Blair
I could feel much needed warmth seeping through my aching body from the central heating of the office building and I involuntarily let out a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a grimace as a bolt of pain seared through my bruised ribs like a knife slice.
I cringed and gritted my teeth, my hand coming to rest over my left side as I stifled a moan, breaths escaping my nostrils in small whistles as I struggled to breathe through the pain.
In, out …. In…out. I counted silently, making the breaths as shallow as possible so as not to jar my bruised ribs. Bit by bit, the pain receded and I sat as still as possible, dreading the next wave. Soon, I could feel my eyelids getting heavy, the warmth and sheer exhaustion that came from a lack of sleep taking over.
With a slight shake of my head, I fought it off and carefully straightened in the comfortable chair. Even though my body needed rest to speed up the healing process, I couldn't afford to fall asleep now. What kind of impression would that create in the eyes of my hopefully, would - be employers if they caught me nodding off?
To keep myself alert, I began reciting the periodic table in my head, along with their atomic numbers, an activity I'd practiced throughout my high school years and which now reminded me of my Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Rutherford. She had insisted every member of the class memorize all 118 elements and now, I could picture her stern expression as she listened to us chant it first thing each class. I’d thought it a waste of time then, not knowing how handy it would come in later in life.
The memory gave rise to nostalgia and sadness as I recalled how happy and naive 17 year old me had been, going through life filled with optimism that someday, she would escape the small town life and make it big in the city, live a glamorous life, find her mate and live happily ever after.
I'd achieved the first two. I had found a mate, the man of my dreams who I'd fallen head over heels in love with, and for a long while, I'd lived under the illusion that we were happy ever after.
Illusion. That word started another ache in my chest, and I pushed away that thought too, choosing to focus instead, on the present.
The present being that I was sitting in a pleasantly warm reception, my left arm in a sling, a face marked with bruises in different shades and stages of healing, with all my worldly possessions stuffed into the backpack sitting by my feet. Usually, my injuries would be completely healed in a few days, thanks to my wolf Trish, but not this time. I could barely feel her within me, weakened as she was by the effects of the cloaking spell I’d gotten from the witch back in New Orleans.
Trish was usually vocal about her opinions, a constant voice in my subconscious and I’d come to take her company for granted. It wasn’t until I could no longer feel her presence that for the first time since I turned fifteen, I felt truly alone.
“Ms. Gaines?” A voice floated into focus, muted and sounding like it was coming from the end of some tunnel. It distracted me from thoughts of my wolf, making me irritated.
“Ms. Gaines?” The voice carried a hint of urgency and was louder this time and I huffed. Who was this Gaines person and why the hell would she not just answer to her name so the rest of us could dream in peace?
Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me gently. “Blair? Wake up.”
I snorted awake, my head snapping up from lolling against my neck. My eyes shot open and for a moment, I was disoriented from sleep. Blinking rapidly, I sat up when my gaze landed on the pretty redhead with the kindest brown eyes watching me anxiously. Sadie, the receptionist at GenPro, smiled when she noticed I’d woken up - shit, I must have nodded off mid-count. I sat up, flinching as the movement reminded me of my injuries.
Two things hit me at once. One; I was Ms. Gaines - that was the name I’d put on my resume and I’d better get myself in order. I needed this job and couldn’t afford to make them suspicious by not recognising my own damn name, even if it was just an alias.
And two… heat rose up to my cheeks as I recognised the woman standing just behind Sadie. Lucy Strand, one of the founders of this laboratory and one of the most intimidating and confident women I’d ever met.
I’d met her for the first time last week when I’d decided to take a chance and summoned up enough courage to walk into the elegant reception of GenPro in the vain hope of finding a job. Then, my face had been red and swollen, and my left arm was in a cast, and I’d been limping, favoring my right leg. With my body painfully thin from malnourishment, I looked like I’d survived a war. It was not a pretty sight, and Sadie, bless her heart, had mistaken me for a hobo.
She’d kindly offered an apologetic explanation about how I was not allowed to be there, and had recommended some places that were taking in charity cases. When I’d pulled out my resume instead and told her I was in search of a job…any job… she’d looked like she would burst into tears as she told me that she was sorry, but they weren’t currently hiring.
“Please,” It had been a struggle to dam the tears that welled up in my eyes. “I’ll do anything, I can clean and fetch and carry…I just need anything. Please?”
The desperation in my voice had gotten through and she'd taken the resume, saying she'd see what she could do before disappearing past glass double doors into the depths of the building.
Ten minutes later, she’d come back and one look at her face had sent my hopes plummeting to the depths of despair.
"I'm sorry," her voice had been filled with regret and pity as she came to stand beside me, holding out the resume. "I just spoke with our head of operations and there's no vacancies at the moment."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for fear that I would just straight up start bawling my eyes out. I struggled to get my emotions under control, the fact that the $25 in my pocket and bacon sandwich in my backpack were the only things I had left wasn't helping much.
“Thank you for trying.” I finally managed to say in a whisper, slinging my bag onto my good shoulder. I turned to leave, my steps heavy as I made my way to the door.
“Will you be alright?” Her voice stopped me in my tracks and I turned around to see her looking all concerned. She came towards me, her gaze sweeping over my face and without her saying a word, I knew what was going through her mind as she took in my condition. “Is there somewhere you… I mean…there’s places that can help out…”
Color flooded my cheeks and I took a step back, wanting to get away as fast as possible.
“I’m okay.” I said, repeating the mantra I’d uttered several times over the years to convince myself and the people around me that I was indeed, not in need of any help. “It’s not what you think, I just had a really bad fall down some steep steps, and the doctor said it will take a few weeks to heal properly.” The lie slipped easily from my lips and I continued backing away until I was at the door.
“Oh.” She looked doubtful but mercifully let the matter drop. “I’m sorry we couldn’t offer you anything.”
I was prepared to leave, to where I had no idea, but that was when Lucy had walked up to me, her red heels clicking on the floor in a quick rhythm. With a white lab coat over what looked like a perfectly tailored green dress, expertly styled hair and piercing eyes that seemed to bore into a person’s innermost depths, Lucy Strand commanded attention in an effortless way.
With shrewd eyes that missed very little, she regarded me for a few seconds, and I knew she missed nothing. Something had flashed in her eyes for a second, but was gone before I could identify what it meant.
“You’re Blair Gaines?” Her words came out with an upper class Boston accent, clipped and precise. I stared at her, recognising the suit as a custom made piece by McLaurel, an exclusive designer whose price tag ran in the thousands of dollars.
Her entire demeanor was so controlled, that I couldn’t help wondering if Ms. Strand was a Lore being like me. If Trish were active, I would be able to tell by her scent or aura. Witches, shifters, vampires or demons all had a unique scent that helped other supernaturals identify themselves. Right now, all I could smell were traces of her perfume.
Then I snapped back, flushing when I realized she was staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to acknowledge my identity.
“Yes,”
“I’m Lucy Strand, director of operations. I apologize for the somewhat abrupt notice, but are you prepared for an interview?”
“Like right now?” I was taken aback. Hadn’t Sadie said they weren’t hiring? Still, I quickly nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Approval flashed in her eyes. “Come with me. Sadie, get her a visitor’s pass and have someone send up some coffee and snacks.”
BlairWithout waiting for a reply from either myself or the stunned receptionist, Lucy spun on one perfectly balanced heel and strode away briskly. For a second, I stood there, unsure of what to do until Sadie gave a light nudge.“Go on,” she gestured with her head in towards Lucy’s retreating back, handing me a visitor’s pass. “Good luck.”With muttered thanks, I hung the ribbon around my neck and hustled after Lucy, ignoring the jarring pain that dogged my every step. My sneakers, once pristine but now ragged and grimy, made a squeaky sound on the floor in tandem with Lucy’s clatter, the sounds echoing off the white walls of the hallway.My mind raced with a million thoughts as I caught up with her, hope clashing with trepidation as to what she wanted from me. I blinked as we passed through and entered a brightly lit open office space furnished with floor to ceiling windows and skylights that let in the natural light in addition to the dozens of artificial lighting on the ceiling. R
BlairNext Monday“Ms. Strand, I’m so sorry.” Embarrassed to have been caught sleeping on what was supposed to be my first day on the job, I apologized profusely, while silently offering a plea to the moon goddess that I had not just blown my chance.Ignoring the lingering pain, I shot to my feet, nervously trying to smoothen the creases out of my outfit - a light green pinstripe shirt which I’d paired with black pants, and ballerina flats. Except for the shirt - which was one of the only two I owned at the moment, everything else was the same as I’d worn last week and the only clothes I had in addition to a pair of tights, hoodie and sneakers. The clothes had all cost a fortune and bought from high end shops but due to overuse in the last month, they had begun to show signs of wear and tear.I’d given myself a haircut - and botched it badly. To conceal the uneven edges, I’d put the entire mess up in a bun at the back, but of course, in my short nap, a few strands had slipped free and
BlairHuge…The single word echoed in my head as the gorgeous, dark haired, viking built like a tank, barged into the office. I auto switched into defense mode as my instinct reacted to the presence of what it considered an alpha male.I shrank back against my seat with a gasp, trying to put some distance between us. My fingers gripped the armrests until my knuckles turned white as every nerve inside me screamed to escape.“What the bloody fuck am I hearing about a new employee, Lucy?” His voice, deep and gravelly, came out in a growl and made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.I was put in mind of a predator, a large, formidable one and the thought only served to ratchet my anxiety several notches up. Now, I couldn't help but wonder if Mac Walsh was Lorekind. Humans didn't breed them that massive.I wanted to bolt, but his large frame was between me and the door.Shit.“I thought we agreed at the last meeting about not hiring more staff?” Mac crossed his arms across his chest. “A
Mac I was still in a shitty mood from my ten hour flight. My wolf, Aries, absolutely hated being out of touch with solid ground and stuck in a metal contraption that was an airplane, soaring thousands of feet in the sky. Each time I had to take a flight, it was a constant battle of wills inside me, and even though I usually had my way, Aries never gave me a moment’s peace during the entire flight, making his displeasure known in my head until I was an irritable, miserable fuck by the time the plane landed. Because of this, I avoided taking flights whenever I could. Lucy usually would go on those business trips that necessitated flying. But a trip to Washington for the quarterly shareholder meeting was something that requires my presence and was unavoidable if I wanted to keep the funds flowing. Added to that, the meeting had been a bloody waste of time and I’d hated every minute of the time I’d spent trying to convince those stodgy farts to shell out the funds Gen Pro needed. All th
BlairI stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. A pale, dark haired girl with haunted brown eyes that looked enormous set against a face made gaunt from hunger and malnutrition stared back at me. I studied my sunken cheeks and chapped lips sadly, thankful that at least, the swelling was gone and the bruises mostly faded.Grunge emo chick.Mac’s words echoed in my head and I let out a sigh. To think my life had come to this, where a bastard like Mac Walsh could casually level insults my way and assume I was a drug addict because of my physical appearance.Not that I blamed him, I did look exactly like he’d described, I’d give him that, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. I’d endured years of verbal abuse from Resse that I thought I’d developed a thick skin, but somehow, Mac’s words cut me deeper than I cared to admit.My lips trembled as unwanted memories swarmed me, triggering tendrils of anxiety that tightened a vice around my chest squeezing until every breath was a struggl
BlairA similar heat flared in Mac’s eyes, and from the depths of his chest, I heard a deep rumbling that came out as a growl. His arms tightened around me, possessive and passionate and for one moment, I caught a glimpse of the beast within him, ferocious and magnificent all at once.For the first time in months, Trish stirred within me, I could feel her agitation because she was me and I was her, but it wasn’t an agitation borne of terror, no this was different. It almost felt… joyful?I heard a word and realized it came from my own mouth and even more shocking were the words I uttered, words I never expected to utter again in this lifetime.I went cold all over as shock rocked through my entire body.“No…” I shook my head in denial. Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed and mercifully, he let me go, so abruptly that I almost lost my balance again.His arm reached out to cup my elbow, but I shrank from him and to my absolute horror, I whimpered in fear, my arms coming up to shield
MacDespite my best efforts, the scene with Blair in the hallway kept playing over and over in my head as I drove towards the ranch. I had gone after her, haunted by the hurt I’d seen reflected in her eyes as she hurried away from my office. I might be a bastard, but I still had a shred of a conscience left and I knew I had gone too far and that an apology was in order.I had just rounded the corner when Blair had bumped into me at full speed, her tiny form bouncing off mine and if I hadn't reached out and grabbed her, she’d have definitely landed her ass on the floor.I still couldn’t figure out why I had reacted to her the way I had. From the moment our bodies had come into contact, my senses had flared into hyperawareness, my beast had craved to have the woman in my arms.And it hadn’t just been me that had felt it. I’d seen the flare of arousal in Blair’s eyes, the way she’d titled her head, lips parted, longing for satisfaction. That look had almost been my undoing. I’d nearly gi
Mac“Well, if it isn’t Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee,” Lucy quipped as Blake and I walked into her office. Brice, her assistant, who happened to be in the room, choked back a laugh, disguising it with a cough. I scowled at him and the cheeky bugger mumbled an excuse under his breath and hurried out, shutting the door behind him.“Please tell your mate to mind the way she speaks to her boss.” I complained to Blake in exasperation. “It’s bloody disrespectful.”Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee was the nickname Lucy had adopted for Blake and I back in boarding school, because in her opinion, both of us were practically one and the same person, just split into two separate bodies. It was a nickname I didn’t find particularly amusing and Lucy took full advantage of it, using it when she wanted to rile me up.“Just admit that you like it, dude.” Blake chuckled, clapping me on the back before crossing to place a welcome kiss on his mate’s cheek. He pulled her into his arms and she went willingly. “H