Mercenary Magic by Ella Summers Read Free Book Online

secrets.” The hard lines of his mouth melted into a satisfied smile. “I’ll find out eventually.”
    Over my dead body. Which, come to think of it, was exactly how this would all end. “What do you want?”
    The dragon’s grin widened. Oh, yes, it said, I’m going to eat you for dinner, but I’ll save your bones to munch on for a midnight snack. I might even toast them first.
    “Why did you hire me?” she clarified.
    In an instant, the dragon disappeared, and his expression shifted gears to the professional, civilized businessman he pretended to be. “Do you remember what happened at Magical Research Laboratories?”
    “Sure.” It was sort of hard to forget a crazy mage who summoned dragons and wielded the power of tornados and firestorms. They weren’t exactly a dime a dozen. “Your cousin went berserk.”
    “Spontaneously berserk. Without warning.”
    Hmm. So the hallucinations spawned by smoking magic weeds weren’t warning enough?
    “I know what you’re thinking.”
    No, you don’t.
    “And Finn wasn’t taking any drugs when he went mad.”
    “You’re a telepath?”
    “No.”
    “Good.”
    “But everyone always assumes drugs.” He held her gaze, amusement woven into those intense eyes. “The thought of me inside of your head scares you. Is there something in particular you’re afraid I’d find there?”
    “Dead bodies.”
    His gaze flicked to her sword. “That I can believe.”
    “Ok.” Sera stepped away from the window and circled past the desk. He was too close. “Is your cousin back to normal now?”
    “Yes, he woke up shortly after you dropped him off with my crew. He was back to himself again. How did you do that?”
    “I hit hard.”
    He laughed. The laugh rumbled in his chest, buzzing beneath the black t-shirt he wore. His shirt looked exactly like the one he’d worn last night—or at least its twin brother. So did the jeans. He probably had a whole closet full of that same badass outfit.
    “You’re staring.” The smug bastard was smiling. “Like what you see, do you?”
    She hoped he choked on his own narcissism. “You’re not wearing a suit.”
    “Pardon?”
    “You’re a businessman. Businessmen wear fancy suits.”
    “Not all.”
    She ignored him. “They don’t dress like they’re ready to visit a supernatural biker bar.”
    “I don’t like suits. They aren’t comfortable.”
    “You own this glass castle monstrosity. I’m sure you can afford a custom-made suit. Hell, I bet you have Armani on speed dial.”
    The dragon snorted. Luckily, fire didn’t shoot out of his nose. “Do you always have such a smart mouth?”
    “Yes.”
    “Mayhem’s clientele consists mainly of arrogant, stuffy mages from aristocratic magic dynasties.”
    She arched an eyebrow at him.
    “ I am not stuffy,” he said. “However, most of Mayhem’s clients are not only stuffy; they are quick to take offense and slow to forgive.”
    “And?”
    “And how do you stay out of trouble?”
    “I don’t.”
    “Mr. Simmons assured me that all his mercenaries are exceptionally well-mannered.”
    This time, it was her turn to snort. Simmons didn’t believe that nonsense he was spewing. Not for a second.
    “No, I didn’t believe him,” he said. “And I didn’t care. When Simmons realized that he wasn’t going to dissuade me from hiring you, he started to sing your praises pretty sweetly.”
    Aww. Sera would have to remember to send Simmons a muffin. Or at least a bagel. “And why did you insist on hiring me for this job? I’m rude and underpowered. There are dozens of other mercenaries at Mayhem with much better profiles. In fact, anyone at Mayhem has a better profile.”
    “Profiles can be forged. Like the part of yours where it says you don’t have any magic.”
    “Not that again. I told you—”
    “Finn remembers what happened during the entire time his magic was going haywire,” he cut in. “He couldn’t stop whatever force was controlling him, but he remembers