Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 1- Shockwave (14 page)

“Yes, Dr. Wolf,” she replied.

Aleric left the Light fae section in a daze. His feet took him to the Dark section. He wandered inside and found the closest bed. He threw himself on it and stared up at the beams that lined the unfinished ceiling.

“I smell blood.”

Aleric tipped his head to the side to see Dartan watching him from his usual corner near the window; the vampire sat on the floor with his hands folded in front of him looking much more composed than Aleric felt.

“I asked Nurse Eastwick to bring some. It’s probably in the other wing. I’ll grab it in a moment.”

“I’m fine,” Dartan replied. “But I still smell blood.”

Aleric sighed. He should have known the vampire would smell it no matter how good he scrubbed. “I helped Dr. Worthen remove the bullet from the wood nymph.”

Dartan shook his head. “Ugh. Wood nymph blood. Disgusting.”

“Vampires don’t like their vegetables?” Aleric asked dryly.

“Wood nymph blood is like a vampire tranquilizer. It makes our bodies and joints gum up; very painful. The red stuff is much better.” Dartan tipped his head at the werewolf. “Performing surgeries now? Impressive.”

“I excel at holding things,” Aleric replied, turning his attention back to the unremarkable ceiling.

“You’re different.” He heard the vampire rise. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I do,” Dartan said, pausing near the bed. “It’s quite boring in here. The only sound is our demon friend’s snoring.”

Aleric listened for a moment to the rattling breaths that came from the furthest room.

“The wood nymphs say he’s not usually in such a bad mood.”

Interest colored Dartan’s voice. “They know him?”

Aleric nodded.

“By your silence, can I take it to mean that they also know you?”

Aleric was still for a moment, then nodded again.

“Ah, I see. Perhaps I need to speak with them.”

Aleric glanced toward the door. “Good luck getting in there. The UV lights Tranquility rigged look effective.”

“I’d consider it a minor sunburn compared to my skin now.”

Aleric’s attention turned to the vampire. He pushed up to a sitting position. “I’m sorry to say I forgot. Let me see.”

Dartan shook his head. “I didn’t bring it up to turn you to doctor mode again. We’re just having a conversation.”

Aleric gave the vampire a searching look.

“They’re already healing,” Dartan said with an accepting sigh. “The darkness is almighty and all that. Yay.”

His droll tone brought a small smile to Aleric’s face. “Full moon tonight.”

“That’ll be fun,” Dartan said. “Any chance I could cage the big bad wolf in here and keep you from doing something stupid?”

“I’d like to see you try,” Aleric replied. He hesitated, then admitted, “Though it wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“Consider it,” Dartan suggested. “It’d probably be good for your health.” The vampire walked back to his usual spot and sat down.

“I could get you a chair,” Aleric offered.

“I could get myself a chair,” Dartan replied. “The floor’s fine. It’s cooler down here and once in a while I can hear birds singing beyond these boards.”

“I didn’t take you for the bird type.”

“Their blood has a gamey taste. I think the draw is more like cats on the other side of a window. I’m a big, bad predator, but birds evade me. No wonder vampires made up the story they could turn into bats.”

That brought a chuckle from Aleric. He settled back onto the bed. It was bumpy, but at that moment, given all he had been through, it felt like the most comfortable bed in the world.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll catch a little shut-eye. The E.R.’s quiet for the moment as far as the fae are concerned, but we know that’s only a temporary condition.”

“I’ll stand guard, captain,” Dartan said in a wry tone.

Aleric closed his eyes. “Should I be concerned that I’m trusting a vampire to keep an eye on things while I sleep?”

“If I can be concerned that my only friend here has fleas.”

Aleric snorted and rolled over. His weary mind drifted off. Memories took over almost immediately.

He heard the faint knock on the door. The wood was marked with the crest of the forest dwarf. Aleric pulled the door open. The scents of Blays rushed inside with the cool breeze. He grimaced. The backstreet always smelled like the gnomes’ ale from the tavern across the way.

“Ric.” The pet name came out as a soft rasp.

Aleric looked down and his heart skipped a beat.

“Sherian!”

He dropped to his knees. She leaned her head against his chest. He tried to help her to her feet, but she let out a cry of pain. When he lifted his hands, they were covered in her red blood.

“Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.” Aleric froze. He didn’t know what to do. He looked around wildly, searching for help, but no one was in sight at the late hour. He didn’t kid himself to think that any of his neighbors would be willing to help. Werewolves were on the outs with the Fallow Conflict. Nobody wanted to be involved.

Aleric gathered Sherian up in his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder.

“Stay with me, Sher. I’ll get you to help. Don’t you leave me.”

Aleric ran down the street. Sherian’s head bobbed up and down and she moaned. He tried to soften his steps, but the sound of her drops of blood hitting the pavement met his ears like the toll of a bell.

“They’ll pay,” Aleric promised. “They won’t get away with this.”

“No…more,” Sherian gasped out.

Aleric looked down at her. Her eyes were filled with tears of pain when she met his.

“The fighting…stopped. They killed everyone.”

Aleric’s steps faltered.

“Everyone?” he asked.

She nodded. “They’re gone, Ric. The demons…Forsythe…the vampires called them.”

Aleric gritted his teeth. “I’m taking you to the wood nymphs. They’ll help.”

They were the only ones he knew who would aid a werewolf. Aleric felt so helpless as he ran down the street to the Drake City forest. He knew the twists and turns of the path by heart. He heard Sherian’s heart skip a beat, then another. His shirt and pants felt coated in her blood.

“Help me!” Aleric yelled. “Somebody, please help!”

“We’ll help you,” a gentle, whispery voice replied.

Wood nymphs appeared from the trees around him. Aleric knelt on the forest floor. His hands shook when he took them away from Sherian.

“The demons,” he said. “It was the demons.”

“We’ll do what we can,” a nymph replied. “Anything is possible.” She held out a red-leafed hand. “Vinca, take this werewolf to the grove. We’ll meet you there.”

“I’ll kill them all,” Aleric growled.

“You won’t,” the Light fae replied. She touched his forehead. “For now, you’ll sleep.”

Chapter 13

 

“Aleric, wake up.”

Aleric’s eyes opened at the sound of Dartan’s voice. The room felt different. He could tell that night was falling despite the boarded up windows. He sat up.

“How long did I sleep?” he asked.

Dartan stood near the door. He glanced at Aleric over his shoulder.

“A few hours. It was good for you. The nurse came in a few times, but she said things were quiet out front. She wanted to let you sleep.”

Aleric felt rested for the first time since he awoke in Edge City. He stood.

“How are you doing?” he asked the vampire. “Do you need blood?”

“I appreciate the offer,” Dartan said with a half-smile. “But the nurse brought that as well. She’s quite thoughtful, that one.”

Aleric nodded. “How about Forsythe?”

“Still sleeping, though I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to shoot him again. It was fun the first time.”

“You got the better end of the deal on that one,” Aleric told him. He made his way to the door. “I’d better go check on my patients.”

“Let me come with you.”

Aleric looked at the vampire in surprise. “Are you kidding?”

Dartan shook his head. “I’m not going to hurt anyone, honest. I am going out of my mind here. That’s more dangerous than a little bloodlust.”

“You sure about that?” Aleric asked.

Dartan rolled his eyes. “Look. Get me a clean pair of scrubs. You could use the help.”

“There’s not much to do,” Aleric said.

At that moment, he heard footsteps running down the hallway. He pushed open the door just as Gregory burst into the D Wing.

“Dr. Wolf!” he gasped. “Come quick! Something’s wrong with the boy!”

“You mean the banshee?” Aleric asked.

“You have a banshee?” Dartan repeated.

“I forgot to mention that,” Aleric replied.

“Hurry,” Gregory said.

Aleric stepped through the door.

“What about me?” Dartan asked.

Aleric nodded. “Let’s go.”

As much as Aleric hated the thought of seeing the banshee boy again, if something was wrong, the boy’s cries could affect all of the fae in the hospital. He didn’t want to risk that happening.

As soon as they threw open the doors to the Emergency Room, Aleric’s hands rose to his ears.

“Is that the banshee?” Dartan shouted over the sound. He cringed in pain.

“That’s why I forgot to tell you,” Aleric yelled back. “I blocked it out.”

Gregory led the way as if the sound didn’t bother him. The vampire and werewolf slowed the closer they drew to the room. Aleric felt himself blacking out from the pain. He leaned against the wall. Dartan put his forehead against the wall next to him.

“We can’t go in there,” Aleric said. “It just might kill me.”

“Let me talk to him,” Gregory replied. He disappeared into the room.

A few minutes later, the crying stopped. Aleric let out a sigh and glanced at vampire. Dartan stared at the wall in front of his face.

“That was unpleasant.” He looked at Aleric. “Do you taste that?”

Aleric moved the acrid taste around in his mouth. “Nasty, right?”

Dartan nodded. “Tastes like bad blood, and trust me, I know what that tastes like.”

“I believe it,” Aleric replied. He walked to the open door. “Is it safe to come in?”

“Prepare yourself,” Gregory replied.

“For what?” Aleric asked. He rounded the corner and paused.

A strange network of vines filled the room. Gregory stood in the middle near the boy. Tears streamed down the banshee’s face. In the far corner, Aleric made out a cocoon of vines with goblins bigger than his head standing on it.

“Who’s in the cocoon,” Aleric asked, forcing his voice to be calm.

“Dr. Worthen,” Gregory said. “I asked Daylen to let him go, but he doesn’t know how the doctor got there in the first place.”

The boy shook his head. “I was missing my mom,” he said. “The doctor came in and told me it was going to be alright, but I couldn’t stop crying; then the air opened and the goblins appeared. They wrapped him up.”

Aleric glanced at Dartan. “The air opened and the goblins appeared.”

Aleric was suddenly aware of the scent in the room. Why he hadn’t noticed the thick, tangy, burned-metal smell before was beyond him.

The boy gave a little sob. Both Aleric and Dartan cringed in pain. That was why; it hurt too badly to be aware of anything but the agony that filled his body at the sound. Aleric held up a hand.

“Please don’t cry. We can’t help you if you cry, alright?”

Daylen closed his mouth and nodded.

Aleric crossed carefully to the bed. He kept an eye on the vines that snaked around the room. The Dark fae on the cocoon turned to follow him. The goblins had six jagged limbs with clawed tips like spiders. Their faces moved to keep him in sight while they continued weaving the vines around the doctor. Their movements sent a chill of warning up Aleric’s arms.

“Daylen, when you cry, do things like this happen?”

Daylen nodded. “They have since I woke up here. I want to go home.” His voice was tight, but he refrained from sobbing.

Aleric watched him closely. “Is your family from Drake City?”

Daylen nodded again.

“What part of Drake City?”

“We live by the Glass District.”

Foreboding whispered in the back of Aleric’s mind. “On Twenty-Seventh Street?”

The boy nodded.

“How did you get here?” Aleric asked.

Daylen sucked in a shuddering breath. “My sister disappeared. They were looking everywhere for her.” His voice tightened. “They tried to find her, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. She was gone. I told Mom and Dad that she had vanished, but they didn’t know what I was talking about.” His eyes filled with fresh tears. “I couldn’t make them understand where she had gone. I couldn’t make her come back.”

Fresh sobs tore from the boy. Aleric hit the ground on his knees. He clutched his head in both hands. A glance to the right showed Dartan beside him, his face twisted in pain.

“Dr. Worthen!” Gregory called out.

Aleric looked up. The orderly pulled at the vines, but the goblins were working, spinning their vine webs even thicker. Their dark faces leered at Aleric. One opened its mouth in a laugh at his pain, revealing black, pointed teeth.

Aleric knew the press of the vines. He had been trapped inside of them before. They would squeeze in the more the goblins wove them. The Dark fae lived to create pain. Dr. Worthen would suffocate.

“Leave him alone!” Aleric growled.

He surged to his feet and stumbled to the cocoon. Memories of being trapped in the alley, his breath being squeezed from him, surfaced in his mind. He phased into wolf form and tore at the vines with his fangs. In his mind, he heard the frantic actions of another wolf. He saw a snout break through, ripping the other vines free. He fell out of the cocoon and landed on his hands and knees, drawing in fresh air with great gasps.

Sherian had changed then, phasing from the gray-coated wolf to the form of a girl his age. She ducked into the shadows and pulled on a dress that was torn at the edges and dirty.

“You saved my life,” Aleric said. After all he had seen in the unforgiving depths of Drake City, his young mind could barely accept it. “Why?”

“Because I could help,” Sherian replied.

Aleric tore another vine away. The goblins, seeing his progress, attacked him instead. Their sharp teeth bit into his shoulders and back. Lucky, his thick fur protected him against their wrath. He bit through several more vines, then hands were beside him. Dartan pulled with the strength of a vampire, tearing more of the writhing vines free. Whenever one of the plants hit the floor, it turned purple, then black, squealing until it dried up into dust.

Aleric grabbed a chunk of vines in his fangs and pulled backwards. He could see Dr. Worthen’s face just beyond. The doctor’s eyes were partially-open; he took a ragged breath. The goblins jumped back to the cocoon. Aleric backpedaled, pulling the vines with him. The doctor pushed his way through. Dartan caught Dr. Worthen before he could hit the ground.

Aleric took several calming breaths. He turned his gaze to the goblins. A rattling growl escaped from his throat. The goblins growled back, their claws raised and teeth bared. They skittered across the floor toward the werewolf. Aleric took a step forward.

“I’ve got them,” Gregory called out.

The orderly threw a black box on top of the Dark fae creatures and sat on it. After several howls of protest, the box grew quiet.

“That was quick thinking,” Dr. Worthen said, drawing in huge breaths of air. “I don’t really know what happened.”

Aleric stepped into the hallway to phase. He glanced around quickly before he changed form. The last thing he needed was to terrify any of the regular patients in the E.R.; fortunately, Dr. Worthen had the presence of mind to keep Daylen down one of the lesser-used hallways. Aleric phased quickly and pulled on his clothes. He took in a breath and allowed the painful memories that had swarmed him to settle back into the far reaches of his mind so that he wouldn’t have to visit them again for a very long time.

He walked back into the room.

“You’re a werewolf,” Daylen said.

Aleric read the fear on the boy’s face.

“I’m a werewolf,” he replied. “But I’m a nice one.”

“He’s a doctor here,” Gregory told the boy. “He saves the lives of fae like you.”

“Really?” Daylen asked.

Aleric nodded. He couldn’t get the metallic taste out of his mouth. It spurred him to ask, “So when you cry, things come out of Blays?”

Daylen nodded. “I can’t help it. I opened the hole to look for Elianna, but then I fell.”

“And you woke up here,” Aleric finished.

The boy nodded again. “Do you know where she is?”

Aleric shook his head. “No, but I plan to find her. What I need to know is can you open the hole without crying? I want to help you, but I can’t be here if you’re going to cry. It’s a banshee thing.”

“I-I can sing,” the young boy said.

Aleric glanced at Dartan. The vampire’s expression showed his hesitancy to hear anything that came out of the boy’s mouth. Given the pain of the banshee’s cry, Aleric couldn’t blame him.

He had to take a chance. “Will you sing for us? We need to see what happens.”

Daylen thought about the request for a moment. He took in a small breath and opened his mouth. A wordless song came out, soft and sweet as though it was sung by a bird. Aleric felt drawn to the boy, captivated by the beauty of the song. All thoughts he had entertained about leaving the room as quickly as possible fled, and instead he stood there entranced as Daylen sang his wordless song.

The air beside the bed flickered, drawing Aleric’s gaze to it. Sparks showed and he heard Gregory and Dr. Worthen’s exclamations, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the hole. It expanded, growing round and charged along the outside as if electricity flowed around it. The scent of burned metal filled the air.

“Drake City,” Dartan whispered.

Aleric saw it to, the unmistakable outline of the buildings near the docks. He had been to that place many times; he swore he could almost smell the salty scent of the air that flowed from the bay.

The goblins in the box let out howls of protest. They were fighting to get free. One gave a massive heave and dumped Gregory off. On impulse, Aleric grabbed the box and scooped it up; he tossed it at the hole. The box disappeared inside.

Daylen closed his mouth. The image immediately vanished.

Aleric’s heart pounded loudly in his chest. “Where did they go?”

“Drake City,” Daylen answered.

“You came through a hole like that?” he asked.

Daylen nodded. “That’s how I got here, only I think it was too high. The fall was too far. I’m worried the same thing happened to Elianna.”

A thrum ran along Aleric’s spine. He glanced out the window. The sky was darkening above the tall buildings. The moon was on the rise.

“I don’t have much time,” he told the boy. “I’m going to find your sister. Is there anything you can tell me about her?”

Daylen thought for a moment. “She has brown hair like mine. She’s a year younger than me, and she likes dolls.”

Dartan looked at Aleric. “That’s not much to go on.”

“Oh,” Daylen said, his eyes lighting up. “This is her doll. I thought she would want it, so I brought it with me.”

He pointed to a little rag doll on the table beside him.

“Perfect,” Aleric replied. “Can I take it?”

The boy nodded. “Give it to her and tell her I want to take us home.”

“I will,” Aleric promised.

He left the room with Dartan at his side.

“You’re going to search all over the city for a smell from a doll?” the vampire asked. “You know that’s like looking for a gnat in a gnome pile, right?”

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