I had to look away from him to navigate the soft yet uneven forest floor.It was nice and cool under the trees, and it made sense now why Dom had insisted I wear the jacket.It was mostly red, and he’d sworn up and down that it had nothing to do with the nickname he’d picked for me and was all about the fit and how it suited me.I hated to admit it, but the damn thing did actually look good on me, and it was a very nice jacket too.
“We’re remote for the most part.We rent an office for full team meetings and coworking sometimes, and we have a warehouse for hardware and gear.The team meetings are almost always over in New Harbor, and we’d be flying out for one or two days about once a month.Naj would be your supervisor.She’d be showing you what to do.”
I nodded.Behind us, the other two were pretty quiet, but I could feel their presence, watchful and curious, like a groom at the wedding waiting with bated breath for the bride to say the right thing.
“You’d still hire me if I decide that this whole werewolf polycule thing isn’t for me?”
Behind us, one of the others whined while the other inhaled sharply.
Linc brushed against me again.“Yes.It would… We want you here.We really, really want you here, Marcus, but you have to choose it.We know that.But yes, my offer stands regardless.If it helps, Naj doesn’t put a lot of stock in the idea of finding your mate and all of that.She’s joyfully single and doesn’t plan on changing that.”
“That makes sense.”
“Makes sense for Naja, not for everyone else,” Ellis said from behind us.
Dom hummed.“Exactly.”
Had I thought before opening my mouth?Nope.Upsetting Ell and Dom made me feel itchy.Not in the literal sense, but it was uncomfortable.Mostly because I didn’t mean it, not necessarily in the context of me and them.This was getting emotionally confusing.Then I remembered that foursome we’d had yesterday, and the confusion made my insides churn like the contents of a blender.
I cleared my throat.“Anyway.I’d be working with her?”
Linc tugged me to the left around a tree.I hoped they knew where we were going.There was no path here that I could see.
“Yes.You’ll be able to mostly set your own schedule too.”
“Is she a werewolf as well?”
“Yes.A beta.She’s also really good at her job.She wants to work with you.”
Honestly, at this stage, it was a pretty easy yes.Freelancing was fun all right, but I wouldn’t mind projects not piling up all at the same time.The only thing I felt bad about was the writers I was doing work for.
“Could I… I have a few gigs I might want to let run out over time.I’m a virtual assistant for a few fiction writers, and I don’t want to just drop them.”
Linc glanced at me.“Nothing wrong with that.I’ll tell Naj not to overwork you.”
I snorted.“I’m powered by good tea and sarcasm.You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Are you taking the job?”
Linc sounded cautiously hopeful.
I went over it in my head one more time, but I had made my decision.Maybe I’d made it yesterday when he first floated the idea.
“I guess I am.”
There were relieved sighs all around, and Dom’s arms came around me from behind.“Congrats, Little Red!We have to have a party, don’t we?”
“We do,” Ell said.“Dom, careful with his stitches.”
I groaned.“They’re so fucking itchy.Can’t they come out already?”I looked back at Ell, whose eyes were turning stormy.
“No, they really can’t.Ten days.”
Dom’s breath washed over my left cheek.“He’s evil, isn’t he?”
Linc took my right hand in his and shook it.“Welcome to the company.We’re called Four Point Security Solutions, by the way.”
I nodded.I’d seen the logo during that talk with Naja, the one about the video I never wanted to think about ever again.
