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Now that that's over! I hope you enjoy the (very delayed) chapter!

Chapter 6

To Make A Contract

The moment that little Xing and her elder brother were out of sight Min Su collapsed onto the couch, trembling fingers curling around her throat and the invisible blade she could still feel pressed against it, even though it did not physically exist.

I miscalculated.

She breathed softly as she tried to calm the pounding of her heart in her chest. When the little girl had spoken of another Dragon she had thought, foolishly, that it would be reasonable to ask for a partnership. Mutual protection, as it were. She'd assumed that she would be just as powerful as the other, that one dragon would be able to go head to head with another without problems.

If she hadn't stepped between us, I would be dead.

It had all happened so fast. They'd stepped through the door, he'd rounded the corner, and then -

Death.

She could see it. In the tilt of the shimmering blade pulled from nowhere, in the hard edge of his jaw, in the darkness of his eyes. And the pressure. The feel of his gaze pressing down on her, judging her and finding her wanting.

The giant serpent, gleaming fangs dripping poison and serpentine eyes focused on her own, curled around his form like an unseen protector. Dark black scales, slightly see through, reflected with light blue and green hints. She could almost hear them scraping against the wooden walls as the body curled and loomed.

Maybe if Xing hadn't already warned her, she wouldn't have seen it. Maybe she would have ignored the threat and arrogantly pushed forward to challenge this predator unknowingly -

She was right to call him a Heavenly Dragon.

It had taken everything in her not to turn around and run. But that was its own problem. She'd be presenting her back, a weak point for him to strike for daring to enter his territory, for laying hands on what was his.

And Xing was his. She could see that now. He hesitated to strike because she was in the way, because she might see him flash his fangs and be accidently cut. She has his little mouse, to anchor him and help him understand what it was to be human.

No wonder the girl felt so comfortable to be around, if this is what she dealt with every day. She knew dragons. She'd warned Min Su of the danger she would be in if she entered uninvited, and only now was she beginning to understand.

I am a new dragon. She realized distantly. And he is Ancient. There is no comparison between us.

If he wants me dead, I will die.

Her only option would be to offer herself as compensation for her trespass.

My life is yours to command, she'd whispered with the bend of her neck. I will protect your interests as a servant of your house, she'd said with her open hands placed against her own chest as she bowed, far away from any blades or the possibility of using her own power.

It had been a split second decision, but it had saved her own life. Xing had made the Heavenly Dragon hesitate, but even she could see that it would not hold him long. There would be no partnership here, no shared interests, because Min Su was nothing to him.

So, she'd offered the only thing that might get him to listen.

I will protect her when you can not.

And the dragon's head tilted.

Shock, fury, confusion, curiosity-

When the flicker of emotions finally settled on intrigue, Min Su allowed herself to breathe. Intrigue was good, it meant that he would consider her offer before killing her. It had taken everything in her to bow her head, to supress the urge to let her own power surge to the surface in response to his own, but she'd managed.

And now she waited.

It would be an advantage to both of them, now to let her work under his control. She would get the training she needed to blend in, and he would gain a subordinate who could watch over his sister and make sure she didn't anger any other dragons that she seemed so good at finding.

It was logical.

Dragons are logical.

The door opened, and Min Su looked up.

0~o~0

The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes locked onto the contractor's with a cold consideration that would have made even the most daring in the syndicate flinch. She was no different. Her whole body shuddered and she shrunk back, lowing her eyes and tilting her head slightly to expose her neck. Hei felt his own twitchy fingers calm slightly at the action.

There was a reason he'd been so feared.

His footsteps were confident and sure, as Hei stalked over the worn carpet and settled elegantly into the opposite facing chair. There was a table between then, a solid wood. It would do nothing to hinder him if she proved herself a threat.

For a moment there was silence. She held her position, waiting for him to speak as he took her form in. Her hair was lighter than most native chinese, which meant that she probably had some forgin blood in her. She was also wearing a school uniform, like Xing had been. They'd come directly from there, then.

His eyes narrowed.

How did she stay in such a crowded area without snapping?

He may have never been a true contractor, but he'd been in enough situations to know that a new contractor would never be able to hold themselves back. They didn't yet know enough to understand how to control the instinct to destroy those they saw as weak. He could be sure that she didn't go on a murder spree because Xing would have never brought someone like that home.

It speaks well of her restraint, he acknowledged finally, and tipped his head in her direction. "You may sit up straight."

She shuddered again and bowed lower, "I dare not, my Lord. This one is unworthy of gazing on your magnificence."

Hei twitched. This, this would have to go. He didn't play nice with contractors. Ever. He'd never been addressed as such before and it was frankly a little discomforting, even as something deep within his chest purred with satisfaction.

"Do not address me as such. Sit up. I care not for platitudes," he said blankly, fingers tapping slowly against the hidden sheaths holding his knives.

Her eyes flickered to his own, a calculating glint hiding behind bright golden brown, before descending to trace his fidgeting hands. He forcefully stilled his fingers, but there was a knowing look in her eyes as she slowly lifted into a proper sitting form.

"As you wish, Master Tianlong," she murmured demurely, showing none of the fire he knew she could spit at a moment's notice. It was so . . . un-contractor like. It was making him twitchy.

"I am not your Master," he snipped back coldly and she flinched again.

"As your student, it would be unseemly to call you anything else," she replied after a moment's thought, and Hei wanted to groan.

Xing, what did you do to her?! His lip curled slightly. If his sister had turned into some kind of contractor taimer he was going to become a hermit. Just watch him! He would!

"Explain to me, then, why I should take you on as my student," he queried, curious despite himself.

She took a moment to settle herself, and she still wouldn't meet his eyes. Then, she replied, "This humble one was unaware of your true power upon my trespass. I owe a debt of life to your sister, and I wish to repay it by protecting her in turn when you cannot. However, I am still a young dragon. I do not understand the nuances of blending in with humans, or using my own power. I would request instruction from the master, in order to better protect the master's domain."

For the first time since the meeting started, Tian was truly startled. Maybe it was the technical jargon, the respectful address, or the fact that she still wouldn't drop the 'master', but for some reason everything she was saying made sense.

The Syndicate was still out there, as were the power hungry governments. At some point, they would figure out that contractors could be used for their own ends and start hunting them down. And with Xing's convenient little list about how to gain a contractors trust she would become a target if anyone ever found out about her. There was also the fact that Hei himself was a commodity that the Syndicate would love to get their hands on, and his sister was a weakness they would exploit against him if they knew how far he was willing to go for her. Just like the first time.

And, as confusing as it was, the dragon references were making sense.

That was what was making this whole situation so surreal. He was a contractor. This girl was a contractor. By all rights and reason, one or the other should be dead by now, but she had bowed her head to him and he'd backed down. Sure, the instinct to pull his knives on her was still there but it was . . . distant? Like, he knew he could rid himself of her presence at any moment, she knew it, and that made the urge slightly better.

Somehow, she knew that a head on fight would never be in her favor, and so she sought to make a deal with him instead.

How odd.

Contractors, upon awakening, could be described as unrestrained and irrational. They saw everything as a threat, especially other contractors. In the early days there were records of contractors killing each other off by the dozens. It wasn't until almost three years after the stars fell that they started working together as a unit, usually forced to get along by whatever group they were working under.

This little contractor displayed none of the typical desire to fight, and it was throwing him off. Seeking him out, asking for instruction, putting herself at his mercy in order to better herself. It was logical, it was a sound plan, it was everything you didn't expect from a new contractor.

Despite everything, Hei found himself intrigued.

Having someone from Xing's school who would be able to identify and get rid of threats to his sister before they got to her would be an advantage, there was no doubt about that. However, there was no way he would allow a possible security risk anywhere near his sister without something hanging over their head.

Contractor's could both be incredibly loyal, and logically disloyal. He'd seen it too often to count. They cared only for their lives, and the lives of those that they became attached to. They joined organizations for protection against being hunted down, they worked together because there is strength in numbers, they abandoned those they worked for when a bigger threat presented itself.

So, as much as having someone watch his sister would be an advantage, he would also need something to secure her loyalty to him and him alone.

Hei didn't twitch, didn't smile, didn't give a hint of moving before he was suddenly there. One hand slammed down on the back of the couch by her head, and the other wrapped lightly around the smooth skin of her neck.

"Very well," he rumbled softly, hot breath brushing past the delicate cartilage of her ear, "I will take you on as my student. But be aware, if my sister is harmed under your watch," he let a light crackle of power ghost over her skin, "Nothing will hide you from my claws."

He felt her swallow thickly, but didn't withdraw until she gave a shaky nod. With deliberate slowness, he pulled back so that he could look her directly in the eyes. There was fear there, good, but also a grudging respect. Hei let the tiniest smirk grace his face as he stood.

"And so our contract is sealed," he murmured softly, "You may return home now. Training begins tomorrow at five in the morning," he said and then turned slightly, "Don't be late."

The girl nodded as she stood and backed out from the room, never letting her back face him. Smart girl.

It wasn't until the door had already clicked shut behind her that Hei realized that he'd never gotten her name.

0~o~0

Xing really hoped that she didn't have to explain to her parents why she was scrubbing red out of the carpet of their living room.

Of course, she was also hoping that she didn't have to scrub red out of the living room carpet. Dragons were temperamental, so who knows what was going on in there. She had been kinda hoping to be there to smooth down the ruffled scales in case they tried to tear out each other's throats.

(And maybe, just a little bit, to observe their interaction. Just how many times was she going to get to see how two dragons acted around each other? How would they react? Would they butt heads over everything, or get along relatively well? Would they posture, like some predators did when faced with an unexpected threat? What about if-)

Moral of the story is, Xing was hoping her new little dragon friend didn't need to be buried under the garden shed before her parents came home. It would be a hassle to get it done in time, and she hadn't done enough research on how to cover up a crime scene yet, let alone how to hide a body.

She was just about to press her ear to the door leading into the living room to see if the situation needed any intervention when it opened under her fingertips. She squeaked and scrambled backward with wide eyes looking up -

Oh, not good. He's blank right now.

Tian stood before her in a long black coat, one she'd seen in his closet but never actually seen him wear. It . . . certainly made him look older than he was. And more intimidating. Definitely more intimidating. The eyes were the problem, though. They were completely dark, emotionless. It was like he was seeing everything and nothing at the same time. Blank. He stared down at her for a moment, and the silence stretched on awkwardly.

"Xing."

"Yes?" her voice came out slightly strangled and she cleared it, "Y-yes? D-do you need something, broth - Tianlong?"

Best not to remind him of family connection at the moment.

Plus, he was more dragon than human right now, it wouldn't hurt to make herself less of a target than she was on a day to day basis.

He tilted his head and there was a flicker of something new in his eyes, as if her voice was slowly reminding him of where he was. "Xing."

"Yes?"

"If you'd told me you wanted a pet, I would have gotten you a cat."

Xing gaped as Tian strode past her, black coat whipping around his figure. He vanished up the stairs to his room silently, leaving no trace of his passage except the baffled form of his younger sister.

"Was . . ." Xing blinked slowly, "Was that a joke?"

Dragons are so odd . . .

0~o~0

Sorry for the long wait! I've had this half written for forever, but I have recently found myself . . . with no time to do anything recently. Seriously, I am thinking about writing a stress chapter (for To Feel Alive) about how deadly a clipboard can be, because I have started carrying one around every day to take notes on, and did I mention that I am very stressed lately? But I have no time, so stress writing will have to take a back seat.

What did you think of the chapter? Was the confrontation as good as you were all imagining it to be? I hope I did this scene justice . . . I had to rewrite it a few times because inner thoughts are hard.

And the end . . . Tian came out of nowhere with that comment. I wrote it, and it feels so off but so right at the same time!

Tian: "If you'd told me you wanted a pet, I would have gotten you a cat."

Hei's translation: "Don't drag home Strange Contractors. They are more trouble than they are worth. Cat's are much easier to take care of. Even Contractor cats."

I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought!

(10/28/2020)