Abaddon's Gift

Chapter Three

Theon sat in his study, the bottle of expensive scotch sitting on the desk as he contemplated it. The wax seal still sat wrapped around the top of the bottle, the amber liquid untouched.

He thought about the day he had earned that bottle of scotch, of her mother's thankful response. Of the hugs he received, how her father took Theon into his home and made a proposition which had initially disgusted him.

How she had come to him later.

Theon closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, pushing down the memories.

He put the scotch bottle back into the bottom drawer and slammed it shut, growling at nothing in particular.

He stood and moved to the cupboard, retrieving a new bottle of scotch and a glass. He poured himself a full glass because it was late and therefore no longer frowned upon to be drunk. As he turned, he sipped the scotch, swallowing when he found Graydon standing in his study with a woman draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Graydon had red around his eye, scratches down the side of his face. His shirt had been ripped, pants muddied, and it felt to Theon as if Graydon had taken a bad fall, bruising himself internally.

He looked down at his scotch and back up to Graydon. With a grunt, he raised the scotch and took another swallow.

"Father is coming," Graydon growled.

"Why?" Theon asked his glass. "It is late at night."

"You'll want to see this," he said.

"See what?"

Graydon grunted and dumped the woman on the floor with a thump. Theon watched the action and decided it was a good idea to swallow the scotch as if it were water and he a dying man. Gagging at the end, Theon grimaced and looked down at the battered woman.

If Graydon were anyone else's son, Theon would have asked many questions about the woman and what happened. Too many times, he had some mage dump a woman in his study because they did something stupid.

"All right," Theon said, turning to grab the scotch bottle and pour himself more as he turned back to Graydon. "What happened?"

"Wait," Graydon said.

With almost the same authority his father used for official business. Theon's hand hesitated, stopping the flow of scotch.

"Excuse me?" Theon asked.

Luk walked in, closed the door, locked it, then looked over Graydon and the woman as he walked around them and directly to Theon. Luk took the bottle from Theon, looked at his glass, then poured more into it.

"Excuse me?" Theon demanded again as Luk handed him the full glass of scotch.

"Tell him," Luk said right before he raised the scotch bottle and took a swallow.

Theon frowned at Luk, then turned that frown to Graydon. He brought the scotch to his lips as he frowned because he knew it Luk was pouring him scotch, he'd need it.

"She's a mage," Graydon said.

"And?" Theon asked. "He was born in the wrong body. It has happened before."

"That's a woman, Theon," Graydon said.

"Boy, your dick would rise for a sunset at your age," Theon growled back.

"No, she's a woman," Graydon responded. "We covered that."

The woman lay on the floor but was not passed out. She was not tied, but Theon felt the fury rolling off her. He looked down and sipped the scotch.