The Fox And The Last Dragon

The photograph showed a younger Cyrus standing beside Elias Thorne.

They weren't exactly smiling, but there was an unmistakable ease between them.

Elias had his arm slung casually around Cyrus's shoulders—a gesture Kane couldn't imagine the dragon tolerating now.

Both Elias and Cyrus wore Veyr Corp badges, with Elias's badge displaying "Executive Assistant" beneath his name.

Kane's ears perked forward with interest. Elias had worked for Cyrus? This contradicted everything he'd observed at the charity ball.

He studied the image closer.

The dragon looked different somehow—less guarded, his posture relaxed.

"What happened between you two?" Kane whispered, running his thumb over the dusty glass.

"Find something interesting?"

Kane jumped, nearly dropping the frame. Cyrus stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable as his gaze fixed on the photograph.

"I—" Kane started, but the explanation died in his throat. He'd been caught red-handed.

Cyrus crossed the room in three long strides, plucking the frame from Kane's hands.

His eyes lingered on Elias's face a fraction too long—just enough to betray something deeper than annoyance before placing it face-down on the desk.

"That's ancient history," Cyrus said, his voice flat and final.

"He worked for you?" Kane couldn't help himself.

"The wolf who looked ready to tear your throat out last night used to be your assistant?"

Cyrus's jaw tightened. "Elias was... different then."

"What happened?"

"Power changes people, especially wolves. Remember that." Cyrus turned away, straightening papers that didn't need straightening.

Kane opened his mouth to press further, but a sharp knock at the door cut him off. His ears twitched with frustration at the interruption.

Cyrus seemed relieved by the distraction, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he moved away from the photograph and toward his desk.

"Enter," he commanded, his voice shifting back to its usual authoritative tone.

The door opened to reveal a tall woman with steel-gray hair pulled into a severe bun.

She wore a tailored charcoal suit and carried a tablet, her expression professionally neutral as her eyes swept over Kane with calculated assessment.

"Mr. Drakhal, your nine-thirty appointment arrived early. The Jadefall representatives are waiting in the conference room." Her gaze flickered to Kane again.

"I wasn't aware you had... company."

"This is Kane Ashwood, my new personal assistant," Cyrus replied smoothly.

"Kane, this is Ms. Winters, my chief of operations."

Kane straightened, suddenly aware of how out of place he must look.

Ms. Winters didn't offer her hand, merely nodded with the barest hint of acknowledgment.

"I'll be there momentarily," Cyrus told her.

"Very well." Winters' eyes lingered on Kane with glacial intensity. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

"Will your... assistant be joining the meeting?"

"He will," Cyrus replied, straightening his tie. "Time he learned the ropes."

Winters' expression didn't change, but something in her posture stiffened.

"As you wish."

She turned and left, her heels clicking sharply against the floor like ice cracking.

Kane's tail twitched nervously. "She doesn't like me."

"Isabelle doesn't like anyone initially," Cyrus said, adjusting his cufflinks.

"She's an ice spirit. They take time to warm up to people." His lips quirked slightly.

"Come. The Jadefall representatives are important clients. They trade in rare artifacts with significant spiritual properties."

Kane's ears perked up. Artifacts? Like the Whispering Shard someone tried to steal from his appointment?

"Just observe and take notes," Cyrus instructed, heading for the door.

Kane nodded, following Cyrus out while his mind raced. This meeting might provide exactly the information he needed for his investigation.

They walked down the corridor, Cyrus's presence clearing a path as employees stepped aside with respectful nods.

The conference room door opened to reveal three figures seated at a long obsidian table.

Two appeared human, but Kane's senses detected the subtle aura of concealment magic.

The third was openly spirit—a woman with translucent jade-colored skin who emanated ancient power.

Winters stood at the head of the table, tablet in hand. Her icy gaze swept over Kane once more before turning to Cyrus.

"Mr. Drakhal, may I present Madam Xiu of Jadefall Acquisitions."

The jade-skinned woman rose with fluid grace, her gold eyes fixing on Cyrus with recognition, then shifting to Kane with sudden, sharp interest.

The air around her shimmered faintly, as if reality bent to accommodate her presence.

"Dragon," she greeted Cyrus, her voice melodic yet weighted with authority. "It's been some time."

"Madam Xiu," Cyrus inclined his head with surprising deference. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting."

Her gaze hadn't left Kane. "You've acquired a fox spirit. Interesting choice."

Kane's tail bristled at being discussed like property.

"Mr. Ashwood is my assistant," Cyrus corrected smoothly. "Recently appointed."

"Indeed." Madam Xiu moved closer, the scent of ancient jade and mountain springs enveloping Kane.

"Your auras are... entangled. Most unusual."

Kane froze as she circled him, her golden eyes seeing far more than he was comfortable with.

"Let's discuss the matter at hand," Cyrus said, smoothly redirecting the conversation.

His tone remained polite but carried an unmistakable edge that even Madam Xiu respected.

"Of course." She glided back to her seat, the air shimmering around her.

"Time is precious, even for those of us who measure it in centuries."

Kane slipped into a chair beside Cyrus, acutely aware of Winters' frost-laden gaze boring into him.

He pulled out a notebook, pretending he knew exactly what he was doing.

The meeting progressed with formal exchanges about acquisition rights and spirit territory permissions.

Kane scribbled notes diligently while struggling to follow the nuanced legal language.

Madam Xiu's assistants displayed artifacts one by one—a spirit-forged dagger, an ancient scroll of binding, and a crystalline orb that captured echoes.

Cyrus's gaze skimmed the artifacts like a surgeon studying tissue samples—detached, precise, and never awed, negotiating prices that made Kane's eyes widen.

Then one of Madam Xiu's assistants placed a small jade box on the table. Kane's pen froze mid-stroke.

The box itself was unremarkable, but something within it resonated with him—a faint, unsettling hum that prickled his fur.

Inside lay a jagged crystal shard, no bigger than Kane's thumb.

His breath caught. Though different in size and color from the one he'd secured at the Bureau, the resonance was unmistakable.