Need to catch up?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite the thirty-five years they’d had to adjust, humans still couldn’t seem to get used to the presence of astral beings in their cities and lives. Marcaeus, son of Demedon, chosen of Chiron, frowned at his glamoured reflection in the mirror and practiced his posture. That had taken the most time to learn when he’d decided to stop appearing in his centaur form in the human world. On two human legs, he ceased to be a curiosity. With a bland name from the mortal dominion, he didn’t have to suffer through embarrassed mortals trying to remember the proper form of address. But standing the way the humans did? That took considerable work.<\/span><\/p>\n He donned his jacket\u2014a color they called “navy blue” but which looked more like the night sky than the crystal blue sea\u2014and straightened his matching kilt. Bare bodies were strangely taboo among mortals; he conceded to covering his tan skin and keeping his dark hair short, but encasing his glamoured legs in itchy human fabric was a step too far. He tapped the screen of his watch. Ten-thirty. Impossibly early. The humans still placed too much value on time, probably because they had so little of it themselves. Slipping a hand into his collar, he rubbed his thumb over the selenite amulet hidden beneath his shirt. The surface of the mirror wavered and he stepped into the lobby of Chiron Corp.<\/span><\/p>\n The young, pale human male who ran the reception desk rose and smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Johnson.”<\/span><\/p>\n The portal closed behind Marcaeus, resuming its appearance as a mural of Elysia. “Good morning, Kevin.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Mr. Hobb asked me to inform him when you arrived.” Kevin’s dark brows rose mischievously.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s unfortunate you were in the restroom when I arrived.” Hobb was a valuable asset to the company, but oddly high-strung for a faun. “If he mentions it, I’ll tell him I snuck past you.”<\/span><\/p>\n Kevin sat down again with a relieved nod, and Marcaeus strode to the large white double doors to the inner office.<\/span><\/p>\n And directly into Hobb.<\/span><\/p>\n The Faun blinked his silver eyes in an expression some might take as a look of surprise but was simply his default expression of anxious bewilderment. His thin brown face seemed even longer than usual. “We must speak.”<\/span><\/p>\n “This sounds dire,” Marcaeus attempted to joke.<\/span><\/p>\n Hobb was not moved to humor. “Come with me.”<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus followed him through the opulent corridors, past the individual workers’ offices. When Chiron Corp had first moved into the building, it had been a terrible open-plan that hadn’t been conducive to anyone’s comfort. The winding halls with their gilt-trimmed, framed white wall paneling and golden candelabras were, according to the human staff, desperately out of touch with a modern office environment. The decor had been Chiron\u2019s choice, but how would he have possibly known that three-hundred years was considered a very long time? He\u2019d simply liked the look of it.<\/span><\/p>\n The click of Hobb\u2019s hooves on the marble floor slowed as they reached his office. He pushed the wall panel to spring the hidden door and stood aside to allow Marcaeus to enter. Unlike Marcaeus\u2019s office, there were no low cushions to lounge upon; it was furnished for a creature with two legs. Despite the high quality of his human glamour, Marcaeus hated sitting in human form. He paced calmly around the floor instead.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were right. Trasket\u2019s planted a mole.\u201d Hobbs moved behind his desk and whipped the cover off a large obsidian scrying mirror. With a wave of his hand, the surface shimmered and conjured the image of a striking young human woman. Her hair hung sleek and straight down to her waist and shimmered a spectral orange shot through with glittering gold. Her large eyes were too vibrantly green to be real.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is our new intern,\u201d Hobb went on. \u201cFlicka Starr.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus didn\u2019t understand why Hobb sounded so skeptical over a name.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a normal human name,\u201d the faun explained with barely restrained condescension. \u201cNot that I expected you to know that, <\/span>John Gayheart Johnson.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus sighed through gritted teeth. \u201cI picked the name because it made the most sense. John. Son of John and merry of heart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat part is a lie. And why you make so many concessions to the mortals, I\u2019ll never know.\u201d Hobb gestured to the mirror and the image changed. The woman\u2019s delicate face shape and the size of her large, innocent eyes remained the same but her dark hair and light blue eyes made her alabaster face startlingly recognizable. \u201cFiona Trasket. Progeny of Trasket the Elder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe can\u2019t be.\u201d Marcaeus braced his hands on the desk and leaned over the mirror. \u201cThey\u2019re anti-astral. She couldn\u2019t use a glamour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd what are the mortals if not hypocritical?\u201d Hobb asked, erasing the image with a swipe of his hand.<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus quirked his lips in amusement. \u201cWhen did you become so cynical?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hobb\u2019s shoulders slumped. \u201cI am a creature whose only purpose in the astral is spreading joy and pleasure, thrust into a world where both of those things have been perverted into a force so destructive it threatens all mortal life. I\u2019ve been cynical since the moment I stepped into this realm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Straightening to walk the length of the room, Marcaeus considered the situation. The pictures were inarguably the same woman but the ruse was clumsy. Surely Trasket wasn\u2019t that jealous or desperate. Could it be part of some larger trick? How would being caught in corporate espionage be used to his advantage?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHave we run this past the trickster department?\u201d Marcaeus asked, turning back to the desk. The image of the woman was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe tricksters are baffled. They all agree that this is too obvious, but they can\u2019t figure out what the end game is.\u201d Hobb paused. \u201cShe\u2019s waiting in HR. Should I have security escort her out?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus shook his head. \u201cWho else knows about this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust us. And the trickster department.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The tricksters were bound to secrecy by voluntary enchantment as a term of employment. They couldn\u2019t share information if they wanted to. Marcaeus rubbed his hand over his chin. \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone else. And have HR send her to my office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hobb gave him a surprised blink and said nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n What could the Traskets be playing at? <\/span><\/i>Marcaeus wondered on the walk to his office. Surely, the human didn\u2019t think he could so easily fool ancient beings? Sending such an obvious mole was as absurd as if he\u2019d donned a disguise and tried to infiltrate Chiron Corp. himself. A spying intern? Trasket wasn\u2019t so foolish.<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus went to his standing desk and woke the computer. The low vibration the machine created assaulted his senses for a moment, before the obsidian pyramids gridding the work station intercepted the excess energy.<\/span><\/p>\n A soft knock on the door drew his attention. \u201cCome in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The moment she stepped into his office, the intrigue became clear.<\/span><\/p>\n It was impossible that a bloodline so foul as the Traskets\u2019 could have produced such a wonder. Marcaeus did not often find humans attractive, and he would have worried he was under an enchantment if he\u2019d had such a powerful response to anyone else. This woman would have tempted a eudaemon to ethically questionable acts with a crook of a finger. The mirror had shown him that her face was beautiful. It had not revealed the curves of her lush breasts. The breadth of her hips. The roundness of her thighs in her fitted skirt. Her lips parted at the sight of him, and her aura flared with instant desire as wild and warm as the fire of her glamoured hair.<\/span><\/p>\n They\u2019d sent her to appeal to him, to inflame his lust and rob him of his wits.<\/span><\/p>\n It may have worked on a mortal, but centaurs were far too clever for that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMr. Johnson?\u201d she asked, her voice trembling. Did she know that she had been caught in her lie already?<\/span><\/p>\n He gestured to the comfortable leather chair near his desk. \u201cMs. Starr. Please, have a seat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her eyes meekly downcast, she followed his direction and sat, every movement halting and awkward.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have an assistant.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a question.<\/span><\/p>\n He shrugged it off. \u201cI don\u2019t see the need for one. You were perfectly capable of opening the door by yourself. I\u2019m perfectly capable of pouring my own coffee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She looked up, eyebrows drawn together in pleasant surprise. \u201cYou drink coffee?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d He suppressed a chuckle. Humans usually reacted strangely to the presence of an astral but hers was a refreshing sort of strangeness. He wouldn\u2019t have expected such from someone from a family as bigoted as the Traskets.<\/span><\/p>\n Her gaze flicked to his legs. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I was under the impression\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat I would have more appendages?\u201d He turned in a slow circle so she could inspect him fully. \u201cI find my true appearance unnerves humans. Glamour is such an underrated magic, is it not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She cleared her throat. \u201cI was going to say that I was under the impression that CFOs didn\u2019t handle things like hiring interns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t. Usually. But your resume caught the attention of my colleague, Mr. Hobb. He believes there\u2019s a project that might benefit from a fresh young mind.\u201d <\/span>What are you doing?<\/span><\/i> He should send her away, but her presence intrigued him. If she\u2019d been instructed to seduce him, she was doing a poor job of it. She was alluring, but certainly not under her own power. She possessed none of the mannerisms mortals affected in their mating rituals. No bold self-assurance. Not a trace of practiced remarks or flattering laughter. Instead, she behaved like\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Well, she behaved like a mortal on a job interview.<\/span><\/p>\n This threw Marcaeus back to his original dilemma. <\/span>Was<\/span><\/i> Blayde Trasket truly foolish enough to believe he could send so obvious a mole into Chiron Corp? How desperate were things over there that he would stoop to such a silly plan?<\/span><\/p>\n Does it matter?<\/span><\/i> A devious part of Marcaeus\u2019s mind awoke. Not that it had been dormant for long. Perhaps it was cruel of him, but he couldn\u2019t help imagining how Trasket would react to his human sister getting caught up in a passionate affair not just with an astral, but with one of his business partners, as well. It would be making the woman before him a pawn, but she\u2019d allowed herself to become one by participating in whatever game the Trasket brood seemed to be playing. Her presence was the opening gambit, so she was clearly willing to play.<\/span><\/p>\n She shifted in her chair and crossed her legs; he\u2019d piqued her interest by dangling the \u201cnew project.\u201d He turned to the windows to hide his self-congratulatory smirk before he continued. \u201cI assume you\u2019re familiar with bioluminescence?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I assume that\u2019s what\u2019s used in this building?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He nodded and turned back to her in time to see her gesture to the softly glowing overhead lights. \u201cYes, it is. Do you have bioluminspheres in your home?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d she replied. Obviously, it was a lie, given how publically the Traskets had rejected sustainable energy sources. \u201cMy apartment building converted last year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear it. Not everyone has embraced the new technology,\u201d he said, studying her expression for a reaction. Not a ripple of fear showed in her. At least, she\u2019d studied schooling her reactions well. \u201cBut we\u2019re working to improve the cost and stability of bioluminescent products. Eventually, we\u2019ll be able to dismantle the four remaining nuclear power plants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe they\u2019ve made it this far,\u201d she remarked, then looked immediately chastened. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I shouldn\u2019t have interrupted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn the contrary, I enjoy conversations with my employees.\u201d Especially ones that kept him on his toes, as he suspected she would. The mystery surrounding her was too intriguing to let it go. \u201cYou\u2019ve never worked for an astral company, have you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never worked for any company,\u201d she said, then quickly added, \u201cthe gap in my resume is due to…personal reasons. I did have some job offers directly after college but my mother was quite ill. And then, my father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry for your loss.\u201d That was what humans said, wasn\u2019t it?<\/span><\/p>\n She blinked. \u201cHow did you know they died?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour aura. I see their loss like a hole in you.\u201d And that hole was there, a wound at her midsection, where she would have been connected to her mother in the womb. Her pain wasn\u2019t a lie, but it <\/span>was<\/span><\/i> absent for her bigot father.<\/span><\/p>\n Interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not concerned about your employment history,\u201d he reassured her. \u201cMy concern is that the culture of a mortal workplace and the culture of an astral-run workplace is very different. You may have some trouble adjusting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWith respect, Mr. Johnson, I can adjust to anything. Especially when something important to me is at stake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis job is that important to you?\u201d he asked, keeping his tone neutral. This was too delicious; he couldn\u2019t spoil the game by letting her know he\u2019d stepped onto the field of play.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe planet is important to me,\u201d she stated firmly. \u201cI grew up in a family that didn\u2019t appreciate the hard work and sacrifices astral beings made to tear the veil and come to our aid. A family that rejected your gift. Humans have a second chance to save the Earth. I won\u2019t be stubborn enough to refuse it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Marcaeus searched her aura for any sign of deception and saw none.<\/span><\/p>\n Was she truly there by her own choice?<\/span><\/p>\n He made the decision from curiosity alone. \u201cYes. I think you are the perfect fit for this project. I\u2019ll let Mr. Hobb know. In the meantime, return to HR. They\u2019ll get you an employee ID and give you more information about payroll and parking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She stood and put out her hand. It trembled. \u201cThank you, sir. I appreciate this opportunity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When he took her hand, her unease, fear, and deception wound up his arm like a vine. So, she was hiding something. He would have to clear his energy as soon as possible, or her jumpiness would plague him all day. Yet, another feeling grew as she released him. Remorse. Nothing about the lie felt just to her.<\/span><\/p>\n What on earth was \u201cFlicka Starr\u201d hiding? And for whom?<\/span><\/p>\n She left the room, bright white relief fizzing around the edges of her aura. Marcaeus pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and called Hobb. The faun predictably answered on the first ring. \u201cI\u2019m putting her on the bioluminsphere project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo…she isn\u2019t a spy?\u201d Were Hobb in the room, his default bland expression would not have changed but for a few rapid blinks.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe very well could be.\u201d Marcaeus admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019m not sure what the endgame is. This project is so boring and public, however, she\u2019s unlikely to gain anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen why keep her on at all?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBecause we can learn her motives, or at least, Trasket\u2019s motives. Remember what the humans say about keeping their enemies close,\u201d he reminded Hobb.<\/span><\/p>\n And after his encounter with Fiona Trasket, Marcaeus couldn\u2019t deny that he would like to keep her a bit closer than the idiom intended.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Need to catch up? What is\u00a0The Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp? The Business\u00a0 Centuar’s Virgin Temp prologue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[283],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12804"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12812,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12804\/revisions\/12812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}