“Why, you plan on setting up another attack?” she snaps back, eyes darting up to mine.
“I think we might have got off on the wrong foot,” I sigh. “We’re on the same side here.”
She cocks a dark brow. “Are we?”
“Yeah,” I reply, head bobbing up and down in an emphatic nod. “I mean, I’ve made mistakes, but I’m on the right side of things now, and I…”
Blair slaps her palms against the desk, pushing up to her feet with an angry huff. “So you think you can be forgiven, just like that?” she spits, lips twisting in a scowl. “People may forgive, but they don’t forget. You hunters tookeverythingfrom some of us.” Her dark hair whips behind her as she spins around, storming out of the command center.
My mouth falls open as I stare after her, realization slowly dawning on me.
I’ve seen grief before. The Guild lost a lot of men the night of the full moon massacre, and many of those left behind didn’t take it well. Cam lost his best friend that night. He turned into a shell of his former self after, angry at the world.
“Who did she lose?” I ask hesitantly, glancing back at Cam over my shoulder.
He looks up at me from behind the screen of his computer, wincing as he replies, “Her mate.”
CHAPTER TWO
the rules
BLAIR
Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Apparently these are the five stages of grief, but calling them ‘stages’ implies that a person actually moves through each at some point. I’ve never managed to get past anger, and at this rate, I’m beginning to doubt I ever will.
Taking on a new job assignment was supposed to help. I figured if I could channel my rage into something productive, it may bleed out some of the poison that’s taken root in my soul. What I didn’t anticipate was coming face to face with a hunter on my first day, freaking the fuck out, then running away like a damn lunatic. Safe to say that it wasn’tmy finest moment.
I’m nothing if not persistent, though, and I’m definitely not a quitter. I just needed to take a step back and remind myself of the bigger picture. The reason I volunteered for the hunter taskforce in the first place was to pursue revenge against the organization that gunned down my mate in cold blood, and if the only way to do that is by working alongside one of them, then I suppose I’ll just have to endure it.
If they’ll still have me, that is. Showing up here this morning was a bold move after the way I left things yesterday, but I’m hoping it’ll demonstrate my dedication to the cause. I even camein an hour early so I could settle in, get my mind right, and start chipping away at my task list.
The time slips by quickly, and I’m just getting into a groove when I hear the scuffle of footsteps in the hallway, glancing down at the clock in the lower corner of my computer screen.7:57 a.m.I typically find punctuality to be an attractive trait in a man, but where my new partner’s concerned, it’s grating. I’d rather he not show up at all.
Even before he steps into the room, I know it’s Matty by the way he smells– clean and masculine, yet lacking the distinct scent signature of a shifter.Human.
Though different from what I’m used to, it isn’t unpleasant. He smells of soap and sandalwood, punctuated by spicy undertones, and under another set of circumstances, I’d be delighted by its uniqueness. I’ve always been drawn to strange and unusual things; endlessly fascinated by oddities. Probably because I’m a little odd myself.
I don’t look up to acknowledge his presence, keeping my eyes trained on my computer screen while remaining acutely aware of his movements as he advances toward my desk. Stepping up to the edge, he pauses and reaches out, setting a paper coffee cup down on the corner.
I flicker an annoyed glance toward the cup, eyeing it with suspicion before begrudgingly lifting my gaze to the man who delivered it. Wrinkling my nose, I ask, “What’s that?”
Matty’s lips split into a wide grin, displaying two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. It’d be a whole lot easier to ignore this guy if he was hideous. Instead, he’s ridiculously cute in a clean-cut, pretty-boy sort of way. Far too good looking for someone who murdered my soulmate.
Logically, I know it wasn’t Matty who pulled the trigger that night, but he’s guilty by association.
“A peace offering,” he drawls, gesturing to the cup. “I hoped you’d be back today, and considering the two of us will be working together for the foreseeable future…”
“Let me stop you right there,” I interject, holding up a hand. “This job is important to me, so I’ll agree to be cordial for the sole purpose of getting it done. But make no mistake, we’reco-workers, notfriends.”
“Why can’t we be both?” he challenges, cocking a brow.
“Aside from the obvious,hunter?”
“Formerhunter.”
I roll my eyes so hard I practically see the back of my skull. “Semantics. I’m not in the market for any new friends right now. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kinda going through something.”
“I heard,” he murmurs, blue eyes rounding in sincerity. “Which is why I figured you could probably use a friend.”
