Dives set his arm on the counter and leaned towards Cotio. "I was informed of a different type of visitor this morning."
Cotio frowned and his dark bushy eyebrows crashed down over his dark eyes. "Yes, and rather unpleasant, it was. Latro nearly removed my head when I refused to relinquish my client list."
"Latro isn't one to take 'no' for an answer," Dives agreed. "But was that all Latro was looking for?"
Cotio pursed his lips. "That hunter was asking questions about you again."
Dives raised an eyebrow. "The usual ones?"
Cotio shook his head. "No, some other ones. Like how much you spent a month and through what bank. I told that stupid hunter I couldn't divulge any of that information."
"But you didn't give it?" Dives asked him.
Cotio stood to his full five-foot nothing height and puffed out his chest. "Do you think so little of me?"
"No, but-" The conversation was interrupted by a loud, melodious burst of song. It came from the door behind Cotio. Dives raised an eyebrow and looked to the proprietor. "What was that?"
Cotio blushed and shook his head. "N-nothing! Nothing at all!"
The access to the rear of the desk was an opening to our left and on the side. Dives pushed off the counter and strode around to the access. Cotio jumped in front of him and held out his hands.
"You can't go back there! It's employees only!" the owner insisted.
"I doubt you'll be calling the police on me for trespassing," Dives countered.
Dives pushed past Cotio and through the rear door. I hurried after him and was behind Cotio when I slipped into the back. The rear of the shop was filled with wooden crates and metal boxes stacked to the ceiling. A few cages sat on the old wooden floorboards. Most were empty, but Dives stopped at one at the very back that held a very feathery surprise.
Cotio and I followed Dives, and my eyes widened as I beheld the brilliant creature that stood in the cage. It resembled a peacock, but its feathers were all the colors of the rainbow, and more. Its sleek body and long neck were covered in a soft white down of feathers, and its cylindrical head was topped by a large crest of feathers. A halo of light surrounded the creature and its beady green eyes watched us with more intelligence than the normal bird-brain.
Dives pursed his lips and his eyes flickered to Cotio. "Where did you get this?"
Cotio shrank beneath Dives's frowned and nervously smiled. "In the Himalayans. It was very difficult to catch, and very expensive."
"Who bought it?" Dives questioned him.
Cotio shook his head. "You know I can't-hey!" Dives had picked him up by the collar and lifted him off the ground so they were face-to-face.
"Who bought the phoenix?" Dives growled. I started back and whipped my head to the bird. It definitely looked like that.
Cotio cringed and turned his face away. "I-it was Fox, okay? Fox!" Dives dropped him to the floor and Cotio landed on his knees. He sat up and clapped his hands together as he looked imploringly at Dives. "But please don't tell him! I'd lose all my customers if I lost him!"
Dives glanced back at the bird. Its eyes stared back. "What's he going to do with it?"
Cotio's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I don't know. I never ask that question. But you won't tell, will you? It would hurt your trade, as well."
"Fox?" I spoke up.
Dives dropped Cotio. He half-turned to me and showed off his frown. "William Fox."
My eyes widened. "You mean the William Fox?"
Dives nodded. "The only one."
I stared down at the floor and blinked. "Wow. William Fox, the billionaire in charge of Indigo Industries, bought a phoenix." I raised an eyebrow and furrowed my brow. "You think he wants it as a mascot?"
The bell above the door rang. Cotio cringed and slid towards the central door. "If you'll excuse me, a customer awaits." He slipped through the door and shut it behind him.
I turned to Dives. "So what's so special about having a phoenix? Besides home fire insurance not covering its habit of combusting."
Dives pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it's a very rare creature and Fox never buys anything except for a purpose." He glanced at the bird who continued to stare at us. "Unfortunately, there's not much we can do. Even if Fox bought the creature illegally there's no system in the paranormal world to stop smuggling of this nature."
"I'd hate for normal people to get a hold of it. The thing would be plucked dry," I commented.
He nodded. "I agree. But we should-" A horrible cry came from the front of the shop.
CHAPTER 9
We rushed to the front and slid to a stop against the desk to look over the counter. A wizened old hag stood before the cowering Cotio. The woman wore a simple black dress, a wide-brimmed black hat, and clutched in one of her wrinkled hands was a large purse. Her other hand was outstretched with the palm facing Cotio. There was a scorch mark on the floor close beside him.
"P-please don't hurt me! That brew was good when I sold it to you!" Cotio insisted.
The hag sneered at him and her hand glowed with a purple light. "So you're saying it's my fault now?"
"I'm saying there's no refunds," Cotio told her.
"It didn't work! It turned my hair blue!" She knocked off her black hat and revealed short, curly blue hair.
Cotio winced. "If you read the instructions-"
"I did! It didn't get me my true love, so I want my money back!" she snapped.
Dives sprang over the counter and stood between the hag and Cotio so he faced the woman. "I think you've made enough noise. You should leave."
She sneered at him with her false teeth. "Get out of my way, boy, or you'll get some of this, too!"
Dives's lip curled up in a sly smile. "You'll have to hit me first."
The woman growled. The light in her hands grew brighter and a pulse of energy shot out. I could feel the heat from where I stood. The shot barreled towards Dives. He ducked and rolled out of its path, and the energy hit the floor. The wood boards singed and another black scorch mark remained.
"My floor!" Cotio moaned.
Dives rolled towards an aisle of bookshelves. The witch followed him with her palm and her light charged up. Dives grabbed one of the tomes from the shelf and opened the pages. A large, furry arm stretched from the pages. The witch flung up her arms as the fingers wrapped around her. Her purse clattered to the ground as she was pulled into the book. She disappeared, and Dives slammed the pages shut. The book shook in his hands, but remained closed.
Cotio climbed to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I think I'll close up shop early today. Business is too dangerous."
"Not a bad idea," Dives agreed. "Here." He tossed the book to the shopkeeper.
Cotio caught it in one hand and glared at the cover. "Damn witches and their fickle magic. . ." he mumbled.
Dives strode over to me and leaned an elbow on the counter. He flashed his smile at me. "So what do you think of your second taste of the paranormal?"
"I think I'll never visit an old folk's home again," I quipped.
He chuckled and pushed off the counter. "Does make you look twice at everyone, doesn't it?"
"And think twice about selling those home-made love potions," Cotio spoke up.
He picked up the purse and walked around to the rear of the counter where he dropped the book and purse into a box filled with various personal items. There must have been a dozen wallets and two dozen purses, along with a few books and candles.
I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Does this happen often?"
He plopped himself down on a stool and sighed. "Very often now. People just can't admit they made a mistake. They want me to give them a refund, pay for their broken nose, or even buy them a new house!" He shook his head. "Kids these days."
I studied his middle-aged demeanor. "That last one looked old enough to be your great-grandmother."
Cotio raised his head and chuckled. "She wasn't that old."
Di
ves smiled. "Cotio here is going on-what was it?"
Cotio puffed out his chest. "Nine-hundred and two next month. A record for my family."
I glanced from Dives to Cotio. "I can't tell if you two are joking or not."
My patron chuckled. "Like I said, look twice at everyone."
Cotio cleared his throat. "So what were you wanting today? Or did you just come by to bother me like Latro did?"
"Both. I need some books on werewolves and mating," Dives told him.
Cotio raised an eyebrow. His eyes flickered to me and he jerked his head in my direction. "So she's the one?"
I pursed my lips and glanced at Dives. "What one?"
Dives shrugged. "Maybe, but I'd like to do some research first."
"What one?" I persisted.
Cotio walked around the counter to the aisle of books. "Let me see what I have." He disappeared down the aisle, but his mutterings wafted to us as he read off categories. "Bats. Possessed cows. Demonic dishes."
I turned to Dives and crossed my arms. "What one?"
He sighed and leaned against the counter. "I'm sure you know about wolves and their mating habits. They take a mate and don't let her go."
I raised an eyebrow and pointed at myself. "So you think I'm that mate?"
He shrugged. "You could be. That would explain why I-ahem, we had such fun last night."
"Here it is!" Cotio reappeared with a large tome in his hand. He blew off the dust and handed it to Dives. "The Definitive Guide to Werewolves and Their Mating. That'll be two-hundred dollars."
Dives frowned. "That's a little steep, even for you."
Cotio shrugged. "That guide isn't easy to find, especially outside the Old World. It took me quite a while and a great expense-" Dives held up his hand.
"I get it. You traded in your first born for the book. Just charge it to my account."
Cotio smiled and bowed. "Very well. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Dives shook his head. "No, you've robbed me enough for today." He turned to me and offered his arm and a smile. "If you would."
I took the arm and Dives led me from the strange shop. The warm sun greeted us.
I glanced down at the book tucked under Dives's other arm. "Mind if I look at that?"
He smiled. "Only after I've had a chance to enjoy my purchase."
We returned to the limo where Puer awaited us. His eyes flickered to the book, but he said nothing and opened the door.
"To home," Dives instructed him.
We slipped into the rear, but I took the seat beside Dives. He smiled down at me. "Eager for a read?"
"Only if you flip through to the 'mating' part of the book," I told him.
He opened the cover and thumbed to the table of contents. "It would be my pleasure."
He ran his finger down the list of chapter titles that read like a strange cookbook. There was 'How to Prepare Your Food,' 'How to Keep Yourself Fit in Fur,' and other self-help references. Dives stopped at one that read 'How to Spot a Mate,' and flipped to that chapter. He read the short chapter aloud.
"To identify your mate you must first have intercourse with said human or werewolf-" He turned to me and smiled. "A definite check." I rolled my eyes, and he continued. "Then you must inspect the right shoulder of the female or male. If the person is your mate then a small crescent moon-shaped birthmark will have appeared on their shoulder."
We both looked to my right shoulder that leaned near him. I sighed and shrugged. "Here goes nothing."
I pulled down my sleeve to reveal the flesh. A crescent-shaped birthmark stood out from the rest of my unblemished skin. I blinked at it and looked up into Dives's smiling face.
I frowned. "So what exactly does this mean for me?"
He tossed aside the book, leaned down and captured my lips in a possessive kiss. We didn't break away until we needed air.
"T-that still doesn't answer my question," I pointed out.
He chuckled. "It means you need to get used to the good life because I'm never letting you go."
I blushed, but a thrill of heat swept through my body. I shrugged. "I guess I could get used to living the easy life, but I'm going back to work Monday."
He raised an eyebrow. "But-" I pressed a finger to his lips and shook my head.
"Everything's happening just a little too fast. Let me ease into this or my head is going to explode," I pleaded.
He grasped my hand and kissed my finger. "All right, my mate."
That was music to my ears, and more adventures on my horizon.
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Mac Flynn, Eligible Billionaire
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