Page 3 of The Vampire's Receptionist
He lifted a shoulder. “Magic was involved. For example, when a dragon and his mate crash-landed in the middle of the city, I made a vow to return the dragon’s mate to him so we could treat them both without getting my ass scorched for trying to separate them. I stayed with the mate throughout his treatment, which meant I wasn’t back in the rig like I was supposed to be, and made sure they were reunited in all due haste. I feel like being a little late to return to the job was less important than reassuring an injured dragon who looked ready to burn the city down if we touched his mate.”
Morana blew out a breath, surprise evident on her face. “I read about that. And I know the sorcerer involved. He used to work here. I’m surprised you were punished for that. Separating mates, especially injured mates, is dangerous and might actually make the situation worse.”
He’d pointed that out to his superiors and the hospital, but no one cared to listen. He made a magical vow that would have killed him if he didn’t follow through, so they were required to have him in the room every step of the way. They didn't like that. They also needed to find a replacement for him on the rig, because he was stuck by the sorcerer’s side. It was the catalyst to him losing his job. They put him under a magnifying glass after that incident, and every choice he made was held against him. It wasn’t long before they terminated his employment.
“So you ignore company policy, then?” Kuzmila pointed out with a scowl. “He could’ve been treated like everyone else. You made everyone’s job more difficult, so you looked like a hero.”
Morana whipped her head around, and even her snakes looked astonished. Kian interrupted before she could argue with the stubborn dwarf.
“If company policy puts me and my patients at risk, then yes. I’m not going to allow them to suffer just to get them to the hospital in a timely fashion. It was a simple vow that reassured the patient and allowed me to care for his injured mate before he bled out. If the dragon’s mate had died because his instincts said to keep us away, he would have rampaged from heartache and destroyed the city. I’m not ever going to feel sorry for making that call.”
She shot a pointed look at Morana. “See? He admits that he doesn’t care for company policy. It’s not a good idea to hire him.”
With a long, exasperated sigh, Morana pushed to her feet. “Excuse us for a moment, Kian. I need to speak with Kuzmila. I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t bother to respond. He could feel the job opportunity slipping away. If the dwarf had a say in his hiring, this wasn’t going to happen. It irritated him, discrimination because of his family never sat well with him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
On a whim, he released a spy spell just before the door closed. It slipped out the door and allowed him to hear what the two were speaking about. Probably not allowed, but he wasn’t hurting anyone.
“You aren’t seriously considering hiring him, are you?” Kuzmila demanded.
“Why wouldn’t I? He has a vast range of experience, he seems comfortable with the consistently changing schedule, and he’s kind to others. You heard Tony’s recommendation.”
The dwarf scoffed. “Tony’s too sweet to take seriously. He’d see the good parts of a fire demon bent on destroying the world. And you’re ignoring his bloodline. He’s a fae. They’re troublemakers. What if a client pisses him off? He could kidnap them and bring them to his realm to torment them.”
“Oh, Kuzmila, don’t be ridiculous. Just because he has fae lineage does not make him a criminal. I’m not going to allow you to discriminate against him because of his race.”
He released the spell with a sigh. He was only half-fae. A fact that most people chose to ignore. He’d never once in his life considered kidnapping anyone, and he wouldn’t have anywhere to bring them if he did. While he was technically allowed in the fae realm, the way they treated mixed blood in the realm was borderline cruel. After centuries of putting up with that kind of behavior, he refused to visit and allow people to treat him that way anymore. Even his own family sneered at him. His time with his own kind was extremely limited these days.
He was considering leaving when Morana came back into the office. Her snakes revealed her agitation, hissing and baring their fangs. When she sat behind her desk, she took a second to breathe and calm herself before giving him her full attention.
“I apologize for that. When Kuzmila asked to be part of this interview, I thought perhaps she had an actual reason for it. I didn’t think she would bring her prejudices into it. I hope that doesn’t dissuade you from taking the job. I’ll be handling her behavior after this. I don’t allow discrimination in my company.”
He sat up a little straighter, frowning at her. “She doesn’t have a say in who’s hired?”
Morana shook her head. “The only one who decides who’s hired is me. I do listen to my employees when they have a valid reason for their concerns, but the final decision is mine and mine alone. And I don’t see a problem with what you did. If I had the ability and had been in the same situation, I don’t thinkI’d have done anything different. We’ll finish up the interview, and I’ll ask a few more questions, but I think you’ll be a good fit here.”
He huffed out a laugh, stunned, and sank back in his seat. Fate really was looking out for him. He never thought he’d find a good job just because he stopped to help an injured human.
He definitely owed Tony a drink.
Six weeks and more than half a dozen jobs under his belt, Kian felt like he was thriving as a temp. Yes, he still occasionally got turned away because of his fae side, but more often than not, the companies looking for temps didn't give a shit who was doing the job as long as it was done efficiently. And since Kian had a lifetime of experience in over a hundred different fields, he either knew what he was doing or was quick to pick it up. He even got some requests for him to return, because they liked his work.
He waltzed into Charmed Away with a bright smile on his face. He’d felt lighter recently, less angry. Part of that was probably because he wasn’t arguing with his bosses on a weekly basis about the promises he’d made on the job. Things were easier and while his jobs weren’t in the field he’d been interested in, at least he could get through the day without a fight on his hands.
“Kian!” Doreen’s hiss surprised him. She waved him over frantically, her eyes wide. He turned on his heel, making a beeline for her, and when he stopped in front of her desk, she immediately leaned closer and started whispering. “There’s something crazy going on at Spellbound. More than half theagency is being called in to help. You need to go see Morana right now for an assignment.”
Doreen wasn’t the type to play pranks, so he knew what she was saying was true. With a sharp nod, he hurried to Morana’s office, where he could hear her talking on the phone, her normally strong voice a little more edgy than normal in her attempt to handle whatever was happening. When he poked his head in, she did a double take and waved him in, handing him a list on her desk. She put her hand over the receiver, speaking quietly to him.
“I need you to go around the office and get that filled out. We need all the positions filled. Do not give anything important to Charlotte. She’s not reliable enough to handle Spellbound contracts. Can I trust you to handle this?”
“I’ll get it done.”
While he was one of the more recent hires for the company, he was a lot older and had a lot more work experience than the rest of the people who worked for Charmed Away. Morana had started relying on him for help after the first week when he proved he could handle the hardest jobs with no trouble. No one else seemed to care either way. Except for Kuzmila and a few other dwarves who couldn’t stand him. Was it petty to go to them last to see if they were interested in filling in the jobs?
Sitting in an empty cubicle, he looked over the list and wrote out who he thought would be best suited for each job. Doreen was right that it would be more than half the company when everything was said and done. He had to readjust the list twice after looking at who was on a job and who wouldn’t be available in a decent time frame. When it was finally through, he started making phone calls.
He was halfway done with the list when Morana came looking for him. She looked over who he’d called so far, nodding in agreement with his choices, before turning to him. “I need youon that list, too. There will be a lot of our staff in that building, and I want you around in case they have any trouble. We’ll be short-staffed here, so I’ll be busy, and I don’t want to leave anyone hanging. Pick a job on that list that you can do while still making time for the team. They’ll all report to you until the chaos is settled.”
