Page 11 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

With a smirk, Derek tossed the file back to him. “Yes, and that’s all the answer you’re going to get. Thank you for the Italian, by the way. We really enjoyed it.”

“Ah, you know that was all Ariella. She’ll be thrilled. She can’t wait to have the two of you over for dinner.”

“We should do that.”

Leaning his elbows on his desk, Knox held his gaze. “Really though, how are things?”

Derek smiled, and he knew it was softer than he’d show to anyone other than Hollis. “Good. Truly. He’s a good man. Smart, funny, capable. I’m very lucky.”

Knox returned his smile with a nod. “I know the feeling. Congrats, man.”

“Thank you. Now, catch me up to speed.”

* * *

“So, you’re the other token human.”

Hollis looked up from the folder in his hands. He’d just spent the morning in orientation and was supposed to be getting a first look at his new office before heading off to lunch. “Excuse me?”

The office was nice—sleek and ultra-modern—with a frosted glass half-wall serving as a divider between the two stations inside. The desks were built into the walls, one on each side, and straight ahead the outside wall was floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a very nice view of the city stretched out below them. The desk on the left was empty save for a computer, a complicated-looking landline phone, and a calendar. At the desk on the right sat the man who’d spoken.

He stood, revealing a tall, lean frame. His shirt was partially untucked, tie pulled loose, and the dark red hair on his head looked like it needed to be combed, but what Hollis couldn’t look away from was the swollen, purple state of his right eye.

“Cane,” the man said, holding out his hand.

“Hollis.” Hollis shook Cane’s hand. “Um, are you alright?”

Cane smirked. “Oh yeah, I’m great. Other than bored out of my mind, mated to a warlock, and stuck in an office that I want no part of.”

Eyes wide, Hollis tried to absorb all that. Cane sounded like the whole thing was a big joke, but his eyes—well, the one Hollis could see clearly—said otherwise.

“Sorry, um, did you say mated to a warlock? Were you one of the—”

“Lucky chosen? Yeah. My mom’s the mayor, and she couldn’t wait to volunteer me. Who’d you end up with?”

“Derek.”

Cane raised his eyebrows and didn’t say anything.

Hollis realized he was waiting for more. “The hellhound alpha.”

“Ah.” Cane squinted at him. “How’s that?”

“Honestly, pretty great. Derek’s…a good man.”

“Hmmm. I’ve actually heard that about him.”

Hollis bit his lip. He had to ask. “Did the warlock?” He pointed at Cane’s eye.

“What? Oh no. Jake’s not actually the problem. He’s”—Cane tilted his head back and forth like he was weighing his words—“a good man, also. No, I got this shiner all on my own. Jake was pissed to tell you the truth.”

“Good,” Hollis said, relieved for half a second before he thought about how that sounded. “Shit, I mean, not good, good. Good that he didn’t punch you, not good that you were punched.”

Cane stared at him a moment, then started to laugh. “You’re alright, Hollis. I was about to head to lunch. Wanna join me?”

“Um, sure.” Hollis set his stuff down on his desk. “Where did you want to go? No punching, please.”

Cane snorted another laugh. “There’s a diner around the corner, I think. No punching. I’m on Mom’s shit list big-time at the moment, so I’ve got to behave myself.”

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