Page 8 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
Sybil
T he drive back home was worse than I could have ever imagined.
Usually, it was a breeze with traffic only backing up every now and then.
However, today was an absolute nightmare.
Soon after I drove out of the parking lot, a small headache crept up from the base of my neck, quickly turning into a massive migraine.
The sensitivity of my eyes made the sunlight pure agony, and every smell made me sick to my stomach.
Multiple accidents had the roads so clogged that car horns blared nonstop as they slowly merged in and out of lanes, making the congestion worse. All I wanted to do was scream.
After two hours of torture, I finally pulled into my driveway, rushing to the bathroom to empty my stomach.
When I was done, I sat with my back flat against the cool tiles of the wall, letting the refreshing cold seep into my body.
I took a few deep breaths to relax, hoping it would help ease my pounding head, but it only made it worse.
My head swam, and the nausea made my stomach roil again .
A gentle knock on the door pulled my focus away from the pain enough to look up, finding Liam slowly opening the door. “Hey, I thought I heard you come in,” he said gently, his warm hazel eyes filled with concern as he lowered himself to the floor beside me. “Are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly lurched toward the toilet instead, heaving and coughing.
“Shit, I’ll be right back.” Leaving my side momentarily, Liam returned with two white pills and some water.
His brows were pinched with worry when he handed me the medicine, watching me swallow them before I gulped down some water.
“Let’s get you upstairs.” Bending down, his caramel-colored hair fell into his eyes as he carefully pulled me to my feet.
Leading me up the stairs to our bedroom, Liam helped me change into shorts and a tee and tucked me into bed, covering me with a plush blanket. I wanted to thank him for helping me, but my eyes drifted shut before I could even form the words.
Opening my eyes to the dark room around me, I rubbed the sleep from them.
My migraine had lessened during my sleep, but a small, dull ache remained.
The sound of steady breathing caught my attention, and I found Liam on the other side of the bed, his breath slow and even as he slept.
Grabbing my phone from the table beside me, I turned on the screen to check the time.
I groaned. It was 3:05 am, which not only meant I slept the whole day away, but I now only had one more day to decide if I was going to accept Mr. Farra’s job offer.
My chest tightened, and I rubbed my hand against it, hoping to ease the anxiety that bloomed there.
Not wanting to disturb Liam, I slowly sat up, set my phone back on the table, and made my way to the bathroom. My body felt sticky with sweat from the fever I must have had. I quickly showered and returned to bed.
Relaxing my body, I stared at the ceiling, thinking back to Mr. Farra’s offer.
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about him and Samian.
We have met once, many years ago was what he said, but I had no memory of him.
He also said as much, but his face wasn’t one that was easily forgettable.
His ivory skin, the deep ocean blue of his eyes, highlighted by his dark auburn hair—he looked like a god chiseled out of marble.
No, he wasn’t someone you could easily forget.
Neither was Samian, for that matter. It wasn’t every day that you meet someone with heterochromia, especially one that looked so carelessly ethereal with his silvery moonlight hair.
However, if this new job paid more than the Metro, then it might be worth whatever I’d be doing. Sighing, I turned over to watch Liam sleep. My chest tightened again at the thought of telling him I’d lost my job, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Closing my eyes, I drifted back into a deep rest.
Morning soon came, the sunlight seeping through the blinds and waking me.
I opened my groggy eyes, giving myself a small mental check.
The headache was still there, though it was more of an inconvenience than the painful throb from the previous day.
Liam was still fast asleep, and a small smile formed when I thought back to how he had taken care of me yesterday.
At times, his thoughtfulness surprised me, especially because he was usually so reserved.
Taking another moment to watch him, a warmth spread through my chest, easing its tightness.
I gave him a small smile before I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs.
Walking to the kitchen, a shadow in the hallway caught my eye, making my steps falter.
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the door, on the dark object attached to the window.
Apprehension prickled down my back, though curiosity got the best of me, and I padded over, finding a thick envelope taped there.
Pulling it off the window, I checked the street, hoping to find the person who left the envelope, but found it empty.
My brows pinched together, and I quickly closed the door behind me.
Opening the envelope, a small note from Mr. Farra slid out, his sleek handwriting explaining how much he looked forward to hearing my answer tomorrow. I pulled out the rest of the documents, a mix of excitement and anxiety knotting in my stomach.
I still didn’t know what I was going to tell Liam. As I flipped through the documents, a lump formed in my throat. Liam hated change, even if that change was positive for everyone.
Pushing that thought aside, I focused on the documents once more, skimming through the job description.
The position itself seemed simple enough.
I would start off as an intern and learn the various types of jobs at Mr. Farra’s company.
His note explained that most of his employees went through the same process, making it easier to identify their strengths and to place them where they would be most useful.
It still seemed off; those warning bells kept ringing in my head.
But it did make sense to have me shadow different positions.
There wasn’t a formal interview, so my skills were unfamiliar to Mr. Farra.
However, that unsettling feeling kept worming its way through me, settling deep in my chest. All my attempts to look at this in a positive light fell short.
Nothing about Mr. Farra finding me and offering me a job made sense.
Though, I would feel less guilty starting as an intern if I decided to take the job.
Going back to the kitchen, my headache started to grow again, and nausea had my stomach flipping.
I dropped the envelope on the counter, deciding to make some cinnamon tea so that the spicy aroma would clear my mind and tamp down the sickness threatening once more.
I pulled open the drawer to take more Tylenol when I heard Liam’s footsteps coming down the stairs.
Reaching the bottom, Liam looked up and gave me a soft smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Good morning,” I said, returning his smile. “Sorry, I slept all day. I didn’t even hear you come to bed.”
“Good morning,” he said, walking over and giving me a soft kiss on my forehead. “That’s alright, I figured you needed it. Are you feeling better now?”
Liam put his hand against my forehead, checking whether if my fever had gone down. “I still have a slight headache that’s starting to get worse, but I took more medicine. We do need to talk, though.”
Liam’s brows pinched together, confusion flickering in his hazel eyes.
Rubbing my chest, my heart rate sped up as I cleared my throat.
“It’s nothing bad. Well, I guess it could be, depending on how you see it, but I don’t think it’s bad,” I rambled, trying to summon the courage to tell him about yesterday.
I knew it shouldn’t affect me so much, but I had never been fired before.
I didn’t react well to it, and it made me feel a touch ashamed.
I swallowed and looked down to the floor, unable to meet Liam’s eyes. “I was fired from my job yesterday,” I murmured, my face heating.
The silence that followed grew heavier with each moment I waited for Liam to respond. Looking up, I could see his anxious thoughts forming on his face. His shoulders were tight, and his throat bobbed, his eyes growing distant, and I knew he was starting to panic .
“But,” I quickly added, hoping to calm him. “I got another job offer while I was leaving.”
Liam’s gaze cut to mine, his face pinching. “What do you mean you got another job while you were leaving?” he asked, his tone skeptical.
I told him everything that happened yesterday, from running into Samian, to finding him and Mr. Farra waiting for me by my car. Finally I ended with Mr. Farra offering me a job, though I left out the parts where I felt uneasy. By the time I was finished, my body was so tight that it ached.
“And you think that it’s a good idea to take this offer?” Liam asked, his voice thick with doubt.
Rubbing my aching head, I closed my eyes, frustration building at Liam’s tone.
“I think that yes, it’s a bit odd, but it might be a great opportunity for me,” I breathed.
“You know how much I hated the Metro, and you know that I wanted to get out of sales. With this position, I’ll be starting as an intern.
I’ll be able to learn about different jobs and find something that fits what I’m looking for.
I’ll also be paid more. Doesn’t that sound like a good opportunity for me? For us?”