She really didn’t want to be late, it always just kind of…happened. Her eyes were drawn from the wide stones of the pathway up to the trees that lined it, the branches tracing web patterns across the dark sky. She had her head in the clouds again. The draw of the night was far stronger than her duty to her work.
The minutes ticked by. Her new boss would most likely be waiting, but she decided to make a quick detour to see Ryan. Even though she had accepted the keys and moved into Hollow House officially, most of her stuff hadn’t made it over to the place. She would need some big, muscly help. Well…help, anyway.
The sound of her heels echoed off the stone floors and walls. She turned down one of the hallways to the research area where Ryan usually hung out. She wasn’t even sure what he did but assumed it had to do with organizing files and compiling documents for other workers.
“Hey, Ry?” she called as she poked her head through the big doors.
She smiled brightly as he came around a stack of books, holding two massive tomes. He deposited them heavily on the nearby table and hurried over to give her a quick hug.
“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be starting your new gig tonight?”
“I’ll get there,” she shrugged. “I was just hoping to catch you before you left…to ask for a favor. You know.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I know. What do you need?”
“I’ve still got stuff to move out of my room. I was hoping you and the band might be able to help me out a bit.”
“Um, heavy lifting isn’t exactly my strong point.” He flickered his thin, delicate wings as if making a point.
“But you’re so big and muscular!” she exclaimed, as if his insinuation of delicacy were simply absurd. They both managed to keep a straight face for all of five seconds. Peals of laughter burst from them.
“Oh, Kelly!” Ryan put an arm around her, giving her a quick hug. “You never quit, do you?”
“Nope. Not in my nature.”
“So… What is your new internship all about? Is it more of the same as when you worked for Cora?”
“No clue.” She shook her head.
“Who’s your boss?”
“Owyn Stahagan. I practiced saying that last name about a hundred times.”
“Ohh, I hear he’s kind of a stick in the mud.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he’ll appreciate your sense of humor. Try to be on your best behavior, okay?”
“I don’t like the sound of this.”
“No, you have to give this a go, Kell,” Ryan said very seriously. “He has the reputation of being the very best curse breaker in Othercross. He’s got it all—power, talent, education, and creativity. If you work with him, you’ll learn a lot.”
“Just don’t try and make him laugh, huh?”
Ryan smiled. “I didn’t say his sense of humor was dead, just that he might not appreciate yours.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?” Kelly asked, genuinely confused.
“My dear girl.” Ryan stroked her cheek, shaking his head. “Don’t ever change. You are a gorgeous and unique creature.”
“Aw, thanks!” Kelly brightened and hugged him. As she pulled back, her brow furrowed and she narrowed her eyes at him. “You know…that could be a thinly veiled jab.”
Ryan grinned. “It could be.”
“Look, forget that!” She waved away the banter. “How do I keep Owyn happy? I can’t lose this position, you know that.”
Ryan shrugged. “He has a reputation for being a real curmudgeon, but if you stay out of trouble, he probably won’t fire you.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds, like two cats daring each other to blink. They burst out laughing at exactly the same time.
“Are you serious? Did you get out an old-timey dictionary to come up with that?”
“Of course not,” Ryan sniffed. “Word-of-the-day calendar.”
“Well, curmudgeon or not, I'd better not keep him waiting.” Kelly reached out and gave Ryan's hand a quick squeeze. “Thanks for helping me move.”
“I didn’t actually agree to help and I haven’t started yet. You may regret asking!”
“Never.” And she meant it. She had precious few men in her life she could count on, so she wanted him to know with certainty how much she appreciated him.
Leaving Ryan to his books, Kelly headed off down the halls. Even though she should have known her way around the labyrinthine building by then, there were so many offices and hallways she had never explored. To make matters worse, the place was deserted at such a late hour so there wasn’t even anyone she could ask for directions.
“Should've asked Ryan,” she muttered to herself. She was really late now, and starting to get nervous she would screw up totally on her first day.
She turned a corner off the main hallway, hoping to find her way back to the foyer where she might find a map or another person. Failing that, Ryan. The hallway looked deserted but, as Kelly started down it, she saw a striking woman in a flowing, gauzy black dress hurrying toward her.
“Hey!” Kelly called, waving. “Hi! Do you work here?”
“No.” The witch shook her head, making her long, impossibly straight black hair undulate in hypnotic waves. Her dark eyes, which were rimmed in a dramatic smoky look, met Kelly's, giving off a hint of guardedness. “I'm a little lost myself.”
Kelly smiled. “At least I'm not the only one. I'm Kelly.”
She extended a hand and the other witch's cold, dry hand reminded her of a dead fish. It was all she could do to subdue the natural shudder that tried to crawl up her spine. Limp handshakes were a bugaboo of Kelly's.
“Kalliope,” the witch said, glancing around as though she were hoping someone would come along and save her from further conversation with Kelly.
“Don't suppose you passed Owyn Stahagan's office by any chance, did you?”
Kalliope's hair undulated again. “Not that I recall. Do you know where to find Ronun Fluevog?”
Kelly thought for a moment. “Isn't that a shoe designer or something?”
Kalliope rolled her eyes. “Never mind.”
Before Kelly could respond, the witch edged around her and strode quickly down the hall without a look back, the heels of her shoes echoing like gunshots. Kelly watched her go, shaking her head.
“What's her deal?”
After spending a second or two puzzling over the woman’s rude behavior, Kelly returned to her search for the correct office. I should have checked this out beforehand. It was one of those idle thoughts full of good advice she seldom followed… or that came too late.
The high ceilings distorted the shadows and dragged the light into lines along the walls. Starlight glinted on the wall carvings and decorations in the hallway, giving Kelly the feeling of walking through an ancient tomb. It didn’t feel gloomy, though. It actually felt very comfortable and kind of familiar.
Just as she was about to give up, she turned into a well-lit hallway. She almost cheered for joy when she realized she wasn’t alone—the hot, sexy security guard from the night before stood by an open door. Lettering on the door proclaimed it belonged to Owyn Stahagan. Thank the goddess!