His genuine laughter made those effervescent bubbles pop in my chest again. I rubbed my chest and smiled at the broken tension. He laughed for quite a while, and I just sat there, grinning like a fool, listening to the sound, and rubbing the part of my chest where the effervescence kept fizzing. This was so new to me. Not just making someone laugh, but the easy way we were talking to one another. The innocent camaraderie.
“Yes, an Earthling.” His tone turned gentle. “But Mia, you’re also a supernatural. You couldn’t have seen the ad otherwise. And I have a strong feeling I know what kind of supernatural you are. If I’m right, and with your education, you will be a perfect fit for the position. So, yes, I’ll hold the job for you.”
I felt elated! A new job potential! And I’d always wanted to move out of the city. I hated the smog and congestion. I could figure out the tiny details like what I would do for food the next two weeks, and where I would stay when the apartment manager locked me out of my apartment in a week, later.
As though he could hear my thoughts, Draven asked, “Mia, are you okay where you’re at for two weeks? I can send a travel bonus that would get you by until you come for your interview. It would also allow you to rent a storage unit and move the things you wanted to keep into storage for the month.”
“You can’t read minds, can you?” I hadn’t felt fear about the taking over my body thing, but the idea that he might be able to hear my thoughts made me cringe.
He laughed. “No, Miss Durran. I assure you, I cannot hear your thoughts. It was a passing feeling, nothing more.”
A passing feeling my foot. That he couldn’t hear thoughts rang true, at least.
I couldn’t believe I was about to have this conversation with a potential employer. “I had a last payment for my tuition that was overdue. It made me short on my rent. My building manager has already been by and has given me a week’s deadline.” I tried to state all of this as concisely and succinctly as I could. I had no desire to give him exhaustive details about the deplorable state of my personal finances.
“I’ll book a hotel for you under a company card,” he said, tapping on his computer again.
My protest died on my lips. He was being kind, yes, but he was also being practical. If it was true that I was a rare find, and that he was eager for me to interview for the position, then it would also be true that he would want me to make it to the interview in one piece.
I received a text with the hotel booking information. “You’re clear to arrive as early as today,” he said.
I felt a weight leave my shoulders. Sometimes, the sweetest words to an ex homeless person were, “You have a place to stay.” Once you’d been homeless, you seemed to have an eternal fear for the rest of your life that you’d end up back on the streets.
“Thank you,” I said, my throat tight.
“You’re welcome, Miss Durran. I look forward to your interview.” He clicked off, and I sat at my table with my head in my hands.
My head was reeling at everything that had just happened, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty: in two weeks I was going to Oregon to meet a possible vampire for a job interview.
I laughed and shook my head.
Life was so weird sometimes.
Chapter2
Mia
“You didn’t have to book me into the poshest hotel you could find,” I said into the phone later that evening. “The tiles on the bathroom floor are heated, for goodness’ sake! There’s an actual rainforest setting on the lighting pad I can switch on so I can hear rainforest sounds when I shower. Who does that?”
He laughed. “I disagree that I didn’t have to. Is the location disagreeable?” His voice had that wicked sound of playful amusement again. I was so glad that I could keep my potential boss amused by my antics and provincial views of life and money.
“You know it’s not,” I grumbled.
“How’s the view?”
I sighed as I opened the sliding glass door. “It’s clear today. I can see the Statue of Liberty from my balcony. The balcony that is ridiculously large, by the way.”
It was funny. I hadn’t stopped to think about reaching out to him when I got to the hotel and settled in. I somehow knew he’d want to hear from me, and know I was safe.
And if that wasn’t bizarre enough, this was the second and only time in my life that I could recall feeling such peace when I was interacting with another person, and both times had been with him.
As I’d spent the afternoon boxing up the things from my apartment that I wanted to keep, mainly clothing and the few personal things I’d acquired over the years, I’d reflected on our phone call. People who weren’t…supernaturals felt chaotic to me, but Draven Leto, a self-proclaimed vampire, made my soul feel like it was submerged in warm, lavender scented water. He felt incredibly peaceful to me, and I was trying to figure out if it was just him, or if it was supernaturals in general.
“Have you had dinner yet?”
I shut the slider, shivering at the cool air that had come in just the few moments I’d had it open. “No, I haven’t.” I wasn’t planning on it either. To say I was in an affluent area of town would be a vast understatement. There was nothing near me that I felt justified in spending the money he’d wired me on. Besides, I had to save most of it for essentials. I was out of just about everything: shaving cream, razor cartridges, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, and I needed to replace them all before I left in two weeks.
Mr. Leto was quiet, and I marveled again that I’d reached out to him. I’d actually reached out to another person. I had no idea if this was a breakthrough for me, or if my desire to talk stemmed from the fact that Mr. Leto was so thoroughly likable.
