Free Strange Fates (Nyx Fortuna) by Marlene Perez

magical onslaught? A familiar sensation alerted me that the third floor had been warded.
    The elevator opened onto a suite. Everything was decorated in soothing neutrals, but a pair of shears, the symbol of the House of Fates, had been woven into the pattern of the carpet. At least I knew I was in the right place.
    I ignored the bored-looking girl who lounged in the waiting area and approached the receptionist, who looked almost as bored.
    “May I help you?” he asked. He wore a suit and tie and a tiepin with the House of Fates insignia, but I didn’t feel any magical ability coming from him at all.
    “Are you hiring?” I asked.
    An imposing-looking woman with high cheekbones and silver hair swept into the office and threw down her gloves. Morta. Would my disguise hold?
    “Trevor, any messages?” she asked the receptionist.
    I choked back the desire to reach out and squeeze her neck until she stopped talking.
    He gestured to the girl. “Naomi’s here.”
    Morta gave him a short nod and seemed to notice me for the first time. “What do you want?” she snapped. Her eyes were sharp as thorns.
    “A j-job,” I stuttered. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans.
    She was used to intimidating mortals, so my bumbling response didn’t even cause her to raise an eyebrow. “We’re not hiring.”
    The girl had wandered over while we were speaking. “Is Aunt Deci coming, too? I’m starving.” She pulled the hood of her jacket down, which revealed red hair and freckles.
    “Aunt Deci isn’t feeling well, I’m afraid,” Morta replied. “Maybe next time.”
    My legs began to work again and I left. As I pushed the elevator button, I realized what the young woman had said. Aunt Deci. I’d just met my cousin. What had the receptionist said her name was? Naomi.
    As I crossed the street, I spotted a crumbled five-dollar bill in the gutter and grabbed it before the wind could blow it away. I headed for the coffee shop directly opposite my aunts’ office building.
    I ordered a large coffee, took a seat near a front window, and waited. They were probably grabbing an early dinner. I didn’t know what I was waiting for until they emerged from the building and got into a town car with Morta at the wheel.
    It was after five. Their little desk jockey was probably gone by now and I could sneak by the security guard. Their office was warded, but not by anything I hadn’t seen before.
    The thought of going back there made my throat turn dry, but I crumbled my empty to-go cup and headed back to rifle through my aunts’ office.
    I made it to the third floor without any problem. I didn’t expect to find anything at the reception desk and didn’t. I froze. Someone was coming.
    I moved away from the desk and was standing with my hands in my pockets when an older man with auburn hair came out of one of the offices.
    “Can I help you with something?” He had a slight Southern drawl, but he hadn’t lived there for a very long time. I wondered exactly how long it had been.
    “I was looking for Alex,” I said.
    “I’m afraid he’s not with us anymore,” the man replied.
    “But he loved this place,” I ad-libbed.
    “He quit about a month ago.”
    I tried to look more down on my luck than I usually did. “Damn,” I said. “He said something about a part-time job. I could use the work.”
    He gave me a charming smile. “Sorry, I don’t do the hiring,” he said. “Why don’t you leave your résumé and I’ll give it to HR?”
    His resemblance to Naomi convinced me to attempt to extend the conversation.
    “I don’t have a résumé,” I said. “But I’m a hard worker.”
    I tried to look hungry and harmless at the same time.
    It must have worked.
    “There’s a deli down the street,” he said.
    I shrugged. “I’m broke.”
    “My treat,” he said. “I’m Sawyer Polydoros, by the way.”
    “Nyx Fortuna,” I replied.
    “Fortuna?” he asked. “That’s unusual.”
    Had I just given myself away? I should have