Page 10 of Nexus

The werelion drove into an underground parking area and chose a spot that was reserved for employees. The building was a no-go zone for humans. Spells prevented them from trying to enter the premises. Most of the places where the non-humans lived and worked had spells to repel them. Drake wasn’t the only one in town who could cast magic. He’d either done it himself, or had paid someone else to cast it.

Cameras watched our every move, with security guards letting only approved people in and out of the building. Ruen had already notified his boss that the job was completed, so they were expecting us.

We took the elevator up to the nineteenth floor and stepped out into an opulent foyer of an office. Potted plants stood on either side of the elevator. More were strategically placed around the gigantic room. Heavy, dark, masculine furniture was clustered in groups to the left and right. Couches and armchairs surrounded coffee tables and could be used for small, intimate meetings.

Lord Gilden’s desk faced the elevator on the far side of the room. Massive in size, it had been stained a deep, burnished gold the same color as its owner’s eyes. The surface had been lacquered so it would reflect the faces of anyone who glanced down at it. Two leather chairs were lined up in front of the desk. Drake’s chair was a larger, more expensive version of them. Twin French doors stood behind the desk, leading to a huge balcony that offered a magnificent view of the city. Other furniture graced the office, holding books, knickknacks and other items that didn’t interest me much.

Speaking of the dragon, he was seated over to the left on a plush black leather armchair, talking to several people. I sensed two of them were shifters, two were vampires and the final pair didn’t show up on my radar at all. All were fit, older than me by at least a decade and most wore casual, yet expensive clothing. One wore a tailored suit and pants that fit her perfectly. They looked more suitable for working in an office than as a bounty hunter.

“Here they are now,” Drake said when we came to a stop a few yards away from the group. His spell to mask his power was back in place. “Ruen informed me you took down a coven of seven vampires on your own,” he said, lifting an eyebrow for confirmation.

I hadn’t expected an audience when I gave him my report and I was thrown. I knew they were his team of bounty hunters without needing to be told. The knives and stakes that were strapped to their arms, legs and belts were a dead giveaway. “That’s right,” I replied, eyeing my competition. I’d figured I would be the youngest bounty hunter on the team, but I hadn’t expected their condescending expressions. They examined me like I was a bug, just like the elite guests had at the party I’d crashed earlier.

“What weapons did you use?” the woman who didn’t show up on my radar asked. A head shorter than me, she was slender and beautiful, with red hair and an excellent figure. Her expression and tone were highly skeptical.

“Holy water and silver stakes,” I replied.

“There’s no way a human like you could have killed seven of my brethren on your own,” the male vamp said with a frown in a heavy accent. His partner smiled coldly in agreement and rested her hand on his shoulder possessively.

“Ms. Sterling isn’t human,” Drake said.

“What is she?” one of the shifters asked. They were both male and I sensed they were werelions. Lions loved to hunt, but they sometimes got a bit carried away, or so mom had told me.

“That’s privileged information,” I said. “Ruen witnessed the job. He’ll back me up.”

Ruen reluctantly nodded in agreement. “Ms. Sterling slew the coven on her own. She accomplished the task without sustaining any injuries.”

“I don’t believe it,” the redhead said in disdain. “You must have had help that Ruen wasn’t aware of.” He glared at her for basically calling him a liar.

“I can give you a demonstration of my skills, if you like,” I offered, annoyed by their disbelief. Crossing to the group, I examined her, then snorted when I realized what she was. “You’re just a puny human. I’d probably break you in half by accident.”

“Show me what you can do, then,” one of the werelions said and surged to his feet. He leaped over the coffee table that held empty glasses of alcohol and landed directly in front of me. My training kicked in when he threw a roundhouse punch at my face. Catching his fist, I grinned when his jaw dropped in surprise. He let out a yelp when I reached down to grab him by the crotch. Hoisting him into the air, I spun around and threw him towards the elevator. Landing with a thud, he rolled several times before coming to a stop. “Ow,” he complained ruefully, rubbing the back of his head when he climbed to his feet.

“Impressive,” the redhead said, then flicked something towards me. My reflexes were so acute that I caught the small silver dagger before it could pierce my shoulder.

“Saige,” Lord Gilden said warningly and shook his head when I shifted my stance. He’d read my body language and had known I was going to throw it right back at her.

“I wasn’t going to kill her,” I said sullenly. “I was just going to wound her a bit.”

The redhead’s eyes were bugging out, as were her partner’s. He was as human as she was. I had no idea why the weredragon had hired them. Any of the rest of the team could snap their necks like twigs with our pinky fingers.

“I’ll take that,” the lion said. He loped past me and snatched the dagger from my hand. He hissed in pain when smoke rose from his skin and tossed it to his colleague. She caught it deftly and tucked it into a sheath beneath the sleeve of her jacket.

“I need to speak to Ms. Sterling in private,” Drake said to conclude their meeting. “Keep me updated about anything I need to know about,” he added as they all rose to their feet. None of the bounty hunters bothered to introduce themselves to me as they headed for the elevator.

Ruen made no move to leave, since he hadn’t been dismissed. The small amount of joy he’d shown while drinking his glass of blood had evaporated. He was back to being morose again. I had a feeling it was his usual state of being.

Lord Gilden crossed to his desk to take his seat, then elegantly gestured at us to sit down. “I’d like a full report of your mission,” he said.

It sounded like a request, but I knew it was an order. Hopefully, it would be the first of many commands from the hottie I was counting on to become my boss.

Chapter Nine

GLAD I’D REHEARSED my speech in my head, I was able to give Drake a succinct report of what had transpired. “I didn’t have any choice but to wipe the entire vampire coven out, since they killed their latest victim right in front of me,” I said in conclusion.

Lord Gilden glanced at his minion for confirmation that I’d told him the truth without embellishment. “Ms. Sterling’s report is accurate,” Ruen said reluctantly. “As far as I could discern, everything happened just as she described.”

“I don’t need to lie about my skills,” I boasted. “I really am that good.”