by Sadie Sears
"Go pay for it," Justin said as he handed the girls a twenty-dollar bill.
Zoe was three steps down the aisle when she turned and pointed the finger guns at me. "Good luck."
I turned to Justin. "I'm sorry that Gretta can't see I'm right, but she's in danger. Wizards are here in Spruce. We think they’re responsible for the sudden attacks on other shifters and humans, making them sick, drained of energy. And we have proof.”
Justin straightened his shoulders. "Okay, I'm listening. Tell me why you think wizards want to harm Gretta."
Okay, a grocery store was not the place I wanted to do this, but if I could get Justin to talk to Gretta, it was worth it. “Wizards want dragon blood, and they’re kidnapping dragons to get it. Mitias has intel that they are using universities, laboratories, and hospitals to set up research projects using our blood to find ways of destroying us. The research project Gretta is working on just happens to require dragon blood, and the timing seems like too much of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
He took it all in, chin perched thoughtfully on his fingers. “And Gretta knows?”
I nodded and ran my hands over my head. “She doesn’t believe me, though. And I can’t even talk to her to try and convince her because she hates me. You have to keep her safe. Right now, it doesn’t matter if you believe me. It only matters that if you see something or hear something, you protect Gretta and get word to me.”
Justin's mouth gaped open as he pointed to his chest, "Me? Um, I'm a panther shifter, not a wolf shifter. I'm a lover and healer. I’m all about peace, not war.” He tilted his head. “But, yeah, I’ll cut a bitch who tries to hurt one of my girls.”
I gripped my shopping basket so tightly I cracked the handle. But he’d said what I needed to hear for now. “Thank you.”
"Calm down, Hercules.” He narrowed his eyes then dropped his mouth open. “Okay, now that you’ve told me, the other day, I could’ve sworn I smelled some bad magic in the hallway right before Gretta’s interview—”
“What do you mean, you smelled bad magic?” I cracked the other handle to the basket, and it melted a little under my hands.
Justin shook his head. “I don’t know. I smelled wizard, but they do normal business all the time in Spruce. So, even if they are running the research program, it doesn’t mean they’re doing anything menacing in town.”
If that were true, if he hadn’t gotten a bad vibe, he wouldn’t have called it bad magic. “Any wizards doing research on dragon blood is definitely doing something menacing. You have to keep your eyes open. Keep her safe.”
"And you need to fix things with her." He crossed his arms and cocked his hip. “It’s supposed to be your job now, honey.”
Like I didn’t want to. I’d only thought of about a thousand different ways to say I was sorry, to make it up to her, to prove I loved her and just wanted her to be safe. And none of them were good enough. "Well, until she’s ready to forgive me, I’m leaving it to you. But the first sign of trouble, you get word to me."
Justin sighed. "I'll keep an eye on her, but get your shit together, for your sake and Gretta's.” He gave me a once-over. “She looks almost as bad as you do.”
“You just asked me why I was all dressed up.”
Justin shrugged. “I lied.” He looked toward the front of the store where Zoe and Shae were waiting. “And now I have to go.” He made the ‘call me’ motion as he backed down the aisle.
I watched them leave and then threw a few more things into my mangled basket. I had no idea where Dom and Vincent had gone, but as I got to the checkout, I saw them both. Vincent had another basket, but his was filled with more healthy snacks. Dom carried the beer.
“Is that all you got?” Vincent asked as he pointed to my mix of salted goods.
“No, I got some information from our cat shifter friend. He thought he smelled bad magic at the hospital. He’s going to keep an eye on Gretta and let me know if he sees or feels something out of the ordinary.”
“So, we’re outsourcing now?”
I gave Dom the look Zoe had given me, daring him to argue, and he put up his hands placatingly.
We paid for the snacks and beer then took the long way back, around the outskirts of town. From the moment I’d left the grocery store, I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being followed, but when I checked the mirror, there was no one.
“Do you feel it? I think we’re being followed.” Well, hell. Now I sounded paranoid.
Dom shook his head. “Nah, dude. I don’t feel anything.”
Vince shook his head too, but he kept an eye out. “Maybe I can take a flight over the town with Cam or Theo. They might pick up on something.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”
When we reached my favorite beech tree, I pulled the truck to the curb. “I’m gonna walk from here. Go on and take the truck. I’ll be there soon.”
Dom smirked. “Hey, the last thing that girl needs is a stalker.”
“I’m not stalking her.” Not that I hadn’t thought about it. “I want to spend some time with a tree.”
“A tree? Are you going to set it on fire or something?”
“Hell, no. Leath and Taurus would kill me.” I got out and looked toward the large beech I’d shown Gretta.
Vince leaned out the window. “Do what you think you have to, but don’t freak out the locals or stay out too long.” He indicated the back of the truck. “We have beers to drink.”
I waved and then jogged up the street to the tree. I just wanted to sit there and feel the positive energy of the earth and the life it gave. As I stretched out, I pressed the side of my face into the trunk and asked the tree and its fabled fairies for guidance.
17
Gretta
I dropped the mascara tube to the counter. No one was going to care if I was ultra-lashed or not. I hoped. I just didn’t have the energy to lift my arm and apply it, even if it meant going to my first day of work in the research lab looking like a dishrag.
I thought things would be perfect once I landed the position, but perfect had a lot to live up to. And I was so damned tired. I'd envisioned celebrating the most amazing day of my life with Lila and Sam. My breath hitched the way it did every time I thought of him. Sam…
I lowered my head for the minute or so I needed to pull it together, then studied my reflection. I miss you.
Tears spilled, and sorrow won the moment. It had been winning a lot of moments lately. One where I wasn’t strong enough not to think of him or remember the way he smiled, the way he looked into my eyes, the way he’d touched me. It wouldn’t have been so bad had the whole damned thing not been my fault. My stomach tightened, and I lurched toward the toilet, spilling the contents of my stomach into the bowl. I didn’t have time for the flu, or for anything that kept me in this bathroom hugging the bowl.
Waves of nausea hit me again. When I was finished again, I sat back, head against the wall. Sometimes, a girl just needed a cry. Today was my day. So was yesterday. Day before, too, but I needed another. Lila was getting worse. I got dumped, or maybe I did the dumping. It took every ounce of energy I had just to move.
If Lila found me on the floor in the bathroom bawling, she’d probably drag me in for a yoga session. I'd been living at her house practically full-time, caring for her, and trying to help Zoe practice for her school theater performance. Drained and defeated was no excuse to be late for work. I willed myself up and went for the mascara wand once more.
“You’re late.” Paul stared at me, and I cringed.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I had a long night with Lila. She’s getting worse.”
He nodded and led me through the west wing of the hospital. It had been closed for years, but now it was state of the art, with lights so bright I’d probably have to start wearing sunglasses in there. And it was empty, except for Paul and me.
"Where is everyone?"
Paul ignored me and guided me through a set of double doors.
"I thought I'd be part of a team." It made sense there would be more people on a research project like this one.
"You are the team, Gretta. For now. You've got the run of the place, except the men's bathroom." He laughed at his own joke, and I offered him a small smile. He’d never been the kind of boss who expected us to laugh at jokes he made, but he also wasn’t the kind of boss who made a lot of jokes.
I ran my hand over the white laminate counters on the primary research desk. I wanted my workstation closest to the glass doors. This place was empty and creepy, and I was going to want to see who came and went so there wouldn’t be any surprises.
Paul fished a small vial out of his pocket of his lab coat and handed it to me. “First thing’s first, I need this analyzed.”
I twisted the vial. It was a simple tube of blood that was anything but simple. Human blood didn’t sparkle, or glow, or shimmer. "What is it?"
“Dragon blood, and don’t worry, there’s more where that came from. Now, I have rounds. Page me if you have any questions.”
Dragon blood.
I did have a question. I wanted to ask where he’d gotten it, but like I’d said to Sam, Paul wasn’t the type to get mixed up in anything nefarious, so I brushed off my apprehension and chalked it up to Sam and his paranoia. I had work to do and a lot of space to do it.
I ran the tests and entered the data into my computer, then did a little snooping. Or I would have had my access not been limited to data entry and test results. This study was so top secret even I couldn’t access the results again after I entered them. Most troubling, I couldn't double-check my entry, so if I made a mistake, the wrong data would get uploaded. And I had no way to make corrections.
This took micromanaging to a whole new level. They could see in real-time how quickly I worked by how often I entered new data. Like I needed the extra pressure.
As I double-checked a new batch of information, the hairs on the back of my neck stood. Someone was watching me. I would’ve bet on it. And since there were about ninety cameras in the room—every corner, over every station and machine—the feeling made sense. But this was something stronger. I glanced at the plate glass window on the far side of the lab.
The three men from my interview stood on the other side, smiling. They had the same stance and expression, could’ve been one person reflected two times or a set of triplets. I gave a small wave. They stared blankly then waved back to me at the same time. I watched through the window because they moved as one, acted as one. Apparently used the restroom as one since they all disappeared inside the men’s room with barely a space between them.
Alarm bells went nuts inside me. Holy shit. How had I not noticed it at the interview? They were clearly wizards!
Forget
Something echoed in my mind, like a question I needed to answer, but I couldn’t grab it. I stared at the printed report for a second then looked again at the window where those investor guys had been. It might’ve been their money paying for all this, but they were some weird dudes.
I missed sleep. I missed waking up to the sun streaming in the window and being excited to start my day. And I missed Sam.
Not being able to talk to him every day, to have breakfast in bed with him, to hear his laugh, see his smile. God, it hurt. I missed the way he encouraged me and told me I was beautiful, but most of all, I missed being a part of us and believing I’d found the guy I wanted to spend my life with.
I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. My mind wouldn’t shut down, and if I wasn’t thinking of Sam, I was thinking about work.
A week of trying to analyze the dragon blood had me baffled. There were so many variables that didn’t make sense, but of course it wouldn’t. Nothing about the blood acted like anything I’d ever seen. Its resistance to all diseases was amazing, and it was that aspect I concentrated on, especially as Lila seemed to be getting worse—something Paul seemed to use to push me to work harder and longer. Not that I needed any further incentive.
"Shit." I glanced down the hall and waited a minute, and when Lila cursed again, I rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom.
"Lila?" I pushed the door open.
She stood at the sink trying, without success, to pick up a pill from the wet sink. I pulled her hand back. “Stop. We’ll just get you another one.” It was the pain pill. “What hurts?”
“Everything.” Misery laced her tone, making her voice deeper and quieter.
I grabbed the bottle of medication and shook out the last pill. Certain she had more, I rummaged in the cabinet above the sink, and when I moved a bottle of vitamins, a small black marble rolled forward to the raised lip of the shelf. I picked it up and turned it between my fingers then held it up to the light. It looked like black oil inside a crystal orb. It would have been pretty if it didn’t feel so sinister.
I couldn’t imagine the bad juju would’ve made it past Lila, but it also could have been all in my imagination. A lot of things were these days. "New mojo marbles?"
Her face pinched and she shoved her hands into her robe pockets. "It's not mine, but I found one just like it under my pillow the other night.” She looked at it and sighed. “Maybe Sophie put them there for some sort of protection."
I wasn’t sure. Though Sophie loved her crystals and gemstones, she wouldn’t have put anything in Lila’s house without telling her. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end again—an almost regular phenomenon as of late. But I smiled so I didn’t alarm Lila.
I didn’t know what it all meant, but I would have bet my next year’s salary Sam would. I thought about contacting him, and I felt both thrilled and apprehensive at the idea. There was no guarantee Sam would talk to me, but if he thought something was wrong, that either Lila or myself was in danger, there was a chance he’d help. And that was a chance I’d have to take. I watched Lila swallow the pain pill, and then I put her back to bed.
“Hey, I’m going to get you a refill on this, and I want to talk to Sam. I’ll keep my cell on so if you need me, call.”
She nodded and patted my hand. “Go. Talk to him.” Her eyelids fluttered. “I’ll be fine.”
I moved the phone closer to her on the table, then shut her light off when I left.
Once I got to the hospital, I wrote out a prescription for Lila, and then popped over to the nurses’ station to find out if Justin was on duty.
He’d been spending a lot of time with Lila and the girls. Maybe he had insight. Of course, if he knew something was off, he would’ve mentioned. But maybe he knew something he didn’t realize he knew.
“He’s off tonight.”
I sighed. “Okay, thanks.”
Carol Baker, a night shift nurse, chuckled. “Said he was going to a party in town. You know Justin and his parties.” She shook her head, gray hair bouncing. She was the mother figure to everyone who worked the night shift, and she always brought in baked goods. I eyed one of her pink iced cupcakes but decided my waistline couldn’t take it.
“Thanks, Carol.”
After I picked up the medication for Lila, I considered going over to Sam’s, but I didn’t have proof he was right—just an eerie feeling, and it was mainly based on the tests I’d been doing. Something about the last one didn’t sit right, and if I could just take a quick look at the results one more time…
As I rounded the corner to the lab, I spotted a light under the men’s bathroom door. Odd because Paul hadn’t said anything about working, and getting into the hallway required a keycard, so it wasn’t as if anyone could use the bathroom. Maybe Paul had accidentally left it on?
I pushed through the doors to the darkened lab. Again, the hair on the back of my neck bristled. The place creeped me out. Maybe it was the fact I was always there alone, or maybe it was the cameras always watching. It didn’t matter, though, I was on a mission. I flipped on the overhead ligh
ts and went to retrieve a copy of the report from my desk. When I opened the file folder, the page I’d left inside was gone.
This wasn’t just odd; it was downright suspicious.
I looked again at the vial. Still glowing. On a hunch, I walked to the light switch and slapped the panel. The room went dark and the dragon’s blood stayed bright. I flipped the lights back on and put the vial back in the refrigerator.
Now I really needed to talk to Sam. I turned off the light to the lab, but as I passed the men’s bathroom, the light beneath the door bugged me, and without conscious thought, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
It looked like a typical men’s bathroom, I supposed, except it smelled strongly of bleach and was much larger than I would have expected. I was about to switch the light off when I noticed an irregularity on the panel. It looked like a recessed button. Curious, I pressed it, and across the room, something popped. I turned to look and found a door disguised as the wall had opened. I walked closer and poked my head in.
What the hell?
Lights popped on in a line across the ceiling. And more machines, more microscopes, more little refrigerators. Another lab, and like mine, it was empty of people. Several alembic glass cylinders lay on another table. They wouldn’t have needed a distilling apparatus in a lab for MS research. Which this obviously was not.
I unrolled a large paper. Schematics, but I had no idea what for. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around my waist, not because I’d figured anything out, but because I hadn’t.
Maybe Sam was right. This certainly didn’t look like they were only conducting research in here. I’d heard about enchanted talismans and tools, but I wouldn’t have known what they looked like. Still, I would’ve been willing to bet if I looked, I would find some.