Free Charmed by the Werewolf by Sandra Sookoo

She was one of twenty-four Gatekeepers in the mortal world. Each one was responsible for a different area or region of the globe with responsibilities to patrol the areas and bring offenders to a Portal Master’s court for Judgment. If Sterling and the other judges decided the paranormal showed signs of redemption or rehabilitation, the Court sent the offender back to the Mortal Realm. If the paranormal was questionable then they were sent to parallel universes such as Elias Realm. There were eight different worlds in total, but Sophia had only visited this one. “Keep your fingers crossed for me, Cam. I’d hate to enrage him further.”
    “Will do, Miss Raines. ” He released the lever and the elevator car stopped. “I’ll be waiting for you. Good luck.”
    “Thanks. ” Sophia exited the elevator into a long dark hallway.
    Black walls, floor, and ceiling made of quartz added to the gloomy atmosphere but it did have one pre-possessing feature she always found pleasant and unexpected.
    When she relaxed her eyes and glanced at the walls, tiny galaxies came into view, complete with super novas, shooting stars, and asteroids. Why would Sterling keep something so awe-inspiring since he wasn’t a “how cool is that?” kind of guy? Another pitch of her stomach reminded her why she was there. She could never forget the Portal Master was essentially two steps away from becoming an Under Lord, and therefore deadly.
    Fastening the buttons on her red corduroy blazer, she hastened her steps until the dark corridor opened into a vast chamber full of desks and bustling clerks. This was where she worked when on Sterling’s time. She waved to a few friends before scurrying to a desk manned by an elderly woman with a blue beehive hairdo. “Astral, is Sterling in his office? ”
    “Yes, and if he knows what’s good for him he’ll stay there for a while. ”
    Sophia stifled a laugh. Astral was Sterling’s secretary. She supervised the work floor, as well as conducted the ballet of the clerks. “That bad, huh? ”
    She shrugged. “Par for the course. ” She glanced over the tops of her reading glasses. “Been Summoned?”
    A wave of nausea raced up her throat. “No, just need to get a question answered. ”
    “Good luck, honey. Not many of you people come into the office if you haven’t been Summoned or are on the schedule for work. ”
    “Thanks. ” She took the stairs two at a time and stood at the frosted glass door bearing the Portal Master’s name. Taking a deep breath, she rapped on the door then entered Sterling’s inner sanctum.
    “Why are you here, Sophia? We’re not scheduled to have a meeting for another month. ” He kept his head bent over the papers spread open before him, affording her a look at the part line that ran through his raven black hair.
    Shrugging, she focused her gaze on a clock set into the wall behind his chair. The numbers that ran along the perimeter kept time for Elias Realm, with numbers running in a circle in the middle of the clock face for the Mortal Realm. “I need some information. ” Sophia slipped into a black leather chair opposite his desk and clutched her hands in her lap to prevent them from shaking.
    Sterling Abbignon was the epitome of evil, or at least the evil she’d encountered to this point. A dark angel, banished from the very throne of God, Sterling lucked into the job of Portal Master shortly after being disgraced. Never satisfied to be one of four demi-gods in Elias Realm, he spent considerable time campaigning for election to the post of an Immortal. So far, the democratic progress had passed him over twice.
    “That ’s why the Internet was invented, Miss Raines, so you won’t have to bother me with your inane questions.”
    “You haven’t lost your rapier wit, I see. ” She crossed her legs and glared at her boss. “As far as I know, you’re the only one I can ask.” He shoved a stack of contracts into a folder then crammed the folder into a drawer