Ms. Mulvey stood and guided Kelsey to the inner door, then opened it after a short knock and made an inviting motion. “Go on in.”
Kelsey glanced down at herself, making sure there were no wrinkles in her slacks and no stains on the cashmere sweater she’d chosen for the occasion. One calming breath and she was ready to face the woman who would hurt a young pup. Not if I can prevent it.
Holding the portfolio with her résumé in front of her like a shield, she entered Ms. Harding’s office.
Controlled chaos engulfed her. A fax machine spat out two sheets of paper, a computer hummed, and a digital pad blinked next to it. A woman sat enthroned behind an L-shaped desk, her profile to Kelsey. She lifted one long index finger in a “give me a minute” gesture but didn’t look up from her computer screen. A headset was attached to her ear, and on the other end of the line, someone lamented about preparations for a trade show.
Kelsey stopped just inside the door and took a moment to study the woman’s office. Her father always said that you could tell a lot about a person by looking at her den.
Whatever the office said about Rue Harding, it wasn’t what Kelsey had expected.
Most offices of powerful Syak were trophy displays, designed to impress subordinates and intimidate rivals. She had expected the same for this human’s office—a woman who attacked a helpless teen thrived on intimidation. But while this office reeked of power, it was clearly not just for appearances.
Papers, folders, binders, and notes covered one side of Ms. Harding’s huge cherry-wood desk while the other side was loaded down with enough technology to launch a spaceship.
To Kelsey’s right, the smell of leather drifted up from a caramel-brown couch and two upholstered chairs, and a round table added the aroma of wood polish. The warm earth tones surprised her. What did you expect? A gray dungeon?
She took in the rumpled jacket hanging over the back of the couch and then slid her gaze upward. Instead of expensive artwork or the usual wall of fame—diplomas, awards, and certificates—that she had expected, simple charcoal sketches of dense forests covered the walls.
The detailed sketches made Kelsey long for a run through the forest in her wolf form. She’s got pictures of the forest hanging in her office when she destroys forests for a living?
Movement drew Kelsey’s attention back to the desk.
Rue Harding swiveled from side to side in her high-backed chair while she clicked a mouse around her flat-screen computer monitor. “That’s not up for debate, Spencer,” she said into her headset. “Tell him either I’m the one cutting the red ribbon at the opening of spring market, or I’m taking my business elsewhere. And let him know I want our company logo larger than that.”
She wasn’t yelling. She didn’t need to. The power of her authority hit Kelsey’s nose with the force of a kick to the head.
With the floor-to-ceiling window showing the town below her, Ms. Harding looked like the queen of Clearfield making her underling wait for an audience. She finally finished her call but kept clicking away at her computer.
Kelsey knew she should step forward and force the human to finally turn her attention toward her, but her natural instincts told her to linger at the back of the room and wait until Ms. Harding had time for her.
You wanted to be more assertive, remember? She gave herself a mental kick and cleared her throat. “Ms. Harding?”
Two more clicks and the human twirled her chair around to face Kelsey.
The movement made golden hair brush against the top of an unbuttoned black vest. For a moment, Kelsey was reminded of a blond, blue-eyed angel that she had once seen painted on the ceiling of a human church. Don’t be fooled. Looks can be deceiving. Angels don’t hurt innocent children.
And surely an angel wouldn’t pierce her with such an intense stare. Rue Harding stretched her athletic body, leaned back in her leather chair, and folded her hands behind her head, elbows sticking out to both sides. She studied Kelsey without saying a word, apparently not feeling the need to fill the silence by exchanging pleasantries.
Kelsey fought against the urge to look away and returned the appraisal.
Instead of the chubby cheeks of a cherub, a firm jaw, sculpted cheekbones, and brows knitted in concentration gave Ms. Harding a fierce look. The gaze of her piercing pale blue eyes slid up and down Kelsey’s body, making her skin tingle, until, finally, the human gave a tiny nod and leaned forward. She placed her elbows on the desk and twirled a silver letter opener between her fingers as if she wasn’t used to sitting idly. The sleeves of her white shirt were rolled up, and slender muscles danced beneath her skin while the letter opener spun around and around. “So,” she said, “you’re the tutor my assistant found?”
Kelsey stepped forward. “Yes, ma’am.” She bit her lip. This is you being assertive? She would act just submissive enough to make the woman think she would make a good employee, but it would just be an act. At the first opportunity, she’d remove the boy from the woman’s influence. She made her voice firmer. “Kelsey Forrester.”
The human nodded but didn’t offer her own name since Kelsey obviously already knew it.
Kelsey’s submissive instincts raged and screamed, telling her that initiating a greeting wasn’t a nederi’s place. But shaking hands was a human tradition, so she forced herself to take two more steps and extend her hand.
Instead of reaching across the desk to accept the handshake, Rue Harding stood to bridge the distance between them, leaving Kelsey with her hand extended. Powerful strides carried her around the desk. When she stopped in front of Kelsey, her spicy scent engulfed Kelsey.
Strangely, Ms. Harding’s scent reminded Kelsey of sitting on the large deck of her parents’ home overlooking the Pacific, breathing in the scent of pine trees and ocean while she listened to the hypnotic music of the pounding waves.
Again, she had to force herself to meet Ms. Harding’s gaze and blinked when she realized that she barely had to look up to do so. The human was just an inch or two taller than Kelsey’s five feet six inches, but with her commanding presence, she appeared taller.
Rue Harding finally gripped Kelsey’s hand and shook it twice, firmly, but without trying to display her superior strength by crushing Kelsey’s fingers. Calluses rasped along Kelsey’s palm and made her skin tingle. Calluses on a rich armchair athlete like her? How did she get them? The human might be more dangerous than she appeared.
When Ms. Harding finally released her hand and leaned against the edge of her desk, Kelsey exhaled. “I brought my résumé.” She held out the portfolio.
Ms. Harding made no move to take it. “My assistant already gave me a copy. Quite impressive, at least on paper. But I’ll only hire you after I see how you deal with Danny.”
Kelsey’s throat tightened. Don’t mess this up. You need to get hired, no matter what. “I understand.” She bowed her head, using her natural submissiveness to let the woman think she was agreeing with her wishes. “When can I meet Daniel?”
“No time like the present. Let’s drive over to my house. Since I grounded him, Danny should be home.”
If she wanted me to see Danny, why did she have me come to her office instead of her house? Did she want to see if I passed inspection first?
The human didn’t leave her any time to figure out the answer to her question. She grabbed the jacket hanging over the back of the couch and strode past Kelsey without glancing back, clearly expecting her to follow.
Easily falling back into old patterns, Kelsey hurried after her.
* * *
True Nature is available as a paperback and in various e-book formats at many online bookstores.