Chapter Two 2. Celeste

Celeste wished she could figure out what had her all pissed off.  It felt like someone was rubbing her against the grain and all it did was make her want to run. She had no idea where but if she didn't figure this out soon she'd probably end up biting someone. And not in the fun way.

"You gotta get this together, Cuz!" Tyler muttered after the last applicant left shaken and perplexed. 

To be fair on the woman, Celeste had not said a word to her all interview. She'd sat there, arms and legs crossed and ground her teeth.  Not exactly the kind of impression one of the owners should leave an applicant, but Celeste couldn't help it. What ever was riding her had her patience thinner then usual.

"She was ok, wasn't she?" Kyra asked, scratching her head. "Her references are pretty amazing."

"I didn't like her," Celeste growled, offering no tangible reason because there wasn't any. She just wasn't right to work with Hunter.

"Maybe it'd help," Tyler drawled, becoming more and more frustrated, "if you could tell us what you were looking for?"

Celeste didn't know so she just ground her teeth until Tyler sighed, cracking his neck.  "We'll take five before the next one."

Kyra stood as quickly as her body would allow. "Pee break!" she crowed. "Don't start without me, I'm keen to see how Sally handles her highness." With a maniacal cackle Kyra hobbled off to the bathroom.

Tyler also stood, stretching and glaring at her a little, testament of how irritated he was.  "Sally Smith is our last applicant before I force you to go have lunch with Hunter. Get your shit together so we can finish this up today." 

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, also standing and stalking out of the room. She stopped when she got to a kitchenette tucked away on this floor, grabbing a glass and some water while she fumed. Maybe she'd take a run after this last applicant.  Worst case scenario they could interview the rest tomorrow after she got over what ever this was.

She wasn't sure how long she stood, trying to calm the agitation, but she gave up eventually, certain it’d been five minutes and headed back into the interview room. Tyler and Kyra would be back by now and she could get this over with.

The moment she opened the door it all clicked solidly into place.

The woman before her was the most bewitching creature she had ever seen. Cream skin dashed with freckles, hidden beneath a charcoal suit. A scarlet wave of hair pulled tight against her head and curls left cascading down her back. A small slightly turned up nose and a sweet pout of lips. Wide, innocent eyes flecked with emerald watched her, the same feelings reflected in her gaze.

Mate!

Everything in Celeste screamed it out and she fought the urge to just grab the small human and take her from the room. And she was human, Celeste could smell it when she breathed her in.  She smelt like the bush land, heady and natural and every fibre of Celeste's being wanted her. She could also smell that she wanted it too. Her arousal spiked as her eyes fell on Celeste and she preened beneath the weight of it. Her mate was aroused just from looking at her.

Then the moment hit her like a bowling ball. 

She had another Mate.

Hunter had to know.

Celeste looked straight at Tyler.

Keep her here. Do not let her leave.

Celeste did not like to make use of the clan’s connection around outsiders.  It was rude and just because they weren’t part of the family didn’t mean she shouldn’t be polite. But right now she was sure if she opened her mouth it would either come out as a growl, or declaring the girl as her mate in front of the company’s two biggest gossips.

To Tyler’s credit the only thing that physically changed was a lifting of his eyebrows.

What?

Don’t let her leave, Celeste repeated. Tell the other applicants the position is filled. I have to see Hunter. Now.

She didn’t wait for a response, turning and closing the door firmly behind her.

She took the stairs through the fire exit at a gallop. She had two mates. She couldn’t even begin to phantom it. And one was a little slip of a human girl. How was she going to be able to explain this? She had never had to explain herself, or her life, to anyone before.

No wonder she had been so agitated for the last hour. Her mate had sat out in that waiting room the whole time and she had had no clue. But she had felt her there, like an itch under her skin that wouldn’t go away.

The shear amount of turmoil that ran through her had her pausing before the last floor, trying to compose herself.

What the hell would Hunter say?

Other’s scuttled out of her way as she strode towards his office.  Even the temp at Kyra’s desk didn’t try to stop her as she entered his office without knocking. Celeste could only imagine how wild she must look right now.

Hunter had three financiers working with him on something. They all looked at her as she entered unannounced, varying degrees of outrage and reprimands on their lips.

Celeste was not sure what they saw in her eyes but every one of the suits straightened within moments, and left the room with little more then promises to email later. The door clicked shut behind them with a echo of finality.

Hunter lent forward as Celeste crossed the room to take one of the seats in front of his desk. “Please hold everything,” he murmured into the intercom for the front desk before muting the machine. His golden eyes did not leave Celeste’s as he sat back in the chair, watching her closely.

Just seeing him relaxed something tight in her, but not completely. For the last seven years she had thought her life was complete. Only now did she realise she was missing a large part of it.

And this was something she had to talk to Hunter about before anything else happened.

“I have just met my Mate interviewing as your new PA.”

***

Author's Note: Whelp, half a day late. Hopefully I don't make a habit of it