5. Marilee
Marilee
“Martin!”
I jumped in my chair as I heard my boss Lois hollering my name from somewhere behind me. I spun around and leapt to my feet.
“Yes, boss?”
“My office. Now.”
I hurried after her, ignoring the curious looks from my coworkers. Being called into Lois’s office could be anything from getting a new assignment to getting your ass handed to you. Fortunately, I hadn’t messed anything up recently. At least as far as I knew.
Lois heaved herself into her desk chair, which squeaked ominously.
She was a sturdy woman, a little chunky but mostly muscle.
As usual she was dressed in a tight-fitting white tank top, black tactical pants, and what she called ‘shit kicking boots’.
Her crew cut was newly shorn, making her eyes look even more prominent.
She was an alpha wolf shifter, and it wasn’t unusual to see her wolf peering out when Lois was particularly agitated.
We saw the wolf a lot. Lois made agitation an art form. I was pretty sure she could dominate someone in her sleep.
I started to sit in a guest chair, then realized that she hadn’t told me to sit down and remained standing, my nails digging into the back of the closest chair.
When I was in the military I had a reputation as a badass.
Totally fearless. But I wasn’t too proud to admit that Lois scared me a little bit.
“You ready for a solo job?” my boss asked.
“Yes ma’am,” I said immediately.
I’d been working here at Sapphic Security for a year now, and so far I’d only worked as part of a team. Then again, most of our jobs were team focused.
Sapphic Security was one of the most well-known security companies in the world.
Founded by a group of lesbian shifters who wanted a new career when they left the military, Sapphic Security had grown exponentially, with branches all over the world.
You didn’t have to be female-identified, sapphic, or a supernatural being to work here, but it definitely helped since the vast majority of our employees checked all three boxes. Most of us were also former military.
Here at the Seattle branch everyone was mostly vampires.
The weather appealed to that particular demographic.
A few of the team were shifters – Lois for example – and a couple were mixed species like me.
My mother was a vampire, and my father was a wolf shifter.
When supernatural kids were the result of mixed species, one of three things happened.
Either their inner animal was a mix of both beings, you were born one species or the other, or in rare cases you could feel two different and distinct beings inside.
I’d grown up thinking of myself as a vamp, but I knew my wolf was in there somewhere.
My inner vamp had been clear about that since I first became aware that she was there.
As a rule, vampires thought themselves superior to other species, and my vamp side had been openly derisive about my ‘sleeping dog’ as she called my wolf.
That side of me had been dormant my whole life, but I’d always believed she’d make herself known sooner or later.
“There’s an economic convention or some shit happening tomorrow,” Lois continued.
She was nothing if not eloquent.
“We’ve been hired to babysit a diplomat by the name of Hazel Bryant while she does whatever it is a diplomat does.”
“I think they negotiate treaties and work on improving international…” My words broke off as I saw the look on my boss’s face. Clearly she didn’t want an explanation.
“Anyway,” she heaved a sigh that seemed to come from deep in her soul. “You’ll need to pick her up at the airport and stick with her twenty-four seven until she goes back to Canada in three days. You think you can handle that?”
“Of course,” I said, forcing myself to meet her eyes.
When they narrowed, I couldn’t help but look away.
“Here’s everything you need to know,” Lois said, sliding a file folder towards me across the desk. My boss hated computers and did almost everything on paper. “This should be a simple job, so try not to fuck it up, okay?”
“You can count on me,” I reassured her.
“Be sure to read through the itinerary because there’s some kind of a gala you’ll need to attend. You’ll need to pack for that.”
Lois turned away, my signal to leave. As I grabbed the folder she whipped her head around and gave me a glare that would make most people piss themselves.
“Whatever you do, don’t fall for the damned client, got it?”
“Don’t worry, I know how to keep my emotions in check.”
“That’s what all you idiots say, and yet here I am, the laughingstock of Sapphic Security. My colleagues all think I’m running a damned vampire dating service.”
“I’m only half vampire,” I reminded her.
“Great, well don’t half fall in love, got it?”
“Don’t worry. I have no interest in getting a mate any time soon.”
Despite seeing so many of my friends and colleagues find their mates and falling in love, I’d always assumed I wouldn’t have a mate. I couldn’t say why, I just didn’t see that as an option for me.
Lois rolled her eyes. “Christ on a cracker, Martin! Don’t you know better than to jinx us?”
Lois dismissed me and I headed back to my desk to read the file. I was supposed to pick up the client, Hazel Bryant, at SeaTac Airport in three hours. That gave me just enough time to review the file, go home and pack a bag, and get to the airport. But something was weird about the file.
“Do you have a minute?”
I rapped my knuckles on Wanda’s door. She was our resident hacker and tech expert.
She was one of the team members who, much to Lois’s annoyance, found their fated mate while on the job.
In Wanda’s case she’d fallen for music superstar Tasha Blue.
They seemed like total opposites, but they were somehow perfect for each other.
That’s why every supe knew you couldn’t question fate.
“What’s up, Marilee?”
Wanda always said my name like “Mary Lee” instead of “Mara Lee” like most people.
“This new client, her background report is weird. It’s like she’s only existed for a few years.”
“Hmm, let me get her information and I’ll run some checks and get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t want to go on a job without all the information. Something was odd about my client, and not knowing all the relevant information was a good way to get yourself killed.
Satisfied that Wanda would figure out what was going on, I went home to pack and then headed to the airport.
At Lois’s suggestion I was driving one of the Sapphic Security SUVs.
The agency vehicles were kitted out with armored sides and bullet proof glass.
Not that I’d need all that for a simple babysitting job, but it was still nice to have.
I parked near the back of the garage, an old habit in case we needed to make an easy escape, and went to wait for the client.
I stood to the side just by the door where arriving international passengers exited, holding a sign that said Hazel Bryant.
There hadn’t been a picture of my new client in the file, something else that was unusual.
The doors opened, letting some people out of the secure area of the airport, and I felt the strangest feeling.
There was a growl from deep inside me, followed by the sensation of my inner vampire being pushed to the side.
I realized what was happening in an instant – my wolf had just woken up for the first time in my life.
Mine! Mine!
The sound reverberated through my brain.
I looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.
Then I saw her. A woman was walking towards me.
She had long, straight hair cascading down past her shoulders, dark red and parted on the side.
Her skin was pale other than a constellation of freckles across her nose and cheeks.
Her eyes were green, something I knew was unusual, and her lips were full and painted a dark red.
I looked down, taking in her full breasts, trim waist, and round hips.
This woman was my fated mate and she was perfect.
“Are you here for me?” she asked, stopping in front of me.
Her voice was husky, like she’d just woken up from a nap.
“I’m yours,” I said, finding it hard to think between the vision in front of me and the unsettling feeling of my vamp and my wolf fighting inside me.
She gave me a strange look. “You’re my ride, right? You’re here for Hazel Bryant?”
I looked down at the sign I’d dropped on the floor when I first saw the woman.
“Uh yeah, you’re Hazel?” I asked, stopping to pick up the paper.
“Yeah that’s me.”
I just stared at her, flummoxed that this woman was my mate. When she raised one eyebrow in question, I finally remembered my manners. And my job.
“I’m Marilee Martin from Sapphic Security. It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Seattle.”
“Thank you.”
Her voice was carefully smooth, like she’d worked hard to eliminate any trace of an accent, even though her file said she was originally from Ottawa.
Hazel stiffened, then looked over her shoulder like she was scoping out the space. I sensed a hint of anxiety, although she hid it well.
“Can we go now? I’d like to get to my hotel.”