Shifters of Grrr 2 (10 page)

"It says here that you have intermediate graphic skills, that you interned for a logo creator back a few years ago, correct?"

"Yes. I realize that this position is for an assistant, however."

"It is indeed, but nice to see graphic skills listed instead of just computer skills." He absently tapped his finger on the desk, wondering if he should keep to his normal set of questions or venture into questions he'd like to ask of her.

Abraham proceeded to ask her all the normal things; why he should hire her, where she'd like to be in ten years, and what book would she take with her on a private island. All his standards, except this time he was really curious to hearing the answers. She was breath-taking and he wanted to know everything about her.

"Are the hours and days acceptable to you?" he asked, casually flipping through applications and trying not to look at her. She was a sincere beauty, one that Abraham was smitten with.

"Yes, it's all fine. Need fewer hours, which is why I applied here."
Interesting
, he thought.
Why would she need fewer hours?

"I see, I see." He said thinking,
new baby or
new man?

"I'm a hard worker, Mr. Jackson. I show up on time, I work my shift. I'm not one to be killing time on my phone or tablet. I'm productive and I'm efficient."
God am I efficient
, she thought.

"Well it all looks good here. This is your current phone and address, then? I'll be calling back applicants starting in the morning." He said as he rose, extending a hand to her. She shook it heartily, not delicate or coy.
 

"Yes, thank you. Have a good day, Mr. Jackson." She replied, as she headed through the doorway and back out into the sea of blonde.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about Abraham rubbed Lilith the wrong way. He seemed perfectly nice, said everything right, wasn't condescending or sexist to her, but something wasn't right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something just was
off
about him.

Chapter Three: The Call Back

Abraham could think of little else but her after she left the office. He was restless and still able to smell her scent. Inside he could feel his wolf pacing and he knew that he needed to leave before he accidently shifted in the office. No one in Therion Graphics knew of his shifter ways, and he intended on keeping it like that.

He blew off the rest of the applicants, told Sheila to cancel his appointments, and left the building as quickly as he could. His breath was ragged, coarse, and he was wondering if he'd be able to even make it back to his place in time. He held on as best he could, keeping the wolf at bay as it kept trying to be released.

Abraham ran as far and as fast as he could, toward a protected forest land. Once there, he quickly stripped off his clothes and shifted, allowing his wolf to be freed. He'd spend a few hours in the forest, roaming, and return home. In the morning, he planned to call Lilith and offer her the job. In a few weeks, he hoped it would even lead to a date, if of course the reason she needed fewer hours wasn't because of a man.
Please let it not be because she's taken,
he thought to himself,
please let it be anything but that.

Everything was going according to his plan, up until it was a month into her employment. Lilith was an asset to the company, a complete godsend when it came to getting stuff organized and done. Productivity had doubled that month, and Abraham gave her sole credit. She was fast becoming his right hand, one that he wouldn't be able to do without.

At the end of that month, she asked him if he wanted to grab a coffee after work. He had the feeling she didn't often ask men out and was both flattered and intrigued. Not to mention his utter relief that she was not already taken.

They walked, making small talk about the office, to the shop around the corner. Ordering two espressos, they decided to split a slice of cheesecake as well. They sat in a remote table next to a window overlooking the city, while they found out more about each other.
 

"What did you want to do when you grew up, Lilith?" he asked, knowing that most do not aspire to be someone's assistant.

"I wanted to be a small animal veterinarian actually. I was very young, though. My parents being killed changed my plans quickly."

"I can't imagine how much of a profound affect that had on you. I'm deeply sorry you had to go through that. May I ask how they perished?" he asked.

"My parents went on a retreat to get back to nature, the basics, that sort of thing. I'd stayed with my grandparents that night while mom and dad rented a cabin. They were mauled by wolves." She spoke the last sentence in a bare threaded whisper.

Abraham choked on his coffee, spewing the dark beverage all over the table, "I'm sorry did you say 'mauled by wolves'?"

"Yes. I know, it's not common. It was horrific. Can we change the subject?" She was fidgeting in her seat, getting more and more uncomfortable.

"Yes, definitely, let's do that. Now.... favorite movies?" Abraham didn't know how to take this new information. Her folks died by his kind. How on earth was he going to win her love when wolves were responsible for her being left alone?

They continued chatting into the early evening, up until it was near closing time. Having left their cars at the office, they walked back to the office parking deck to retrieve them. Abraham walked her to her car, wishing the night wouldn't end. He was thrilled that he got to spend his days with her, and hoped that he could spend a few of his evenings with her as well. She had fire in her eyes but everything he had seen screamed softness to him. She was gorgeous, curvy, and he couldn't stop thinking of how she'd feel in his arms.

"This was nice. I'd love to take you to dinner one night." He said as he walked her to her car.

"I'd like that." She smiled coyly, and some of the hardness in her eyes faded for a moment. She leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I'll call you." He said.

"You won't need to. I'll be here at 8AM tomorrow." She said sheepishly, allowing the smallest of smiles to cross her face.

He wagged his finger at her as he turned to get into his car and drive back to his place.

She stayed there for a moment. She realized how vulnerable she was around Abraham, yet how safe she felt. There was still something that seemed off, but he was starting to get to her. There was a kindness in his eyes she had never seen before.

Lilith was just pulling her car into drive when she realized she still had the briefings that he needed in her car. In haze of going to get coffee and the little kiss, she had completely forgotten to give him the file before he left out. Lilith tried calling and texting him, but it went straight to voicemail. He
HAD
to have these files. With a deep exhale, she turned the car into the opposite direction of home, and set out to go to Abraham's address to deliver the forms to him before it was too late.

It was nearly ten when she made it to the front gate and she was still getting no answer on his cell phone. She knocked on the door but no one came. The car was in the driveway, so Lilith thought that he may have been in a back room. She went to the side of the house and peeked into the windows to see if she could see him. Nothing in the front windows was viewable, so she went to the side.

It was there she saw it. Full teeth, fur, and long nails that were razor sharp. Curled in the middle of the room by the fireplace. She didn't know if she dropped the files or screamed first, but by the time she had ran back to the car and tore down the drive, she was both without the forms and hoarse from the cries.

Chapter Four: Severance

Abraham burst outside just in time to hear faint tire squeals and to see a file of paperwork drifting through his yard. The papers, after collected, told him who had been there and then the fear set in.
Lilith. Oh god, what had she seen?
 

At 7:30 AM on the dot, Lilith emailed, texted, and left a voicemail severing her employment. She didn't know what she was thinking or feeling precisely, but she did know that she couldn't continue working now. Abraham was a wolf and she couldn't wrap her head around that fact. He was a kind person that was fun to be near and yet she had spent her life tracking down his kind and killing them for sport.
No
, she corrected herself,
not sport. For justice.

She had quit the job before she even realized what it meant for her. Without the job at the bookstore or the one at Therion Graphics, she was broke. She had no savings. She had always worked just enough for the bare essentials so that she'd have enough time for her true work.

Ah well
, she thought,
more time to hunt until I can find something else.
She did some cleaning around the house, cooked a few dozen single meals so all she'd have to do is reheat them, and started to prepare for the evening.

There on the dining room table, she spread a beach towel over the fine woodwork. Piece by individual piece, she took apart her crossbow for cleaning. It had been a while since she had done any maintenance on the bow, and the trigger was getting sticky. She got to work fine sanding down the trigger mechanism with some 1500 grit sandpaper. She worked slowly, more slowly than usual. She was distracted. Thoughts of Abraham kept popping into her mind not to mention the texts and calls that would come in every so often.
 

It isn't that I don't want to talk to you, I just don't know what to say yet
, she thought.
I don't want to utter something that I can't take back, something that I may later regret. I just have to think this through first.

When she thought that she was finished, she looked it over, making sure it was free of any defect or lodged debris, and started to reassemble the crossbow. If she hurried, she had just enough time to get a shower before heading out for the night. When the last section was done, she grabbed the towel from underneath the bow and tossed it in the hamper as a small metal part slid out into the floor.

Chapter Five: Struggle in the Forest

Abraham knew it was wrong, but he had to know she was safe. He had been parked outside her house, in a blind spot, for over two hours now. He thought that if he watched the house, some small part of him could at least near her and know she was okay.

It was around 10PM when he saw her leave the house, bow in hand.
Ah shit, she's off to hunt
, he thought, exhaling deeply. He was torn on what to do. While it goes against everything his inner wolf would want, he knows he'll follow her. Just in case. He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her. He got out of the car, staying far enough back that he could sense where she was headed but not be seen, and trailed her into the remote woods.