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They didn’t really expect her to kill this guy, did they?

Ava Reskin glanced from the surveillance photos spread across the metal tabletop to her boss, seated across from her. This had to be some kind of a joke. “Is he my next assignment?”

Vic nodded, though the same troubled look she’d noticed on his face when she’d first stepped into his office didn’t seem to want to budge. The guy looked like he wanted to say something to her, but was afraid to. That made no sense, given Vic Tyson wasn’t afraid of anything. Ever. She’d seen him take down nasty demons without even breaking a sweat. She’d also seen him stand up to the bosses at The Organization -- the company they both worked for that dealt in all things paranormal and magical on earth -- and that was no easy task. Ava would take demons over the big bosses any day. Some of those guys were pretty scary shit, and given that she was an immortal capable of conjuring just about anything she wanted with a wave of her hand, that was saying a lot.

Vic scared her a little, too, but for different reasons. He made her palms sweat. Made her stomach clench whenever she got too close and caught a whiff of that sexy cologne. He starred in most of her late-night fantasies, too, though she’d never admit that to him. Vic wasn’t a demon, but he was something that made her equally nervous. A cat… rather, a shapeshifter with the ability to change into a leopard. Cats of all varieties had always made Ava a little nervous, and that was why the pull she felt toward Vic had shocked her at first.

Vic’s demeanor was one of the things that had first attracted her to him, but since working for him for so long, she’d found many more. To her utter frustration, she couldn’t do anything about the attraction, though. The Organization had a strict rule against intradepartmental fraternizing. They were strict about enforcing the rules, too. The last hunter who’d dared date a secretary in his department now lived in a cage in the boss’s office and spent his days running -- on all four legs -- on a hamster wheel.

Not that Vic would ever be interested in someone like Ava. The man was incredible with his wavy, chocolate brown hair and eyes the color of black coffee. And that ass… she’d found herself staring at it way too many times, especially in recent months, since her last relationship had ended and sex had once again become a solo event.

Vic preferred beauty queens to immortal hunters. Ava knew she wasn’t ugly, but without mile-long legs and double-D tits, no way would Vic look at her as anything but an employee.

“Uh, Ava?” he asked, his tone hesitant. “You want to come back into the conversation or would you rather daydream all day?”

She wrinkled her nose. Right. The job. He’d called her into his office the second she’d walked through the front door of the building, so this guy -- this perfect blond god of a man -- must be someone important. Someone they needed taken out right away. But she couldn’t do it. She knew this guy. She’d seen him around town a time or two. He didn’t look like someone who posed a major danger to mortal society.

Then again, Lucifer was a fallen angel and probably the best looking guy she’d ever had the pleasure of drooling over. He wasn’t exactly next in line for sainthood or anything.

“This guy? No friggin’ way. I have to assassinate him?” He was too gorgeous. Too perfect. Ava didn’t think she could harm a hair on his head. Her specialty was minor demons. The clawing, snarling kind that ate cats and small dogs for breakfast and occasionally breathed fire. “This guy looks way too… human for me to feel comfortable with.”

“He isn’t human. He just looks like it. He’s like me. Believe me, he’s a lot tougher than he looks. But there’s an issue here. I don’t think you understand what’s going on.” Victor’s expression went from sober to downright miserable. He let out a breath and raked a hand through his hair before he spoke. “Killing him isn’t what you’ll be doing at all. You’re aware of the Seven Year Witch paperwork you needed to submit?”

“Um, yes.” Ava gulped. What had she done wrong now? Whatever it was, it could be fixed. Vic always managed to fix her screw-ups before they became huge problems. Not that there were many screw-ups she could take the blame for. At least not lately. “What about it?”

Vic let out a long, noisy breath. “There was a mix-up in the paperwork, and since you filed a day before the deadline, there was nothing I could do to fix it before it was logged. I’m afraid you won’t be working for the damage control unit anymore. Actually, you’re no longer an assassin at all, so I’ll need you to turn in your Organization-issued weapons before you leave today. You’ve been transferred.”

She blinked at her boss, sure she must have heard him wrong. Transferred? Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? She’d been with damage control since she started working for The Organization. Transfers didn’t happen often, and when they did, a big blunder on the part of the employee usually warranted the switch.

A big blunder, like checking the wrong box on your Witch License Renewal paperwork? Yeah, that would probably do it. Still, didn’t a woman get one mistake on the paperwork before they went all postal on her? “Excuse me? Transferred? To where? Dangerous crimes? Interspecies smuggling?”

Both of those options held a lot of appeal for a woman who’d learned quickly how much she enjoyed the power of carrying a gun.

Vic dropped his gaze to the table, his expression as amused now as it was pained. Shit. This couldn’t be good.

He cleared his throat before he spoke again. “Actually, you’ve been transferred to the fairy godmother division.”

Ava wouldn’t have been surprised if her jaw hit the floor. She made a mental note to call the doctor first thing in the morning and make an appointment to get her hearing checked, because there was no way in hell he could have said what she thought she heard. “Excuse me? The what?”