Chapter 51
Paula
My stomach rumbles as I make it down the corridor. It stretches endlessly before me, each step echoing into the deafening silence. The door at its end looks foreboding, like the entrance to a labyrinth I might never emerge from.
“I’ve got this,” I whisper to myself, more for reassurance than confidence.
I open the door to find a woman–presumably Jessic–behind a sleek mahogany desk. She looks up at me and smiles
shake my hand. “I’m Jessie.” warmly. “You must be Paula,” she assumes, standing up to
“Hello, Jessie, and yes, I’m Paula,” I return her smile even though it’s absolutely chaotic inside my
head.
Luckily, Jessie doesn’t seem to notice. Unlike me, who can barely keep up, she keeps her smile during the interview. The entire thing feels like a whirlwind. She asks me about my qualifications and experience, but my answers feel distant and mechanical since I can’t stop thinking about what Henrik told me in the elevator.
He is a dragon.
We are mates.
It’s all completely bonkers.
rot stuck in the
When the interview ends, Jessie watches me stand up with curious eyes. “Were you nervous when you got elevator together with the CEO himself?”
“No,” I look down at the suit that’s still tightly wrapped around my waist and smile a little. “He was quite nice.”
That’s not a lie. Henrik was perfectly friendly, even though I suspect he might be a bit. crazy.
“Really?” Jessie’s tone holds a hint of shock. “Because I often find him quite…intimidating.”
“Intimidating?” I raise an eyebrow at her confession. Henrik was downright huge, but I wouldn’t describe him as scary.
“Oh yes, Henrik is known for his….intense demeanor.” Jessie winks, a teasing smile on her lips. “There are interns who quit. after being his assistant for a week.”
I give a short laugh. “Well, I won’t let him break me.”
Jessie’s eyes light up with curiosity. “Break you? Whatever do
you mean?”
“Well, come on. If Henrik broke those interns within a week, then he must have used the crazy ‘you are my mate‘ speech on them, too.”
Jessie blinks with an expression of genuine surprise and then bursts into laughter. “Oh, my! He used that line on you? That’s
new
I frown as she continues to laugh. “So… it was all a joke?” I ask, trying not to sound too disappointed.
I might have a boyfriend, but…my heart is still in pain. It’s like it doesn’t want the whole mate thing to be a joke. Isn’t that weird? Am I going mad?
“Hmm, Jessie’s eyes rake me up and down. Up until now, she has been perfectly friendly, but there is something in her gaze that gives me the creeps. “And he called you his mate?”
For some reason, I don’t think I should answer her honestly. She is looking at me like a cat would look at a mouse. I decide
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to play it cool. I think he was kidding”
“Was he now?” Jessie leans back in her chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studies me intently. The warmth from before has faded, replaced by an ice–cold curiosity that makes my skin crawl.
“I hope so,” I say, trying to maintain my composure despite the sudden change in atmosphere, which is putting me on edge.
“Interesting… stie murmurs, tapping a long, elegant fingernail against the erige of her desk. The sound resonates through the room, echoing like an ominous drumbeat. “Well, Paula, it’s been a pleasure meeting you.”
“It’s been… interesting.” I reply hesitantly. Something feels wrong about this entire situation.
Jessie just smiles at me, but there’s something predatory about her grin. “Yes, interesting indeed. You can show yourself out.”
With nothing else to do, I turn and walk out of the office, the door clicking shut behind me with an indomitable finality. The corridor seems even more daunting now, stretching out into infinity.
As I leave Jessie’s office, I can’t shake the feeling that I may have revealed too much to her. With this thought nagging my brain, I increase my pace and exit the hotel as fast as I can.
The night air is cold, and I hug my arms to my chest while scanning the street for a cab. There are a few standing by the curb, but when I reach for my bag. I realize it’s gone. Odd. Did I leave it inside Jessie’s office?
I look behind me and consider heading up the elevator to fetch it, but the same dreadful feeling from earlier stops me. And since I’m superstitious, I dedice to listen to my gut. There is no going back. Not tonight.
I will just walk home. It’s not that far away. I just have to get through the park, and then I will be safe inside my apartment. The problem? The park is filled with gangs at night, which is a bit scary.
But there’s no other choice. So I sigh and steel myself, turning my steps toward the park’s shadowy expanse.
The distant laughter of drunken revelers and the occasional whoosh of a car speeding by are the only sounds accompanying me as I walk. Yet, despite these signs of life, the park is eerily quiet.
I focus on my steps one foot in front of the other and avoid looking at the shadowy figures huddled under streetlights or slumped against park benches. They’re just minding their own business, I tell myself, ignoring the prickling sensation at the back of my neck that suggests otherwise.
As I near the center of the park, a strangled sob suddenly cuts through the silence. My heart lurches in my chest, and I dart behind a large oak tree. Through the relative safety of its trunk. I watch as a figure is pushed onto the gravel path ahead.
It’s another woman,
an, one with bright red hair cascading down her shoulders in sharp contrast to her black dress. A group of thugs circle her like wolves closing in on their prey. Their cruel laughter rings out as they close in.
Something inside me snaps at the sight.
“Hey!” I call out as loud as my trembling voice allows, stepping out from behind the tree, “Leave her alone!”
At first, I’m met with a stunned silence, but then snickering begins to ripple through the gang. One breaks away from the group and saunters over with an easy grin. He is tall with a wiry frame and pale skin under the sickly yellow light.
“You lost, sweetheart?” he drawls, his voice sticky sweet like poisoned syrup.
As long as their attention is on me, it’s not on the redhead. I just hope I can buy her enough time to run.
“No,” I answer, struggling to keep my voice steady. “But I think you are.”
His smirk broadens, showing off a row of sharp teeth that doesn’t look human. I swallow thickly, wondering if I’ve just
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Chapter 51
signed my death warrant.
“A human picking a fight with a clan of ghouls, now that’s new. Did you come here to die? I would love to eat you, and I’m sure my brothers can agree.
1 shriek when the thugs suddenly transform into monstrous, grotesque creatures. Their bodies twist and deform, skin peeling back to reveal skeletal figures with flesh hanging from their contorted frames. Their eyes glow a demonic red in the scant light, and they cackle in a language I can’t comprehend,
Their leader, the one standing so arrogantly before me, is the most horrifying of all. His transformation isn’t just physical but also metaphysical; his very essence shifts into something dark and unholy. He grows taller, sprouting gnarled and twisted horns from his skull. His laughter is chilling, echoing around the park and sending ripples through my being. Behind me, I hear the redhead gasp for breath as she scrambles to her feet. She stumbles sideward but catches herself just in time. My distraction has worked, even if it means putting myself in danger.
But now I’m the one in danger.
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