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I took a long swig from the wine bottle, propped my stockinged feet onto the table between us, and frowned. “He was not,” I admitted, passing the bottle to Rebecca as I struggled out of my jacket. “He looked young enough. Not much older than me.”
Rebecca stared at me as I reached for the bottle again. “Was he hot?” she questioned.
I groaned, snatching the bottle from her. “That’s not important. Whatisimportant—”
“So, he was totally hot,” she interjected, a goofy grin spreading across her face. “Good to know.”
“—is that he threatened to have me fired for being fallen-blood,” I continued, pointing at her.
The grin on her face slipped. “What?”
“Mhm,” I said, sighing. “Apparently, fallens are the scum of wolfkind.”
“Wait a minute.” She grabbed the bottle back from me, then took a huge swig. “What is he? Is he a blessed wolf? Because we can get Sean—”
“No,” I interrupted firmly. “We’re not getting Sean to do shit. He’s already doing enough by letting me be here. And I have no idea what that Satan incarnate is, but he smelled—“
I stopped abruptly before I revealed more than I was willing to. “Anyway, I might lose this job and any opportunity I dreamed of having at AMH.”
Rebecca patted my hand reassuringly. “I’m sure they won’t fire you for something like that. I mean, you said you smelled vampires, right? They’re definitelyworsethan fallen-blood wolves.”
“True. But…” I gulped. “What if they double-check? What if they want to know how I passed the blood test—”
“They wouldn’t believe an employee’s nose over a blood test, Aria,” Rebecca assured me.
That calmed me. I chuckled. “You’re right. They wouldn’t believe an employee over a blood test!”
Rebecca nodded. “You have to have faith that this will pass, and this new employee will move on with their life. I mean, AMH ishuge, honey.”
Something dangerous blossomed in the pit of my stomach again.
Hope.
I couldn’t stop it. I’d gotten a taste of the social world, and made friends. I wanted to keep being in it.
And while I sat there next to my sister, eating cold pizza and drinking lukewarm wine from the bottle, I realized I would fight dirty to keep being in it. Because I deserved that.
“You said he was hot?” Rebecca interrupted my thoughts. “How hot are we talking exactly? George Clooney? Johnny Depp? Tom Cruise? Throw me a bone, here. Youwouldbe the one to have a hot archnemesis.”
My laughter echoed through the apartment as she bombarded me with questions.
The following morning, I donned my battle armor with expert precision.
My hair was curled into loose waves that I let hang down my back. My makeup was heavier than what I usually wore, with red lipstick and lashes layered in mascara, giving the illusion that they were thicker and longer than they actually were. I wore my favorite white AMH suit; the skirt was a few inches shy of inappropriate, and the jacket fit snug enough that I had to leave it open, revealing the red silk top beneath it. I borrowed a pair of Rebecca’s red heels, and asked Harry to drop me off at work instead of walking.
When I entered the building five minutes early and twenty minutes later than usual, it was well worth it just to see the expression on Allan’s face.
“Looking spectacular, Ms. Aria,” he laughed, removing his hat to bow as I passed by him.
“Thanks, Allan.”
My heels clicked along the tiled floor as I approached my desk. The sound alerted the people milling around, one of whom happened to be the newest employee.
“Good morning,” I crooned. “Is there a reason we’re all standing around the reception desk—“ I glanced down at my watch. “—four minutes before our work day begins?”
The crowd dispersed without being told twice, leaving Hell’s Ginger and I alone in the reception area.
I ignored the intensity of his glare as I rounded the desk and shrugged my jacket off. I didn’t miss the way his glare faltered, eyes briefly dipping to the way my chest strained against the material of my shirt.
