teasing look. “It explains how you’ve fallen into my arms despite complaining the entire time.”
I snorted.
He reached over me to move a puzzle piece into place, and it felt easy to sit there with him. Natural. Like this was something all couples did.
He kissed my shoulder. “It must have been really hard on you and your father when she passed.”
I nodded. “It was a slow and painful death. At the end, she didn’t recognize anyone. She was lost in her own mind and tortured. The worst thing is being relieved when someone passes away because you know they’re no longer in pain.” Even after all these years, it was still hard to talk about. “I . . . thought my dad would never recover. But he’s moved on, and I’m happy for him. Even if I question his taste in women.”
Josh laughed. “Posey is cute in a garish sort of way.”
That was the right word for her. “She makes my father happy, so I like her well enough. I’m just glad he has someone this time—” I stopped when his expression grew dark.
“Marie,” he whispered huskily.
I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it. I was closer to a cure than ever before. “You’re right. I’m just being morbid. Pass me that corner piece, would you?”
• • •
When I got to work the next evening, I was exhausted but content. I’d taken some caffeine pills to give my slumping body a boost, but my mood was terrific. I still had Josh. Through everything, I had him. And I was so close to getting Andre to turn me. I’d figure out the repercussions once I had this whole mortality thing off my plate. All in due time.
“Marie, can I talk to you for a second?” Bath called from her office.
“Sure,” I said, tossing my purse down on my desk. “Let me just log in—”
“Actually, let’s talk before you log in.” Her voice was cool. “Come in here, please?”
Unease flashed through me. I glanced over at Ryder’s desk, which was empty. Her purse hung on the back of her chair, so she was here somewhere. Were we going to be asked to leave? Dread curled in my stomach.
I walked into the small office and wasn’t surprised to see Sara sitting in one of the chairs across from Bath’s desk. She looked unhappy, a drawn expression on her dainty features, her wild, newly pink hair tucked behind her ears.
Bath shut the door to the office and gestured for me to sit.
I did, feeling sick to my stomach. “Is something wrong?”
The two sisters exchanged a glance. Bathsheba cleared her throat and clasped her hands on her desk, looking solemn. “Marie, I want you to know that both Sara and I have nothing but affection for you. You were in my wedding. I count you as a friend. I really do.”
I could almost hear the “but” hovering in the air. “I count you as a friend, too.”
“This is very hard for me to say.” She paused, studied her hands, and sighed. “It’s come to our attention that someone has been using the database for their own needs during work hours. A client came to us and said that he’d gone out on a date with a woman, only to find out when she arrived that she was human.”
Damn. Damn. Damn. It was probably the vampire Josh had chased off. The horny one with an affinity for the shocker. I’d been afraid that would come back to haunt me.
Both Sara and Bathsheba were looking at me expectantly. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them the truth.
They both looked disappointed.
Bathsheba said, “I’m sorry to say that because of how precarious things are in the Alliance right now, this makes things difficult for us. Combine that with the fact that vampires have difficulty trusting the Alliance anyhow. They think that the agency is fooling them to drum up business, and they’re not happy. A client is seeking legal action for misrepresentation.”
I was aghast. “You’re being sued by a vampire?”
“I doubt it’ll ever go to court,” Bath said, “but it will cost us an arm and a leg to settle.”
“I’m sorry that I’ve caused the agency so much trouble,” I said softly.
Sara added, “This is also making the Russells look very bad, and the were-cougars can’t afford to lose control of the Alliance.”
I shook my head, confused. “What do you mean, it’s making the Russells look bad?”
“You’re mated to Josh. I see his mark on your neck. I smell him all over your skin.”
“I’m
“Mated.” Her brow furrowed. “He bit you on the neck, right? That’s a claim. He’s staked you out as his personal property.” Her gaze narrowed. “Has he tried to turn you?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I won’t let him.”
Both sisters exhaled sharply, looking relieved.
“Good,” Sara said. “If he turns you, all hell will break loose. We have to do damage control, spin things as positively as possible. Hopefully a few months from now, when everything has died down. Beau’s mated to a human and it hasn’t caused too many ripples. I’m sure Josh mating with one won’t be ideal, but it won’t be seen as too abusive of power.”
Mated. What the hell? Fury at Josh, who had never pointed this out to me, began to build. He’d known exactly what my plans were, and he’d snuck this up on me.
I hadn’t realized exactly what that had meant. Damn it.
“That doesn’t change the fact that we have to fix the situation here today,” Bathsheba said, looking upset. “And I’m sorry, Marie. I hope you don’t take this personally, but you’re fired.”
• • •
I arrived home less than an hour later, with a box containing all the stuff from my desk. I had worked at Midnight Liaisons for well over a year, and I’d enjoyed every minute of it. I’d made friends. I’d met Josh. It had given me hope when I’d had none.
And now that chapter was over. I stared at the small box of my things. Pencils, personalized Post-its, the bow from the box of chocolates that Josh had dropped off that day.
Fired.
No more access to the database. No more vampires. No way of getting in contact with Andre or any other potential dates.
I was fucked. Panic began to set in, and I headed for the medicine cabinet to dose myself with anti-anxiety medication. I’d figure a way out of this. Josh would know what to do. If he didn’t, I’d—
The phone rang.
I raced for my purse, fishing out my phone quickly. Ryder’s name was on the caller ID. My heart sank a little at the sight. “Hello?”
“Hey,” she said quietly, her voice muffled and a little hollow. “I’m in the bathroom at work. I just heard. Savannah’s sitting at your desk. What the hell happened?”
“Sara and Bath found out,” I said, curling up on the couch and digging my fingernails into my palms so I wouldn’t cry. “Some vampire I went out with sued the agency, so they fired me.”
“Oh, God. I swear I didn’t say anything.”
“I know you didn’t. The vampire ratted on me.”
“What are you going to do? Do you need money?”
I smiled despite the panic in my belly. “No, I’m okay. Thank you for offering, though. I’ll file for unemployment or something.” I’d have to file to extend my medical insurance, too. I chewed my lip, thinking hard.
“Okay. Do you want me to come over after work? Want to talk about it? We can go out for breakfast. I’ll buy.”
“It’s okay. I think I’m just going to lay down and . . . nap.” I choked on the last word, a big fat lie if there ever was one.
