Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Elijah sat across his first loyalty interview, studying the vampire carefully.
She was obviously not happy to be here, her arms crossed over her chest, and her glare locked on him.
Brennus sat beside him, explaining the process, but she didn’t pay him much attention.
All her animosity was focused on Elijah.
“And if I don’t consent?” she snapped when Brennus finished his explanation.
“Then we’ll be reviewing your file and discussing next steps. You are in no way obligated to agree to an interview with Mr. Washburne, but it won’t look good for you if you refuse.”
Her eyes finally shifted to Brennus, narrowing sharply. “So in other words, if I want to keep my job, I have no choice.”
“Not necessarily,” Elijah interjected. “That would be unethical. But given the current circumstances–”
“I wasn’t part of that,” she growled.
He nodded slowly. “And a quick interview with me will prove that. However, without the interview, we’ll be required to look into past conduct and probation may be necessary to ensure–”
She cut him off again, scowling at them both. “What past conduct? I haven’t done anything!”
“I didn’t say that–” Elijah tried again, only to be cut off as the vampire raised her voice.
“Is this because Aristeos asked me out a few times? I said no! And I reported it! I shouldn’t be punished for him being a creep!”
Elijah hadn’t known that part. He didn’t have a chance to find her file before he was dragged into this meeting. He hadn’t even had a chance to go back to his office to check in on Alistair before he was dragged away. Too many people wanted his help.
“I can assure you, it has nothing to do with that. We merely need to ascertain loyalty. Aristeos’s abrupt exit left us with more questions than answers. We’re just trying to ensure the company is safe,” Brennus informed her.
There probably could have been a better way to state that.
Elijah had suggested waiting a day or two so they could discuss how to approach the conversation without staff assuming offense.
Ozen was too worried about a mole and wanted the interviews to start right away. Who was Elijah to argue with the CEO?
She scoffed, giving them both a dirty look. “You know what? Fine. Just hurry up.” She thrust her hand out at Elijah, her expression filled with disgust and a tinge of fear that made Elijah’s heart sink. He didn't want her to be afraid.
“Miss Kavita, let me assure you that this interaction will be entirely painless. I will not look for anything more than your thoughts and feelings on the company. It should take less than a few minutes as long as your mind remains open for me.”
She didn’t look any more at ease, wiggling her fingers in a silent demand for him to hurry up.
Letting out a breath, he accepted her hand and pulled on his magic, feeling the flow of it as it sought out her mind.
Vampires had decent mental shields, and he’d never force his way past, but a gentle knock of his magic against the shields had her cautiously lowering them enough for him to get a true glimpse in her mind.
While he didn't use his magic often, he had a firm grip on it, enough that he could easily ignore the rest of what she thought and felt and only focus on what was relevant. When Brennus first asked for his assistance in intervening in conflicts around the office, he went home for some specialized training to make sure he didn’t have to poke around to find what he needed.
His father, having had a prophecy that the skill would be needed, allowed Elijah to practice on him until Elijah felt he had the skill down well enough to use it on others.
Kavita’s thoughts on the company were mixed.
She enjoyed her job in the sales team, but she didn’t love some of her coworkers.
When she complained about Aristeos’s flirting, some of them had sided with him and told her to give him a chance, completely ignoring how she felt about it.
She didn’t trust them after that. And she wasn’t happy that SR was forcing her to have this interview.
Other than that, her intentions were pure and Elijah didn’t feel like they needed to worry about her acting as a mole.
He pulled out his magic, blinking a few times to clear his head. It took him a few minutes to stop getting information from someone if he delved deep like that. Proximity helped, and he was sure once she left, the feelings of irritation and fear would slip away.
“Thank you, Miss Kavita. You’re an asset to the sales department, and I’m sure they appreciate your input. If you have any issues that you feel aren’t being taken seriously, please contact me directly. I’ll be more than happy to look into it for you.”
She frowned at him, confused. “That’s it?”
He nodded once. “Common reactions are lightheadedness and a general sense of being uncomfortable, but those will fade in a few minutes. Can I get you a water?”
She shook her head slowly. “I feel fine.”
“Excellent,” Brennus said, pushing to his feet. “We’ll let you get back to your desk, then. I appreciate your promptness in meeting with us.”
She left with a look of confusion on her face, and Elijah let out a heavy sigh as the door closed behind her.
Brennus set a claw on his shoulder, reassuring him, “They just don’t know any better, Elijah. Perhaps this will be a good thing. If enough people experience your magic, they might come to realize you aren’t a threat.”
Maybe. But he doubted it.
Three interviews later, Elijah trudged up to his office.
Every single one started with a battle, just like Kavita’s did.
It took coaxing and reassurance to get them to even consider it, and still, one person decided to refuse.
They took issue with the idea that they would be put on probation as well and quit outright.
Elijah couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for that.
If he wasn’t involved, would they have been more willing to be forthcoming?
His temples throbbed with the headache that had settled in during the third interview.
The centaur might have agreed to the interview, but they fought him every step of the way.
Getting through their thoughts on the company was difficult when the man was practically screaming at Elijah in his mind.
The words he’d cast at him were… hurtful.
Busy rubbing his temples, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was walking until he bumped into Alistair. This time, instead of snarling, Alistair caught his arms to steady him, frowning at him.
“Are you alright?”
Elijah didn't have the energy to be stunned by the casual touching at the moment. It was hard to fully open his eyes. The headache only seemed to worsen as the minutes passed by.
He was barely cognizant of being moved as he was guided to the couch and nudged into sitting.
A few moments later, a wet paper towel was settled on the back of his neck, making him gasp from the shock of it.
It helped a little in settling his headache.
Enough that he could look up at Alistair and give him a pained smile.
“I appreciate your help, but if touching me makes you uncomfortable, you don’t need to force yourself. I’ll be alright.” Eventually.
“You’ve never given me a reason to feel uncomfortable, Elijah,” Alistair grouched. “Do you have any potions for headaches, or should we pick one up on the way home?”
“I, uh… I don’t think I have anything with me. I’ll be alright with some rest, though. You don’t need to go to the trouble.”
Alistair made an irritated noise but didn’t comment any further.
Elijah took a few moments to close his eyes, just breathing.
The interviews were easy enough if the staff were cooperative like Kavita had been.
At most, he could expect a light headache after so many in a row.
But attacks like the third interview felt like physical blows and left him reeling.
He hadn’t experienced anything like that in a long while and struggled to cope.
Perhaps if he was able to exercise his magic more often, he would have been able to protect himself better.
Voices from outside his office tried to grab his attention, but he found it hard to focus. Were they talking about him?
“Are you not even going to check him?”
“I-I’m not sure…”
“What do you mean you’re not sure? You either check him or you don’t. There’s nothing to be unsure about.” He was pretty sure Alistair was the angrier voice. He whimpered a little. No more angry voices, please.
“He’s in pain. You’re seriously not going to do anything to help him?” Alistair demanded incredulously.
“He’s a telepath. Injured supernaturals can lash out with their magic. You can’t expect her to put herself at risk for him.”
He recognized the voices, but for the life of him, he couldn’t place them at the moment. Still, it hurt to hear just how little they thought of him.
“Fine. Just go,” Alistair snapped.
From the hurried footsteps, whoever he had been talking to didn’t wait around to argue.
Elijah sank in a little deeper on himself.
Perhaps he needed to reconsider his work here.
He thought he had been making progress as of late; he at least had a few friends now.
But if people were still this terrified of him, then he felt guilty for making them uncomfortable just so he could feel productive.
He could move back home. There was government assistance for telepaths who struggled to find work.
If he stayed out of everyone’s way, they’d all be happier for it.
Warm hands wrapped around his elbows, pulling him to his feet. “Don’t open your eyes if it hurts. I’ll get you to the car,” Alistair said gruffly, putting a hand on Elijah’s lower back to lead him out of his office.
Elijah still reeled with each of Alistair’s casual touches, but he was in too much pain to truly bask in it. At least not until Alistair tucked Elijah against his side like he might a lover. He even pushed lightly on Elijah’s head to encourage him to rest his head on Alistair’s shoulder.
“Relax. I’ve got you.”