by Linda Wisdom
Lili made her way to Dr. Mortimer’s office and was instantly admitted to the antique-laden room. He directed her to a heavily embroidered chair that she was positive was stuffed with horsehair. She tried not to wrinkle her nose at the strong scent of his tobacco that hung in the air. A carved pipe sat in a nearby ashtray.
After accepting his offer of tea, she took a covert look at her surroundings. Lili was used to a wizard doctor’s office being of the stuffy variety. Usually there was too much furniture, books, and scrolls from various eras and frequently a collection of personal keepsakes. She saw books her fingers itched to peruse and pieces of jade and ivory. She narrowed her eyes a bit, sensing a haze over the shelves covering the walls, but discovered it only gave her a sense of disorientation. She swallowed the hint of nausea and returned her gaze to the desk.
“They’re lovely pieces,” she commented when she noticed he was watching her.
“Thank you. I spent some time in China in the 1700s studying under a revered healer and later moved to Africa where I heard of a tribal medicine man who was successful with herbs. There are gifts from both of them on that table.” His demeanor relaxed a little. “According to your personnel records, your mother was a very talented healer.”
She tamped down the sharp prick of pain in her heart. “Yes, she was. I learned a great deal from her before I entered the Witches Academy.” She tried not to shift around on the prickly chair as she leaned forward for her teacup in hopes it would help the slight sense of imbalance. Luckily, a few sips seemed to make her feel better. She smiled and waited for her superior’s reason for requesting her presence.
“I will be frank with you, Dr. Carter.” The wizard sipped his Earl Grey. “The more I think about it, the more I realize just how uncomfortable I am with you treating Patient 1172. Especially with your insistence you not have the aides in the room with you.” He nodded at her look of surprise. “Yes, I was informed you ordered them out of the treatment room. Considering his deranged mind, that is not advisable.”
“All patients are allowed their privacy,” she said, knowing it was a reminder he might not want to hear. “And I will be honest, Dr. Mortimer, I don’t feel Turtifo and Coing always consider a patient’s welfare. They tend to be a little rough in their handling of some of them. That bothers me a great deal.”
“I understand your concerns, Doctor, but you must remember that all the patients down there are labeled dangerous,” he pointed out. His expression turned grim, sending a slight chill through her body. “My aides’ credentials are impeccable, Dr. Carter. I would like to remind you they are there for your protection. Do not ignore their uses.” He picked up a sheet of paper and made a few notations.
Lili felt the tightness in her jaw increase until pain shot around the base of her neck. She didn’t miss the darkness in Dr. Mortimer’s eyes nor the grim set to his face. She didn’t think she dared try a little push of power again. If he realized what she did, she would be immediately dismissed, and no hospital would hire her.
The kindly, somewhat eccentric, wizard doctor was gone and something else took his place. He left her in no doubt who was in charge.
“You may treat the others below, but Patient 1172 will be left to me. He is much too dangerous for you. That is all, Dr. Carter.” His dismissal was abrupt.
“Dr. Mortimer,” she murmured around her clenched jaw. She pushed herself out of her chair and headed for the door.
“Doctor.” The wizard’s voice stopped her. “You must realize I am doing this for your own good. You are new to treating the emotionally damaged. In time, I am certain you will have the knowledge to be an asset in this field. After all, even I was under strict restraints in the beginning.” He offered her a brief smile. “You young people can be too eager at times when patience is sorely needed. I promise you that this will be the only change.”
She nodded and murmured, “Thank you.”
Lili left the office with all the speed she could muster and made a quick detour to the ER.
“What’s wrong?” Deisphe asked, noting her heightened color.
Lili rummaged in the drug cabinet and pulled out a small linen sack. The scent of lavender filled the room. She instantly pressed it against her forehead while uttering words meant to calm her aching head.
“Dragon lady or Dr. Mortimer?” the nurse asked, leaning a hip against the counter.
“Dr. Mortimer,” she muttered, waiting for her headache to subside. She wanted coffee or even a cup of water to wash the aftertaste of tea out of her mouth. She never did like Earl Grey.
“Then aren’t you in luck we get off duty in a little bit. You need to get out there and relax.” Deisphe grinned. “Put on some sexy clothes and meet us at Crieze at seven. We’ll find some hot guys, and we’ll drink, dance, and have fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Knowing Weres, Lili had no doubt about that. She opened her mouth to decline but changed her mind at the last instant.
“It sounds like just what I need.”
The witch stopped in her office long enough to pick up her bag before she headed upstairs to the children’s ward. She’d barely stepped off the elevator when she heard the sounds of laughter and loud voices. And knew the source.
“Hello, Dr. Carter,” Jana the pediatric nurse greeted her with a smile. “Your cat is making quite an impression with our young here,” she told her. “You’ll find them in the solarium.”
“Cleo does love getting attention,” Lili admitted. “Please, always feel free to tell her if she ever becomes too much trouble.”
The faery nurse named Zia shook her head. Her pearlescent wings fluttered back and forth with the soothing scent of vanilla. Waist-length hair the shade of a rare pearl was coiled on top of her head in a neat twist. “I doubt the younglings would allow it. Many have parents who can’t visit them as often as they’d like, so it’s good when they have diversions.”
“Cleo’s good at that, all right.” Lili chuckled, admiring the brightly colored walls and large windows that allowed abundant light to enter the room. A mural of gnomes, leprechauns, and brownies was painted on the walls. She noticed several wraiths, dressed in vintage nursing uniforms, drifting through the halls, stopping in a room and smiling at the occupant. “She’s your typical furry drama queen.”
“We also have some Wuzzies here for the children who are well enough to play,” Zia told her. “But I think Cleo is now the more popular guest.”
“What kind of illnesses do you see up here?” Lili asked curiously. “I haven’t worked with pediatrics very much except for children who show up in the ER.”
“Some of the same common ailments for any child. Broken bones that refuse to knit with traditional magick, some diseases that affect various supe races,” the nurse replied. “We have a few Selkie young here who have had trouble with their pelts. A brownie that was exposed to an odd herb that created a horrible skin disorder.”
Lili nodded. “I should collect Cleo. I’d like to return here, if I may?”
“Anytime.” Zia smiled warmly. “Just follow the noise, and you’ll easily find the solarium.”
Lili discovered Zia was right. Especially when she could hear Cleo.
“Puss in Boots is nothing like that hunky cat in Shrek,” she could hear Cleo saying. “More’s the pity.”
Lili stood in the entryway and watched a young male elf pop up from the semicircle.
“Will you tell us another story?” he asked.
Cleo spied Lili. “It appears I’m being collected.” She arched her furry body and shook her head at the shouted “No!” from her audience.
“I’ll be back,” she promised with a comforting purr in her voice.
Lili smiled, knowing her feline was also purring to keep the children calm. There might not be IV bags among the young patients, but she could see the charms and medallions they wore and the runes woven into their hospital gowns. No matter the race, they were well protected and everything was being done to restore them to perfect hea
lth.
So much magick in the world, and there are still some things we can’t protect the young from.
The cat walked regally by Lili’s side as they returned downstairs.
“You’re very good with them,” Lili said, feeling guilty she hadn’t praised her friend more often for the tireless work she did to cheer up children.
Cleo sniffed. “I was a mother once.”
“And seduced your share of men,” the witch muttered.
“Not as many as the movies claim. And the actresses they’ve used in the past? Puleeze!”
Lili couldn’t help it. She had to laugh.
“As if you know what a sex life is like.” Cleo got in her parting shot before she picked up the pace and preceded Lili out of the building.
“There is nothing worse than a smart-ass cat.”
Chapter 5
It wasn’t the bright lights that surrounded Crieze’s large entrance and the sign above it that Lili saw first when she slotted her car into the parking spot. Her attention zeroed in on the tall shadows gathered nearby that looked very familiar and man-shaped. She climbed out of her SUV and started toward the dark tendrils then halted when the silhouette seemed to morph into a tiny ball until it was gone.
A demon does it better, something whispered in her ear.
“Just my imagination, nothing more,” she told herself, taking an abrupt turn in the other direction and heading for the club. She ignored the tingles running across her shoulders as she walked swiftly across the parking lot. “Damn him.”
Once inside, Lili thought about leaving immediately. She winced as the musical and vocal assault punished her ears. She quickly conjured up a bit of a noise-dampening spell to make it easier and looked around the club until she saw Deisphe waving at her.
“You made it! Cute outfit, by the way.” The Were handed her a glass with contents the color of spearmint that fizzed merrily. “You need to catch up with us.” She introduced Lili to the two nurses and doctor who shared the table.
Lili looked at her companions’ club wear and was glad she’d taken the time to shower and change into a short black silk skirt and hot pink sequined tank top with a black knit shrug that sported iridescent threads. She had flatironed her curly hair and twisted it up into an intricate ponytail.
“How do you stand the noise?” She was grateful she didn’t have to shout at Deisphe, since the Were’s hearing could easily pick up her words.
The lovely Were grinned and pointed to her ears. “Music protectors. Believe me, this noise is nothing. The music in a Were club can be loud enough to demolish a building.”
“Our Deisphe gives a whole new meaning to the name party animal. Always a pleasure to see you, Lili,” Heron, the gnome doctor, smiled at her, revealing short stubby teeth that went along with his short stubby body. While he wasn’t Lili’s type, she noticed more than a few gnome ladies were giving him an appreciative eye, while bubbly Deisphe received her own share of attention—not just because the barely present silver dress outlining her slender body shimmered under the club lights.
“What is this?” Lili asked, giving an experimental sniff of her drink, identifying strong alcohol—even if she wasn’t sure which one—and a scent that had her thinking of liquid happiness.
“Something that makes us blissful.” Deisphe nudged the glass upward. “Nothing harmful, and even better, it doesn’t give you a headache in the morning.”
“Deisphe said you’re from Chicago and that you’d worked at Crying Souls years ago,” commented Fiona, a nurse who worked in one of the main healing rooms.
“That’s right.” Lili nodded, sipping her drink and finding it everything Deisphe said it was.
“Didn’t Sera come from Chicago?” Fiona turned to the others.
Lili snapped to attention. “Sera Rainier?”
The nurse blinked at her sharp tone. “Yes. I worked with her in the ER before she moved upstairs to one of the critical care wards.”
“I’ve tried to get hold of Sera since I got here,” the witch explained, keeping her tone as casual as she could. “She worked at the same hospital I did. She has wonderful healing skills.” She refused to think of her friend in the past tense.
Deisphe shrugged. “We worked different shifts, so I didn’t know Sera as well as Fiona did. Strange thing, though. She just up and quit. Dragon Lady was really pissed about it, since we were shorthanded at the time, and we were seeing a lot of cases of that Mage Flu that was going around.”
“It didn’t make sense, since Sera was never late for a shift and always did more than her share of the work,” Fiona brought up. “You could always count on her.” She shook her head, refusing to believe what many would judge as careless and unprofessional behavior.
“And especially when the Mage Flu was so prevalent at the time,” Deisphe said. “We were all working double shifts then.”
“I don’t know why they call it Mage Flu when it doesn’t affect the mages.” Fiona accepted another deep aqua drink with ingredients that shimmered temptingly.
“Perhaps because a mage’s arrogance is enough to make us all sick,” Heron joked. “It was a shame that Sera left, though. She was an excellent nurse, and so sweet too. Does anyone know where she went?”
The others shook their heads. Lili was tempted to ask what they might know about her friend, but she didn’t think this was the time. After all, she didn’t know who she could trust.
She sipped her drink and found the taste as sparkly as it looked. She vowed that tonight was a time for relaxation and laughter, which she hadn’t indulged in for some time, feeling that work was always more important.
If you wish to be a true healer, you cannot think just of yourself. You cannot say “I’m tired, therefore, I will see to the ill on the ’morrow.” To keep your gift, you must honor it.
“Perhaps I’ve taken my mother’s words too much to heart,” she murmured to herself, accepting a third drink.
“I’m glad you came,” the Were said with warmth and sincerity.
“I am too.” Lili tapped her glass against Deisphe’s. Her gaze happened to lift, and she looked beyond her companions to a tall dark-haired man standing at the bar. He stood sideways so that he was facing her, one elbow braced on the surface while a small glass filled with a black opalescent liquid sat by his arm. His gaze wandered over her face then downward until he reached her feet encased in a pair of pink leather heels. She could feel the warmth of the gold of her ankle bracelet. It had a broomstick charm, dotted with a sapphire. Her moonstone pendant gave off a soft glow and warmed her skin as if lighting up a welcome sign.
“Ooh, look at the lovely eye candy,” Deisphe whispered in Lili’s ear as she realized what had distracted her new friend. “Think he’ll come over and join us?”
“Let’s find out.” Lili downed her drink in one swallow and stood up. Her world tilted for a second before it righted herself.
He still stood there when she reached the bar.
“I was right. It was you I saw outside, when you should be somewhere else.” She didn’t care if her words sounded like an accusation. Even if she had to admit she didn’t want anyone to be incarcerated in such a place.
Jared lifted his glass and raised it in a toast. “Hello, Dr. Carter, good to see you.” His cobalt eyes blazed a trail over the expanse of bare skin, lingering on her legs. “Nice outfit, by the way. I like it much better than those scrubs and lab coat you wear at the hospital. They cover up too much.”
“How do you speak inside my mind?” she demanded, feeling the tingle of angry magick coat her fingertips. She might be a healer, but she could also lay someone flat with her power if she so wanted it. And right now, she wanted it a great deal.
He leaned over, his breath tickling her ear. “You, of all people, should know. It’s magick, Doc.”
Lili felt another kind of heat swarm over her body as the warmth of his body wrapped around her, and his deep blue eyes bored through her as if he could see the color of her u
nderwear. She wasn’t looking at the unkempt patient she talked to at the hospital. She was looking at a male demon who called to her in an elemental way. Very dangerous to her senses.
She still couldn’t understand how Jared spoke to her when she always kept her internal wards running strong.
Just as it was every time she’d seen him outside of the asylum, Jared’s shaggy dark hair was clean and brushed against his ears, rather than the filthy strands that touched his shoulders when he was in his cell. His dark gray shirt, open at his throat, was tucked into lightweight charcoal wool trousers. There wasn’t even any sign of the sarcastic anger she saw back at the hospital. It was as if he was a totally different person. But then he was, wasn’t he?
He smells so good.
Even with the varied perfumes and men’s cologne in the immediate area that teased her nostrils, it was Jared she could still detect most distinctly. She sensed a hint of leather and woods, something clean and fresh. There was nothing there to indicate he was a demon, much less what kind he was. How did he do that?
She wasn’t good at reading auras. Not that it mattered, since she couldn’t even see anything resembling one around him. All she saw were hints of darkness.
“No wonder you can leave there so easily, since you manipulate the shadows to escape,” she blurted out. She made it sound like a curse. In a way it was, since shadow demons could also be imprisoned by the same shadowy tendrils that helped them.
His head snapped around as he turned back to her, circling her wrist with his fingers. “Would you mind keeping it down? It’s not something I tend to advertise.”
“No wonder. They’re extremely rare and not popular with anyone, not even their own kind,” she whispered fiercely, although she doubted anyone could hear them. She was positive the live band could easily be heard in Japan—another reason why she didn’t go clubbing all that often. “What in Hades is going on?” She tried to tug her wrist free from his firm grip, but he merely gently tightened his hold. She felt the scorching touch of his skin against hers.
He dipped his head to murmur in her ear. Anyone looking at them would have thought they were lovers desiring a private conversation. “That’s what I’m hoping you can tell me. But not here.” He released her wrist. He looked over her head. “Your friends look a little too interested. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again, Doc.” His smile appeared more of a threat than a promise, but it didn’t frighten her.