by Jones, AE
“Can you go a little faster?” Devin asked her.
“Of course. The sooner we get there the better.”
Devin nodded, and the team took off at a slow jog, alternating between fast walking and jogging as they headed deeper into the forest.
An hour later, Darcinda and the team emerged from the trees into the cobblestone courtyard. To the right stood McHenry’s blacksmith workshop, and to the left was a large log house with a wraparound porch. Both buildings had stunning, complex metalwork adorning the outside. Every time Darcinda visited the site, she was impressed—not that she would tell McHenry that anytime soon.
The team split up, Jack and Connor heading into the workshop with Charlie and Tim canvassing the outside of the house. Devin had told her to stay back until they could tell if it was safe, and she hadn’t argued with him, even though she probably could take on anything the team went up against. But now was not the time to give the I-am-faerie-hear-me-roar speech. She wanted to get to her patient, even if she was the last person he wanted to see.
The twins came outside again. “It looks like a bomb went off in the workshop,” Connor said.
The front door of the house opened, and Jamie came out to greet them. He was a young demon in his early twenties. The look of fear and pain in his eyes reminded Darcinda of when she met him for the first time a little over a year ago. She was sorry to see that scared look again.
“Thank you for coming,” Jamie said.
“Are we safe?” Devin asked.
“For now,” Jamie answered cryptically.
“Where is he?” Darcinda asked.
Jamie beckoned for them to follow. Devin ordered Jack, Connor, and Tim to stay downstairs and check things out. Devin, Darcinda, and Charlie climbed the stairs with Jamie leading the way.
Jamie opened the door at the end of the hall, and Darcinda barely stopped herself from gasping.
“Damn,” Devin blurted.
McHenry lay on his side with his legs pulled up. Blood ran in streams from various pieces of metal embedded in his back. Andrew stood to the side of the bed with a bowl and a pair of large tweezers while bloody towels lay piled around him.
Charlie dropped his medic bag, walked around the bed, and checked McHenry’s pulse. “It’s steady. But it looks like he’s unconscious.”
“That’s probably a blessing,” Darcinda said. She turned to Andrew. “How did this happen?”
“I’ve been trying to take out the pieces I could.” Andrew’s hand shook as he looked down at his uncle’s ravaged back. “It should have been me,” he mumbled.
Darcinda took a step closer to him. “Andrew! Tell me what happened.”
He exchanged a look with Jamie before answering. “We were in the workshop, and there was an explosion. He pushed me out of the way and took the brunt of things.”
“What type of explosion? Was it a bad spell?” she pressed.
Andrew shook his head. “It’s my fault.”
He wasn’t telling her the whole story, but she needed to work on her patient. “The metal in his shop is magical, correct?” she asked.
Andrew nodded.
“That means we won’t just be dealing with the physical injury. We’re also dealing with magical injury, and those can be trickier.”
“But he’ll be okay, right?” Jamie asked.
She knew better than to promise things she couldn’t deliver, but she couldn’t stop herself from saying yes. As bad as things looked, McHenry was one of the most stubborn males she had ever met. That tenacity would work in his favor.
“We need to get him on his stomach so I can work on his back.”
Andrew cringed. “I tried to get him to lie on his stomach, but he was in too much pain.”
Which was why he was curved in on himself. It was a good thing he was unconscious.
“I’m going to need help moving him. Let’s do it together slowly. Devin, try to straighten his legs. Charlie, hold on to his shoulder and move him toward you when I tell you to.”
Devin worked on his legs, and at her word, Charlie tilted him forward. A moan wrenched from McHenry, sounding more like a trapped animal than man.
Andrew flinched, and Jamie’s face lost all color.
“You don’t need to stay in here,” Darcinda said quietly, to soften the words. She didn’t need more people to tend to at the moment.
“I’m not leaving,” Andrew said.
Jamie lifted his chin. “Me either.”
Darcinda nodded to them both. “Stubborn like your uncle, I see.”
She held her hands over McHenry’s back for a few moments to get an idea of the extent of his injuries. What she felt through her healing senses was a convoluted mess of torn flesh and mixed magic. Spells that were battling against each other but also trying to burrow deeper into McHenry.
The healer in her would not let that happen. Time to get to work.
If stubbornness was a power, you’d be a superhero…
Chapter 3
The pain tried to swallow McHenry whole. At first it had attacked individually as each piece of metal pierced him. But then they congregated into a chorus of agony. Diabolical, really. It surged through his nerve endings until he tasted blood from biting his lip to keep from moaning, groaning, and only the Fates knew what else.
And then the pain overloaded his senses. There came a point where it took on a life of its own, like waves trying to pull him under. And then he moved into a glorious new place.
Numbness.
He never thought he would be glad to be numb, but it was his new best friend. Until someone started to dig around in his back with what felt like a machete.
Damnation!
He groaned and knew voices surrounded him, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Did he hear his nephew Jamie? And other, deeper voices as well?
One voice floated above the others. Feminine. Calming. An angel’s voice. He latched on to it. And tried to make out her words.
“Hold him down. I’ve got to work on his shoulder, and it’s going to hurt.”
Strong hands held him. And fire lanced up his right side. He couldn’t suppress the moan.
The one he thought was an angel was torturing him. Why was he not surprised?
He felt breath next to his ear as the machete-wielding angel whispered something to him. His eyes grew heavy, and he welcomed his friend numbness once again.
He wasn’t sure how long he floated in the absence of everything. But finally his senses decided to come knocking again.
A slight buzzing in his ears followed by a glow around the edges of his eyelids let him know he couldn’t float in oblivion any longer.
He waited for the pain to sear over him, but instead it was more like an incessant heat. But he still refused to take a deep breath for fear that any movement would bring back the feeling that his back was being flayed.
McHenry blinked. He couldn’t see much of the room since he lay on his stomach with his head tilted to the side. Steps sounded behind him, and he waited for the person to walk into his line of sight.
“Well, well. Sleeping Beauty is back with us,” a voice said.
He looked up and frowned. Her. That damn faerie healer. She kept showing up on his land like a skin rash from a spell gone wrong. Why did the Fates keep flinging faeries across his path?
“Who let you in?” he growled. Or more like croaked, since his throat was scratchy and dry.
One eyebrow rose at his outburst. “I came here to heal you.”
He cleared his throat. “Is that what you call it? I call it torture.”
“Don’t blame that on me. When I got here, you looked like a demon shish kabob.”
The flying metal. “Is Andrew okay?”
“He had a couple of minor scrapes, but he’s fine. I understand he has you to thank for that. Threw yourself in front of him to protect him.”
He glared at her.
Apparently his glare didn’t intimidate her in the slightest. Instead, the
right side of her mouth quirked up. “You’re welcome.”
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“You’ve been under a sleep spell for a day and a half now.”
“What?” He couldn’t have heard her right. “Why is it takin’ so long? I should have been able to heal by now.”
“True. If they had been simple puncture wounds. But many of the pieces were bespelled. So not only did we need to take care of the metal, we also had to deal with the magic that came along with it. Your body got its own version of a magical OD.”
He tried to turn over but couldn’t move, and a growl of panic burst from him before he could stop it.
Her smirk vanished as she held up her hands. “You’re okay. It’s a stasis spell. I was afraid you might hurt yourself if you moved around while sleeping. I’ll release you from it in a couple minutes. We’ll see how you do then.”
He swallowed down his embarrassment. “Good. I’m sure you’re ready to go back home.”
There was that cocky smile again. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere until I’m sure you’re okay.”
“I”—he cleared his throat—“appreciate your help. But I don’t need you hoverin’.”
“That was almost a thank-you. Did you think being nice to me would get me to leave?”
Once he was up again, he would be giving his nephews a piece—several pieces, actually—of his mind for bringing her here. He told them not to bring anyone here.
When he didn’t answer, she continued. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
He thought back. What did happen? He remembered the explosion, but the rest was fuzzy. “I would think Jamie and Andrew already told you what happened.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “I’d like to hear your version of it.”
This faerie was a pit bull with blue hair, ridiculous gem-green eyes…and was she wearing pants with Dalmatian spots? Hmpf.
He and Andrew had been working on something. He was showing him how to infuse magic into the metal and something went wrong. Had he pushed his nephew too hard? He could have gotten them both killed. “It was an accident.”
She sighed. “I could use a few more details.”
He didn’t owe her an explanation. “It’s nothin’ you need to concern yourself with. I want you out, faerie,” he growled in a low voice.
“There’s the McHenry I know. Since you can’t move right now, you can’t make me go anywhere. Relax for a few moments. I’m going to go collect the ingredients to reverse the stasis spell.” Her head tipped to the side. “Unless you want to insist I leave again?”
“Fine,” he mumbled.
She beamed at him. “That’s what I thought.”
She walked out of his line of sight, and he blew out a deep breath. What had really happened? He needed to talk to Andrew to get things straight in his head. Panic sizzled under his skin at just the thought of him ever hurting his nephew.
And the last thing he needed to deal with right now was that impossible female! He would have to prove to her that he was fine, and be quick about it, so she would leave. He’d sworn he would never allow a faerie near his family again, and this one wouldn’t stay away.
And he needed her to go far, far away.
* * *
Darcinda jogged down the stairs and walked toward the back of the house, where she heard voices. She entered the kitchen and found Devin, Charlie, Tim, and the twins sitting at the table.
“He’s awake,” she announced.
“How’s he doing?” Devin asked.
“Blustering and grouchy.”
“Back to normal,” the twins said at the same time.
Darcinda laughed. “Yes.”
“Where are Jamie and Andrew?” Charlie asked.
“I may have given them both a small suggestion spell to get some sleep. They’re exhausted.”
“We haven’t been able to get them to tell us much about what really happened,” Devin said. “Andrew keeps saying it was an accident and it was his fault, but when we try to get specifics out of him, he doesn’t tell us much. I don’t know if it has to do with the shock or not, but for some reason I don’t think he’s lying.”
“Possibly.” Darcinda turned to Tim. “Have you found anything in the workshop?”
Tim frowned. “Something powerful happened, for sure. It almost looks like a shrapnel grenade went off. When I first went into the workshop, the residual magic practically made my hair stand on end. I’ve never felt anything that strong before.”
“And now?”
“Now the magical signature’s dissipated. But I haven’t given up trying to figure out what happened.”
Darcinda nodded. “I’ll meet you out at the workshop and see if I can help once I’ve released the stasis spell.”
“Is he up for us talking to him?” Devin asked.
“Not if you gang up on him at once. Let’s give him a little bit of time first. He won’t admit it, but he’s still weak.”
Connor chimed in. “Jack and I can come help you. Maybe we can get him to tell us what happened.”
Darcinda doubted anyone could get McHenry to do anything he didn’t want to do. But who was she to stop the twins from trying? “You can talk to him, but he’s being really vague about it. I’m going to get a couple of ingredients; then let’s go back upstairs before the demon starts bellowing.”
She hoped the twins were successful in convincing him to tell them what really happened. If there was a reason he and his nephews weren’t telling them the whole truth, it couldn’t be good.
Mirror, mirror on the wall…
Chapter 4
“You’re awake.”
McHenry turned toward his nephew’s voice. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Andrew standing in the doorway. Even though Darcinda had told him Andrew was okay, he still needed to see him in the flesh as proof.
He attempted to sit up and cringed at the pain. The faerie had reversed her spell so he could move now, but she also warned him to take it easy.
Andrew rushed over and placed a pillow behind him. “Better?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Andrew blew out a hard breath. “Thank the Fates for Darcinda.”
“You shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“I know you told me not to bring anyone here, but I couldn’t let you die.” Andrew swallowed, hard. “It was bad. I tried to help, but I couldn’t do it on my own.”
McHenry held up his hand, and his nephew grasped it. “I know. It’s okay. The faerie and the twins asked me what happened.” He looked up at Andrew. “Tell me what happened.”
Andrew’s eyes widened. “You don’t remember?”
He shook his head. “I see flashes. We were in the workshop, and we were working on something. Was I teaching you how to infuse magic?”
“I think so.” Andrew’s eyebrows drew together as if he was in pain. “But I screwed it up and almost got you killed.”
“It’s not your fault, Andrew.”
“How can you say that?”
“I’m the teacher. I’m to blame.” McHenry squeezed his nephew’s hand before letting it go and leaning back. Damnation, he was exhausted already, which was annoying since all he’d been doing was sleep for the last thirty-six hours. “Do you think Jamie’s okay?” His youngest nephew did not handle changes to his routine well, especially after what happened to him last year.
“He’s doing better now we know you’re going to be okay. Jamie wasn’t in the workshop, so he doesn’t know what happened. Hell, I don’t really understand what happened.”
McHenry knew the feeling. He thought back to the workshop and tried to recreate what happened in his mind. Again with the fuzzy thoughts, but when he tried to push them aside, panic and guilt crowded in to stop him from thinking. He had almost gotten his nephew killed.
Andrew interrupted his thoughts. “What do we do now?”
“Let me worry about that. First we have to convince the team that we’re okay so they’ll h
ead for home.” Because that was the one clear thought he had out of this mess. The team needed to leave them alone.
“What about Darcinda?”
“She’s a problem. Stubborn.”
Andrew smiled.
“What?”
“Takes one to know one.”
McHenry mock-growled at him. “Don’t be a smart-mouth. I might not be able to kick your arse right now, but I have a long memory.”
The smile dropped from Andrew’s face. “I’m sorry.”
McHenry’s heart squeezed at the pain in his nephew’s expression. “Son. You have nothin’ to apologize for.”
“You could have died.”
“And you’re not the one at fault. Don’t forget that.”
He was the one to blame. He had promised his sister he would protect her sons, and he had kept that promise. Until now.
* * *
Darcinda turned in a slow circle. She had never been in McHenry’s workshop before. And if it wasn’t for the fact that McHenry was lying in a bed upstairs and didn’t know what she was doing, she wouldn’t have been allowed in here now.
The workshop reminded her of its owner, large and imposing at first glance. But the longer she stood in the space, the more details she took in. There were multiple anvils, along with two forges that sat cold on one side of the room. Metalworking tools of all kinds were hanging on assigned hooks along the workstation, and a few were out on a table. More than likely those were the tools he’d been using when the explosion took place. McHenry struck her as someone who kept his work space neat.
There were also various metal projects in progress sitting on the workbenches. Dampening cuffs sat on one bench, and a metal bowl on another, and a beautifully framed mirror hung on the back wall, its design complex and delicate. McHenry was definitely a study in opposites.
Her slow turn came to a stop when she faced the wall that held the door leading out of the shop. Embedded around it were slivers, shards, and chunks of metal.
Tim appeared in the doorway. “What do you think?”