pause, licking some jam off my finger as I make them a sandwich. "A region, a continent."

He twiddles his fingers, moving to stand beside me and watch me cut the sandwich. "I don't know what that means."

We hadn't done much in terms of schooling. Silvia had always been so advanced for her age; I suppose I thought that had just happened naturally. Handing him one of the halves, I stroke his hair, marveling at the thick, heavy texture. "Why don't we look through your daddy's books when your brother takes a nap and see if we can't find a map?"

My suggestion seems to please him; he allows for a small smile, rocking excitedly as he takes a few hefty bites. "Tata?"

I summon Xavier, placing the squirming child at the kitchen island to eat his plate of PB and J with a side of fruit. "Yes, honey?"

"What am I? Why don't I go to school like Silvia?"