“Are you out of your mind?” I towered over Mack’s desk with my arms tightly folded and anger simmering just below the surface. Poke a hole in my skin right now and steam would seep out.
Mack glanced up at me, unconcerned. His broad shoulders and skill with a blade made him a popular knight. A round, cheerful face with ruddy cheeks regardless of alcohol intake and a dry sense of humor made him popular at the pub. Today he wore business casual attire instead of magical armor. The collared white shirt made him look more like an accountant than a knight.
“Did you even bother to stop at security?” he asked.
“Sure. I gave Lawrence a scone as I passed by. He seemed grateful. I don’t think you pay him enough.”
Mack shook his head. “I’ll need to have a talk with him about the definition of security.”
“No one bearing scones can possibly be a threat. It’s an unwritten law.”
He looked at me expectantly. “Where’s my scone?”
“You don’t deserve a scone.” My face hardened. “Not after the little mix-up with the vampire…And please tell me it was a mix-up.”
Mack’s expression told a different story. “It’s a job, isn’t it? I thought you wanted those. This one even paid more.” He paused. “A lot more.”
“What I want is to have nothing to do with vampires and you sat me across from one like we were on a date.” I eyed his desk to see if there were a few loose sheets of paper I could scatter around to punctuate my displeasure, but Mack was too tidy for that.
He cocked an eyebrow. “That attractive, huh?”
I straightened. “I didn’t say that.”
“You basically did. If he were old and fat, you wouldn’t have used the date analogy. You’d have said something along the lines of ‘like I was his steak dinner and his side of potatoes.’”
“That does sound like me, doesn’t it?”
Mack smirked. “You have a way with analogies. One of the things I like about you.”
“Finally. An admission that you like me rather than tolerate me.”
Mack and I met three years ago on an assignment in Camden. It turned out we’d both been given the same job by the same client who wasn’t confident that either one of us could perform to his satisfaction. I ended up bagging the beast and impressing Mack at the same time. He started sending overflow work my way, usually one that involved a specific set of skills. Of course I still had no idea why I was the best knight for the vampire’s particular assignment. I’d have to quash my curiosity though. I didn’t want to entertain any further thoughts of the vampire with his bright green eyes and corded muscle.
As I continued to stand at the desk glowering, an unpleasant realization occurred to me. “Why don’t you know what he looks like? Please tell me it’s one of those I’m-a-heterosexual-male-therefore-I have-no-clue-how-hot-other-guys-are situations.”
Mack fell silent and reality slammed into my chest with both feet first.
“Holy hellfire. You didn’t meet him in person first?” I balled my hand into a fist and fought the urge to punch his face. “You’re supposed to vet everyone you send my way.”
Mack suddenly found the grooves of his desk very interesting. “Trust me. He’s on the level.”
Leaning forward, I splayed my hands on his desk. “He’s a vampire, Mack.”
Mack grinned. “What gave it away? The smoldering good looks? The expensive clothes?”
Straightening, I folded my arms and glared at him. “The fangs.” No need to tell Mack I had my own built-in vampire detector. Some secrets were meant to be kept.
Mack fiddled with a pen. “Truth be told I didn’t know I was sending you to work for a vamp and it didn’t occur to me to ask.”
“There was a middleman?”
He nodded.
Strange. Why use a middleman? “Someone you trust, presumably.”
Mack nodded. “When he sets me up with a job, I don’t ask questions.”
“Why send this one to me?”
“Because he asked for a specific set of skills and you were the best equipped for the job.”
“What skills did he specify?”
Mack eyed me closely. “What does it matter? Sounds like you didn’t take the job.”
“Now you’ve got me curious.” I settled in the chair opposite him and rested the heels of my boots on the edge of the desk.
“You know how it works. The information is confidential unless the job is yours.”
“So now I’m out of a job and gossip?” I clucked my tongue. “Mack, you disappoint me.”
Mack dragged a hand through his thinning brown hair. “You really walked out?”
“I really did.”
“Shit.”
“Don’t worry. He won’t blame you. I was clear about how I felt.”
He grimaced. “How clear?”
I ignored the question. “I’ve got a hole in my schedule now. Got anything else for me that doesn’t involve vampires?”
He expelled a breath. “I’ve got a job that’s just come in from Perth. If you want it, it’s yours.”
I pulled a face.
Mack groaned. “Seriously? What’s the problem with Perth?”
“His jobs always end with me doused in bodily fluids. I could spend forty-eight hours in the shower after a Perth job and still feel dirty.”
Mack arched an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”
“There was the dragon in Westminster that was terrorizing the people in a high-rise and someone shot its wing with a crossbow just as I arrived. Who happened to be standing below and got splashed with gooey dragon blood?” I pointed to myself. “That’s right. This girl.”
“But you like animals. They’re kind of your thing.”
“This one was one too angry to be won over and the people attacking it didn’t help matters.”
Mack tossed a file across the desk. “This one involves fluids too. There’s a creature in the Serpentine terrifying families. Last week some kid went on a picnic with his family and almost lost a leg. Thankfully the parents pulled him out in time.”
“Since when does Perth care about the safety of children?”
Mack shrugged. “You know how he is. He owns small companies that own smaller companies. There’s a food stall in Hyde Park and whatever’s in the water is hurting his business.”
I flipped through the file. “Probably a kelpie.”