Chapter 2

Rogue Rider Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, United States

The true hero the people of Los Angeles could count on, presently sat at the end of a long, sleek dining room table and was staring at an assortment of breakfast foods like they might come alive and bite her.

Genevieve Beaufont looked like the stuff of legends in her black armored suit that was both modern and medieval in style. She also looked like exactly what she was in the gaudy Beverly Hills dining room—a fish out of water. Hell, she was more like a mermaid on a skateboard, navigating the concrete waves of Los Angeles with mystical grace.

The dining room in the Rogue Rider Mansion in Beverly Hills wasn't at all like the rustic places where Gen used to enjoy meals. The candle filled chandelier made of wood and wrought iron had been replaced with crystals and artificial light powered by electricity.

The stone floor, dark walls covered in thick tapestries and scent of smoke and earth of 15th century London seemed a world away. In the 21st century of Los Angeles, Gen sat in a mostly white dining area, with marble floors and window-filled walls that showed views of a sprawling lawn that seemed as unnatural as the various machines that hummed throughout the mansion.

"I didn't know what you liked to eat," Amanda, the House Manager for the Rogue Riders began, walking around the table. "So I made everything I could think of for your first real breakfast with the gang."

"Thanks," Gen said, realizing why she'd been so tentative about having a meal with her newfound people—the Rogue Riders. She'd taken all her meals in her room, which had been designed for her by Amanda with an emphasis on old-world charm and only a hint of modern details.

The House Manager, eager to please, sighed, pulling at her brown ponytail. Concern bristled behind Amanda's black-rimmed glasses. "You don't like it, do you?"

"She doesn't know what any of it is," Sullivan Smith said with a laugh, also known as Sully. He leaned forward and picked up a glazed pastry with a hole in the center. He held it up. "This is a donut. It is the best thing in the world and the reason for my very existence."

"I thought that was to make all women on earth cringe from your advances," Jack Lane laughed, plucking a grape from a bowl of fruit. He threw it up in the air, tipped back his head and caught it easily in his mouth, chewing with a smile.

As Rogue Riders, Gen had found that most of the people in the mansion were a bit rough around the edges. Since she'd showed up out of the blue with a stolen dragon's egg and a complete lack of understanding of this world, most were pretty standoffish to her in the place.

It didn't help that she had a reputation as a Founder of the House of Fourteen and was a Beaufont. Everyone seemed either jealous or wary of her. But not these two guys. They openly teased her about her ignorance of the current time, which was a whole lot better than ignoring or shunning her, like the rest of the dragonriders in the house.

Sully shook his head at his friend before taking a bite, his eyes lighting up with delight. "Jack, buddy old pal, we really have to work on your language skills. You mispronounced swoon. I make all the ladies swoon."

Gen pointed at the half-eaten donut in Sully's hand, which was close to disappearing for good. "Why is there a hole in that?"

"They take them out," Amanda replied, her hands on her spandex-covered hips.

"Why?" Gen questioned. "If they are the best thing in the world, why do they give you less of it?"

"Oh, to make donut holes," she answered.

Gen leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. "I think the reasoning on this modern food is somewhat lost on me, but I'll try to understand it."

"Of course you will," Jack offered, his blue eyes twinkling as he stared at her across the table. He looked like the kind of guy that made women swoon with his dark brown hair, which was beautifully chaotic, a strong build and his easy grin. Sully probably did make women cringe if the pair were together since in contrast, he was lanky with messy, curly brown hair and glasses. Still, the duo were fun together and their different styles complemented each other.

"Let me take the liberty of educating you." Sully leaned forward, pointing at various items. "Those are bagels with cream cheese, then we have croissants, chocolate eclairs and apple turnovers." He pointed down to the far end. "On the other side of the table, there's scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes.

"Why don't you not spit all over the food, mouth breather," Mona Clipper, also known as Clipper, said, stomping over and slapping Sully's hand away from over the table. "Some of us want to eat something without having your germs all over it."

He glared up at the woman who had impossibly long eyelashes and ruby red lips. Her black hair hung down to her butt, which was as curvy as the rest of her. "That's fine, I've just lost my appetite. Must be something I'm looking at."

While the two exchanged hostile stares, a few other Rogue Riders used this opportunity to sneak over to the full breakfast table and grab pastries or strips of bacon. They each gave Gen their own hostile glares before retreating to other dining areas in the back.

Clipper caught sight of this and pursed her lips at Gen. "Not making a lot of friends, are you?"

"Who said I wanted friends?" Gen countered, still not having made any choices for breakfast, overwhelmed by the options.

"They are just intimidated by you with their giant egos and tiny brains," Amanda said, narrowing her eyes at a guy who grabbed a handful of croissants, tearing into them at once like a wild dog, sending crumbs all over the place. "You know, someone has to clean that up, right, you disgusting barbarian?"

"I think that someone is you," Clipper mocked, leaning across the table to grab a banana, putting her chest in Jack's face as she did.

Amanda shot her angry eyes at the woman. "You get onto Sully but you're nearly lying on the table. Do you want your own chair or are you trying to sit in Jack's lap?"

Clipper straightened, menace on her face as she regarded the house manager. She snapped the top of the tropical fruit, opening it, revealing the creamy white middle. Gen had only just learned the other day that these strange shaped things were fruits called bananas. "Why is it that you're putting out such an elaborate spread of food again, Mandy? Usually we're lucky if you throw some cereal on the floor for us in the morning."

"My name is Amanda. And if I did put your food on the floor, it would be because most of you are like a bunch of untrained dogs. None of you wash your hands or know how to use utensils, so what's the point? And I'm trying to make our new dragonrider feel welcome!" Amanda looked around at the others who were shunning her, but also eavesdropping on the whole interaction. "You all could take a lesson from me in manners and table etiquette."

"Gen knows how to use a fork!" Sully said, proudly pointing at Gen with a wide grin.

"And the monkey over here knows how to open a banana," Amanda countered, pointing at Clipper. "But I don't think she really wants to eat it, she's just flirting with Jack."

Clipper tossed the half-eaten banana onto the table, the fruit landing on the top of the tray of donuts. "You're right, I don't want that or any other food that you're using to suck up to the new royalty. You probably think that if you're nice to her that you'll get perks from the Beaufonts, but they only want you to make their food and shine their shoes."

"I shine my own shoes," Gen said, thinking this was important to point out. "And you make it sound like the Beaufonts are a bunch of aristocrats who abuse those around us. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"But you get a full meal from Amanda when we usually get scraps," Clipper boomed, looking around at the other dragonriders. "Seems like you ride on your family's coattails."

"She does, but that won't last forever," Dwayne Stone said, marching into the dining room from the large hallway.