Grayson’s office was at the far end of the corridor, door cracked open just enough for the faint hum of conversation to spill through. I knocked once.
“Enter,” came his voice.
He was seated behind his desk, the kind of man who’d been born with a permanent scowl. Silver at his temples now, but his eyes were sharp, always watching. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries.
“Kit.” He gestured to the chair opposite. “Sit.”
I did, leaning back just enough to seem casual. It was an old habit. Look relaxed, act unbothered, never show the cracks.
Grayson folded his hands. “The Elders have been watching your recent assignments,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Spying on me, you mean?”
He didn’t smile. “They’re impressed. You’ve completed every mission in the past month without incident. No damage reports. No civilian casualties.”
“Low-risk missions,” I said dryly. “Poltergeist hoaxes, haunted sheds. Even I can’t screw up a barn.”
“Even so.” His tone hardened. “You’ve been stable. Focused. For once.”
There was the sting. I’d been waiting for it.
He continued, “The Elders are considering reinstating you for proper assignments again. You’d be working alongside other senior hunters. You’d have access to higher-tier targets.”
I looked him dead in the eye. “No.”
His brows lifted. “Excuse me?”
“I said no,” I repeated, slower this time. “I’m fine where I am.”
“Fine,” Grayson echoed, voice clipped. “You were one of the youngest hunters ever cleared for field work. You’ve fought impressive monsters and you want to rot doing grunt jobs?”
I shrugged. “Less chance of dying,” I told him.
His eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to choose comfort, Kit. Not after what you’ve—” He caught himself before sayingwhat you’ve cost us.
“I don’t have it anymore,” I said quietly. “The instinct. The edge. Whatever you want to call it. I’d only slow the others down.”
For a long moment, the only sound was the tick of the clock on the wall.
Grayson exhaled through his nose. “If that’s truly how you feel, I’ll report it to the Elders. But they won’t understand. They’ll think you’re wasting potential.”
“They already do,” I said.
He looked at me for a long time, eyes softer than I expected.
“You know,” Grayson said finally, “I’m disappointed.”
I almost laughed. “You and everyone else,” I told him.
“We worked together a few times,” Grayson reminded me. “You had something rare. I thought you’d make a difference.”
I didn’t answer. Because what could I say?I don’t care about anyone’s disappointment anymore. Not yours, not the Elders’, not even my own.
He dismissed me with a curt nod. I stood, gave the faintest salute, and walked out before the silence swallowed me whole.
By the time I stepped out of the Guild compound, dusk had fallen.
Normally, I’d head straight to the Black Dog, but lately the urge wasn’t there. The taste of alcohol didn’t fill the same hollow space it used to.
