The Divine Gambit Ch. 10

10. Two Desperate Pleas

When we returned to the outside world, Mallory gave Zoey a friendly hug and departed in the other direction. Zoey and I walked to the restaurant she had suggested in silence. She still felt guarded and withdrawn to me. Less so than during our first workout, but not the girl I had used to know. Our muted walk was uncomfortable for me, wondering if I should insist on engaging in conversation or if a hasty attempt to insert myself would merely bother Zoey more.

Ultimately, the unease lasted until we made it to the bistro. A hidden little shop on the second floor of a building, with the street-facing wall having opened windows to simulate a balcony. It was quiet and dimly lit, giving an intimate and cozy atmosphere. The bored and detached cashier took my order of an egg salad sandwich and chips and added Zoey's regular order, which the receipt displayed as two steak spinach wraps. The price was slightly higher than I had mentally anticipated, but I wasn't exactly hurting for spending money.

Zoey unenthusiastically shuffled to one of the tables by the open windows, and I felt comfortable with her decision. Perhaps the noise from the street would help mask our conversation, not that there was anyone here to overhear us anyway.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked as I sat down.

"I don't really understand what you mean."

"Why now? Why spend all those years keeping me at arm's length and letting me live in ignorance only to show up now without warning and interject yourself? Why hide away from all of us at school? Why pretend to be a child, one of my peers? Even ignoring that, how could you lie to Sam? You must've known how much she tortured herself because she thought you were a mundane. And now what, you're here to just take both of us back to your ignoble schemes? I saw you've already claimed her. Don't lie and tell me you haven't."

Okay, wow. That's a lot to unpack. What a mess of preconceptions to unravel. I ran my hand through my hair and tried to find an entry point to respond to her accusations.

"I wasn't pretending. Can you relax for a moment and just explain what you think is happening here so we can be on the same page?"

She glared at me with positively murderous intent before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I'll try. You're a dragon. There are only two known males, so you're one of them. Somehow, you divined that I was your mate. You curried favor with Aisling to hide your true nature and disappear in her realm as a mundane human to watch and decide if I would be acceptable as a mate for you, among other machinations. Eventually, something must have caused you to attend something elsewhere, but now you've been able to return to make your decision. Maybe you're still testing me now.

"So, you've returned, scheming more and colluding with Aisling to get me to think there's a new VIP resident to train. Don't I look the fool when you show up and reveal my mate shard to me, and I lose my mind and disgrace myself at work. You got Aisling to pair us together to humiliate me publicly. I went and looked you up afterward, and I saw all the pictures of you and Sam together out on the town. Have you already enthralled her, or was she willing to participate in your designs? Why are you acting like I even have a choice here? Just envenom me and get it over with."

Zoey sank into her seat, her visage revealing that she was thoroughly defeated and utterly conquered, resigned to her fate. We sat in silence for a few moments as I tried to process her understanding of the events that had transpired, my ignorance of this world doing nothing to help. The cashier brought our plates of food over. Neither of us moved to begin eating, letting the food lie where the server had left them.

"Wow. I, uhh, I can see why you're upset with me. That's, wow."

She eyed me suspiciously, "I suppose now you're going to lie through your teeth and tell me that none of it is true."

"Zoey, I didn't know any of this world existed last week. I got into a fight, helped a scared girl, and went to bed. I woke up the following day to Sam beating down my front door because I was projecting too much energy into the ether, which kept her up all night. She brought her mom to talk to me, and then they escorted me here. I met Aisling, and she's loaning me an apartment and a bunch of trainers to bring me up to speed in this world. That includes you, by the way. I'm a sixth dragon, and according to everyone I've talked to, my circumstances are unnatural and unique.

"I don't know how I can prove any of this to you. Can you call your supervisor and ask about an open investigation into a power surge Friday night? Two guys there were observing the fight, and they seemed to understand what was going on more than I did. I did something, and they told me I couldn't do it in front of humans and that they would have to report me, which made no sense at the time. Or, call Kyle. I sent him a hasty text message on Saturday saying that something had come up and that I would be taking a leave of absence. If you say you've seen me, he'll have all kinds of questions as to why I just disappeared."

Zoey looked at me, with disbelief and derision, before pulling out her cell phone and becoming enraptured in the little screen. I took the opportunity to eat my food. I was still trying to come to terms with whether I even wanted to eat and what my diet should be, but I didn't need to subject Zoey to that conversation now.

The robust blonde's phone rang while she was still typing on it, and she looked at me hesitantly before leaving the table to answer it. She made her way out of the otherwise quiet lounge and down the stairs to the street. If I focused intently, I could understand her side of the conversation through the open windows. I decided against intruding and just tried to relax and eat my sandwich. The mustard was intense and contained flecks of horseradish, much to my enjoyment. There's no such thing as too much sauce. Maybe that was the answer to my diet conundrum -- I could just consume condiments.

Zoey returned to the table, looking shaken, uncomfortable, insecure, and lost.

"Alright, James. It seems you aren't just completely blowing smoke up my ass. Tell me what's going on, then, from your side."

And so I did. I told her everything I could remember from when I had a confusing fistfight in an alley through learning to fly while she watched half an hour ago. It took nearly twenty minutes, and several times she stopped me to ask questions, but eventually, I had recapped the past week of my life and explained how I got to sit across from her today.

She wasn't very convinced, and the expression on her face suggested that I was rapidly burning any good faith she had remaining.

"Why would a random kid just awakening get a personal meeting with Aisling?"

"Cynthia called ahead, and I'm assuming that she conveyed that I had the potential to be powerful. After having me do the demonstration in the parking lot, she practically ran away to get on the phone. I presume that Aisling was evaluating me -- trying to decide if she should have me disposed of or if I would be useful to integrate."

Zoey laughed, "Sure thing, big shot. I mean, yeah, you're a dragon, and that's pretty rare. Powerful? Maybe. I've met bigger auras. Don't think some completely green kid would get an immediate audience, even with a sizable aura."

I sighed and moved my hand up onto the table. I had already finished my food, and Zoey was holding the remnants of her second sandwich, moments away from devouring them. I held my ring up to her.

"This was made specifically for dragons and was given to me by Antonin, Aisling's archivist. He didn't tell me shit about it, but I can feel that it's a lot more impactful than the generic one Sam had given me initially. Do I need to take it off and scare everyone in the city, or can you believe that I'm a little bit more impactful without it than I feel right now?"

"I don't know if I can trust anything you say. There's probably some truth in all of it, but you're a dragon. How could I believe that you would tell me the truth, the actual, whole truth? You're a selfish, avaricious, capricious being based on everything I've ever heard. I've spent the last two days thinking over every interaction we ever had, thinking you had just been nice to me to prepare me to be your eventual concubine. That you were grooming me to be a toy."

I winced at that.

"People really don't have very high opinions of dragons, do they? Is there anything I can do to give you any peace of mind?"

"Why did you spend so much time with me as a kid then? Why put so much effort into befriending me if you weren't manipulating all of this behind the scenes?"

I scrunched my face up in defeat. Given her concerns, my answer wouldn't be comforting at all.

"Because it was the right thing to do? You're Kyle's sister, so even if I didn't like you at all, I still would've been cordial to keep the peace. But you always just seemed so alone. Your parents always acted like they were ancient and absent, merely providing a house to live in until you were old enough to move out. Your brother's a geek. He's into video games, dice-rolling tabletop games, and painting his wargaming miniatures. You were the exact opposite and didn't have anything in common with him.

"You didn't seem to connect with anyone at home. Whenever we talked, you seemed to light up at the idea that someone would be interested in your opinions about exercising, sports, and nutrition. It was easy for me to talk about. I knew you struggled with school, and Kyle always asked me if I had any ideas to make it easier for you. I think he saw me more as an athlete who managed to get good at compliance in school, and he wanted to understand how and why so that he could help you. I was a middle ground, aspects of both of you allowing me to bridge the gap.

"But you never really wanted help, as far as I could tell. So I never wanted to push; I just tried to offer you a connection around something you were interested in. You didn't seem to have it anywhere else, and I was going to be around your brother all the time anyway. I would've been a massive asshole to not offer it, even if I didn't find it enjoyable."

Her features hardened again. "I don't need your pity."

"Zoey, I don't know why I would pity you or why that's your assumption. You're a driven, successful, imposing, beautiful woman who happens to also be able to transform into a massive, stunning, pristine white wolf, the kind that's iconic and prototypical of fantasy heroes. Everything I know about you makes you seem amazing. I talked to you about the things you liked because I wanted to discuss them. It was useful for me, interesting and engaging and refreshing. It seemed like it was good for you to have the outlet."

She tilted her head, reexamining me and her beliefs. "You really are new to this world, aren't you? You don't know why you should pity me."

"From my position of complete ignorance and apparently misunderstanding everything that has ever happened, no, I don't. You seem like a potential role model. In ten years, I expect your autobiography to be a best-selling beacon of hope, telling young girls they can accomplish whatever they set their mind to."

Zoey's gaze sharpened on me. "I think you're just flattering me now. How can I believe anything you've said? Everything so far is both nonverifiable and unfalsifiable. The people I could ask would already be under your spell. How can I believe anything they say?"

I rocked my head back and forth in irritation. This constant circular argument was becoming infuriating. It was totally reasonable from her position of uncertainty, but my patience was thinning. There wasn't a way to assuage her concerns with words, but I wanted to make at least a modicum of progress before giving up. My attempts had failed so far.

"Everything I've heard about dragons paints them in a very unflattering light. Would one of those proud, self-assured, narcissistic, and egotistical beings come before you and Mallory and ask for guidance? Reveal themselves as an utter novice in something so innate and connected to their being?"

Zoey thought for a moment and then answered, "To establish a baseline which I wouldn't necessarily question, perhaps. To conceal your true nature, to get me to lower my guard, I could conceive it. A short-term disgrace to achieve your long-term goals."

I sighed as my words fell on deaf ears, "I guess. How about talking to Sam? You knew her, at least a bit. Would she consent to me lying to you, abusing your trust, and misleading you?"

Zoey shrugged, "I wouldn't count it out. I only knew her a little -- she only interacted with me once every couple of months, asking if you or my brother were hanging out with any other girls. No one wanted to get to know her. She wasn't allowed to grow close with any of the mundanes because she was a witch. My brother certainly got in enough trouble for hanging around you. But she was barely a witch, which made her a target for all the other magical students, who picked on the littlest fish in the pond to avoid being that fish themselves. And her mother was the government spook, and everyone knew, so no one could get comfortable around her anyways. They thought they had to be guarded to prevent their words or actions from coming back to bite them, getting their families in trouble over some minor transgression.

"So I have no idea. Maybe she would go along with your schemes anyway just to finally have some attention and companionship. Maybe you've entranced her and she isn't even aware of your ploys."

I sunk back into my chair, defeated. She wasn't wrong. There was no way I had available to prove that I wasn't an evil, selfish, manipulative agent here to gather her to be my mindless servant except, perhaps, time. That seemed to be my only play.

"Alright, Zoey. What can I do to earn your trust? If, hypothetically, I've been telling you the truth: What would you want moving forward? How can I make this situation less awful for both of us? The archivist said I held a portion of your soul and that being apart would be torturous. I don't want to do that to anyone. I don't know how I can do right by you if you can't believe a single word from my mouth."

She chewed on her lip and stewed in thought for several moments.

"We're going out tomorrow. A couple of girls from work, a pair of secretaries at one of the offices we secure. Mallory and I and a few others, dancing and drinking, and some of them will try to find a boy to bring home. Give me your phone number? I want to see you interact with more people, especially Sam and that other girl you enchanted."

I had to look up what my number was. Aisling gave me a new SIM card as part of the paperwork in our first meeting. I hadn't learned the new digits yet. I found them on the phone and rattled them off for Zoey to enter into her own.

"There, I texted you, so you will know it's from me. We'll be going somewhere around eight. I'll text you around five to let you know where to meet us. Is that acceptable?"

"It sounds good enough to me. This week has been overwhelmingly exhausting, so I think I'll enjoy a night out. We're still training Saturday morning?"

She nodded as my phone vibrated, her message appearing in my hand. "Yes. I'm the superior officer for several of these girls, so they tend to get loose and have me watch over them. It feels a bit like work-light, but it's a good enough time. My wolf really likes dancing and doesn't particularly do well with alcohol, so not drinking works out for me."

"Alright, I'll look forward to your message then. And, Zoey?" I waited for her eyes to meet mine, and I gently touched her hand across the table when they did. "Thank you for having the bravery to talk to me, with the fears you have. I can't imagine that amount of pressure."

With that, I departed, maneuvering down the narrow staircase to the street below. The subway line that got me close to the apartment was quiet and sparsely populated. I thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful moment, contemplating how I would earn Zoey's trust and get her to accept that I wasn't out to harm her without interruption.

~*~*~*~*~

Returning to the apartment, I was greeted by a groaning Sam, collapsed face down on the living room couch. She released a guttural, pained sound as she lifted her head to see who had entered the apartment. On her back, she had a towel wrapped around what I concluded was an ice pack, a corner of the iconic blue rectangle peeking through.

"You alright there?" I asked cautiously.

Sam allowed herself to crumple back onto her face now that she knew who was here, her fiery hair splaying around her form wildly. She was still wearing her workout clothes, and her jarring movement compellingly shook her backside. I only realized I had licked my lips in response after I had done it.

"No. Beth's an evil authoritarian taskmaster." She groaned again, a soft, exceptionally feminine sound that could easily be confused for something else.

"You go a little overboard at the gym, then?"

"Yes. I tried to keep up with her. Wanted to keep up with her. I didn't realize how out of shape I was until I sat down to change my shoes when we finished. I literally couldn't stand back up." She laughed, her face still buried in the pillow, but it was a pained, pitiful sound.

Besides Sam's occasional groan, the apartment was silent. I was surprised not to have a petite, green-eyed girl hanging on my arm.

"Everyone else is out?"

"Yeah. Mom called me and said she'd be gone until late. We had a nice chat. Ev went to work and should be back around dinner time. Beth went to the store to get me some painkillers and a pint of ice cream. She left like half an hour ago, so hopefully, she'll be back soon."

"Can I get you anything?"

"A new body."

"There's nothing magical we can do about this?"

"I can't do anything besides feel emotions, and you're a nuclear bomb, not a certified rejuvanist. Maybe if you passed a training course or had more than two days of trial and error with magic, I'd be tempted."

I nodded without really understanding what she meant. I guessed that was that, then.

I sat down on the couch with her, momentarily lifting her lower legs out of the way. I lowered them into my lap and began softly kneading underneath the ball of her left foot, massaging the arch.

Sam cooed and shivered and pressed her foot firmly into my hands, but then she tried to withdraw her legs as she whimpered out, "Nooooooooooo, stop. Don't touch me; I'm all sweaty and gross."

I smirked at her pronouncement of vulnerability, "Just relax. You're in pain, and I don't care. I came from the gym too."

She gave a little whimpering moan and then, a few moments later, whispered petulantly, "Fine."

We spent the next ten minutes in relative silence; the only sounds in the apartment were Sam's small involuntary gasps and groans.

Then the door burst open, and Beth came tumbling in carrying three full grocery bags that probably weighed as much combined as she did. She was already babbling at a thousand miles an hour before she looked into the apartment, completely focused on her assumed task of caring for Sam.

"Ohmygod, Sam, I'm sorry! I didn't know what flavor you wanted and was overwhelmed with all of the options, so I got like four different pints. Did you know just this brand has like thirty flavors? It's actually crazy; they had a whole side of an aisle for them. Then there were like twenty people at the self-checkouts, a cute little grandma trying to use a thousand coupons and count out her change to pay, and then they needed to see my ID to get the painkillers. I'm sorry it took so long. Okay, you need to eat something before the pills, so do you want chocolate chip cookie dough, coffee brownie supreme, cherry fudge sundae, or something called 'therapy by chocolate'?"