“Thank you for allowing me to collect your samples,” Duke said at his office door.
“You too,” Nat said. Then he buried his face in his hands. “I mean, thank you for interviewing me. I promise I’m not usually this awkward.”
Duke walked him all the way to the elevators, waving off a smirking Hubrie.
Nat wasn’t sure what to think. But he thought he saw Duke’s lips tugging into a soft smile, right before the elevator doors closed and whisked him away.
6
NAT’S FIRST DAY
Nat wasn’tsure what god he had accidentally pleased, but he got the job.
Killian and Walren cheered and hugged him. Uriel, Pinks and Ivo came back to the apartment safehouse so they could all celebrate—Uriel was a mage who lived alone with his baby, while Pinks and Ivo—the wolf and mink in Nat’s photo—had moved out to live with their alpha mates.
The thing was, Nat still felt woefully unprepared for the job.
He stepped out of a cab the following Monday, diaper bag in hand, Wanda strapped to his chest.
Hubrie met him in the lobby and helped to carry Wanda’s things. “Morning! Are you excited for your first day?”
“Nervous, actually.” No one gave them a second look as they headed to the elevators; Nat’s discomfort eased slightly.
“Don’t worry, you’ll settle in and everything will be okay.”
Easy for Hubrie to say, when he knew he wasn’t going to mess up.
When they got to the twelfth floor, Nat realized that the lights were already on in Duke’s office.
“He arrives early,” Hubrie said, shaking his head. “You’ll get used to that, too. Now, let’s set down your things and head over to HR for your staff access pass.”
“What about Wanda?” Nat asked.
“Oh, bring her along. You’ll be fine.”
Wanda looked around with large, curious eyes. Nat hugged her for reassurance when they took the elevator down, right before they stepped into a normal-looking office.
The HR department had regular desks and cubicles, and printer sounds filled the place. As they moved down a larger aisle, people began cooing at Wanda. Nat waved awkwardly at them.
“We’re looking for Shelby,” Hubrie said to Nat in an undertone. “She has your things ready.”
They were almost at the other end of the office when they crashed into someone coming down the cross aisle.
“Hey, watch it!” the woman snapped. She was dressed well, with a flashy dress and earrings, and bright red lipstick. She saw Hubrie and straightened, pasting a smile on her face. “Hi, Hubrie. Sorry about that. Who is this?”
“This is Nat. Mr. Brimstone’s new assistant,” Hubrie said easily. “Nat, this is Kylie, HR assistant.”
Almost immediately, Kylie’s smile froze. “But you’re Mr. Brimstone’s assistant. No one told me he was looking to fill your position!”
“Ah,” Hubrie said. Nat didn’t miss the sudden coolness in his eyes. “Mr. B happened to need a change. I don’t have a problem with it.”
“But— Why didn’t he open the position to existing staff?”
“He was looking for fresh blood.”
Kylie flicked her eyes up and down Nat’s body, her lip curling.
Under that stare, Nat felt... like less. Less deserving, less attractive.
