SirensCall (3 page)
Authors: Alexandra Martin
“Hence the drink. I’d like to discuss a job opportunity with
you.” He snagged his cigarette back.
I crossed my arms over my chest. The universe had a fucking
funny sense of humor. Annoyance boiled inside me. Was that what this had been?
The exact thing I’d refused to do that cost me my last job? “Sorry, bucko, I
don’t accept handouts.”
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at me, to the wall and then
the ground. The light bulb clicked on in his eyes. “Not like that. I’m talking
about the discussion before our lovely detour. You’ve got a unique ability and
we could use a booking manager—one who knows the exact places with the least
amount of our kind. One who can handle the day-to-day with humans without
leaving them heartsick and hazed-over. Or worse, draining them dry.”
He glared at the building. I suppose one of them got a
little trigger-happy at times. My bet would be on the sultry-voiced fae.
I stared at him in silent disbelief. After spending most of
my life around people who either believed I was crazy or who I had to lie to,
the idea of joining the supernaturals never occurred to me. It’s not like I’d
had the opportunity.
The adage about one door closing and another opening
couldn’t get more true, could it? Yes, the fan orgy was a bit much, but he
wasn’t asking me to be a groupie or attend the shows. He was asking me to deal
with fae, who had no effect on me, making them as harmful as any other human. I
couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing.
“You know, when someone offers you a job, laughter isn’t the
most reassuring response,” he said, still calm and cool as ever. He ground out
his cigarette under his boot and shrugged. “Any thoughts? The boys would be
happy. We’ve been looking for a solution since our last booking manager kept
stealing humans and getting us banned from cities. You’d be the perfect fit.”
I rifled a hand through my hair, trying to smooth the
sweaty, tangled strands. Disbelief coursed through me. In terms of weirdness,
this day topped the charts. Lost a job, got blue-balled at a concert, broke my
dry spell and got a new job offer.
I was used to hopping towns and nothing tied me to Jefferson
City. He watched me, still waiting for my answer. The glint in his eyes made my
heart jump, not in any hearts-and-flowers sense, but that giddy leap of
excitement when adventure promises to be at every turn.
“I’m down for discussion,” I said, offering the first
genuine smile I’d had in a while. No lies, no secrets—it might be nice. “So why
don’t we go get that drink you offered.”
He returned my grin and extended his arm like a gentleman.
We walked arm in arm back inside the Raven to discuss an interesting future.
Alexandra Martin is an author of steampunk adventure, dark
comedy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance stories. She splits her time
writing and working the day job, but as for creative pursuits, she’s dabbled in
a little bit of everything. A modern day Renaissance-woman, she’s learned soap
making, beer brewing, tea blending and most recently roasting coffee. The one
constant from a very young age was her passion for reading and writing.
Alexandra welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
email address on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
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Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Siren’s Call
ISBN 9781419991356
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Siren’s Call Copyright © 2014 Alexandra Martin
Edited by Julie Naughton
Cover design by Allyse Leodra
Electronic book publication April 2014
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