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PROLOGUE
“What do you mean they’ve turned down our proposal?” Ethan felt the scales bristling all the way down his neck as he stared at his team around the boardroom table. “We’ve spent months on this. We’ve done the full environmental study, the plan for rehabilitation of surrounding areas. There was nothing we hadn’t considered.”
Ethan’s chief project officer, Troy, a frill-necked lizard, looked uncomfortable as he shuffled the papers in front of him.
“There’s a stumbling block.”
“What kind of stumbling block?”
“The—erm—the fact that Blade Wing Air is fully dragon owned.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! We’ve been transparent about that from the get-go. It was all fine at the last meeting we had with them.”
Troy’s long forked tongue flicked nervously around his lips. “Yes, but then they made a policy change.”
Ethan raked his claws over the scales on his head. “What? When?” His steely gaze swept the assembled team. No one answered him. “Why are you only just telling me this now?”
“We’ve only just heard ourselves,” Ebony, his publicist, explained. “The Tween Council of Towns have moved the goalposts. Which means we’ll need to go back and tweak a few things.”
“Tweak?”
Ebony wouldn’t meet his eyes, lowering her beak over her papers.
“Just spell it out, guys. I really don’t have time to beat about the bush,” Ethan growled.
“Okay.” Ebony fluttered her wings, which she only did when she was at her most uncomfortable. She was usually unflappable, as you’d expect from a raven. “Basically, if you had a human partner, the Council of Towns would look more favorably on the proposal.”
This was ridiculous. Ethan shoved back his chair and stood up. “I am not going to enter into a business partnership with a human. Period.”
An ominous silence descended on the room.
“We’re not talking about a business partnership.” Troy’s neck frill fluffed out and changed to a dark red. And still, not one of the assembled staff would meet Ethan’s eyes.
Finally, Ebony said, “The new rules specify that any monster applying to buy human lands must have a committed personal relationship with a human…”
A puff of smoke curled out of Ethan’s right nostril. “Are you saying I have to magic up a human love interest?”
Troy rubbed his pointed chin. “In a nutshell, yes.”
“And exactly how am I supposed to do that in a month?”
Ebony piped up, “Well, obviously we’ve considered the options, dating apps and the like, but?—”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “We don’t have fucking time for that.”
“Exactly. So we did some further research.”
“And…? Just spit it out.”
“There is one service in Motham City that might be able to help,” Ebony said, tapping her pen against her beak.
Ethan curled his fists. Why did this deal suddenly seem like it was jinxed? “Details on my desk in five minutes,” he snarled as he stormed toward the door, “or all your asses are on fire.”
CHAPTER 1
When the little brass bell outside the bookshop tinkled, Min was kneeling behind the desk sorting through a box of books. She poked her head over the counter to see a woman enter wearing the most beautiful iridescent blue coat, her white hair styled in an elegant French plait.
Min jumped to her feet. “Can I help you?”
