The Feline Gaze

Are we going to harness that growth and hop on board by offering services to multiple types of shifters? Are we going to expand our offerings as a company? Or are we going to buckle down and pretend that the only thing that really matters is traditionalism?

Are we going to pretend that we only care about clinging to the past?

Danielle sees the determination spread on my face and she smiles.

“That’s my girl.”

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing sometimes,” I grumble, gathering documents from my desk.

“Nobody does,” she shrugs. “But that’s not really a big deal, is it?”

“What do you mean?” It seems like a huge deal.

“It doesn’t matter if you know what you’re doing. It matters that you’re trying.”

“Tell that to a surgeon,” I say, and she laughs.

“Okay, so maybe this advice doesn’t apply to other fields,” Danielle says. “But in the world of shifter-run real estate, you don’t have to have all of the answers. This is a big company, Cassidy. Yeah, you’re an incredible part of that, but there are other people, too. What do they think? What changes do they want? It’s not just about the buyers, you know.”

“You’re right, and that’s a good point. If the other employees want to grow and expand, maybe Alastair will consider that when he’s finalizing his decisions.”

“You’re going to have to get this all by his old man,” she points out.

“Maybe. It’s Alastair’s company,” she says.

“That’s...debatable.”

The reality is that Alastair is the owner of the company. Well, co-owner. He and Melanie launched this organization after college and have grown it, showing the world time and time again just what they’re made of. My uncle hasn’t played nearly as big of a role as he likes to think he has. If you asked him, he’d probably say that he and Alastair launched the company together.

What would Melanie think about that?

The reality doesn’t seem to dissuade my uncle from causing trouble at every turn, though, and something deep inside of me worries that at some point, my darling Uncle Jacob is going to make a move that none of us are expecting. Then it’s going to be too late for our little company. He’s got his claws in places where they ought not to be, and my cousin is much too blind to see it.

Today isn’t the time for projecting my fears, though. Just because my parents suck doesn’t mean Alastair’s do. Oh, I’m pretty sure my uncle is a terrible person, but today’s meeting isn’t about my uncle. It’s not even about the future. It’s about right now. It’s about how the choices we make today are going to make or break the company.

It’s about how Alastair has the power to change the world if he’s willing to.

“Look,” Danielle says. “It’s up to you, Cassidy. Me and the other administrators are totally behind you. We’re completely behind you,” she emphasizes. “But Alastair isn’t going to listen to us. This is on you. You have to stand up for us. You have to make our voices heard.”

I cock my head, looking at my assistant. She’s more than an assistant. I would consider her a friend. We aren’t particularly close, but we’ve spent so much time together that we know each other better than most colleagues know one another.

“Danielle, what kind of shifter are you?” Suddenly, I want to know.

“Haven’t you guessed?” She smiles. Then she slips her jacket off and closes her eyes. For just a moment, she’s surrounded by a shimmer of light and then two bright, beautiful wings emerge from her shoulder blades. They expand, spreading wide, and I gasp at their beauty.

“Fae,” I whisper.

“Don’t tell anyone,” she says, letting her wings spread wider for just a moment. Then they slowly, quietly move back into her skin.

“I had no idea. I always thought you were a tiger.”

She shrugs.

“No, really, I thought you were a tiger.”

“Good,” she says. “Then I keep my secrets well.”

She does, which is strange since living in a small town tends to mean that everyone is constantly in other peoples’ business. I’m happy that she trusted me enough to tell me.