Love and Other Crisis | Season 1

Episode | 6

If anyone asked Kaliope to describe how she envisioned a deal with a demon, she'd tell them—crossroads at midnight, a red-skinned monster with horns, a hint of brimstone in the air, and a contract signed with her blood, and her soul listed in the fine prints as collateral.

Instead, she shook hands with a stylish petite woman who turned into an adorable little fox in the hallway of an upstanding corporate establishment. No blood. No brimstone. Nothing outwardly dubious. But the tour wasn't over yet.

Beyond the frosted glass door at the end of the corridor, Kaliope entered the offices of the CMT Occult Division's primary team. This section, which was smaller than the general office area, held a workstation for three and a larger one positioned into an alcove occupied by a bespectacled man.

The man ignored their entrance, focused on an array of translucent computer screens—three hovered over the forward-sloping control panel in front of him stacked like a pyramid and one floating monitor on either side of him. His fingers danced across his keyboard built into the panel, not missing a beat, as his attention darted between the screens. Characters like the ones from the elevator ran vertically down the five screens in columns.

Inola introduced him. "That's Gale, our tech guy."

Kaliope flinched at the fox demon's proximity. A subtle sweet scent emanated from the woman. It put her in mind of an untamed garden, the imagery astounding to her senses. "What is he?" The gracefulness and speed of his movements were too unnatural to her eyes.

"A witch. Well, a tech mage, to be precise. And, of course, you met the boss."

Kaliope's attention shifted to the office occupying one length of the office and the man inside. Ronin McIntyre's desk rested on a raised landing with the company's logo on the wall behind him. The elusive CEO of Sage Tower Consultancy. He resembled a prince on a throne overlooking his lowly subordinates from his lofty tower. Cold. Detached. Unapproachable.

She stood transfixed for a second too long. Ronin glanced up, and their gazes met. Heat raced up her neck at being caught staring, and Kaliope quickly turned away. Inola watched with a curious smirk.

"What?"

Inola shook her head and, grinning, pointed out another room adjacent to the three-desk workstation as the meeting room.

"The main team has four members. You've met three. I handle surveillance and do mostly fieldwork. And there's also Gideon, our communications liaison."

"He's not at work?"

"No. Gideon took some personal days. Werewolves and full moons." Inola half shrugged as if it was no big deal. Which it wasn't. The woman was a demon. Gale was a witch. Ronin...Kaliope chanced a glance in his direction. He was on the phone, his profile to them. The man was a sight from every angle, and that damn jawline.

"He's not..."

"Human? No. If you join us, you'll be the only human on our team. We've never had a human as part of the main team before. Would be interesting."

The twinkle in Inola's eyes rose the tiny hairs at the nape of Kaliope's neck. The woman was pleasant, friendlier than her boss, but an air of mischief hung over her. She asked Inola about the possible dangers—because supernatural creatures and magic—and the fox demon shrugged it off. Kaliope opened her mouth to press for a better response and a guarantee of her safety and paused. Gale leered at her. Their eyes met, and he scowled, averting his gaze.

Okay, then.

Easy bet the witch wasn't in favor of her joining the team.

"You have 24hrs to accept the position. Your provisional pass will expire when the time runs out, then per the terms of your NDA, you'll lose all memories of the Occult."

Kaliope's inquiry stalled as Ronin exited his throne room office. If she accepted the position, her boss, whose origins she hadn't learned, and the witch were bound to be a pain in her ass. Her verdict of the werewolf remained unjudged in his absence. So far, Kaliope was two for one on the animosity scale.

Not the best starting grade.

"We have a new client coming in."

Ronin approached Kaliope and Inola, and her eyes fell on his tie pin with the head of a wolf. She'd seen it before. Where?

"Ms. Barnes, did Inola instruct you about the deadline?"

24 hrs to decide if she wanted to join the circus or not. "Yes, she did."

"Good." Ronin nodded. "Please see her out."

On the outside, Kaliope contemplated the glass spire of Sage Tower, witnessing the firm in a new light. It was one of the world's best-kept secrets. Another world, hiding in plain sight. She failed to fit into the box of the one she was born into. Would this new one be any different? She'd already seen signs it might not.

She turned to walk away and paused.

Ronin.

Tie pin.

Recollection dawned.

Kaliope strode for the curb and jerked her hand out for a taxi. A yellow cab pulled up, and she hopped in. "Elk Ridge University, please."

~~~

And the pieces start to fall into place as Kaliope figures out her secret benefactor. What will the professor have to say for himself? Find out in the next episode.

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.