1
ALISSIA
“Ihate my boss.” Alissia Adami banged on the photocopier two more times, just in case the ancient machine finally decided to cooperate. Dust puffed out of its sides. She wondered if the last person who’d used it was still alive.
“You don't hate him,” said Lily, a fresh transfer in the legal department and Alissia’s best friend at the Alien Inc. company.
“Yeah…I don’t.” Instead, heaven help her, Alissia actuallyrespectedher alien boss, Rynar Te'Oken. Not right now, though.
She was annoyed and, worst of all, behind schedule.
She placed her hands on her hips, staring at the boxy machine like she wanted to rip it to shreds. If she had any upper body strength, she might have.
If only Rynar would have agreed to input the mountain of ancient Deruzian documents into Alien Inc.’s super modern platform, the system would have spit these pages out in 5 seconds.
But after mountains of data he’d insisted be scanned into the system, so they’d have back-ups on top of back-ups at Alien Inc., now he was suddenly tech shy?
“It’s just another assignment,” Lily went on in that crystalline voice of hers. No wonder Zaryn, the head of the accounting department, had fallen head over horns for her.
“It’s not part of my job.” Alissia crossed her hands in front of her chest. “And I have to deal with that huge deadline that’s been moved up.”
Maybe photocopying these documents wouldn’t have bothered her on a normal day. But the deadline for the interplanetary shipment contracts had been set for tomorrow and Doug hadn’t bothered to mention it to her until thirty minutes ago.
Alissia hated going over deadlines, even when they weren’t technically hers.
As a paralegal in Alien Inc.'s legal department–aka The Jungle–Alissia knew the hierarchy. Lawyers ruled, and everyone else basked in their glory and did their bidding. Most of them didn’t deserve it.
Rynar did. Even Alissia could admit that–not out loud, to anyone, but…still. He was the best damn lawyer in the department.
But he’d annoyed her and Alissia just wanted to grab him by the horns and…and do what? Since the portal between Earth and Deruzia, a planet galaxies away, had opened at the outskirts of the city ten years ago and humans had found out that, hey, we’re not alone, people also discovered that beings out there in the universe were more powerful. Way more powerful. With their horns, dark eyes, fangs, and super speed and strength, Deruzians could outdo any human in combat.
So the whole grabbing Rynar’s horns plan was out. Unfortunately.
People had no clue what to call Deruzians at first, except for aliens and monsters. Well-mannered, intelligent alien monsters, but still. They weren’t stony and gray, so not gargoyles. They couldn’t breathe fire, so they weren’t some humanoid dragons. The whole horns thing made people think they were demons, but then, where were their tails and the general evilness?
No, Deruzians didn’t fit neatly into any category. They were something else. Mysterious and impressive aliens, with a mind for business that rivaled any human billionaire.
Since they’d stepped out of the portal from their home realm, all Deruzians had wanted was to peacefully expand their businesses. Which was fine for most humans.
Profit was profit, horned or not.
But some Deruzians could be so infuriating when they wanted to.
Rynar certainly was.
“There are three other paralegals in this department,” Alissia went on, pushing more buttons on the machine. “With more experience.”
“Rynar only wants to work with you,” Lily said calmly.
A blessing and a curse.
Rynar was so particular with every little thing. Which is why he was so damn good at his job. Other companies were always trying to poach him, but he stayed loyal to Alien Inc.
He was also insanely smart. And professional. And organized. And everything a boss should be.
Everyone in the office was fascinated with him. It was all “Rynar is fantastic” and “God, Rynar is hotter than hell”.
To Alissia, he was just a good boss.
