by Amber Garr
I didn’t have much time to grieve, which was a blessing in disguise. A few minutes after Conner left, my favorite nurse walked in with a wheel chair.
“Time to go,” she said excitedly.
It took me a moment to remember that I was finally going to talk to Garrick. My smile grew and my heart skipped with anticipation. He’d been transferred to the same floor but on the far side of the building. When we got to the room, the nurse let me roll myself inside and left to give us some privacy.
A lot of machines beeped and churned, but somehow he still heard us arrive. His skin was pale and he had stubble on his face, other than that, he looked like the Garrick I’d expected. Turning his head to the side, he smiled and held out his hand.
“Leila.”
I rolled as close as I could get with my three foot leg sticking straight out and squeezed his hand.
“Hey there. How are you feeling?”
“Great. This place is awesome.” We both laughed and looked at each other for a beat. Our hands stayed clasped together.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for coming after me. I knew you would.”
“What happened? Danny filled me in, but I know there’s more to the story.”
“Oh, Garrick. You have no idea.”
I spent the next thirty minutes telling him everything. From the first day I’d met the supernatural crime fighting team to the werewolf that almost killed him. He sat and listened intently, asking only a few questions. When I finished I told him about the liaison position.
“They want to work with me?”
“Looks that way. I don’t think it will be all of the time, but on cases like this last one…it might end up saving a lot of lives.”
“Hmmm.” He turned his head back to rest on the pillow. “What kind of drugs are they giving me?”
“Unfortunately, this isn’t a hallucination. But for what it’s worth, you’re handling it much better than I did. And I’m kind of like them myself.”
“Hmmm,” he said again.
“You better not be tiring him out. We have to get him back to work soon,” Detective Sherwood interrupted from the door.
“Aren’t visiting hours over?” I teased.
“Not when you have a badge, baby.” I shook my head at him. “Just wanted to say goodnight to the youngster and tell him that I’ll be back tomorrow to go over the case some more.”
“Then you’ll be the one to blame when he slips into a coma.”
“Funny, Leila.” Danny walked close enough to grab Garrick’s foot. “See you tomorrow. Night, Gimpy.” He directed that last comment to me.
“He’ll never grow up,” Garrick said as the senior detective walked out the door. Turning his head back to me, he continued. “Now, let’s talk about our non-date and what we can do to make a real one.”
“Well, for starters, we need to make sure that demons aren’t around.” I smiled and he returned it.
“Deal. No demons. So what will our new and improved date be like?”
I told him what I wanted, and he added a few surprises of his own. It was one of those games where we laid out everything we wished we could do. When it became obvious that our ideas were too extravagant, we laughed and started over. This time, we planned every detail for our date in the city so that when we were healed, there would be no rain check.
Twenty Five
Four weeks later, I was getting ready for my first date with Garrick…again. We’d decided to make a day out of it with a visit to the aquarium, followed by dinner at the Harbor, and a movie at a retro theatre. I’d been looking forward to this all week.
With winter was fast approaching, not only was it cold, but it was gray and rainy all of the time. Sexy and short wasn’t going to cut it on this day, so I settled on jeans, heeled boots, and a turtleneck sweater. Yes, I was covered up, but I didn’t feel like I needed to show off all of my assets yet.
Garrick and I spoke on the phone regularly. I was released from the hospital the day after I saw him in his room, but still stopped by to visit. Well, I made Danny take me along since I wasn’t able to drive myself, and he would go all of the time. During our car rides, he kept me updated with the progression of the case.
No one could find any evidence to discredit our story. The warehouse had burned to the ground, and apparently Leanna had enough insurance to cover the costs and leave some extra to her beneficiaries. I had suspected that was her fellow coven members, but I secretly hoped it was Atticus.
The history teacher had suffered a lot of external injuries, but none were as bad as the betrayal of his lover. He’d been fairly nonchalant about Leanna’s death when we were at the warehouse, but once the excitement was over, reality settled in. They had a house together, joint bank accounts, and plans to marry someday. In the few times I’d spoken with Atticus since, he seemed more angry over the fact that he didn’t get to confront her, rather than her actual death. He was stuck dealing with the aftermath of her insanity in more ways than one. The magical community excluded him because of their relationship, but we all assured him that we stick by his side. I don’t know if it helped.
Angela made a quick recovery and local and national news channels reported on her triumphant return for days. Fortunately, she didn’t remember much of anything other than a small group of people in her room on the night she was kidnapped. Since she couldn’t identify anyone and the evidence had been destroyed, we thought she should be safe. The state had no one left alive to prosecute. Hopefully the other families would get some closure now too.
Detective Sherwood suspected there was more to the story, but since Garrick and I both told the same tale over and over, he could do nothing about his qualms. The fact that he was openly sharing information with me was trustworthy enough that I didn’t want to push my luck and reveal the other creatures of the night. He would never believe.
I fastened my necklace when I eyed the Devil’s Shoestring bracelet. The charm had not left my side after Conner gave it to me. I rolled it around in my fingers and slipped it on my wrist.
Since he walked out of my hospital room, I haven’t spoken to him. A bouquet of fresh orchids had been delivered to my home on the day I arrived, but without a note. I suppose it was wishful thinking imagining they came from Conner. Apparently Mac had talked to him, although he wasn’t very forthcoming on the details of their conversation. He reminded me that Conner was different than the rest of us and he needed some time away. I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be permanent.
Mac became a regular visitor along with Elise. Although where Elise would use the front door, Mac had a terrible habit of showing up out of thin air and usually in my bedroom. We’ve been arguing over boundaries lately.
Elise and I quickly became good friends. She and Sara clicked instantly and even though we couldn’t let her in on all of the secrets, Sara was content to believe that Elise was a school teacher and her gigantic boyfriend worked in private security. Promises were made to have a group outing in the near future with drinks and dancing as a big part of the plan.
Out of all of my visitors though, Terez was the one I felt most grateful for. Her knack for calming me, added to the fact I could now speak to her about my supernatural concerns, really made me feel like I had a family here in this city. I drilled her with questions about the people I’d met almost every time she was around.
The transition Asmodeus was trying to accomplish evolved from an ancient belief that a demon could walk amongst humans permanently if they consumed enough souls. And not only regular souls, but those that originated from a supernatural line. As Conner had said, a true transition was not possible even though his father had been trying for millennia. So for now, Asmodeus could only be summoned by magic. Atticus helped collect the grimoire after Leanna’s death and it’d been locked away someplace safe within the Coven. I, for one, hoped the demon would stay out of this world for quite some time.
My life had changed drastically over the past two months. I was learning to
deal with unexpected scenarios both with the world I lived in and with my heart. Sara and Ben came with me to visit Russ’ grave one more time. I needed to tell him about Garrick and let him know I was going to try and be happy again. Sara and Ben talked to him about football, restaurants, and me, even though I stood next to them the entire time. My visits weren’t devastating anymore. I had to thank Garrick and Conner for that.
And speaking of the detective, he recovered quickly. Within a week, he’d been released and recently went back to work. He still had a cast on his arm, but the wound on his neck could be hidden by a bandage and collared shirt. The plastic surgeon did an excellent job repairing the tears, and although there would be a scar, it wouldn’t be too obvious. He remained silent about the truths I’d told him. Mac promised we would have Garrick down to Fantasy Villa sometime in the near future to introduce everyone. I was trying to stall that as discretely as I could.
My wrist only needed a soft cast and I’d lost the full-length peg leg. Now my knee was stabilized in a regular knee brace and I had crutches to use as needed. It still wasn’t pretty, but it sure beat a wheelchair. And I could finally drive again. My bumps and bruises had healed, leaving only memories behind. Some nights my dreams haunted me but less frequently now. I would heal eventually, both inside and out.
The doorbell rang and I jumped with surprise. I ran to answer it, checking the peephole this time.
I’d learned my lesson.
When I opened the door, Garrick stood there with a smile. He handed me a candied apple on a stick and after I looked questioningly at him, he laughed.
“It’s fall. The flowers weren’t good so I thought I’d bring you something sweet instead.”
“Okay…well, it’s lovely. Thank you.”
“Are you ready?”
I put the apple in the refrigerator and grabbed my purse. I was going on a date.
“Let’s go,” I said as I locked the door behind me.
A young mermaid is forced to choose between love and duty while facing the consequences of her decisions.
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About the Author
Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner and author of the bestselling novels The Syrenka Series, the award-winning Water Crisis Chronicles, The Leila Marx Novels, and the Death Warden Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.
Titles Available Now
The Syrenka Series:
Promises
Betrayal
Arise
The Leila Marx Novels and Novellas:
Touching Evil
Scorched
The Water Crisis Chronicles
Waterfall
Waterproof
The Death Warden Series
Soulless
Furthermore: An Anthology
Somewhere South of Normal: An Anthology
Coming Soon
Watermarked
Touching Death
Connect with Amber Online:
www.ambergarr.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberGarr
@AmberGarr1