Love and Other Crisis | Season 1

Episode | 7

"Ah." Eli reclined in his chair, fingers interlocked on his stomach. "Be careful of those. They're mischievous troublemakers."

"Figured. Inola has this suspicious glint in her eyes. Also met a witch who positively dislikes me."

"Witches are notoriously snobbish."

Slowly, the tension drained from Kaliope, and she relaxed. "There's a werewolf, too, would you believe?"

Eli nodded, smiling. "I would."

"Plus, their boss—" Kaliope had no idea what Ronin McIntyre was.

"He's a lycan. Like me." Eli explained what a lycan was. They were shapeshifters like werewolves, except they didn't require a full moon to move between their forms. Lycans maintained their faculties after the change, while werewolves became baser forms of themselves. "We also call werewolves wolf demons. It's best you not find out why." In the space of time Kaliope took to process the image of Saint Eli morphing into a humanoid, bi-pedaled monster, he added, "You should take the job."

Kaliope blinked at him. "I may seem calm, but none of this," she windmilled her arms, "is normal. I work with regular human companies. With everyday human problems. My qualifications don't prepare me to stop Chimerans from sinking whole cities because they can't agree about who first found a piece of rock."

"The tunnelers usually clash over rare earth minerals and ores. Precious occult gems and crystals." Kaliope gave Eli a deadpan stare, and he raised his hands laughing. "Fine. Fine. But you can't deny it; working at Sage Tower will be a worthy challenge."

Kaliope rolled her eyes. "Doubt it will be as magical as you think." She recounted her first meeting with Ronin McIntrye. He was probably hoping she'd turn down the job. The interview was a mere courtesy because a mutual acquaintance, i.e., Eli, asked him for a favor.

Eli sighed. "Please pardon my godson. Ronin can be—"

"Whoa. What? The Ronin McIntrye's your godson?" Kaliope shook her head. "Wow. My whole world no longer makes sense."

"You two would be a terrific team."

Kaliope scoffed. "We might end up sinking cities. It's two-for-one, and I'm not even on the team." Her voice dropped. "Why bother?"

"Because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? You're unemployed, inching toward being unemployable." Kaliope squirmed in her seat at his harsh reality check. "You need a firm hand, and Ronin needs excitement. It's a win-win."

Eli spent the next few minutes persuading Kaliope there was nothing to worry about until he received a call for a faculty meeting. She showed herself out and headed home.

Kaliope scrutinized every person she passed for signs of whether they were human or supernatural. The blend between the two was seamless. So much so that most of the Noccult world was ignorant of the Occult. Sage Tower Consultancy was the pillar of that secret.

There was no denying Kaliope wanted to work at a prestigious firm like Sage Tower. Still, the Occult twist was throwing her off. Snotty overprivileged human types were her forte. Not magical beings. She'd glimpsed the kind of cases they might work on. Inola, the fox demon trickster, dismissed the glaring dangers.

Lawsuits, company closures, loss of customers, and market shares were the usual risks of a PR crisis. Those were the kinds of problems her experiences equipped her to handle. She'd enter a new domain if she joined Sage, where disputes sank cities.

And Ronin, their lycan team leader. Snotty witch aside, the team lead posed a problem.

You two would be a terrific team.

In which realm of reality? The man could freeze over a lake with a glare.

She spent hours obsessing over her choice. Researching the Occult online. Fox demons. Witches. Werewolves. Lycans. She pulled up an image of lycan transformed. It bared its fangs, frozen in a pose as if it were pouncing on prey. Whether accurate or not, it sent a cold shiver down Kaliope's spine. She recalled the menace in Ronin's voice when he warned her about initiating any physical confrontations.

You'll find the results less pleasant than a meeting with HR.

If the idea crossed Kaliope's mind to strike Ronin McIntyre, she'd sever the offending limb. It might be less painful.

Kaliope settled on the carpet in her living room, staring at her phone. An email awaited her response. Despite its oddities, Sage Tower felt like her last chance. She needed to avoid another short-term stint on her resume and burn any more bridges. She'd go in, keep her head down, mouth shut, and stay out of trouble. Tch. Who was she kidding? Kaliope wasn't great at working with a team. On top of which, her new one consisted of non-humans and unknown dangers.

Misgivings aside, her curiosity about the company and how it managed to hide in the public spotlight was undeniable. Their secret was a world-changing crisis waiting to happen, and she wanted to learn more.

~~~

Curiosity killed the cat, but what will it do to a Kaliope as she takes on the challenge? We'll hop over to Ronin next episode to see how excited he is to have a new team member on board as they prep for a new case.

To read the entire first season, along with Seasons 2 and 3, join me on Ream. The link's in my bio on the home page. Hope to see you there.