Chapter 33
Elly is off to meet with that bounty hunter, so in the meantime, I stop by the office to sort a few things out.
It’s beyond frustrating not knowing what else Thomas has been meddling with.
Did he plan to keep the company for himself once he somehow got rid of me?
More pressing, how many people did he manage to sway to his side?
A knock interrupts my thoughts as Creiddyla enters my office. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
I gesture for her to take a seat, and she complies with a schooled expression, though the way she nervously fumbles with the hem of her blouse gives her away.
She doesn’t want to be here, and I don’t blame her.
Even though I was absent for most of the past decades, I earned a reputation during the few times I was around.
Getting called in by the boss rarely ended well before, so she has no reason to believe this time will be different.
“How long have you been working for me, Creiddyla?”
“Erm…” She thinks for a moment. “Around fifty-nine years.”
I nod. “That makes you my longest-serving employee.”
“Indeed, sir.”
“It’s fair to say you know the ins and outs of the company better than I do—perhaps even better than I ever could.”
“I wouldn’t say that, sir.” She blushes, but we both know it’s true.
She’s here all the time, and the replacements I get when she takes a rare day off aren’t even half as good as she is.
Besides, like I told Elly earlier, Creiddyla sees and hears everything.
I’m an idiot for not getting her involved earlier, considering she basically connected Thomas and Nagamaru solely by scent.
“How many break-ins have there been over those years? And I mean actual perpetrators who got away with it.”
“Two,” she admits, clearly ashamed of this.
“Alright,” I start, already knowing what I need to say, so I keep this brief. “Go downstairs, pack up your stuff, and—”
“Are you firing me?” Creiddyla’s voice breaks, and tears well up in her eyes. “Sir, I, I have nowhere else to go.”
“What?” Surprise colors my tone. “Creiddyla, no, I’m not firing you. I need you to take Thomas’s place.”
Her mouth falls open. “Oh. I—” Shame flushes her cheeks as she quickly averts her gaze. “I, I misunderstood. I’m so sorry.”
“Did you really think I’d fire you for two successful break-ins in fifty-nine years?
” She nods, her cheeks turning even redder.
“You’re one of my best employees. You’ve been around the longest. I’d be an idiot to let you go.
The only reason I kept you in that position until now was that you were honestly the best person for the job—and because I didn’t trust anyone else with it. ”
“Then… why now?” she asks hesitantly. “Why Thomas’s job?”
“Because Thomas isn’t around anymore. And I don’t know yet if William will be able to take his place.”
“And”—Creiddyla gulps—“I’m a sufficient replacement?”
“I wouldn’t give you the job if you weren’t. It’s ad interim for now, but depending on how things develop, I do plan to make it permanent in one way or another.”
At this, Creiddyla bursts into silent tears, streaking down her face as she looks at me as if this is the best thing that has ever happened to her. I don’t know what to do with that, making for a slightly awkward situation as I shift in my seat.
Thankfully, she pulls herself together quickly, using a tissue to wipe away her tears. “Thank you, sir. I, I won’t let you down,” Creiddyla sniffs.
“I know you won’t.” She gets up to leave when I remember something. “Creiddyla.”
She stops in her tracks and turns back to me. “Yes, sir?”
“Aeliana told me you could smell apples on Thomas.” She nods. “I thought flesh-eaters were mostly taste-centered?”
“We are. I just happen to have an exceptionally good nose. There might be something else mixed in my bloodline somewhere. I’ve just never been able to figure out what or who exactly.”
I give her a nod in understanding. How much misery we could have saved ourselves if only we had known about it earlier. I wonder why she never disclosed that, because I found no mention of it in her files, despite every employee having to inform us about whatever abilities they might have.
Creiddyla makes her way to the door, only to stop at the threshold and turn back to me. “Sir?”
I look up at her, taking note of a different kind of nervousness settling over her. “Yes, Creiddyla?”
“Can I… speak freely, sir?” I nod, and she takes a relieved breath before continuing. “I hope I’m not overstepping, but…” She bites her lip, her nerves taking over and her body tensing. “Something’s… off… about the Nephilim.”
The mention of Inakr immediately has me on high alert, my shoulders tensing and my gaze sharpening on Creiddyla.
She swallows down her nervousness and continues. “He smells… wrong,” she hesitatingly informs me.
“What do you mean?” I prod, needing to know more.
“I can’t really put it into words. It’s just… wrong. Half-breed angels have this very specific scent. It varies from person to person, but it’s always there as a marker, an identifier of their heritage. But the Nephilim… he doesn’t have that. His is different, but I’m not sure how, exactly.”
I try not to show her how taken aback I am by this piece of information, by how sharp her sense of smell is. All I can think about is how Elly is likely not the only one who knows I apparently smell like cinnamon, and it takes me a moment to get past that.
“Is this why you hide this part of you?” I ask her. It would make sense, since this is a lot more than an exceptionally good nose.
“Yes, sir,” Creiddyla answers, her voice wobbly as she clearly feels uncomfortable. But the fact that she came forward about it and told me about Inakr tells me that she’s loyal and most definitely deserving of her new position.
“Do you think you could specify all the things your sense of smell can pick up?” A weight visibly lifts off her shoulders at these words.
“I think so, sir, yes.”
“Good, I’ll get back to that later. Thank you, Creiddyla.
You can go now. I’ll be in touch about the details of your promotion soon.
Feel free to get yourself set up in Thomas’s office in the meantime.
” I lean back in my chair while Creiddyla steps out, contemplating.
Depending on how good Creiddyla’s sense of smell turns out to be, I might be able to use that to root out the bad apples—pun not intended.
I’m not aware of any purebloods with an exceptionally superior sense of smell, but there’s been a lot of cross-breeding, so who knows what might have emerged from that?
But also… what does this mean about Inakr?
The elevator opens with a ding before I can think more about it, and Elly walks in moments later. She smiles when she sees me, and damn, I hope that coffee in her hand is for me.
“Sheesh, careful, or I’m going to be jealous.” She laughs in reaction to my look, handing me the cup.
I accept it and take a greedy gulp while she perches on the desk, grinning at me. “What?” I ask over the cup.
“Nothing, it’s just…” She hesitates for a moment. “When all of this first happened, I never would have imagined this would become my new normal.” A new kind of joy dances in her eyes as she says this. “And that I would love it as much as I do.”
Elly looks at me, and part of me feels like something more lingers behind those words. She shakes her head then, a smile playing on her lips.
“Anyway.” She crosses her legs, and I find it a shame she’s wearing an ankle-length skirt today. “Azraella’s on it.” She sighs deeply, her gaze going distant for a moment. “Though I’m a little fearful of what she might ask in return.”
“We’ll deal with that at the appropriate time,” I respond, taking her hand in mine, running my thumb over the back.
“I know. It should be the least of my worries, but here we are.” She laughs.
I smile at her and take another drink. “Alright,” I say, finishing my coffee. “I’m done here. How about we stop by our neighbors?”
Elly slides off the desk as I toss the cup in the bin and put on my overcoat.
“Walk?”
She nods. “It’s still not raining, so the weather is pretty perfect for it.”
“Careful, I might start thinking that you actually enjoy our walks.”
“Don’t just think it, know it. Because I do.” Elly grins, and I lean into her to place a soft kiss on her cheek, taking a moment to absorb her heat and her smell—vanilla and lavender.
Désirée opens the door before I even get the chance to ring the bell.
“You’re here to inquire about William?” I nod, and she scowls in response. “You just lost me fifty grand,” the vampire grumbles as she lets us in.
“What do you mean?” Elly asks.
“Alix and I made a bet. He was certain you would come knocking within twenty-four hours”—she gestures at us, looking far from amused—“and here you are.”
Elly laughs at this. “That’s adorable, Rae.”
I frown at the nickname. When did they get close enough to warrant that?
But Elly doesn’t notice the look on my face as she follows her friend to the living room.
From the way they immediately act around each other, it’s clear they are friends.
I’m gone for a week, and they become besties—of course.
“How much is fifty grand?” Elly asks, curious.
“Fifty thousand,” I tell her.
She looks back at me so quickly that for a moment I fear her head’s going to fly off. “Fifty thousand? That’s insane.”
“Not really when you have centuries of accumulated wealth,” Désirée adds as she practically falls onto the sofa.
She pulls Elly down with her, wrapping an arm around her waist. My eyes catch on it, but despite my overly possessive reaction the first time Désirée had her hands on my wife, I find that I don’t mind all that much this time around.
“Alix is going to rub it in my face, though,” Désirée continues.
“Speaking of Alix,” I start while taking a seat of my own, prying my eyes away from where the vampire’s fingers draw soft circles on Elly’s side. “Where is he?”