“Exactly.”
The click of Charlotte’s heels on the floor caused Scott to turn around.
“Got everything you need, Quen?” she asked her colleague brightly.Charlotte and Scott fell at two ends of the personality spectrum.
“For now,” Scott replied. “He’s all yours.”
I tensed at the way she dismissed me. Palming me off to someone without a second thought. As if it was a chore to deal with me rather than a blessing.
“Fantastic!” Charlotte said, unaware of the tension. “Well, Grayson, if you’d like to follow me, we can get to work.” She flashed a smile and then looked at Scott. “Drinks after we finish here?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“A few of us were meeting atMurphy’s,” Charlotte told her the details.
Scott groaned. “Do I have to bring him?”
“Scott,” I hissed her name, unappreciative of the disrespect. How much would it count against me if I ripped out her tongue?
“I think a few of the Gods are joining us,” Charlotte explained. “Baby steps towards integration.”
“You’re doing this for work?” Scott asked, cottoning on to her friend’s plans.
“Oh, please, like you’ve never pulled a few late nights.”
Scott smiled and nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“I won’t,” I announced.
Mortals were ignorant beings, but Scott, reluctant to believe and rely on what was in front of her eyes, always took it a step further. If she was doing her job, then why shouldn’t I be allowed to do mine? Even if it was more of a personal vendetta rather than pride in the job itself.
Grabbing the tray of items that needed to be disposed of, Scott rolled her eyes. As she walked towards the bin, depositing the used item into it, she looked over at me as I rose from my seat.
Charlotte was a talker, and I assumed part of her job was trying to put people at ease. I found the incessant chatter wore on my nerves and made my eye twitch. I walked towards the door of the lab with Charlotte, her heel catching in the crack in the floor, and I caught her elbow roughly and steadied the ditzy woman.
“Careful.” The word came out as a low growl. Considering how accident-prone half the mortals were, I was surprised at the length of their average lifespan.
“Thank you,” Charlotte said, straightening up.
That was when I felt it among the general calm of the room. There was a stab of anger that radiated directly from Scott, and my lips pulled into a smirk.
“You’re very welcome, Charlotte,” I told her, all sweetness.
I removed my hand from her elbow and placed it on the small of her back, guiding her towards the door. The wave of anger pulsed strongly in the room. The lab may well be Scott’s domain, but emotionally, she was in my territory. All the dark, angry thoughts belonged to me and my gift. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, Scott was my disciple.
“How are you settling in?” Charlotte asked.
We exited the lab, and I dropped my hand away from her. The further we went, Scott’s anger ebbed away.
“It’s an adjustment,” I told her.
She nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. “I can only imagine.”
I endured Charlotte’s questions for the rest of the afternoon. She had extracted some information from me that included the fact that I was the middle child; I took my job seriously, and I liked to drink. She wanted more, but I was reluctant to tell her much. I’d learned all about her family and boyfriend and what had led her into the job.
“We won’t have a lot of one-to-one sessions like this,” Charlotte told me, scribbling across a pad of paper in her lap. “I’m more likely to shadow you during integrative tasks.”
“Such a shame,” I said smoothly. “I’ve quite enjoyed our time together.”
