Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 1- Shockwave (16 page)

“He’s the one that’s been plaguing Edge City, Father. He was close to locating the shockwave Initiator. I thought you would enjoy this particular vintage as tribute to your vision that reaches much further than mine,” Dartan replied.

The Vampire Lord eyed Aleric with suspicion.

“He’s still breathing. What’s wrong with him?”

Dartan casually pulled the gun from his waist and tossed it on the table next to Aleric. “I used a tranquilizer dart from the hospital. I know how you enjoy your beverages fresh.”

Lord Targesh chuckled. “My habits are becoming legend.”

Vampires from around the room joined in the laughter.

The Vampire Lord rose. “Son, it’s good to have you back in this penitent state having seen the error of your ways. Your gift is accepted. Drink with me.”

Aleric’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. He wanted to fight back; his instincts screamed for him to throw himself at Lord Targesh and attempt to tear out his neck before the other vampires reached him.

Yet Aleric lay still with his eyes half-closed and his muscles as relaxed as he could will them to be. The Vampire Lord pulled him closer by the fur beneath his right ear. He lifted Aleric’s muzzle to better position himself above the jugular.

Dartan moved next to his father.

“Bottom’s up,” Lord Targesh said.

Two sets of fangs sank into Aleric’s neck. His muscles twitched at the pain. He could feel the Vampire Lord drinking deeply of his blood. Thoughts of betrayal flashed through Aleric’s mind. Dartan had brought him to the vampires to die. He had made a vow and he was fulfilling it. Aleric would never return to Blays. He would never again help the patients at Edge City Hospital. He would die beneath the fangs of a vampire as so many other werewolves had during the Fallow Conflict. The circle of betrayal was complete and Aleric would be their final werewolf victim.

He willed his limbs to respond, bunching his muscles to die fighting instead of lying on a table like some grand bloodsucker meal. He didn’t have much time left. His paws felt cold as the blood was pulled through his body by the greedy fangs of the Vampire Lord. He couldn’t tell if Dartan drank his blood or not; he decided it didn’t matter given the vampire’s betrayal.

Aleric took a steadying breath and was about to pull his paws beneath him in a final effort when Lord Targesh reared back, breaking the contact.

“What’s wrong with me?” he asked. His words slurred slightly. Blood dripped down his chin. The Vampire Lord wiped the blood with his hand and stared at it. “Is that…green?”

Several drops hit the table when he spoke. As Aleric watched, the single puddle separated into two, the smaller portion of green blood pooling away from the red.

“Wood nymph blood,” Dartan said. He winked at Aleric. “Courtesy of our mutual friends.”

The Vampire Lord stumbled. Dartan grabbed his father’s shoulders and eased him to a sitting position on his chair. Other vampires closed in. Dartan picked up the dart gun and pointed it at his father. The Vampire Lord’s head slumped to his chest and a gurgling sound rattled from his throat.

“One more step and his death will be on your shoulders,” Dartan snarled.

The vampires halted a few steps away.

Dartan’s gaze circled the room.

“I haven’t killed your lord, but he is under my control. If any of you make one wrong move, I will give him a dose of wood nymph blood straight to his cold, pitiless heart.”

“Why?” the word bubbled from Lord Targesh.

An incredulous expression filled Dartan’s face. “Why? He wants to know why?” He stooped to look into his father’s eyes. “You couldn’t abide by the Armistice of Fae Equality, could you, Father? You couldn’t abstain from drinking the blood of fae even if it meant going back on your word.” His voice tightened when he said, “You killed people.”

“Light fae aren’t people,” the Vampire Lord gurgled, his head still slumped on his chest.

Dartan raised the gun to his father’s head. For a moment, Aleric thought he would end the life of the Vampire Lord. Instead, Dartan glanced back at Aleric.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Aleric rose slowly to his haunches. His head swam from the lack of blood and he let it hang down as he gathered his strength. He gave a short huff.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Dartan said. He motioned with the gun for the vampires around them to move back. “Give us space, brethren and sisters. For you see, with Lord Targesh currently incapacitated, as the Inheritant, I am in charge.”

A rush of whispers ran through the crowd. It seemed the vampires realized the same thing because they fell back to the walls and stood as still as statues. They watched the proceedings with wide, red eyes.

“Bring me the shockwave Initiator,” Dartan commanded.

Several vampires left the room. A few minutes later, the scent from the doll made Aleric lift his head. He glanced to the left to see a young girl be led forward. Silver chains stamped with the emblem of the ironwork trolls dangled from her wrists and feet. Her long brown hair hung in ratty strands and her dress was tattered and torn. Her hands shook, making the chains rattle.

“Free her,” Dartan ordered.

The vampires quickly obeyed.

When the chains were clear, Dartan knelt in front of the girl.

“Hello, Elianna,” he said, his voice gentle. “Are you alright?”

She nodded despite the dried tear tracks along her dirty cheeks. “How do you know my name?” she asked in a voice just above a whisper.

“Daylen sent me,” Dartan told her. He held up the doll.

The girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of her brother and she clutched the doll to her chest.

“Do you want to go back to Daylen?” the vampire asked. “He asked me to bring you where you could be safe.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded. “I want to go home.”

“So does he,” Dartan reassured her. “I just need you to do something for me. Do you think you could help me out?”

“What thing?” she asked, her voice hesitant.

Dartan pointed to his father on the chair. “Do you know that man?”

Elianna nodded and took a step backwards. Fear showed on her face. The expression made Aleric want to end the Vampire Lord’s life then and there, but he knew better than to upset the tenuous hold Dartan had on the vampires in the room. He jumped to the floor with less grace than he usually had as a wolf. The scarcity of blood in his system was definitely making itself known. He stopped at Dartan’s side.

Dartan set a hand on Aleric’s head in a gesture that was almost like a human with a pet. Aleric fought back the urge to shake him off.

“Elianna, this is my friend Aleric. He’s a werewolf. Do you know about werewolves?” Dartan asked. At Elianna’s nod, Dartan smiled. “Aleric doesn’t like vampires. He has promised to protect you and your brother from any vampire who would want to hurt you. Do you like that?”

The little girl nodded again quickly. To Aleric’s surprise, she crossed to him and wrapped an arm over his neck. She had to rise on her little tiptoes to do so, but the shaking of her hands stopped as she clutched at his fur.

Dartan addressed her again, his words gentle. “Elianna, I need to send this bad man home. Can you help me with that?”

“Y-you want me to send out the shockwave?” she asked.

Dartan nodded. “If you do, I will take Lord Targesh to Governor Hornsbellow and let the Governor know all the bad things he has done.” Dartan met Aleric’s gaze. “Including his orders to wipe out all werewolves despite the Armistice.”

Gratitude filled Aleric. If the truth came from a vampire, there was no way Governor Hornsbellow could deny justice.

A warble of denial rose from Lord Targesh.

“I’ll do it,” Elianna said.

The vampires around them pressed more tightly to the walls.

Elianna closed her eyes.

Aleric felt a thrum of energy run through the girl. She held out her hands. For a moment, nothing happened. Aleric glanced at Dartan. He waited with a look of trepidation on his face even though he made no move to stand back with the rest of the vampires.

Electricity shot between Elianna’s hands. Aleric’s fur stood on end. The energy moved back and forth until it formed into a crackling, angry ball. Elianna spread her hands apart and the electricity grew. She whispered something and then threw the ball at the wall across from them.

Vampires dove to either side. The ball erupted in a shockwave that pulsed through the room, knocking everyone but Elianna off their feet. She kept her hands out, her palms toward the pulsing wall across from them. The blurred image moved into focus and the energy shifted to the perimeters of the wall to create a passageway.

Aleric’s heart gave a strong beat at the familiarity of Twenty-Seventh Street and the corner of the Glass District. It was where he had fallen from Blays to the human world, the last thing he had seen before he blacked out.

Dartan stood first. He made his way to Lord Targesh and brought the Vampire Lord’s arm up around his shoulder. The Vampire Lord muttered angry curses but couldn’t move as his son dragged him to the shockwave.

Dartan looked over his shoulder.

“I order every vampire on this premises to follow me. Under orders of the Inheritant, you will depart to Cruor and never return to Edge City ever again.”

The vampires around the room walked toward the passageway without question, attesting to the true power the Inheritant had over the clan. Dartan waited at one side with his father and watched as the vampires stepped one-by-one through the shockwave.

When the last one had passed, Dartan met Aleric’s gaze.

“You thought I betrayed you, didn’t you?” he asked with a half-smile.

Aleric snorted.

Dartan chuckled. “Don’t lie. You thought I turned you over to the vampires. What kind of friend does that? You must really be questioning your loyalties now. Just what Edge City needs, a confused werewolf leading its fae.” Dartan’s smile lessened and seriousness took over his tone. “That’s who you are, Aleric; don’t you forget it. The fae here need you. They’re lost and you know where they need to go. Get Elianna safely to Daylen and send the fae home.”

Aleric nodded. Elianna’s hands wavered.

“I’ve got to go,” Dartan said. “It’s been fun. Insanely painful and utterly confusing, but fun.”

He stepped through the shockwave and pulled his father with him. His voice flowed through the passageway.

“If you choose to come back, I retract what I said about the vow. Not killing you makes us even,” he called.

Elianna’s hands lowered and the shockwave vanished.

Chapter 15

Elianna rode on Aleric’s back to the parking lot of the hospital. She slid off when he sat and waited while he trotted to the dumpster and phased. He pulled on his scrubs with the acknowledgment that he actually enjoyed how comfortable they were. He walked back across the parking lot lit by the golden haze of the early morning sun. When he reached Elianna, he gave her a warm smile.

“Ready to see your brother?”

She nodded and took his hand.

Aleric pulled the door open and led the way inside. He passed the door to the D Wing and felt a pang of regret at the thought that Dartan was no long there to give him a hard time. He would miss the vampire’s sarcasm.

They reached the E.R. and found Gregory sitting in a chair near the doors.

“We thought you were gone for sure,” Gregory said, rising with a relieved, tired smile. “Dr. Worthen was worried you would never come back. He slept here instead of heading home last night with the hopes that you would return.”

“I couldn’t leave you with the fae,” Aleric said.

Gregory nodded. “The demon’s scary.”

“It’s the fairy I was worried about,” Aleric replied. He chuckled at Gregory’s confused look.

“Dr. Wolf!” Nurse Eastwick said when they entered Daylen’s room.

Daylen jumped off the bed and ran to his sister, wrapping her in a big hug.

Dr. Worthen rose from a chair in the corner and gave Aleric a warm smile. “You were successful,” the doctor said.

“I promised I would find you,” Daylen told his sister. “When that vampire came for you, I told him I wouldn’t give up until we were both home.”

Tears ran down Elianna’s cheeks and she hugged her brother as tight as her little arms could hold him. “I was so scared. They were mean to me.”

A sob sounded from the banshee and Aleric winced in pain.

“Uh, could you, maybe, take it down a notch for Dr. Wolf’s sake?” Gregory asked.

Daylen sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded. The pain vanished. Aleric stood slowly and leaned against the wall.

“Are you alright?” Nurse Eastwick asked. “You look pale.” She looked at him closer. “What happened to your neck?”

“Let’s just say I won’t be donating blood anytime soon,” Aleric replied.

“Thank you so much for finding her,” Daylen said.

Both siblings crossed to him. Aleric lowered to his knees and they wrapped their small arms around his neck. A smile spread across his face. He looked up and saw matching smiles on Dr. Worthen and Nurse Eastwick’s faces.

“I have some people I’d like you to meet,” Aleric told the children. “Will you come with me?”

Both of them nodded with matching expressions of trust. He rose and their hands slipped into his. Aleric walked with them back down the hallway to the D Wing. Dr. Worthen and Nurse Eastwick followed.

As soon as Aleric opened the door to the Light fae side, Tranquility ran up to them with a huge, welcoming smile.

“Come in, come in!” the little fairy buzzed. She walked around so fast her feet looked like they barely touched the ground. “You both are so cute!” she doted. “Do you need some water, a bed? Food?” She looked at Aleric. “Are they in the hospital for a serious reason?”

Aleric couldn’t hold back his smile. “They’re here to get you guys home.”

“Home!” Braum shouted from his room. A few seconds later, the faun appeared standing on one hoofed foot. “We get to go home?”

“I miss home,” Vinca said.

“Me, too,” Valerian echoed. Nurse Eastwick crossed to her.

The sight of Valerian awake filled Aleric with relief. He nodded. “Elianna was taken by Lord Targesh to open up a window to this world so that he would no longer be bound accountable to the laws of Blays. He wanted to be able to drink blood from humans outside of Governor Hornsbellow’s reach. Because of that, her brother was trying to find her by any way that he could.” He smiled down at the banshee. “As painful as it was.”

Daylen grinned at him. “Sorry about that.”

Aleric ruffled the boy’s hair. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Can we go now?” Tranquility asked.

Aleric looked at the children. “It’s up to them.”

At the hopeful expressions on Tranquility and Braum’s faces, Elianna nodded. “I can open the shockwave.”

Tranquility’s smile vanished. “That sounds painful.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Elianna reassured the fairy. “I promise.”

She put her hands together and was about to start the process when a thought hit Aleric.

“I have someone who needs to go home first. Will you give me a minute?”

He hurried from the room.

The wood nymph’s words echoed in his mind. “Demons are people, too. He’s just as lost as we are.”

He pushed open the door to the Dark fae wing and paused as much to let his eyes adjust as to listen to what was happening in the room.

He heard it, the small hitch in the demon’s breath that betrayed his attempts to pretend to be asleep.

“I need you to promise me something,” Aleric said, crossing to the demon’s side.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a very angry werewolf?” Forsythe replied.

“Yes, they have,” Aleric said. “I’m going to free you.” The thought of fighting the demon again went beyond his strength level. He shoved the weakness he felt at the blood loss away and put on a fierce front. “If I let you go, am I going to have to bring you down again?”

Forsythe shook his head, his eyes glowing in the darkness. “I promise I’ll be good.”

Aleric circled the demon’s bed. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Forsythe sighed and closed his eyes. “All I want to do is go home.”

“That’s what I’m going to give you,” Aleric said.

The demon’s eyes flew open again. “Don’t lie.”

Aleric made up his mind. He pulled on one of the straps that bound the demon to the bed. It loosened and he threw it over the Dark fae’s body. He did the same to the next three. Aleric paused with his hand on the final strap that ran across the demon’s chest.

“I’m trusting you because Vinca said I could,” he said quietly. He pulled on the final strap and threw it clear.

Forsythe sat up, his actions slow as if he was aware of how tense the werewolf was. Aleric felt completely responsible for the fae waiting in the next room. If the demon went into fury mode, he wouldn’t have the strength to stop the creature. He was trusting the faith the wood nymphs had in the demon to keep all of them safe.

“These gowns are drafty,” Forsythe said, attempting to hold the back shut behind him as he climbed off the bed.

The action brought a small smile to Aleric’s face. “Yeah, they are. They have a serious design flaw.”

“I thought it might have been just mine; you know, as a cruel joke or something,” Forsythe said. “I figured it was the fairy.”

Aleric shook his head. “I think if Tranquility got ahold of you, it’d be much worse, and there’d be glitter.”

A shudder ran down Forsythe’s spine. “Fairies. Can’t live with them and can’t feed them to the gargoyles; gives them indigestion.”

Aleric chuckled. “I can imagine. So, ready to face the Light fae?”

Forsythe sighed. “I suppose. It’s worth it to go home.”

Aleric led the way through the door and stepped inside the Light fae side to turn off the UV lamps. When Forsythe entered the main area, Tranquility hurried to where Braum stood near the back of the room and slipped her hand into his. The two banshee children looked to Aleric for reassurance.

Dr. Worthen, Nurse Eastwick, and Gregory backed up to the far wall.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Dr. Worthen said.

“So do I,” Aleric replied.

To his surprise, Vinca sprang off the bed where she had waited with her sister and ran across the room on feet so light he couldn’t hear them. Forsythe bent down and Vinca threw her arms around his neck. She hugged him tight.

“I’m so happy to see you,” she said in her breathless voice.

“I’m happy to see you, too,” Forsythe replied. He crossed to Valerian and touched her green cheek gently. “I was so worried about you both. I looked everywhere, but that werewolf kept bringing me back here.”

“You were looking for them?” Aleric asked.

Forsythe glanced at him. “Why else would I break out of here? They needed my help.”

Aleric sighed. “Could you have just told me that?”

“And trust a werewolf?” Forsythe shot back. “No way. Especially after everything that happened in Drake City. What if you decided to take out your revenge on the wood nymphs? I’d never forgive myself.”

Aleric opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again. He hadn’t exactly given the demon any reason to trust him.

“I guess I’ve got my own prejudices to deal with,” he said.

Forsythe gave a true smile. “You’ve definitely helped with mine.”

That brought an answering smile to Aleric’s face. “I’m glad. Let’s get you guys home.”

“Wait; aren’t you coming with us?” Tranquility asked.

Aleric shook his head. “As much as I want to, I’ll be needed here if other fae show up. Plus, the selkie hasn’t awakened yet. I can’t abandon her.”

He met Dr. Worthen’s gaze. The doctor nodded with a proud light in his eyes.

“Then should we stay?” Tranquility’s tone was torn.

Aleric shook his head. “You need to go home. This isn’t a place for fae. Go back to where it’s safe and where your family is counting down the minutes until you return.”

“If you’re sure,” the little fairy said.

Aleric smiled at her. “I’m sure.” He turned to the children. “It’s up to you guys now.”

Gregory crossed to Aleric. “I’ll go keep an eye on things up front. I’ll let you know if we need you.”

“I appreciate it,” Aleric told him.

The human left through the door.

Elianna smiled. “I’ve got this. One shockwave coming up.”

“I’ll help,” Daylen said.

Elianna rubbed her hands together and the energy sparked. The ball grew. She threw it against the wall near Aleric. Daylen closed his eyes and began to sing. The sparking at the edges of the shockwave softened and the image became clear. The burned metal smell filled the air, and this time Aleric decided it wasn’t so bad. He drank in the sight of Twenty-Seventh Street and the Glass District. The word ‘Home’ whispered in the back of his mind. Aleric’s smile faltered.

“I’m so excited!” Tranquility said.

The little fairy helped Braum toward the shockwave.

The door to the room opened and Dr. Indley rushed through.

“Am I too late?” she asked. “Gregory said something about children opening a vortex to a fairy world and that I’d better hurry or I’d miss it. After the past few days, I’ve learned not to doubt that anything exists.”

“The fae are leaving,” Dr. Worthen told her.

Braum’s eyes sparkled when he said, “Dr. Wolf found us a way home.”

She looked at him and a shadow of regret showed in her eyes. “I really owe you an apology. I never said it.”

“You don’t have to,” Aleric replied. “I should have trusted you.”

“And told me you’re a werewolf from a fae world? Probably best not to lead with that one.”

Nurse Eastwick laughed. “She has a point.”

“Is that it?” Marae asked, looking at the shockwave.

Aleric nodded. “That’s Blays.”

“It looks a lot like Edge City,” she said.

“It’s home,” Braum replied. The faun limped eagerly forward, his eyes on the streets of Drake City. He paused just before they reached the border.

“Thanks, Dr. Wolf, thanks Dr. Indley. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done.”

“It’s thanks enough to see you up,” Marae told him.

“Happy to help,” Aleric replied. “Rest that leg.”

“Will do, Doc,” Braum said.

“Wait. I have to do something,” Tranquility said. “Are you okay for a moment?”

At Braum’s nod, the little fairy ducked from under his arm and ran to Aleric’s side. She tugged on the sleeve of his scrubs and he knelt down. Tranquility stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, Dr. Wolf,” she said.

She spun on her heels and rushed back to the shockwave.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself; he’s just so handsome!” she said to the faun.

Braum stepped through the shockwave with the little fairy at his side. They disappeared into the image beyond.

“Where did they go?” Vinca asked with a hint of concern.

“To the corner across from our apartment,” Elianna replied. “That’s a memory of mine, but it takes you to the same place.”

“Our turn,” Forsythe said to the wood nymphs.

He gently picked Valerian up in his arms. He rose and she leaned against his chest. “Let’s get you both home,” the demon said. He smiled at Elianna and Daylen when he passed them. “Thank you.”