“No, and she’s not serving salsa, either.”
I frowned. “I sort of had my heart set.”
Cynthia’s high heels clicked against the tile as she brought in a tray and set it on the table. She placed an empty plate in front of me, and then sat a tal glass of an indiscriminate frozen cocktail on the plate. She added a bowl of fresh fruit, a bran muffin, and a slice of tomato.
“What’s in the glass?” I asked.
“Fresh fruit, yogurt and peanut butter.”
“That sounds awful,” I groaned.
“But salsa pancakes are appetizing?” Jared said. I shot him an annoyed glare.
Cynthia nodded to my breakfast. “It’s quite good, I assure you. I can’t do this every morning. I happened to have a cancel ation, but I do expect you to eat wel .”
Al expression left my face. “You know, don’t you?”
Cynthia offered a smal smile. “I know everything, Nina, dear. Now, feed my grandchild. I’ll see you at dinner.”
She untied the strings of her apron and hung it over a chair, clicking her heels to the foyer.
I stared at the concoction in the glass. “I official y believe that I wil never know what to expect from my mother.”
“That makes two of us.”
I drank the PB and Fruit smoothie—which was actual y quite tasty—and gathered my things for class. Jared walked me to the Escalade, but I put my hand on his arm before we left the drive. “I almost forgot. I have to stop by Titan and speak to Sasha.”
“Oh, yes. To banish her to the file room.”
“Her ridiculous crush is costing me money,” I grumbled. “She hired a cal igrapher to write names on the new client packets!”
Jared made a strange face, unsure how to react, and then turned the wheel toward Titan. I practiced what I might say to Sasha during the drive.
Part of me wanted to smash all of her hopes and dreams like she deserved; the other insisted on breaking it to her gently. By the time Jared pul ed up to the curb, I had given up on my dastardly plan of revenge, instead settling on a gentler speech. That decision put me in a less than amiable mood.
“See you soon,” Jared said, kissing my cheek.It took some doing to find Sasha, but after looking everywhere else, I headed to the file room in the basement. The room was missing several lights; the only one ful y lit was blinking. I stepped in, the concrete echoing under my feet.
“Sasha?”
I slowly walked down the aisle, looking to each side of me.
A smal , muffled noise came from a dark corner of the room. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I was alone, but something was inside that room with me.
I took a breath, and then walked as quietly as I could to the end of the aisle, turning toward the noise. A dark, huddled figure was slumped with its back turned to me. In the failing light I could see it shivering.
“H…hel o?”
The figure froze. Adrenaline seared through my veins. Immediately every move, every act of defense I had learned replayed in my mind. My hands bal ed into fists, and I braced myself for a fight.
“Go away,” Sasha hissed. She gasped, and her body shivered again.
Every taut muscle in my body released, and anger served as an outlet for the adrenaline. “What the hel are you doing down here?”
Sasha turned, wiping her eyes. “Peter said Grant was out for the day, and that I needed to straighten up down here until you came in. Does he think I’m stupid?” She stood. “Why would I want to work for someone that doesn’t appreciate me, anyway? I wouldn’t. I am far too talented to be sentenced to the file room.”
“Sasha. You misused company resources.”
“It was approved!”
“You’re an intern. Interns don’t hire cal igraphers or order cappuccino machines.”
“Grant loves cappuccinos!”
“Then he can buy one for his office.”
“He’s the CEO!”
“No,” I breathed. “He’s not. Report to Peter when you’re finished with the file room so he can give you a list of new duties. You wil work in Peter’s department, now, so he is your immediate supervisor, and he wil handle your evaluation. If you need anything, Peter wil be happy to address your concerns.”
“Nina!”
I walked out of the basement and took a deep breath. It was the first time my lungs felt like they were getting air. I noticed another, newer, male intern walking down the hal , and cal ed him over.
“Yes, Mrs. Ryel?”
“The lights in the file room need attention. Cal maintenance and have the bulbs replaced or repaired immediately, and please help Sasha with whatever she needs. You’l find her at the end of the third aisle. And do not, under any circumstances, leave her alone.”
The intern frowned with confusion. “Y-yes, ma’am.” He stood there for a moment, every thought scrol ing across his face.
“Wel ? Go.”
He nodded, hastily making his way down the hal to the file room, and I paused, disturbed by the distinct Cynthia-like tone in my voice just then.
I rushed up the stairs, squinting from the bright sunlight bursting through the windows of the lobby. When I made it to the Escalade, Jared watched me warily.
“Was there a problem?” he said.
I took his hand. “They were in there.”
“Who?”
“They, Jared,” I sighed. I put my elbow on the console and covered my eyes with my fingers. “I could feel them.” Jared was quiet, so I peeked up at him. He seemed confused. “You couldn’t feel them?”
“What makes you think they were there?”
“I was creeped out, for one. I’ve been around them enough to know what it feels like when they’re around. Sasha was down there crying; negative energy in the air; it was cold.”
Jared’s mouth pul ed to one side. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that—,”
“Just,” I sighed, irritated, “this one time, trust me. I’m not a Hybrid, but they were in there. Not many, but I could feel them.”
“But… I couldn’t feel them. It doesn’t make sense that you could and I couldn’t.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand it.” I thought for a moment. “Could you sense me?”
“Yes. You were just fine.”
“I was not just fine. I genuinely believed something was about to attack me. You didn’t sense that?”
Jared shifted to face me, his face darkened with concern. “You were afraid.” His tone was more of a statement than a question.
“My adrenaline was about to shoot through my eyes! I thought your senses were heightened?”
Jared eyes bounced around the cab of the Escalade as his mind tried to work out the details of this new development. He was clearly not taking it wel . He faced forward, and shoved the gear in drive.
“Jared,” I said, my voice low and soothing. It didn’t work.
He slammed the gear back into park, and his hand flew to his head. He hit the steering wheel. “Just when I think I’m ahead … something else gets thrown at me!”
“Honey, We’ll figure it out.” I reached to touch his arm.
He gripped the steering wheel. “How can I keep you safe from Hel without being your shadow if I can’t trust my senses? If I don’t have any to trust?” His eyes were desperate.
“So be my shadow.”