Love of a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Bundle

Chapter 2-4

In the room, she noticed that there was nothing but white walls all around her and a white floor spread out in front of her, enclosed with a white ceiling. There was absolutely nothing in the room except for a row of shelves on the far side of the room. There was something horrifying and unnatural about the room and she immediately knew that this was the last part of the test. There was something deep inside of her that told her that she was in the final three and that this was where it was all going to end.

Her palms were sweaty.

There was a moment where everything seemed impossible. How was she in the final three? She had seen the state of the other women and there was nothing about her that stood out or made her think that she had what it would take to beat every one of them out, well, at least nine of them out of this spot.

There was something deep inside of her that made her feel like she was floating on cloud nine, but this was by far the most intimidating portion of the process. There was no hiding now. There was only success and if she failed, then she was out for all her work. Being the runner up was being the first loser and she still wouldn’t have her five million dollars. No, there was only one choice right now and that choice was succeed at all costs.

So, whatever this final test was, she knew that she had to succeed. This was where she would have to shine the most and that was what she was going to do. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the wall and approached it. There were eight shelves and there were twelve items on each of the shelves, every one of them unique and equally strange. She looked at all of them, trying her hardest to figure out what it was that she was supposed to do.

Sure, she could do a whole bunch of things with these items, but what was the exact thing she was supposed to do? Looking at the items, she studied each of them for a few seconds before moving on to the next one. There was no reason or order for the items, much like the knick knacks that a grandmother might collect on a shelf in her home to keep on display for those who stopped by to visit her. Everything from a pen to a feather, there was no real value to any of the items either. Afraid to touch them, she looked at a few of the more curious items, like the credit card that was sitting on the shelf and something that looked like a diamond, but she very much doubted that it was that.

Of all the things that were nestled on the shelves, there was something that stood out to her more than anything else. It was several minutes before she actually moved on the object, fearing that if she touched something it would trigger an expulsion of her from the competition. After several minutes, Tamara came to the final conclusion that there was no one who was going to come and take her away. There was no one who was going to explain things to her and she was going to be left with this room until she did something.

Since there was no one in this room that was going to be giving her any answers and she had relatively few options, she looked at the mirrored, backlit wall with the eight shelves and took a deep breath. Her eyes moved to the final item on the shelves that she had looked at the most with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She reached out for the item and her fingertips touched it. The handle was rough, textured with little raised diamonds and the metal was cool under the touch. As her fingers slithered around the handle, feeling the weight of the item as she picked it up and held it tightly, it was the first time she’d held a gun in her hand. It was a powerful feeling and she realized suddenly why so many men found them sexy and appealing. She could get used to the weight and the strength that pulsed through her as she held it firmly.

The lights went out in the room. Only the backlight of the mirrored wall with the shelves remained and in the broken mirror she saw her reflection, staring back at her nervously as she waited for whatever was going to happen. Her pulse quickened. There was something that was really wrong with this entire test, but as she stood there in the gloom of the room, she could hear the lock clicking and the light from outside the room pouring through, silhouetting the figure that stood in the doorway.

The lights flicked back on and she saw that it was Mr. Garrett and she knew that she had failed the test. He walked into the room, carrying his briefcase with him, looking like the devil holding a contract that would purchase her soul and send her back out into the world without anything to show for it.

“We’re done here,” he said to her, without a drop of emotion in his voice or a single expression on his face.

It was the most haunting moment of her life and she wasn’t sure what it even meant. She took a deep breath and followed him as he opened the door and moved out into the hallway again. Leaving the gun on the shelf, she walked out of the room and looked around. There was no one present.

So this was what happened when you got eliminated.

She followed Mr. Garrett as he walked to the end of the hallway where yet another elevator was waiting for them. Stepping inside, she felt like she was going to die from the tension. He didn’t say a word and he acted like the tension didn’t even bother him at all, like he was immune to it.

When the doors opened, he stepped out of the elevator first and Tamara realized that they were much higher up than she had anticipated. She could see across the floor where the skyline of New York was visible, waiting for her to behold in all of its glory. She took it in and wondered if this was where they gave her the stuff she’d left in her locker and sent her packing back to Idaho.

“This way, please,” Mr. Garrett stopped and saw that she was taking in the view of the city. It was almost like he was annoyed by her need to look at the city. Flinching at the sound of his voice, she immediately followed him and tried to keep up. She followed him into an office and watched him gesture for her to take a seat in a chair across from a black and glass desk where he sat down with a heavy sigh.

He looked up at her as she sat rigid, waiting for the axe to fall. “Dear god, relax, Ms. Ralphson.”

“Did I pass the application process?” She asked him, feeling numb all over.

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t,” he said, looking at the document in front of him. “I suppose that congratulations are in order.”

She let out a sigh of relief, but her mind hadn’t caught up with her body’s reaction. “I made it?” She asked again, just to make sure.

“Yes,” Mr. Green said to her.

“What was the significance of the last test?” She asked him, furrowing her brow. “Why the gun?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the nature of the tests,” Mr. Green said, sliding a tome of a document over to her. “Unfortunately, now the real work begins.”