Scarred

Chapter 30: Control Issues

Hey everyone - thanks for sticking with me through these long breaks! Some of you already know, but I've been working hard on my grandparents cross country move while still having to travel for work and so on. As part of that move I drove their car here - a trip of about 2,000 miles - not to mention helping unpack, sort and organize about 114 boxes into a two bedroom apartment. Anywho - they're settling in great and loving the place, and the light's showing at the end of the tunnel on the boxes, so things are good. :)

Somehow I still managed to claim snippets of writing time here and there, so here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy and please don't forget to vote!

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Maria struggled to hide her irritation as yet another Alpha approached her, this time a muscular female who moved with the grace of a cat. Wish Jase wasn't busy right now, could use his help keeping these guys away. Wonder if this one's gonna do the 'I'm your friend' thing or the 'veiled threat' thing, she thought to herself in irritation, letting her eyes skim quickly across the room to try and find Reece.

The only reason she happened to be in here during their break was because yet another issue had cropped up with his Coconut Grove proposal, and while his people had come up with a solution, they had to have his approval to implement. Since he'd offered her a new job as his work PA as part of the whole 'moving onto his grounds' package, it was her responsibility to find him and get that approval since he'd needed to turn off his phone for the Alpha meetings. What she hadn't anticipated was being stopped every thirty seconds by every stinking Alpha in the room.

"I'm Candace Rippa," the woman introduced herself as she approached, an amused smile on her face. "And you're clearly trying to find Lord Reece while being accosted by every Alpha that wants to add Jason into their ranks."

Maria actually laughed for the first time since she'd walked into the room and studied the woman a little more closely. While she wasn't particularly tall or large, she exuded an air of easy confidence with a soft, predatory undertone that made people take notice.

"And you're not interested in 'convincing' him to join your pride?" she asked, knowing without a doubt the woman was a cat shifter of some sort. Jase had told her that internally, most cats used pride rather than pack to describe themselves, so she figured she'd let the woman know she wasn't completely ignorant.

"Not pulling your punches, I see," Rippa commented while her smile widened. "Let's just say I'd much rather keep Lord Reece's favor than stupidly pursue what any idiot can see is a lost cause. I never was much for beating my head against a wall. To that end, I'd like to offer my help in keeping the others at bay while we locate Lord Reece for you."

Maria tilted her head for a moment, quickly evaluating Rippa's words and body language, and concluding the woman was speaking the truth. She'd seen more than enough political plays with her previous employers to know the Alpha had her own reasons for her offer. However, since those reasons were currently aligned with Maria's needs, she simply nodded her head in agreement, saying, "That would be very helpful, thank you."

"Oh, no need for thanks," she replied with a satisfied smile before linking their arms together and leading her off. "Last I saw, he was headed this way with his mate, or Ruach, I guess, as the vampires call them. Anyway, my nose tells me he's still there, and if you look around, you'll see there's still plenty of his vampires keeping an eye on you, so you know I'm not trying to kidnap you or anything," the Alpha said with a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I'd already figured that part out," Maria replied, returning the Alpha's smile with one of her own. "Just wish they didn't keep disappearing every time I tried to get up to one of them. Would have made finding him a lot easier."