“I’m feeling much better,” she said between clenched teeth. “May I leave now?”
Dr. Delph sat on one of the chairs at the table and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and waved a hand at the empty chair across from him. “Why don’t you have something to drink and eat first? Then maybe we can find you some fresh clothes and a hot shower.”
Lia tensed at the suggestion, and Dr. Delph caught the image of a hospital gown as it passed through her mind.
“We have a respectable community closet with some lovely donated items,” he said. “No one wears hospital gowns here. It’s not that kind of facility.”
Lia looked suspicious now. “What kind of facility would it be then exactly?”
Dr. Delph smiled and pointed at the chair again. “Come. I’ll tell you all about it.”
Chapter Eleven
Lia erected a brick wall in her mind as she stood and joined the doctor at the table. She didn’t want him to sense her anxiety or reservations just yet. Plus, she had the strangest feeling that he was reading her mind. It shouldn’t have surprised her so much. After all, she predicted deaths at the sun’s command every morning.
The thought slipped through before she had a chance to stop it, and Dr. Delph’s eyes lit up in surprise. Ah ha! She was right. She gave him a pointed look, one that she hoped conveyed how busted he was.
Dr. Delph sipped gingerly at his tea, his gray eyes smiling over the rim of his cup. When he winked at her, Lia felt her body temperature spike a hundred degrees, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She was sure her Folgers fantasy had been hidden in a dark corner of her mind.
“I swear, I had no idea.” Dr. Delph’s cheeks flushed, but Lia couldn’t decide if he was more embarrassed for himself or for her. He gave her a meaningful look and set his teacup down so he could take both of her hands in his.
Lia’s face grew warmer, her embarrassment warping into anger and then dissolving in sadness. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “It’s rude, poking around in places you haven’t been invited,” she said.
“It’s my job.” Dr. Delph sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Though I honestly didn’t read that last bit you suspect me of. Not until after…” his voice trailed off and he took a tense breath.
Lia looked down at their joined hands. His were warm and soft, all except for a ridged line of scar tissue that cut through each palm. She wondered what had happened, but just as soon as the thought appeared in her mind, Dr. Delph withdrew his hands and cleared his throat.
Lia chewed her bottom lip and then snatched up one of the muffins. She needed a distraction, and they smelled so delicious. She never got fresh baked goods from Saunders.
“A sheriff?” Dr. Delph interrupted her thoughts.
“He’s no one,” she snapped, throwing her brick wall up again.
Dr. Delph leaned back in his chair. “I’m not making any phone calls, Lia. No one knows you’re here, and I’m quite happy to keep it that way. Spero Heights is full of people who have left their pasts behind and started fresh. Good people with unique circumstances, much like yours.”
“What would you know about my circumstances?”
He tapped the side of his head. “It’s my job to know.”
She ignored him and took a bite out of her muffin. It melted on her tongue. The buttery, sweet flavor was so amazing that it made her want to cry with joy. Dr. Delph nodded at the second one on the tray, next to a bundle of purple flowers.
“You can have that one too,” he said. “Nora makes them every morning.”
Lia glanced around the small room. It was almost as big as the apartment Saunders had stuffed her in, but it was definitely cleaner. No rat fumigation aftertaste in the air. Just a sweet, pleasant bouquet—the health food store smell, now mixed with the delicious muffins. And the tea.
She picked up her cup and took a sip, letting the hot elixir coat her tongue. It was strong and a few leaves slipped past her lips. She coughed and sputtered, clearing them from her throat.
“It’s loose leaf,” Dr. Delph said apologetically. He watched her for a few moments as she ate and drank, until she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What do you want from me?” she finally asked.
Dr. Delph blinked stiffly. “I want to help you.”
Lia gave him a tight smile. “And how do you plan to do that?” She pointed down at the teacup. “Herbs? Supplements? Pills? A priest? Electroshock therapy?” She shook her head with a sigh. “It’s all been done. You’re wasting your time.”
He folded his hands in his lap and frowned. “I don’t mean to cure you, Lia. You’re not damaged. At the very least, I think I could offer you a safe, clean environment to overcome your drug addiction.”
Lia groaned low in her throat. “I need those meds. I am in constant pain. You don’t understand.” She could almost appreciate his comment about not being damaged, but the thought of going without pain meds turned her stomach.
Dr. Delph reached out to her, but she twisted away from him. “The kind you’re on—they’re illegal for a reason,” he said. “The side effects can be catastrophic. We should run some bloodwork on you and see if there isn’t something milder I can prescribe. In the meantime, I have plenty of other techniques I can show you to help with pain management.”
“Great.” Lia tilted her chin up and stared at the ceiling.
“You do realize that your talent is not in the sphere of human understanding?” Dr. Delph sounded perturbed. “Why would you expect human medicine to remedy the residual effects?”
“Human medicine?” She laughed. “You say that like there’s some other kind out there.”
Dr. Delph raised one eyebrow and Lia’s heart tightened in her chest. Maybe Mandy hadn’t been crazy after all. Pieces of their conversation were slowly beginning to make sense.
Humans are the worst.
“Monsters come in all shapes and sizes,” Dr. Delph said, the shade of his gray eyes changing with her mood. “Finish your breakfast. There’s a bathroom through there.” He nodded at a door in the corner of the room. “You can shower while I go get that change of clothes.”
He stood and left, leaving Lia alone with her thoughts and the second muffin. She scarfed it down before hurrying off to the bathroom to find the shower.
Checking the door to see if it was locked crossed her mind again, but the crust of dried vomit in her hair shifted her priorities. Showing up anywhere looking the way she currently did would draw too much undesired attention. Someone could call the cops to come remove the loitering homeless lady. What a way to top an otherwise lovely day, she thought disparagingly.
Orpheus House wasn’t the worse place she’d ever been dumped off at. It was clean and the food was tasty. She still wanted the hell out of there, but a shower first couldn’t hurt. At least she’d be able to ask for directions at a gas station without having the dog catchers called in.
Chapter Twelve
Dr. Delph shut himself inside the community closet and pressed his back against the door. His heart refused to slow its tireless march.
What was wrong with him? He knew better than to invade someone’s mind so directly. Lia was a patient, and she needed serious help, but it had been all he could do to keep from pulling her into his arms. Surely the Fates hadn’t delivered her for his purposes. His mind was just clouded and projecting solutions to his problem where there weren’t any. But then why was Lia having this effect on him?
He’d gathered so much more in their second meeting. She was a sharp one, picking up on his reading within the first few minutes. Of course, her talent was a rarer variety than his own. It was more violent as well. And some creep had been keeping her locked up and doped to abuse that talent. She deserved better. Spero Heights could offer better.
Dr. Delph pushed away from the door and fingered through the hanging garments in the closet, pausing on a white sundress with a blue sash tied in a bow at the waist. It would
look good on her, and it was perfect for a first date.
First date? He shook his head and huffed out an embarrassed laugh. There were jeans and blouses in the closet too—along with riot gear that Selena had insisted he keep handy in case the humans discovered their secrets and stormed the town with torches and pitchforks.
He rolled his eyes and pushed the Kevlar vest and body shield further toward the back of the closet before hesitating on the dress again. He removed it from the hanger and laid it over his arm, rationalizing its selection by the fact that he intended to give her a proper tour of the town. That required dressing up, did it not?
He found a pair of matching blue flats and also grabbed one of the care packages from the top shelf before leaving the closet. Daisy surprised him in the hallway.
“Is that for the newcomer?” she asked, eying the lot tucked in his arms.
“Yes,” he answered curtly, still somewhat vexed with her over their last conversation.
“It’s beautiful,” Daisy said, taking in the white dress. “Too beautiful. Are you going to a party?”
“No.” He stepped around her, only to have her reappear in his path again.
“You fancy this one.” Daisy sounded alarmed. “What makes her different from the others?”
Dr. Delph pressed his lips together and looked into her black eyes. “She’s a seer of sorts, so she would be a very useful asset to the town—”
“Like you?” The ghostly wind in Daisy’s hair picked up, a sign that she was growing agitated. She lifted a few more inches into the air, her transparent nightgown whipping at her ankles.
Dr. Delph took a step back. “Not quite, but—”
“Just like you,” Daisy went on without hearing him. “She feels and breathes and eats and sees what’s to come. And I’m just a dead thing. Dead and gone and nearly forgotten.” Her voice echoed back from the opposite end of the hall, growing fiercer and rattling the walls.
“Daisy,” Dr. Delph snapped loudly, finally drawing her attention. “It’s Monday. Shouldn’t you be in summer school?”
She cocked her head to one side and blinked. “Oh. Yes.” Then she was gone.
Enrolling the poltergeist at Spero Heights Private School had been a productive move. There were only a few dozen youths who attended, but they were just unique enough to accept Daisy as one of their own. And the professors were creative and willing to handle a broody ghost in their classrooms. Her mood swings were apparently on par with most teenagers—even the non-supernatural variety.
Dr. Delph sighed and closed the door to the community closet before heading back to Lia’s room. He could hear the shower running when he entered, and quickly laid out the items he’d brought before retreating out into the hallway.
He sat down on the floor while he waited, his eyes closed and back pressed up against the opposite wall. Too many of his waking hours had been spent meditating lately, a vain mental quest for answers or absolution. He wasn’t sure which he needed most at this point.
His deflated mood was affecting his work even worse than the Fates’ absence, making him appreciate Orpheus House’s current low patient count. A half-demon suffering from panic attacks was staying in the room across from Lia’s, and a depressed nymph was further down the hall. There was also Mrs. Clyde, the cheese factory manager’s wife. She’d been there the longest—besides Daisy—and she had a special, more private room in the basement.
“Dr. Delph?”
He opened his eyes to find Nora standing over him. The cordless office phone in her hand was held far away from her pointed ear, and Selena’s voice blared from the speaker.
“It seemed like it might be important,” Nora said regretfully.
Dr. Delph grimaced as he took the phone from her. He held it just close enough to his ear to make out what Selena was saying in between her frequent strings of profanity.
“We just fixed one damn problem with the stray mutts.” She paused to growl through her teeth. “Delph, I’m getting sick and fucking tired of your bullshit.”
“She was dropped on our doorstep. What was I supposed to do with her?” He stood and walked further down the hall for fear Lia would overhear their conversation.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Selena barked in his ear.
“It was early. You probably weren’t even back from your run yet.”
“It’s nine o’clock. I’m back now!”
“Yes. I gathered that much,” he said dryly.
“Well?” Selena asked. “What needs to be done?”
Dr. Delph’s throat went dry. Usually, when Selena asked that question, she wanted to know if her services were going to be needed. Unwelcome outsiders were either scared away—courtesy of Daisy—or if they posed a significant threat, then Selena was called in to take care of them.
“Delph? Come in, Dr. Spacey.”
“I’m here.” He licked his lips. “Our new guest is fine. There’s no need for you to bother coming into town.” Then something occurred to him, a thought that wormed its way through his anxiety. “Who called you?”
“Ben, of course.” Selena snorted. “You think I’d answer the phone for anyone else? Hell, I don’t even like answering when it’s you.”
Dr. Delph smiled. That made two of them. Ben had likely crossed paths with Zelda after she left Orpheus House that morning—though he wouldn’t be the one to remind Selena of the gnome’s affiliation with the witch she despised.
“She’s a seer,” he confessed. A long pause followed. Then Selena cleared her throat.
“Well, guess I should stop planning her demise then. Can’t have her getting wind of that.”
“She’s no threat to us. I think she might actually be useful,” Dr. Delph said. It was the only legitimate excuse he could come up with, even though he had no intention of pushing Lia to offer up her gifts for anyone’s benefit. She’d had enough of that forced on her. But he couldn’t very well tell Selena Chase, the hardest of hardasses, that he had a crush. A shiver rolled up his spine at the thought.
“Fine,” Selena said. “Just as long as she doesn’t start harboring a bunch of ex-cons once she gets settled. You’ve already spent your one get-out-of-jail-free card on that witch.” Selena refused to say Zelda’s name.
“Deal.” Dr. Delph didn’t have to worry about Lia harboring fugitives, but he conveniently forgot to mention to Selena that she might be one.
Chapter Thirteen
Lia had thought to take a quick shower, but her fingers pruned before she realized how much time had passed. It was hard not to enjoy herself.
The tiled shower stall was clean as if someone had just scrubbed it before she arrived, and a little nook built into the wall displayed an array of fancy, organic soaps and shampoos. Saunders never brought her anything like that. He expected her to make a bottle of dollar store shampoo and a box of bar soap last three months.
Her stomach knotted when she thought of him, clenching even tighter when she remembered the pills waiting in the apartment back in St. Louis. Her mind hadn’t settled since she’d left. Since she’d escaped. It sounded so daring, and she guessed it was. Daring just wasn’t a label she was used to wearing.
A sharp pain in her temple pulsated, and she tilted her face up into the spray of the showerhead, a sparkling silver contraption the size of a dinner plate and with more pressure than she thought possible. It helped a little, but she couldn’t stand in there all day.
If she’d been a good girl and stayed put in the apartment, she would have already taken her pills by now. Saunders had probably stocked the cupboards with a box of pancake mix and a bottle of that fake syrup. She wondered if her morning soaps had started yet. Would Danielle find the man who had run off with her baby?
She turned off the shower and shivered. There was comfort in the familiar, no matter how dangerous. But she couldn’t go back to that life. It was wrong. She knew that well enough. A sinking feeling in her gut told her that if Saunders ever saw her again, he’d put a bullet between her e
yes.
Lia wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and poked her head into the room. It was empty, but she could tell someone had stopped by while she was in the shower. There was a white dress spread across the bed and a pair of blue shoes on one of the chairs at the small table.
Lia looked down at her bare feet, wondering what had happened to the new sneakers Saunders bought her. They’d been missing when she’d come to in the apartment. Maybe he was going to return them and get his money back. He had probably hoped she would wake up by the time they arrived, and she’d be able to walk herself into the downgraded prison. Bare feet might have looked a little too suspect.
She grinned at the thought of him having to carry her the whole way. Served him right. Though he could have been more gentle, she noted, taking in the bruises across her arms in the wide bathroom mirror. The bruise on her cheek wasn’t much to look at either.
She stepped out into the room and quickly pulled the dress over her head before using the towel to finish drying her hair. Then she slipped on the shoes. They were comfortable. She swished the skirt of the dress and a small laugh whispered past her lips. She hadn’t been this presentable since her father’s funeral. It was a sobering memory.
A small, zippered bag on the bed caught her attention. That was new too. She picked it up and opened it, revealing a hairbrush, toothbrush, deodorant, and several other random hygiene items—all nicer than the stuff Saunders delivered. There was also a pair of new underwear. Lia blushed, recalling that she wasn’t wearing any under the dress.
A soft knock came at the door, and then it cracked open an inch. “Are you ready?” Dr. Delph asked.
“Ready for what?” Lia quickly stuffed the underwear down in the bathroom bag before he entered the room.
“I’d like to take you on a tour of the town. Then maybe we could talk some more over lunch.” He gave her a nervous smile.
Lia didn’t know what to think. She had expected a pair of strong-armed, uniformed nurses would come to assist the doctor if he intended to transfer her to a different room. But a tour of the town? Could he be serious?
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