Every night before I retired, I looked out my bedroom window and stared into the garden, especially toward the moon flowers and the small pond that had magically appeared all those years ago after I planted the bracelet my mother had given me. Every time I looked, I fully expected to see the glimmer of wings in the moonlight.
I was sitting at the nurse’s desk, discharging patients and pondering that thought when Diana leaned on the counter and handed me a tall steaming cup of coffee.
“You looked like you needed this.”
I took the offering with a smile of surprise. “Thank you.” I took a sip and sighed. The brew was strong and just what I needed about now.
She gestured to my face, her gaze narrowing. “You’re a fast healer.”
I turned my face a little, subconscious. “Yeah, I’ve always healed fast. Good antibodies I guess.”
She nodded, but didn’t look completely convinced.
Diana’s cell phone shrilled from her coat pocket before I could comment any further. Tearing her gaze from me, she dug it out and answered. “Dr. Cole.”
A deep angry frown crossed her face. “No way is that going to happen, Lee.” She wandered to the far side of the nurse’s station.
As Diana continued to argue with, I assumed, another doctor, I opened my computer files and started to catch up on some of the reports that I’d put aside. Before I could start typing, the main phone on the desk buzzed. I picked up the handset and pressed the button. “Emergency. This is Nina Decker.”
“I want to apologize for scaring you the other night.”
It only took me a second to recognize the caller. My heart picked up a beat at Severin’s accented sultry voice. Pressing my lips together, I swiveled in my chair so no one could see the flush on my face. “No need. I wasn’t that scared.”
“Regardless, let me make it up to you.” He paused.
I heard hard rock music playing in the background.
“Let’s have dinner. Tomorrow night.”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know you.” I tried to keep my voice neutral, but feared a little hitch sounded that Diana would pick up on. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was there. Thankfully, I was relatively alone.
“What do you need to know?” He paused for a moment then continued, “It’s not that I’m a—”
“Oh God, no. I’m completely fine with that.”
“Are you now? That’s interesting.”
I chewed at my nail, tempted by his offer and on more than one level. I couldn’t deny I was attracted to Severin. What hot-blooded woman wouldn’t be? But also I really wanted to know about werewolves and how they lived and the function of a pack. Their society was all very fascinating. And I had to admit I really wanted to know how they did it. What motivated them to come out in the open. “I can meet you somewhere,” I finally said.
There was silence on his end, but I could imagine his smile, grinning in triumph. The image had my stomach clenching in anticipation.
“Lombardo’s on fifth, seven o’clock.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Nina.”
Turning to the desk, I set the handset back into its cradle, my hands quivering ever so slightly.
Diana stood in front of the desk looking at me. “Who was that? You’re blushing.”
I scratched my nose, the guilty itch plaguing me. “Just Rick from the lab calling about one of the patients.”
“Was he flirting?”
I nodded. “A little.”
“Yeah, he’s like that, the little leech. He once had the nerve to call me babe. Can you imagine?”
“No.” Biting on the inside of my cheek, I smiled up at her. “And you, who were you yelling at?”
“Dr. Lee Song from oncology. He’s such an a**hole.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”
She smirked. “All right, I guess I better be off to save some lives or something.” She saluted me then wandered off to exam room four.
I watched her go then returned to my work. As I typed information into the computer, I noticed something odd about my hands again. The skin almost seemed transparent. I could see the veins and little capillaries clearer.
I set them on my lap and flexed them seeing if that helped. Again I looked at them, and my skin seemed normal. Well, as normal as I ever got.
Was the evidence becoming stronger that I wasn’t like everyone else? Was my fae-ness showing through more?
I had been feeling different lately. As if something was going to happen, as if something was going to change for me soon. In a way, the sensation was like puberty all over again. I could feel the changes slowly moving over me, rippling under my skin, waiting to burst through.
I just hoped I had enough strength and humanity to keep them at bay. At least until I could figure out how to control them. Or find some way to cleanse them from my blood.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, and I heard the tick tick tick of the second hand and knew I didn’t have much time before something monumental happened.
***
Chapter 6
It was past midnight when I finally shuffled through the front door of my house, dog tired with a migraine digging at my right temple. Tossing my bag and keys onto the table at the front entrance, I toed off my shoes and then padded into the kitchen for some tea. If the tea didn’t soothe my head, I was definitely going to pop pain meds so I could get some decent sleep.
The kettle whistled, knocking me out of my reverie. I poured the hot water over the herbal tea bag. As I dunked, I looked out the window into the garden. The night was beautiful, clear skies without any breeze. I wondered if my father had spent some time outside today. Although I warned him to stay away from the garden, I knew he wouldn’t listen. He was stubborn. That was one trait we shared.
Yawning, I rubbed my eyes. I took a sip of my tea and hoped the brew would do its thing and relax me enough to let me sleep soundly. There’d been too many nights with troubled thoughts and strange dreams.
Tea in hand, I turned to go upstairs to bed when something out the window caught my eye. Squinting, I stared into the garden near the pond. Something glimmered there, a flash of something white. Was it wings? Were more pixies coming to finish the job?
Setting down my cup, I reached for one of the butcher knives from the wooden block. If the tiny fae were back, they would soon wish they’d picked another house to flutter over. Holding the knife, blade down, in a defensive position, I slid open the deck doors and crept outside in my bare feet. Heart pounding so hard it hurt, I moved toward the garden, searching the plants for any movement.
Every breath I took burned my lungs. Fear gripped me tight, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I wouldn’t let anything injure my father, no matter how big or how mean it turned out to be.
When I reached the edge of the garden, I scanned the area. Nothing moved. No breeze whispered. The only thing I heard were crickets chirping nearby in the grass.
I stepped into the dirt between the rows of night blooming moon flowers. Feeling the earth between my toes grounded me a little. I’d always possessed an affinity to the ground, the dirt, and the flowers and plants that grew in it. During my childhood years, I spent as much time as I could in our garden, running my fingers through the soil, touching the leaves of the plants. I didn’t realize why then, but I knew now my actions were because of my fae blood. I was connected to the earth.
As I continued through the garden, I trailed my fingers over the dark petals, feeling for anything out of place. Anything not of plant origin. When I reached the pond, I turned and looked over the path I’d just come. Nothing out here. Maybe my fatigue was playing with my mind. It wouldn’t be the first time.
As I let go the breath I’d been holding, something caused me to turn toward the pond. Normally, there were two frogs living in it. I eyed the rippling water, searching for the tops of their warty heads. I didn’t see them, but the water continued to ripple as if stirred by something beneath the surface.
While I stared into the undulating dark pond, I felt something tugging at my mind. A phantom hand pulling on a string attached to somewhere deep within my psyche. Resisting its lure, I tried to move away, but my feet wouldn’t obey. I stayed standing in that spot, watching the movement of the water.
Buzzing rang in my ears. Like static, sound hummed against my eardrums. Between the waves of nothingness, I heard whispering. The murmurs were seductive. I strained to hear more. I wanted to hear more.
Dropping the knife to the ground, I fell to my knees and leaned toward the pond. Was the whispering coming from the water? Something was trying to communicate with me. Something alien but sensual in its promise. What was it saying? I needed to know.
Panic gripped me and I leaned even closer. I could see the moon reflected in the water. Something about the light urged me closer, tempting me to touch it, promising me that I could hold it in the palm of my hand. I’d always wanted to hold the moon. Knowing it would feel cool and pleasant on my skin like caressing porcelain.
Settling my hands on the water’s edge, I leaned even further, my nose nearly touching the dark ripples. I stared at my reflection, illuminated by the pale moonbeams. My eyes glowed green like the orbs on a traffic post. It might’ve been a trick of the light, but I felt like the luminosity was coming from within. Somewhere deep inside me burned bright with emerald fire.
My pale skin seemed even paler--as white as alabaster. That too could’ve been a deception by the moon’s rays, but from the same place that sizzled green flame radiated the white glow of my skin.
Wide-eyed and ferocious, my appearance startled me. I looked like a dark warrior not of this world. The cut on my cheek added to the battle-scarred effect. The fae blood coursing through my veins showed through my human façade. There was no mistaking it. Not now, with the glow of moonlight cascading over my flesh, urging the glow from within. I looked fierce, as if I could take down a man with one blow.
I liked that. A lot.
The whispering continued and I strained to hear the beautifully haunting words. Balancing on my knees and hands, I was close to falling into the water. But I didn’t care. The promises in the murmurs were too seductive to pull away from. My whole existence resided on those words, if only I could decipher them. If only I could understand.