~ Rayna ~
The day flew by like dinner rush in a diner. I was discharged an hour after Mr. Windstorm left and my parents and I returned to our house in Baltimore, which was about an hour of drive away.
In there, I spent my time with my parents. They thought me dead for two days, after all. The least I could do was make them feel I'm still alive. I made brunch for them: vegetable lasagna, roasted lamb, and pumpkin soup, and for the refreshment, I blended raspberry and spinach to make a healthy smoothie.
We ate heartily inside our porch under the sunny sky, talked about menial stuff until my father finally opened up the subject about my disappearance. I expected him to ask me about this since we left the hospital and while waiting for that to happen, I felt largely anxious. I couldn't tell him about my intimate escapade with the werewolves' alpha king. Oh no. So I formed a ready answer that mostly talked about these beasts in general.
~ Rayna ~Like Mr. Windstorm said, on the same day I received an email and a special UPS delivery from his secretary. Using my trusty old laptop, I checked her email first. It talked about instructions on the date, time and the manner I will be flown to New York City. She mentioned about my accommodation, which was apparently a floor down from Mr. Windstorm’s penthouse suite in OWTC, and my wardrobe. Apparently, I would be provided a uniform and a set of new clothes and shoes once there, and so I only needed to pack light for the stay.
~ Rayna ~Said that a private helicopter would get me from BWI Marshall, an international airport near where I live, to OWTC at 0700 hours, so my father drove me to that place before dawn came.I only brought two bags with me, one for my belongings and the new company phone, and the second was some of my Sunday's best outfits and jammies. I also brought with me my favorite handgun, which my father gifted during my installment in the army. I considered it as a lucky pistol; so lucky that I forgot to bring it when I went to Hextrion. If I did, this would have turned to ashes together with my other stuff."Don't forget to update us," was what my father told me once we said our goodbyes. I naturally said yes and kissed his forehead; the same thing I did with my mother before I left the house.In the airport VIP hangar, I met with the pilot of the private helicopter. He introduced himself as Oliver, shaking my hand, and smiling b
~ Rayna ~Once I finished settling down in my suite, I opened the plastic folder and read the contract. Standing against the island table of the kitchen, I almost dropped to my knees after I saw the numbers written on the paper.Fucking hell, Mr. Windstorm just offered me a six-digit monthly salary and a five-digit allowance. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but after taking another careful look at the contract, I realized it really was the truth.The first thing that popped in my head was, I wasn’t suited to get such a high salary and that I should suggest bringing it down to a reasonable one, but then I saw the bold words: Nonnegotiable.Great.
~ Rayna ~"Oh, so sorry. I should have told you about that, Mr. Walker," Mrs. G cried out from the corridor, somehow hearing our conversation. We both looked at her and she was already scratching her head. "Ms. Chase is the one who was assigned to guard the boss when he visited Hextrion.""Hm, I see." He looked contemplative for a moment.I went ahead and picked up the guns I wanted to use: aGlock G19 Gen5 Compact 9mm Pistol and aBeretta 92X Performance 9mm Handgun—both offering me a concealed carry and easy handling during quick-action scenarios.Like he instructed, I scanned it on the laser scanner near the doorway. Automatically, my face and ID were displayed on the screen and listed the two guns under the miscellaneous tab.
~ Axel ~Finally, the day has arrived for Rayna to work for me, live and breathe under the same roof as me, and simply be close to me.After her time with the werewolves, I couldn't be complacent anymore. Losing her again would spell doom for me, not only emotionally but literally. As her mate, I wouldn't be able to function and as a dragon, I would probably end up exposing myself, go on a rampage, and torch the entire City of New York.It wouldn't bode well if that happens, so I had to ensure Rayna's safety beyond anything else, and having her close to me was the best move of all.I would have wanted to welcome her myself, but since I had a meeting with my Russian associates of my mining company, I had Mrs. Mayfield welcome her instead. I instructed everything
~ Axel ~I ended our call after that, tucked my phone inside my pants pocket and faced my beautiful guest.“Rayna.” My attention landed on her attire, adoring how she looked like a bride for me. She wore white. The very color when dragons and their mates undergo a mate ritual. Was this a vision for the future? My mind happily wondered.‘I hope so. Damn, I really hope so.’“I’m sorry, Mr. Windstorm, I didn’t know you were...uh...in the middle of a call. I thought you were just—”“Standing?” I finished, cocking a brow.“Ah, yes,” she cleared her throat and quickly scanned me from head to foot. Like many times before, she tried to hide her blush, but like always, I noticed it with my keen eyes.“Rayna,” I approached her and reached for her right hand. “I’m glad you’re here. Welcome to
~ Axel ~“Can’t I have dinner with my personal bodyguard?” I asked, disregarding the list of reasons why I wanted to dine with her tonight.“Well, yes, you can, but this...” Rayna answered and gestured to the table set-up in front of us. “And this...” Then she gestured to my spacious balcony with her hands.I understood what she meant immediately.“You’re flustered. Are you saying that this whole set-up is too romantic?”“Y-yes.” Her eyelashes fluttered when she answered.My mouth stretched into a grin. “Good. I was going for it.”“Well, um...anyway,” —her eyes shifted to anywhere but me—”I figured you have questions...questions about my time with the werewolves, so ask away, Sir.”What a smooth way for her to change the subject. I didn’t mind though. Wooing her could be do
~ Rayna ~The respectful thing to do was to ring Mr. Windstorm's doorbell to inform him I arrived; however, I stood agape in the vestibule, seeing only a flat control panel beside the double doors and no doorbell. It should be easy ringing one, but his system was so sophisticated a mere big, red button was overlooked.It was a good thing I recalled what Mrs. G said: that I could have access to all entrance doors including Mr. Windstorm's, so I tried this instead.Immediately after the scanner registered my thumbprint, I was allowed in. The eight-feet-tall double oak doors opened, and my mouth dropped at the sight ahead of me. Like my suite, Mr. Windstorm's room was full of glass to take advantage of the magnificent view. However, the interior design was worthy of attention too.