Page 10

TEN

I yawned when I entered the meeting room, drawn in by the smell of coffee. It was far too early, and yesterday I had got home far too late, but that was just life doing a passion job.

I wouldn't do these kinds of hours for a job that I hated.

The headkeeper Gwen was already in the room sipping her coffee and looking like she could fall asleep at any point.

I smiled at her when I sat down, instantly regretting my decision.

My bum was actually sore from Criss' bite, not that I could tell anyone.

It was embarrassing enough that I'd been bitten there, I didn't want to broadcast it.

I kept to myself, not minding the silence. It was actually very welcome considering how loud Tamara's friends had been last night. I wasn't sure why she was suddenly such a social butterfly but it was getting old fast.

It took Gwen a few minutes to realise I sat down. She ran a hand through her wild curls and yawned. "Did I say hello?"

"No, but that's okay. It's early."

"Tell me about it. I was up all night. Frustrating phone calls with IREMA."

I frowned. "What do they want?"

"Oh, they're claiming there's an issue with the paperwork for the simurgh"

"Simurgh," I repeated, not sure I knew what animal she was talking about.

"They're winged creatures. There was one in the private collection, didn't you see it?"

"No."

"That's a shame, they're gorgeous but enormous. We didn't have the ability to take custody of it, so it was transported to Myth&Monster right away, but now IREMA is kicking up a fuss."

I did not envy her for having to deal with this, and while I understood the need for regulations, especially for international cooperations, it was ironic that IREMA's influence was taking her time away from looking after the animals. The very thing they claimed to be most concerned about.

The conversation came to a halt when a few more people came in, including Jacob. He clapped his hands to silence the room and positioned himself at the front.

"Good morning, everyone. I know it's early, or late for some of you, so I'll keep it brief.

Blood results for our hellhound came in, and they're satisfactory. The results of the last fecal sample was also fine, no parasites or anything, so he’s in the clear.

Which means we can move him out of Quarantine. "

A collective sigh of relief filled the room.

"Thank goodness for that," one of the nurses muttered. "Those fire alarms are driving me up the walls. I'm even dreaming of them."

Someone raised their hand. "Where are we moving him?"

"We're still figuring that out," Gwen replied, hiding a yawn. "I've been talking to the Cryptic Conservation, who have a different type of hellhound that's fairly similar. They're wondering if we could merge him with that pack."

"So we're not keeping him?" I asked, not sure if I was disappointed by that or not. There was something so pitiful about Obie, it was really triggering that desire to look after him.

In many ways, he just looked like a really big puppy. One that caught on fire, but that was just details.

Gwen didn't look so sure. "It depends on whether we can get him settled and if he'll be lonely on his own.

Not a huge amount is known about them, so we're not sure if they usually roam around in packs, like wolves and lupins, or if they're a solitary animal.

For now, we'll move him into the old phoenix habitat. "

Oh, that had been my suggestion.

I wondered if Jacob had relayed it or if they'd come to the same conclusion. It didn't really matter, I was just pleased that they thought it was a good idea too.

Jacob looked at me. "Charlotte, you've been spending a fair amount with Obie, haven't you? How about you look after him during and after the move? Because he's in really bad condition."

"Yeah, sure. Am I assisting you?" I asked, pleased that I'd be spending more time with Obie. I was invested now, and I wanted to see him nice and healthy.

My mentor smiled. "I've got a lot on my plate at the moment so I'll be mostly hands-off. If you could take charge of his care, that would help out a lot."

Surprise sprang up in me. That was a huge responsibility, and I hadn't worked a case entirely on my own yet. Not that I wasn't up for it, I knew working independently was the goal of our training. I just hadn't expected to be tasked with my first solo case yet.

But I was ready for it.

I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm on it."

"Wonderful. If you run into an issue, you can always come to me for help, but for now, I'll leave it in your hands."

He continued his briefing, but I didn't hear anything else, I was too pleased and excited with my current assignment. I knew we were short-staffed, but Jacob wouldn't have entrusted this to me if he didn't think I was up for it.

I was going to do everything I could to prove that I could handle this.