Free Dark War Chronicles Box Set One by A. L. Kessler Page A

drinks for the night and try to enjoy myself.” Derrik had been right, the music was softer at the bar, but the beat still echoed off the walls and shook the floor. Her senses wouldn’t settle and her panther felt like it was pacing. She wrapped her arms around herself as the only word that came to mind was trapped.
    “Yeah, you’ll be working with Coran for tonight. He’ll take you to the office to get some paperwork done.”
    “Paperwork?”
    Derrik looked at her. “Yeah, so we can pay you.” He paused. “Lucius doesn’t pay you?”
    “No, he doesn’t. He provides me with everything so I really have no need for money. I guess it’s a perk?”
    “You don’t sound too sure. I’m not going to have you working here for free, despite the fact that I begged you off of Lucius.” He laughed.
    She sighed. “One problem. I don’t legally exist, I was killed two years ago.”
    “Trust me, we deal with that a lot more than you think. Don’t worry about it, Kass. Relax a little, I’m not trying to screw you over or anything. Talk to Coran, serve some drinks, and enjoy the music.”
    Kass crossed her arms as Derrik waved someone over to them. The man towered over her and she closed her eyes at the buzzing energy surrounding him that pegged him as a shifter. “Coran?”
    He nodded. “The one and only, sweetie.” There was a slight accent to the growl of his voice, the rumble causing her cat to stand on edge.
    She rubbed her chest and sighed. “Great, let’s go do paperwork so I can get this night over with.”
    Coran led her to a room off to one side of the bar. She leaned on the desk while she watched him pace. “You don’t like small rooms, do you?”
    “No, I don’t. I don’t like the fact that you are here either. I don’t like any of this damned mess.” He snapped and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Look, all I need to do is get your information on where we send money to for the hours you are putting in. We don’t worry about social security crap here, cause half the employees don’t have that.”
    She frowned at his accent. “Including you?”
    “None of your business.” He paused and pulled out a pen and paper from a drawer. “Here, info. Now.”
    “Demanding little shifter aren’t you?” She said and wrote down her phone number and the address to Lucius’ place.
    He growled again, this time sounding more like an animal. “You want a lesson in shifters, Kassity?”
    The way he said her name made her cringe. “Please, call me Kass. What lesson do you want to give me, because trust me, I’ve learned most of them the hard way.”
    “Have you ever dealt with an immortal?” He asked, meeting her gaze as her eyes widened. “Take that as a no.” He started to undo the top buttons of his blue shirt and she backed up. “Calm down, just want to show you something.” He exposed an intricate looking tattoo that scrolled across his chest.
    She resisted running her fingers over it. “That’s what the mark looks like?”
    “A gift from the gods, they say.” He shrugged and buttoned his shirt back up. “My life is different from yours, so do not mock me, do not joke about not existing.”
    She shook her head. “Different yes, but I don’t exist either. Lucius faked my death a couple years back to save me from my family.”
    “Family? You had to be saved from your family?” He raised a brow. “And Lucius is the better alternative? Man, that’s harsh.” He laughed.
    She raised a brow. “You could at least extend the same respect to me. I don’t like being laughed at.”
    “Right. Sorry.” He snickered and picked up her paper. “I’ve known Lucius for a long time now, and he’s...well, he’s tough, but he takes care of his people.”
    “He’s got a funny way of taking care of people.” She snorted. “Are we done here? I’d like to get to work.”
    He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll show you the ropes and then you can get to work.”
    She followed him out of the room, watching