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Damian sat with his legs crossed, his back straight, and his palms up on his knees. He looked peaceful and serene, but when Grey tried to take the same position, he found his body resisted him. He felt silly and awkward, and he knew he didn’t look anything like Damian. Beside him, Kaia was already in the right position with her eyes closed and her chest moving to the rhythm of her slow breathing.
“Very good,” Damian said, standing. “I want everyone to close their eyes if they can and let their breath in. Fill your lungs completely. Take in as much air as your lungs will allow. Let it out very slowly. Let it out until your belly is completely empty.” He started to breathe deeply, showing them how to do it.
As he went along the room, he helped the dragons straighten their backs or set their arms and hands in a more comfortable position. “So much energy in this room. So much energy …” Damian smiled, but there was a crease in his brow. “Slowly, move into the child’s pose, allowing as much space for your hips as you can.” Damian demonstrated the pose before continuing his rounds around the room.
So it went on for nearly ninety minutes. Damian made comments and posed questions and reflections as they moved from one yoga pose to the other. No one said anything about Damian’s perceptiveness.
The demon had caught on that there were a lot of different energies in the room ... some that clashed terribly. He started talking about water and oil and how in the right condition, they could work together for the same cause.
If he was trying to say that one day, Jorge and Richard would be able to work together without tearing each other apart, Grey didn’t think that would ever happen. Both dragons were too stubborn, and their leader wasn’t doing anything about it.
Finally, Damian called for them all to get into the final pose, resting on their backs with their eyes closed and breathing deeply.
“As you lay on the ground, focusing on your breath, I want you to send forgiveness and compassion out into the air. I want to feel us just surrounded by that kind of energy.” Damian closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.
Grey tried to do the same, but something made his spine tingle. He cracked an eye open and saw that Jorge was inching away from his mat, heading right for the door. Damian watched him go as he said, “Sometimes, it’s hard to accept forgiveness and compassion because we might not feel like we deserve it. Maybe we don’t evenwantthose things. Maybe we think we’ve done absolutely nothing wrong and all of our actions and words are justified. This is the time to pause and consider how our actions might be perceived.”
If Jorge caught on to what Damian was saying ... a pretty big fucking clue that Jorge should not be leaving before class was over ... he didn’t let on. Grey noticed, and he opened his mouth to call Jorge back. But Dad shook his head at him, pointing toward Damian, who was now on his back and staring up at the ceiling.
Grey turned his head toward Kaia. She opened her eyes after only a second and smiled at him as she reached out to squeeze his hand.
“Whenever you feel the need to leave, please do so, but be mindful of the others who are choosing to remain in a state of relaxation.”
Dad was the first out of the door, quickly followed by Richard. Grey sighed and tried not to shake his head. After that, the dragons left in a slow trickle, but something happened. Something that made Grey more than a little proud of what he had done.
Every dragon who left whispered a kindthank youto Damian. A couple even asked if there would be other opportunities for yoga classes during our stay.
“I’m sure Portia will be more than happy to welcome me a little longer. Especially if it is to the benefit of her guests,” Damian told the last small group of dragons.
“We can book something tomorrow,” Grey said once only he, Kaia, and Damian remained in the room. “I’ll make sure you’re fairly compensated. I do want to apologize for my colleagues’ behaviors. It was very rude to leave before the end of class.”And then, the CEO walked out without thanking you or checking in with his staff.
Grey was shocked even though he shouldn’t be. Hadn’t his father been listening to everything the demon said during the yoga session? So much of it had been relevant to them, specifically. Yet, he had walked away like maybe using the open door ... thanks, Damian ... to have some tough conversations.
Nope.
Dad walked away. Grey wanted to gather the dragons and see what they had thought, to ask them if there was anything they would like to address within their community of the thunder and the company.
It was something the alpha and the CEO should have been doing when things were this bad. What would it take for Dad to catch on that an all-expense trip wasn’t the solution he thought it was? They needed mediation, at the very least.
“Hey,” Kaia whispered, pulling him to a stop as they left the yoga studio. She rose to her toes to kiss him. “You killed it with the yoga thing. Really. The majority of the dragons were really pleased and relaxed. You heard what they said to Damian. That was a success, Grey.”
“The two dragons I wanted to impact left, though.”
“I know, but Damian made Jorge think. I’m sure of it. I think that’s why he wanted to crawl out of there. He was uncomfortable because he knows his behavior has been less than professional.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he sighed.
“I know I am. If anything, you just showed your colleagues that you would be a great leader. I’m sure they’ve noticed that you fully participate in all of the activities. It shows that you’re invested in making this trip work for the company.”
“You’re very good at finding the silver lining.”
“I know,” she laughed. “It’s part of the job! I love doing it and turning someone’s day around with a little bit of sunshine.”
Grey kissed Kaia before she said anything else that would make him fall even harder for her.
NINETEEN
GREYSON
