stuff and jumping around off the walls on a caffeine buzz. I do not appreciate tardiness.”
Fuck off, I thought, and stalked off in the direction of the kitchen.
So his name was Corrigan. I scowled at myself and pushed the thought away. It was nothing to me what his name was. Arrogant fucker. I considered arriving late for the interview just to spite him but reminded myself that I was trying to portray meek and weak. I had clearly been massively unsuccessful so far. Closing my eyes and counting to ten, I tried to calm myself back down further. I still had to do my best to pass under the Brethren’s scrutiny, even if that would be difficult after my fight with Anton. Letting my temper and the bloodfire get the better of me would not help me or the pack.
By the time I reached the kitchen, my blood had settled back down to a simmer. Overhearing their conversation had at least given me some more clues to work with. I’d missed tree markings when I’d been out searching for John before, probably because I’d been too focused on the ground trail. That was useful. The Brethren would be busy with the interviews until late evening so once my one with Corrigan was over then I figured I could probably return to the scene of the crime unhindered.
I took a deep breath. This was going to be a long afternoon.
Chapter Eight
Julia came and found me in the kitchen whilst I was sat at the large wooden table with my hands curled around my now steaming mug of deliciously syrupy Java. I was lost in thought about what the tree markings might indicate.
“How’s it going, dear?” She asked.
“Fine. Great.” I said sarcastically. “John is still dead. The Brethren are still here and I have an interview with the Lord Alpha in fifteen minutes.”
“Now is not the time to get worked up, Mackenzie. Keep your wits about you and we’ll be fine.”
I sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, yes, I know.”
Julia leaned towards me. “Do not fuck this up, Mackenzie.”
I was startled by her swearing. “I won’t. I’m just frustrated.”
“And you’ll get over it. There’s just over a day to go then this will be over.”
“29 hours.” Not that I was counting or anything. I changed the subject. “Julia, did John mention anything to you about increased otherworld activity?”
She shook her head, puzzled.
“What about a Quinotaur?”
She shook her head again. “He seemed quite tired but I put that down to being busy with the quarterly reports. He was out a lot though.”
Yes, out doing the rest of our jobs for us. Anton took that moment to enter the kitchen. I noted with some satisfaction that he was moving stiffly but was still irritated that he could recover with such ease from an injury that would have killed most humans. He shot me a dirty look and went to the fridge.
“I think Anton and I need to have a little chat,” said Julia calmly. She looked at me with her eyebrows raised. I took the hint and left, hoping that he’d get the chewing out he truly deserved. I should probably go and wait outside the office for my interview anyway. In retrospect, arriving late would not help my cause.
*
When I got there, the blonde Brethren girl was outside with a clipboard, marking names off. She smiled at me briefly and I took a seat on a waiting chair. After a few minutes, Johannes emerged, smiling and shaking his head.
“He’s some guy, yer alpha.”
The blonde smiled again. “We’re lucky to have him.”
Oh, for God’s sake. He was just another shifter. I rolled my eyes expressively and crossed my legs.
Miss Mackenzie. I am ready for you now.
I jumped. Shit, he could use the Voice on me. I hadn’t anticipated that. I was about to make a sarky remark back to him when Betsy passed through my line of sight and glanced at me. I hesitated, remembering my brief.
As you wish, my lord. I answered back. Way Directive 32: Respect the hierarchy.
The girl put a check next to my name. “You’ll do fine,” she said. “He’s really a nice guy.”
Nice. Sure. He’d fought off sixteen leadership challenges and was in charge of the one group of people who could spell the doom of me and mine just because my mother had abandoned me here when I was kid. I gritted my teeth and curved up my lips to form a