Chapter 4
ELIZABETH'S POV
The office is spacious. The floor is marble and the air has the scent of expensive perfumes and wood in it. I inhale deeply and close my eyes then open them to look at the table which is neat and orderly, everything arranged in the manner they should be, all straight lines and clean angles. There is a sofa and there is something that looks like a crest hanging from the wall. I am immediately drawn to it but as I start to stand and walk over, the door opens. I turn around to see him walking in.
There is a severity to his face that wasn't there before, almost like something has deeply annoyed him. He doesn't look at me as he walks around the table and rests in his seat then he clasps his hands together, interlocking the fingers very slowly as his eyes look at me then he smiles. There is something unsettling about it, something deeply unsettling in that flawless smile.
"I can see you have given my offer some thought, eh?" He asks quietly.
"Yes, I have and I think that you need someone to make sure that you don't give in to your rather unsavory instincts and to make sure that you are fair to your workers. What better way to do that than to be a part of the company itself!" I ask him.
"So you want to babysit me?" He asks. His eyes narrow a little and I feel a flicker of fear but I swallow and maintain my composure.
"I wouldn't…"
"But you would. You are. Never matter, I have never been one to attend to my manner and remember breakfast anyway. Perhaps you would do well to remind me of those things. Your letter of appointment is ready, when can you start?" He asks, handing me a letter.
I look at it then back at him while he leans back in his chair with a half smirk on his face. I open the letter and read through. At the amount I am to be paid, my eyes widen and I look up at him. He just sits there.
"This…this is beyond generous," I say and he shakes his head.
"I needed something to grab your attention, didn't I?"
I look at him then back at the letter and decide to let my good sense take control. I place the letter on the table and shake my head a little.
"We are not going to do this," I say to him.
"What do you mean?"
"I am not your friend and you should not show me more favors than you…"
"Presumptuous, aren't you?"
"You can't tell me that you pay all your people this much," I reply and he shrugs.
"You advocate for labor laws and workers but you didn't dig so deep as to find out how much I actually pay some of them? I begin to wonder if I made the wrong decision hiring you."
"You mean you pay every other industrial designers this much?" I ask him and he nods.
"The ones with qualifications similar to yours, yes," he replies. I nod, rethinking my opinion of him.
"Very well, then," I say to him and he nods a little then gestures.
"You may leave now, please," he says to me and I stand then start walking away.
"Oh and Elizabeth?"
I turn.
"I expect we will have so much fun working together," he says to me. There is mischief in his eyes, one that I can't understand and one that I know may cause me regret but then again, for what he is paying me, I suppose a little regret wouldn't be that bad.
†
MARCUS'S POV
The house is quiet by the time I return and I can see Anna sitting by the window with a book in her hand. Sometimes it startles me to see how much she has grown, how much she has changed but there is still that quietness about her. She turns to look at me as I walk in and I can see the worry in her eyes.
"What is the matter?"
"I have just been…I have just been worried, that's all.
"Why?"
"It's Elliot. I don't like the way he is doing things. I don't like the way things are spiraling. It is true that the red moon has gotten bold but I don't think we should be fighting any battles just yet. I don't…I don't want to lose him or you or anyone else that I love," she says to me.
I look at our father's portrait hanging in the room then I sigh and start walking to her. She looks so at me as I place my hand on her shoulder then shake my head.
"You won't lose me. I will keep Elliot in check, protect him from his own temper and I will make sure this doesn't lead to war," I say to her and she nods then looks out the window for a while then sighs.
"You remember him, don't you? You do. I remember the last time you slept in my room. You were on the couch? You didn't sleep well. You cried out then you woke up. You were sweating," she says to me and I nod slowly.
Her eyes meet mine and I find myself unable and unwilling to lie. I know what she wants to ask and I keep myself from speaking about it as often as I can.
"When was the last time you slept well?" She asks.
"I don't…I don't want to talk about it, Anna."
"Don't avoid the question. Speak to me," she demands. I blow breath through puffed cheeks and ran my hand through my hair.
"I keep seeing the fire. I see it every time I close my eyes. I see Dad and I see…" I stop and she looks at my arm. I can feel the scars tingling at her gaze.
"Find a way to sleep. Werewolves can go without it for a long time but not forever," she says.
I almost tell her that I don't intend to leave forevermore and that death will put me to sleep but I decide that probably isn't what she needs to hear now.
"I'm sure I will sleep…someday," I say and start walking away though I can feel her eyes following me.
A call comes on my phone, and i pick it.
"Hello, Marcus," the voice says and I pause, then shake my head.
"Dona, I would have said it is a pleasure to hear your voice but you have antagonized me so I don't think I find your voice pleasing."
"About that…I think we should talk about this. I don't want any misunderstanding," she says.
"Mm. Very well, then. The broken horn. 11pm tonight. Don't be late," I say and end the call. There is truly no rest.