Boreal and John Grey Season 1

by Chrystalla Thoma

  A needle dripped serum, painkillers and antibiotics into Finn’s arm. Testing Finn’s blood type to check compatibility with a donor was out of the question. So she’d spoken against a transfusion and the doctor had reluctantly agreed.

  Sarah had arrived with Mike and between the two of them they’d hidden the car and somehow arranged the paperwork. No questions asked. Still, Ella avoided looking at the doctor. She stared instead at Finn. A transparent plastic tube tucked under his nose delivered oxygen. His fingers were wrapped around hers, and blue showed under his pale lashes. He was awake. She squeezed his hand, a wave of protectiveness and fear rolling inside her.

  “What about the bullet?” she asked.

  “It’s lodged in the rib bone. There are some bone fragments we should remove. Your friend was very lucky. The book he carried inside his jacket, and the leather strap of the holster he was wearing slowed down the bullet. Though I have to say I’m impressed by the strength of his bones. And by his luck.” The doctor’s brows lifted. “Had the bullet hit him any higher, it would have found his heart.”

  Ella shuddered. It was only appropriate that John Grey’s saga had saved John Grey’s life.

  Finn didn’t bat a lid. Then again, his eyes had slid shut. She shook his hand. “Hey, wake up.”

  “He needs to rest,” the doctor said, frowning.

  And let him open a Gate right inside the hospital? No way in hell. Not even Sarah could get them out of that sticky mess. “He’ll want to hear what we’re discussing, since it’s about him.” She shook him again. “Hey.”

  Finn blinked, breath catching. “Norma,” he wheezed. “Where is she?”

  “She’ll be fine.” Actually, she was in the intensive-care unit, but if Ella told Finn the truth, she was sure he’d get up and go find her, even if he died in the process.

  “We need to remove the bullet and the fragments,” the doctor was saying. “They’re close to major arteries. It’s a simple surgery, very straightforward.”

  Simple for humans, but for elves? “Is it a serious surgery? Do you have to use full anesthesia?”

  The doctor narrowed his eyes at her. He was young, his dark hair short, his faded blue eyes serious. “It should be quite straightforward. Bullet’s close to the surface, palpable under the skin, the fragments, too. Why? Does he have a history of adverse reaction to anesthetic?”

  Ella bit her lip, wondering what to say — what would be best for Finn. She only hoped Sarah could handle the doctor and his staff, make sure Finn’s identity wouldn’t be revealed during surgery.

  “Will he feel anything if you use local anesthetic?”

  The doctor hesitated. “Probably not.”

  She winced. Didn’t want Finn in any more pain. “Will he dream if you put him under?”

  The doctor frowned. “Normally not, but patients do report dreams occasionally.”

  That settled it. If more Gates opened, she couldn’t protect anyone in her tired state. “Local anesthetic it is.” She took a deep breath. “As soon as possible. We can’t stay long.”

  The doctor’s frown deepened and he opened his mouth, no doubt to retort that Finn couldn’t take off in his state, but Sarah walked in, her high heels tapping a muted staccato on the yellow linoleum floor.

  “Is everything okay?” She glanced at Finn on the bed, then Ella, before turning her attention to the doctor. “Dr. Evans, thank you for helping us out once again.”

  Ella quirked a brow.

  “They’ve been working with the Organization for a hundred years now,” Sarah said, smiling. “They are our trusted people.”

  Ella’s brain was particularly slow that morning, but now it froze to a stop. Wait. If they collaborated with the Organization, they might inform Dave of the new arrivals at the clinic.

  “Sarah, can I talk to you for a second?”

  “Sure.” Sarah nodded at the doctor. “From what I caught from your conversation, the surgery should be quick, so why don’t you get started while we talk outside.”

  “No, I need to be there.” Ella nudged Finn’s arm and he opened his eyes. He kept falling asleep — or passing out, and she wasn’t sure which was scarier. “Don’t start without me.”

  The doctor didn’t look happy but only shrugged. “I’ll get him prepped.”

  ***

  “How’s Norma?” Ella walked a few steps down the corridor, past two nurses who were discussing notes on a clipboard. “Is she out of critical care?”

  “Not yet.” Sarah nodded at an open window. “Mind if I smoke? Helps calm my nerves.”

  Sarah looked perfectly calm, in Ella’s opinion. In fact, she looked as if she’d just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine, whereas Ella looked as if she’d dropped out of a particularly bad B-rated movie. She glanced down at her filthy, blood-covered shirt, her legs streaked with mud, her bare feet. A shiver wracked her.

  Pushing grimy strands of hair behind her ears, she followed Sarah to the open window. “I can’t thank you enough for saving our asses.” She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes for a long, blissful moment. “Where’s Mike?”

  “Grabbing us all some coffee.” Sarah pulled a slim cigarette from a white pack and lit it. She offered the pack to Ella who shook her head.

  “So spill.” Sarah drew on her cigarette, her cat-like eyes half-closing. “What the hell happened? Who shot the cutie-pie?”

  Cutie-pie? Ella rubbed her face. Her eyes stung as if they had sand in them, and her arm burned. She tried not to think about the snarling pain in her slashed hand. Blood had seeped through the bandage, making her fingers sticky.

  How much could she tell Sarah? “Dave, my boss, shot him.”

  “Dave, the Dark elf robot of doom?”

  Ella nodded, chewing on her lip. “He came into my apartment and tried to shoot me. Finn got in the way.” There. Sounded plausible, didn’t it?

  “Do you think your boss got wind of our investigation about him?”

  Ella shrugged and looked out. A trim garden spread below, surrounded by the wards of the clinic. The sun shone, hurting her eyes, and the lawn was so green it looked plastic.

  “He can’t know Finn is here. He’s looking for us.”

  “Yeah, saw your face on the news.” Sarah tsked. “Mike was frantic with worry when I went to pick him up.”

  “I didn’t know you and Mike knew each other.” Ella frowned at the garden. “Have you been keeping tabs on me?”

  “Can you blame a girl?” Sarah shrugged. “The Shades may say many obscure things, but I’ve always listened to them. The habit’s hard to break.”

  Ella said nothing. Sarah thought she was working for John Grey, and for the first time she couldn’t deny it. “Where’s Mike? Why haven’t I seen him yet?” Her hand inched toward the grip of Finn’s gun, tucked in her waistband. “What have you done to him?”

  “What are you talking about?” Sarah muttered. “I said he’s getting us some coffee.”

  “Really.” Ella opened her mouth to demand Mike be brought there, when footsteps sounded behind them.

  “Ella!” Mike sounded relieved, and when Ella turned, she saw he held three paper cups filled with steaming coffee. “Sarah told me you were okay but you know, until I saw you with my own eyes...” He grinned.

  Sarah winked.

  Christ.

  At least Mike was okay. Ella moved her hand away from the gun and accepted a paper cup. “You shouldn’t give me this stuff. I’ll be climbing the walls in five minutes’ time.”

  “You look like you need something stronger than tea,” Mike said, his grin wilting. “Where’s Finn?”

  Ella clutched the cup so tightly it began to cave in. “Being prepped for a surgery to remove the bullet. He’s going to be okay,” she rushed to say when Mike paled. “He was lucky.” She took a sip of coffee — Mike had thoughtfully added sugar to the bitter liquid — and tried to calm herself. It was going to be fine. Once the bullet was out and she was sure Finn was all right, they’d be a
ble to leave.

  And go where? Would Sarah keep helping them?

  “Has your boss gone raving mad?” Mike swallowed half his coffee in a gulp and made a face. “Oh shit. Don’t tell me he found out about Finn.”

  About Finn. Right.

  Oh fuck.

  Ella took an instinctive step back. Shit, she was way too slow today. Her head felt like a bag of rocks.

  “What about Finn?” Sarah’s face hardened. She glanced from Mike to Ella, full mouth downturned. “What about him?”

  Mike’s eyes widened. Yeah, pal, Sarah hadn’t known Finn was aelfr. Way to put your foot in your mouth.

  “He’s one of them, isn’t he?” Sarah’s coffee hit the floor, scalding liquid flying, and drew her gun on Ella in one swift movement. “An elf. Which is why Dave shot him.”

  Mike groaned, his eyes huge. He gestured frantically at Sarah. “What are you doing?”

  Ella took a deep breath, trying to still the trembling in her hands. She held them out to the sides. “Finn has done nothing to you. He saved your life once.”

  “You,” Sarah nodded at Mike, her gaze stony, “you’ve known. Both of you kept this secret — for how long?”

  Ella glanced toward Finn’s door. “I swear, if you do anything to harm either of them...”

  Sarah puffed in annoyance. “Talk or I’ll shoot you. I’m not kidding around.”

  Ella swallowed. Maybe if she gave Sarah something, she’d back off. Besides, being an elf wasn’t a crime, was it? “Yeah, okay, you guessed right. He’s an elf. He crossed over when the first Gate opened. And he’s been fighting on our side ever since. I swear it.” She played her trump card. “I swear it on Simon.”

  Sarah’s gun wavered, then dipped a little. “God. An elf.”

  “You’re not going to kill him, are you?” Ella’s heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest.

  “Because you love him?” Sarah drawled. “Elves are the enemy. Why should I spare him?”

  “Look.” Ella struggled to keep her voice low. “We’re trying to stop the Gates from forming, and Finn is our ally. What’s so hard to understand about this? Is your secret organization interested in slaughtering elves or in protecting the Gates?”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “You swear Finn’s on our side?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cross your heart and hope to die?”

  “Fuck this,” Ella muttered. “I’m not in a good mood, okay? I haven’t slept all night, have been worried sick about Finn and Norma, and I’m not sure whether you’re about to put a bullet through me or if you’re just having fun.”

  “Yeah, I’m having a blast,” Sarah snapped. “What do you think?”

  “Just say what you want me to do.”

  Sarah lowered her gun. “I swear, if you’re keeping anything else from me...” She let the threat hang in the air. “Run along now, go check on cutie-pie. I’ll keep an eye out for Dave Holborn.”

  Leery of Sarah’s sudden acquiescence, Ella nodded. “Don’t shoot me in the back, okay? I hate that.”

  Sarah sighed. “Look, my family has belonged to the Organization for generations. I’m sworn to protecting the Gates at any cost. Perhaps you don’t realize what an elven invasion is like, but I assure you it won’t be pretty.” She ran her fingers through her fringe. “If you’re telling me the truth about where your loyalty lies, I’m on your side.”

  “You have a funny way of showing it,” Ella muttered, too exhausted to care about pissing Sarah off more. She turned around and headed toward Finn’s room. “Next time try asking without pulling a gun on me.”

  ***

  “Here is the culprit,” the doctor said, words muffled behind the surgical mask. The bullet clanked into the metal bowl the nurse offered him, amidst the bone shards he’d already pulled out. He wiped his hands on a paper towel and picked up a curved needle, threaded with black. “Almost done now.”

  Ella shifted her hold on Finn’s shoulder to get a better look at his face. The tightness around his eyes and mouth told her he was uncomfortable, but for all she knew he could be in agonizing pain or feeling the merest of twinges.

  Finn the Sphinx.

  The doctor bent over Finn’s chest. It was a map of battles: the long scar from his heart to his abdomen, the pink, fresh scars in his side, old white scars and new, dark bruises mottling his ribs. He looked strong even lying on the surgery table covered to his hips, a bleeding slice under his heart which the doctor was now stitching. Strong and yet drained, thin and exhausted.

  Meanwhile, outside the surgery room, Sarah was an unknown factor, Norma barely hung onto life, and Mike thought he knew what Finn was, but really he didn’t, while Dave roamed the city, searching for them.

  How far and how fast could they run like this? Where would they go? How long until Finn couldn’t keep awake any longer — and she was sure he’d done his best to keep awake until now — and opened another Gate, bringing the Organization and the army on their asses, not to mention the elves?

  “All done,” the doctor said, his voice jolting her. The nurse was taping gauze over Finn’s chest and wiping the blood that had run down the sides.

  She didn’t want to see any more of Finn’s blood. Didn’t want to see him hurt or unconscious ever again. She didn’t think her heart could take it.

  The nurse wheeled Finn out and Ella hastened to follow, pulling the mask off her face and taking a deep breath of stale air, heavy with antiseptic. At least Finn was out of immediate danger, but she should check on Norma. Finn’s sanity seemed linked to her well-being.

  Ella padded barefoot behind the stretcher, ignoring the stares from nurses they came across. God, what she wouldn’t give for a shower and a bed. She’d scrubbed down in order to be let into the surgery, but hadn’t had time for anything else.

  After Finn had been transferred to a bed and made comfortable, she waited until the nurse had replaced the needle pumping painkillers into him, checked the bandage over the wound, and left the room. The door closed.

  “Finn.” Ella touched his face and his gaze found her. His eyes were clouded with the drugs. “Stay awake. Please try. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  He licked his lips; they were cracked and dry. He blinked at her sleepily. His breathing was easing out.

  Shit.

  “Did you hear me?” She stroked a strand of silky hair off his face and he leaned into her touch. The knot in her throat made it hard to breathe. “I’ll just check on Norma and get my clothes and hiking boots from the car.”

  She practically ran out of the room. Outside she found Mike waiting. He was shifting from foot to foot, a worried expression on his face. “How is he?”

  “It went well, I think,” Ella muttered, exhausted. “Will you stay with him? I need to change clothes.”

  “Sure.”

  “Don’t let him sleep. Can you handle that?”

  Mike flinched, and she sighed. Yeah, she was angry with him for letting slip what Finn’s was, and she was too tired to hide it. “Sorry, buddy. Of course you can. I won’t be gone long.”

  Down the hall, she found Sarah leaning against the wall, arms folded. Finn’s favorite position. She quirked a brow at Ella and followed her toward the stairs.

  “What do you want?” Ella snapped.

  “How’s cutie-pie?”

  “Fine.”

  “You don’t look relieved.”

  Ella whirled on her. “What do you want? Are we best buddies now, because you didn’t give us in? Or is it because you spared my life?” God, her arm hurt and she felt light-headed. A shiver shook her.

  “I came when you called,” Sarah said. “Isn’t that what a friend would do?”

  Ella lifted her hands, exasperated, and continued toward the intensive-care unit. “Remember I want to stop the elves from invading as much as you do.”

  “Pillow talk is the best way to get insider information, I’ll bet.”

  “Is this supposed to be funny? Aren’t you supposed to
be still in mourning over Simon?” Ella stomped down the stairs. “What’s with the chipper mood?”

  “Hey, life goes on. Right now I’ve got an invasion to worry about. That doesn’t mean I’m not sad Simon’s gone.”

  “I didn’t know sorrow was so easy to hide.”

  “And I didn’t know one could lie for so long with such a straight face,” Sarah said. “Living with an elf, working with him. I’m impressed.” Sarah skipped down the steps and turned, cornering her. Her eyes blazed. “You’ve told me the whole truth, right?”

  “Yes.” Dammit, she was tired.

  “Nobody else can help you, you know that, right? Your boss, the police and the army are after you. You say you want to stop the invasion. I could make a difference if only you’d tell me what you know.”

  “And what it is you think I know?” Ella muttered, defeated.

  “Look, I’ve locked this building, made sure nobody walks out of here without me knowing, no phones or internet or smoke signals can be sent out.” Sarah gestured at the staircase. “Simon trusted you with his life.”

  “And I failed him.”

  “Nonsense.” Sarah sighed. “Simon was no oracle, but he could read people well. He trusted you, so you must be a good person. And a good person wouldn’t open the Gates to the elves.”

  Ella pressed her lips thin. “You sound like a shrink.”

  “Is it working?” Sarah leaned back on the rail, lifting a dark brow. “Be straight with me. Is there anything else I should know?”

  Just like Dave always asked her. And she always lied, as she was about to do now. “No, there’s nothing else.”

  “Right.” Sarah shrugged. “Just so you know, this was your last chance. If I catch cute-pie aiding his fellow elves in any way...” She raised an imaginary gun and pulled the trigger.

  Ella shuddered and swallowed hard. Right. Dave’s way of dealing with it. “Gotcha. Now get out of my way.”

  Chapter Six

  Time

  Norma’s condition was the same: still critical. Ella couldn’t tell Finn that, not now. More lies. Always more, a whole damn web ensnaring her.