Page 111 of Taken by Moonlight

This is your life, Peyton. Trapped in a drudge job, destined for a career as the go-togirl.

For three years, Reggie had promised something more. More pay. More responsibility. More of alife.

Was I destined to remain stuck here at Lyon Creek DataServers?

With Reggie and his frizzled silver-black curls and sneer and Glinda’s hee hee hee braying donkeylaugh?

I thought of Alex’s ebony curls, soft as silk, springy beneath my exploringfingertips.

I thought of Gabriel’s deep chuckle when I cracked jokes withhim.

Was this all there was to my life in the humanworld?

“Reggie, why are you demoting me? Is it mywork?”

Unclenching my fists, I studied Reggie’s aura. Unlike shifter auras, human auras are fairly straightforward. Reggie’s glowed dark green, laced with brown. Brown meant lack of energy, siphoning it from other people. That flare of dark green…. He waslying.

“You’re different, Peyton. Your work is excellent, for behavioral data. But for rubbing shoulders with Fortune 500 companies requires a differentskillset.”

That made no sense. Last year I’d helped the company land a multi-million dollar deal with a direct mail house. “I don’t have a problem associating withthem.”

Glinda made a small sniffing noise. “But they don’t want to associate withyou.”

Bristling, I barely spared a glance at her. “That’s a stupid assumption coming from someone who just graduated out ofdiapers.”

She hissed and I rolled my eyes. “Ladies,” Reggie saidsternly.

Forget the diva in designer duds. I looked at Reggie, who was still my boss. “Why can’t I go to the conference? Because I didn’t get thepromotion?”

“Our representative will be expected to network and make contacts for the sales department to follow through on,Peyton.”

“And you need Jimmy Choos and a snotty attitude forthat?”

Glinda sniffed and muttered beneath her breath. I ignoredher.

Pity flashed in Reggie’s expression. “You’re a psi, Peyton. And well, that makes you different. Clients are afraid you’d read their minds, know what’s going on behind thescenes.”

If he had punched me in the stomach, I couldn’t have felt more shocked. My talents were hidden. Oh, I used them to my advantage, and the company’s advantage aswell.

Last year, my special talent had been an asset in landing that big account. Now that management knew what I was, my abilities had turned into aliability.

“Who told you I am a psi?” Idemanded.

He shrugged. “It was bound to come out, Peyton. Did you think you could keep it a secretforever?

The dark green deepened around Reggie andknew.

Everything he uttered was a bald lie. Concentrating, I read his energy, saw the worry there and the revulsion he felt at having me sit close tohim.

The fear that I’d see into his slimysoul.

I dug deeper and saw the reason, flickering like a series of movieimages.

Reggie was afraid of me. Afraid of my powers and my influence. He had promoted Glinda because he could controlher.

He could not controlme.

The answer glowed there in sickly pea soup green. And yet because I’d clung to hope for so long that I could make a career at this company, have a normal life, I tried one lasttime.