“Mandy Evans, your day has finally come.”
Mandy looked up from her tablet, a slight furrow creasing her brow. Had she heard that correctly? Had Commander Alex Hawkins really just called her out by name? A shudder of anticipation passed through her body.
“Sir?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.
“You heard me. Your day has come. We’re sending you out to bring home a dragon.”
All eyes in the giant command room were turned toward Mandy now. She could feel their glares burning into her skin. The high level commanders would be unhappy that a woman—a relatively young woman, at that—was being given such an important job. They thought only men were strong and steady enough for the physically and emotionally taxing job of convincing a dragon to come to Torch Lake. The other male soldiers agreed, of course. They would be staring at Mandy with barely concealed jealousy right now. She knew they would not easily forgive her for the crime of being awarded such a prestigious job. And the few other women in the room would be a mixed bag. Some would be jealous, yes. But Mandy hoped that at least a few of them would be looking at her with pride. After all, if one woman was given a chance to take on such a difficult task, that meant there was hope for the rest of them, too.
Mandy didn’t allow herself to meet the gazes of anyone in the command room, though. She forced herself to stare directly at Commander Hawkins, and no one else. His opinion was the only one that mattered, after all. He looked back at her with a neutral expression, which was an improvement over the hostile look he usually gave her. Mandy realized with a start that he was expecting her to say something more. He’d just offered her a great honor, after all. She should be acknowledging that instead of staring at him in dumb disbelief.
“Thank you, sir. I’m honored to be given this opportunity.”
He waved his hand in the air as though dismissing her comments. He used this gesture quite often, and most of the time it was directed at a woman. Mandy felt herself bristle, but she forced herself to remain calm. She didn’t want him to change his mind and pull away the offer of the dragon job.
“Don’t thank me. It wasn’t my idea, to be honest.”
Mandy couldn’t stop the surprise from registering on her face. Commander Hawkins ran a tight ship, and he didn’t take kindly to other people telling him what to do. It was almost impossible for Mandy to believe that he was, indeed, being honest when he said it wasn’t his idea to give her the job. She found herself at a complete loss about what to say, and he seemed to enjoy her discomfort.
“Oh, it’s true,” he said. “Like most of my fellow commanders in the Dragon Recovery Division, I’m of the opinion that men are better suited to the task of dragon recovery. But the High Council is getting restless, and they think they know better than us how to convince those damn dragons to come to Torch Lake. They’ve decided we need to try a new tactic…one that involves female persuasion, if you know what I mean. I suggested you for the job.”
Mandy’s heart started to pound in her chest. She could feel anger rising. Surely, the High Council had not been so crass as to suggest that women should stoop to seduction to lure dragons to Torch Lake? Commander Hawkins laughed, enjoying the moment. Mandy knew in that moment that Commander Hawkins still did not believe in her. He thought she would fail. And he would take great pleasure in watching her fall. She finally stole a glance around the room, letting her eyes land on the few other women present in the room. Mandy wasn’t exactly ugly, but she was, by far, the plainest of the women in this room. The other females had perfect hourglass shapes and brilliant blonde hair, which hung around their shoulders in shiny waves. Their skin glowed under the artful application of makeup that was perfectly suited to their skin tones. Mandy’s boring brown hair was pulled into a boring bun, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup, unless Chapstick counted. Commander Hawkins had recommended her for this job because he knew that she would never be able to seduce a man. Especially not a man who was a dragon shifter and likely had his choice of beautiful women.
Mandy felt small, but she raised her chin out as proudly as she could. “I’m not a sex object, Commander Hawkins.”
Commander Hawkins rolled his eyes at her. “Well, that’s plain to see. Listen, Evans, no one is saying you actually have to sleep with the dragon. Just bat your eyes at him a couple times and get him to come back to Torch Lake. We can handle the rest from there.”
“I didn’t go through a year of dragon recovery training to be told to go bat my eyelashes at a man. I’m a professional recovery agent, not some sort of cheap escort service!”
She’d never raised her voice to Commander Hawkins before, and the way he turned to glare at her made her wish she hadn’t started now. His gaze felt like it was boring a hole right into her core.
“Do not speak to me with such disrespect, Agent Evans! If the High Council gives you orders to flirt, then you will flirt. Unless you’d rather not take the job at all? I’m sure, if you’d like to look for a different line of work, there are plenty of women here who would be happy to step up and bring home a dragon by any means necessary.”
Mandy’s stomach turned at the phrase “any means necessary.” The High Council of Torch Lake was known for following strict protocols and moral guidelines. Telling Mandy that they wanted her to bring a dragon home no matter the method seemed out of character for them. After the Great Dark Magic War, which had ended three years ago, most High Councils shied away from doing anything that could be even remotely viewed as coercion. No one wanted to be accused of going down a dark path toward dark magic. Forcing other wizards or shifters to do things against their will was seen as dangerously close to dark magic methods.
Mandy chanced a glance at the other women in the room. They had been watching her, but quickly looked away when she turned toward them. She bit back a sigh. Commander Hawkins hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d warned her that there were plenty of women willing to flirt or sell their bodies if it meant the chance to bring a dragon back to Torch Lake. And damn it, she wasn’t going to lose her chance to seek out a dragon to them. If the High Council was asking her to do this, they must have their reasons, and she trusted them. She didn’t like the prospect of trying to woo a man, but if that’s what it took to prove that she could run with the big boys, then so be it.
“I’ll take the job,” Mandy said, her voice firm and steady.
There was a small flicker of hatred in Commander Hawkins’ eyes, and Mandy knew that he had been hoping she would decline the job. But he said nothing else to Mandy directly. Instead, he set his lips in a tight line and gave her one curt nod. Then he turned to his secretary, who always attended these meetings to take notes for him.
“When this meeting is over, be sure to send an email to Jordan over in Recovery Logistics and tell him to start putting together a supply bag for Mandy.”
Mandy felt her heart leap, and, despite Commander Hawkins’ shitty attitude, she could feel excitement building in her chest. He could complain and glare at her all he wanted. It didn’t matter. The High Council had spoken, and she, Mandy Evans, was actually going to be given the chance to bring a dragon home.
She sure as hell wasn’t going to squander that chance.