Love and Other Crisis | Season 1

Episode | 12

Kaliope woke in a bright room, a silver disc hovering overhead. She started to sit up when a hand pressed her down by the shoulder.

"Stay still, Ms. Barnes. I'm Dr. Joriah, your physician."

"My what?" She pressed the hell of her hand into her aching temple. "What's going on?" The last thing Kaliope remembered was entering Kelmor Jeweler. She'd been checking out the pieces when her head went light. Had she fainted? "Why am I here?"

"Severe magic poisoning." He explained the phenomenon as exposure to high concentrations of magical energy. A near-toxic amount for a human. The machine she laid on pushed the absorbed energy out while the disc overhead sucked it on like a magic vacuum.

The med mage pointed to the faint streaks of light leaving her body in waves destined for the silver disc floating over her body. Her eyes landed on the window overlooking the foot of her bed. Ronin McIntyre was on the other side, his expression stony and impassive. Inola stood beside him, fidgeting with one of her tails. The fox demon was a strange sight with her tails out in her human form. Kaliope reclined, eyes closed, and hoped the process would take several lifetimes.

The procedure ended before the desired time, and Kaliope faced her disapproving employer. Ronin reprimanded her for acting against his wishes and creating such a fuss within twenty-four hours of accepting the job.

"Your purpose here is to lighten the team's workload, Ms. Barnes, not to compromise the operations and reputation of the team and the company. Act accordingly." Ronin turned on his heel and marched for the door.

Kaliope scowled after her boss. Inola held her by the elbow and supported her to stand up before assisting with her jacket.

"What's his problem? I'm the one who got zapped by magic."

"And he's the one saddled with paperwork because of it."

Ronin waited for them by the elevator. The Med Mage office was on the 16th floor, above the Occult HR. Their boss exited the elevator ahead of them on the ground floor and waited as they disembarked. Kaliope was acutely aware of Ronin trailing close behind them, hands tucked into his oversized trench coat. He was in the same suit he wore to work. Was he on the way out when he received the call? Or was he still working? Either way, he was not amused at the inconvenience. She wished the jeweler hadn't called him of all people.

Haughty bastard. How was I supposed to know—

Kaliope whipped her head around at the unmistakable sound of a growl and grabbed her head when it started to pound. She staggered, and Inola shouldered Kaliope's sagging weight on her slender frame.

"Oye, human, take it easy."

"Did he just growl?" Had he sensed what she was thinking?

But Ronin wasn't glowering at her. His broad back was to them. Kaliope peeked around him for the source of his agitation, grateful it wasn't her. Andreas approached the group, his long strides crossing the distance in a steady gait. He raised a brow when he saw her.

"Kaliope? What happened to you?" Concern pinched Andreas' features. After taking her in, he regarded his brother as if wondering if Ronin had anything to do with her disheveled state. When Andreas started toward her, Ronin sidestepped, solidly blocking his brother's advance.

An unmistakable flare of energy pulsed between the brothers, reminiscent of their stand-off in the office.

"Inola, take Ms. Barnes home."

Inola adjusted Kaliope's position and wavered before heeding Ronin's instructions. The fox demon ushered Kaliope from the building, almost carrying her. Inside the car, Kaliope craned her neck to catch the scene unfolding inside Sage Tower's lobby without success. It was after hours, and no staff wandered the building. Still, a brawl between the brothers would be hot gossip by morning.

And Ronin dared to scold her about the reputation of the team and company. Her indignation did nothing to lessen her anxiety. "Should we leave those two alone?"

Inola reached across and drew her seatbelt, clicking it home.

"They won't trash the building."Inola frowned. "I don't think."

"You don't think?" Kaliope squinted at the column in her way. "What's with them anyway?"

"They're McIntyres." Inola voiced the answer as if it was reason enough. "Wait till you meet their father, Matthias McIntyre. He's the chairman of the Occult Assembly and a career diplomat in the Noccult world. Ronin's a social butterfly compared to him."

For anyone to make Ronin seem sociable. Goosebumps rose along Kaliope's skin.

"Matthias likes to keep a tight leash on his boys." Inola pressed the ignition button, and the car sprang to life, revving its engine with a primal roar. Her irritation toward the McIntyre patriarch was apparent.

The city passed Kaliope in a blur, her mind occupied with her woes. She buried her face in her hands. Dammit. "If he didn't like me before, he must hate me now."

"Ronin dislikes and avoids, but he doesn't hate anyone. It's not in his nature."

"There's always a first. Ronin disliked me from the moment you handed him my work records. He wouldn't have hired me if it wasn't for the professor."

"No. If Ronin thought you were useless to the team, he wouldn't have hired you. Though I must admit, I was the one who sent you the invite for the interview."

Kaliope pivoted as much as her seat belt allowed. "What?"

Inola sent her a sheepish grimace. "Uncle Eli tipped me off. Said he recommended another member for the team, but Ronin might disagree. I ran your background. Put together your profile. Sent you the text. I told Ronin about the interview about fifteen minutes before. Boss is big on etiquette, so I guessed he wouldn't turn you away at that point."

Kaliope rubbed her forehead. "So he wouldn't have given me the time of day if you hadn't tricked him." Seemed she was partially right about him not wanting her around. "If I'm so useful, why saddle me with Occult for Dummies? I should be assisting with the case."

Inola chuckled. "Said the human, who passed out from inhaling a near-fatal dose of magic."

Kaliope groaned.

"I told you. We've never hired a human on our main team. We have human staff for support, but they're usually confined to non-magical tasks. You'll be out in the field with us. With me. You're..." Inola cast her a sideward glance. "...new territory. We don't want to break you."

"Great. I'm a human liability." Kaliope rested her elbow on the door and cupped her head. The urge to lie down overwhelmed her.

"What you need to understand is this. We get hurt, mess up, whatever; Ronin shoulders the blame. Is he a hard-ass? Sure. A stick in the mud? Most definitely. He'll suck the joy out of any room. But he's also loyal and trustworthy and always has our backs. You're a human mingling with the Occult. You must be careful where you step. Humans and magic are an unpredictable mix."

"Sounds like you're close with the boss."

"Noone's close with Ronin. I've just been around him the longest." She paused as if considering her response. "I'm indentured to him."

Kaliope's elbow slipped off the door. "What? Like a servant?"

Inola laughed. "No. Nothing so base. Matthias McIntyre wanted me thrown in jail for deigning to sully the sanctity of the McIntyre estate. I breached their security on a dare from my brother and nabbed a family heirloom as proof. Ronin opted to sign an indentured contract with me instead."

"You broke into Ronin's house? On a dare?"

"And if it were up to his father, I'd be rotting in a hole for the demon I am. Ronin saved me. He's cool like that." Inola chuckled. "My mom sends freshly baked bread to his house every week. He acts like it's a bother but gobbles it up." Pause. "You can trust Ronin. He's not like Larry or those other bugger-faced bullies." She made a face, and Kaliope laughed. "And if you're ever planning mischief," Inola pointed a thumb at herself, "I'm your fox."

~~~

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.