Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 2- Demon Spiral (14 page)

She finished the crown and placed it gently on his head.

“A perfect fit,” she said, delighted.

“Thank you, Mama,” little Aleric said.

“Thank you, Mama,” Aleric echoed.

His mother looked at him then, not at little Aleric, but at him as he watched the memory.

“Never give up, Ricky. No matter what happens, never give up. You can do anything.”

“I miss you, Mama,” he told her.

She nodded. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He was glad he had inherited the same color of irises from her. “I miss you, too, Ricky. But you have people waiting for you. You need to go back.”

The sunlight felt so warm on his shoulders. He wanted to stay there with the scent of the green grass in his nose and the brush of the light breeze against his face.

“I don’t want to leave,” he said.

Her smile was filled with such understanding that he had to blink to keep from crying. She reached up a hand and he felt her fingers on his shoulder.

“Go back, sweetheart.”

He shook his head.

She pushed harder. He felt pain radiate from her touch.

“Go back to them, Ricky. They need you.”

“Let me stay,” he begged.

The memory flickered at the edges. Darkness touched the sunny sky.

“You aren’t done,” his mother said. “I love you.”

Lightning crackled through the dark clouds and agony flooded Aleric’s body. The lightning cracked again and the memory vanished. Aleric struggled to pull in a breath. His mouth was filled with a metallic taste that reminded him of the banshee children. His gave a moan of pain and opened his eyes a crack.

“He’s back,” Nurse Eastwick said.

“Thank Fenrir,” Dartan breathed.

Aleric tipped his head to the side and met the vampire’s gaze.

“If you ever do that again, I’ll kill you myself,” Dartan vowed. There was something in his gaze that said his harsh tone was covering his fear.

“W-what?” Aleric croaked out.

“You died, Wolfie,” Dartan replied. “Your heart stopped.” He motioned to something on Aleric’s other side. “They brought you back.”

It took more effort than Aleric thought it should to turn his head to the other side.

Dr. Worthen was pressing bandages to his shoulder. The pressure made Aleric’s breath catch.

Nurse Eastwick replaced paddles on a stand in the corner. She looked back at him with motherly distress.

“You coded, darling. We thought we lost you.”

Dr. Worthen pressed harder. Aleric let out a groan of pain.

“Sorry,” the doctor said. “This hasn’t been a walk in the park. The wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. We had to cauterize it and then sew it shut, and I’m not convinced it’ll stay that way.”

Aleric closed his eyes.

“Stay with us, Wolfie,” Dartan said, grabbing his hand.

The werewolf let out a slight huff that had to pass for laughter until he could recover enough strength; even that small action brought pain to his shoulder. He opened his eyes again.

“Not…going,” Aleric managed to say.

“Good,” Dartan replied. “That’s what I want to hear.” The vampire crossed his arms in front of his chest. They were still covered with burns, but the skin looked better than it had after the Archdemon’s lair. The thought of sunlight turned Aleric’s mind to the memory.

“Saw…my mom,” Aleric continued.

Dartan’s eyebrows pulled together. Aleric closed his eyes, remembering.

“That’s nice,” Nurse Eastwick said. “Mothers always worry about their children. Trust me; I know.”

A tear leaked from Aleric’s closed eyes. It trailed down the side of his cheek. He nodded in reply to her words.

Something stung his left hand. He glanced down to see Dr. Worthen stitching the gash along his palm.

“I cleaned this one out, too,” the doctor told him. “It was a mess. The next time you meet a demon armed with silver, let the vampire handle it.”

“He’s…worse shape,” Aleric managed to get out.

“I don’t know about that,” Dr. Worthen said, his attention on Aleric’s palm. “He managed to keep his heart beating.”

“No…heartbeat,” Aleric said. He muffled a groan at the pain coursing through his body.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dartan replied. “Vampires are dead and all that. We’ve gone over this. It’s not funny anymore.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” Nurse Eastwick said.

“Don’t take his side,” Dartan told her. “Just because he’s on his deathbed doesn’t mean you have to humor him by laughing at jokes that aren’t funny. It doesn’t help him any.”

“I thought it was funny,” Dr. Worthen said.

“Great,” Dartan told Aleric. “You’ve turned them all against me. How am I supposed to live with that?”

Aleric let out a chuckle of laughter at the vampire’s phrasing that hurt so badly it turned into a gasp of pain. Nurse Eastwick laughed with him and even Dr. Worthen chuckled.

“You really have to think about what you say before you say it,” the doctor suggested.

“You are all ridiculous,” Dartan muttered. He stormed out of the room.

Nurse Eastwick let out a breath in a sigh that ended in more laughter. “I’m just glad we can laugh after all this,” she said.

“I agree,” Dr. Worthen replied. He stood from his seat next to the operating table. “Stitches are done, as long as you take it easy,” he said in a tone directed at Aleric.

Aleric opened his eyes to look at the doctor. “Thank you.”

Dr. Worthen put a hand over his bandaged one. “Thank you, son. You saved Gregory and Therese’s lives, among countless others today.”

A throb of pain pushed through Aleric’s shoulder. He winced. “Not done,” he got out.

“I know,” Dr. Worthen replied. “But you’re done for now. You need to sleep if this shoulder has any chance. I’m not convinced it’s healing even after the cauterizing. That’s not the course of action I would choose in a normal situation, but with you, the situation is never normal. I’m just glad Dartan knew which blood type to give you. It seems to have helped a great deal.”

“He should know,” Aleric said, his words a bit stronger. “He drank…enough of it.”

“He said that, too,” Dr. Worthen told the werewolf. “You need to get friends that are less hazardous to your health.”

Aleric gave a small smile. “You keep me going,” he said. He put his good hand to the operating table and tried to push up, but both the nurse and doctor held him down.

“You stay put,” Nurse Eastwick scolded. “You’re going to a room to sleep. I’m giving you enough painkillers to knock you out for a while. You need it.”

“Listen to her,” Dr. Worthen put in. “I better not see you wandering these halls for at least a week.”

Just trying to move told Aleric what a bad idea it had been. He settled back on the table.

“Yes, Doctor.”

Dr. Worthen cracked a smile. “I’m glad you’re back with us.”

“Me, too,” Aleric replied.

Nurse Eastwick took the long route through the Emergency Room in order to get him to the D Wing. Aleric couldn’t figure out why until she paused near one of the quieter rooms. Without a word, she opened the door so Aleric could look inside.

Two beds had been pushed together. On them lay Gregory and Therese. The orderlies wore hospital gowns and were hooked up to monitors. They were sleeping, Therese’s head resting on Gregory’s shoulder while his arm held her close.

“Are they alright?” Aleric asked in a whisper.

Nurse Eastwick pulled the door closed gently. “Yes, thanks to you,” she replied. “I just wanted you to understand the impact you had tonight, especially with all the pain I can tell you’re going through even though you’re trying to hide it.” She winked at him. “I’ve been in this business for quite a while. I know what severe pain looks like. The meds should be kicking in soon.” She smiled at him. “I know you and Gregory are friends. He told me about the money you gave him for his ring fund.”

Aleric was quiet as she pushed the bed through the doors toward the D Wing.

“He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone,” he finally said.

The smile that showed on the nurse’s face reminded Aleric of how his mother had looked when he learned how to blow on the grass whistle.

“He had to tell someone; he couldn’t keep it to himself. He said because of you he has enough to get her the ring this weekend.”

The thought that the orderly had been so close to fulfilling his dream of buying Therese a ring and yet nearly been killed with her because of the Archdemon’s greed brought tears to Aleric’s eyes. They could have died in each other’s arms days from becoming an engaged couple. They would have been so close to making their dreams a reality.

Aleric squeezed his closed eyes with his good hand, telling himself that he was just emotional from the pain.

“Are you alright?” Nurse Eastwick asked in a tone that said she guessed how he felt.

Aleric nodded. When he could speak, he said, “I think the painkillers are getting to me.”

“Dark or Light?”

He opened his eyes at the strange question. A glance forward showed the doors to the Dark fae side or the Light. Aleric didn’t know why he said it, but the word, “Dark,” escaped his mouth.

“You sure about that?” the nurse asked with surprise in her voice.

“I’m sure,” Aleric replied.

Chapter Fourteen

Aleric was awakened by the sound of the goblins scrambling about in their cages. The scritching of their claws against the tile floor was enough to set his teeth on edge and make him wonder why he had chosen the Dark fae side.

He pushed up slowly. The movement sent a rush of pain through his shoulder, though it was muted compared to the agony of before. He gave a breath of gratitude for the healing ability of the werewolf.

Aleric slid the I.V. from his arm, remembering to keep the tape to press over the tiny wound so it didn’t bleed. The action reminded him of a small fairy filled with over-enthusiasm and abounding happiness. A smile touched his lips.

He carefully put his feet on the floor. The goblins across the room fell silent at his movements. The sour lemon and mud scent wafting from them made Aleric want to sneeze, but he knew that was the last thing he needed to do with his shoulder. He held his left elbow with his good hand, cradling his arm against his chest to ease the pull on his shoulder as he made his way to the door.

Aleric pushed through the doors to the hallway. A glance out the back door at the end of the hall showed sunlight streaming in through the window. He wondered how long he had slept. Nurse Eastwick had been true to her word about the painkillers and being able to sleep. He wondered if his werewolf metabolism had helped cycle those through his system faster than she had planned. She would certainly be mad that he was up if she caught him.

On impulse, he pushed the door open to the Light fae side.

“Hello, Dr. Wolf,” the massive troll said.

The smile that spread across the troll’s face as he sat in the sunshine next to the selkie made Aleric smile back.

“Hello. It’s good to see you up.”

“Feeling better,” the troll told him. “Happy here.”

“I’m glad,” Aleric replied. He looked at the selkie. “How are you feeling?”

“As good as new,” she said with a warm smile. Someone had gotten her a summer dress. She looked quite comfortable sitting in the windowsill talking with the troll.

“Is there anything I can get you?” Aleric asked.

“We should be asking you the same thing,” the selkie told him. She indicated the bandages across his bare chest with a nod of her head. “Nurse Eastwick told us what happened with the demons. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” the troll grunted. “Demons mean.”

“I’m fine,” Aleric said. His shoulder chose that moment to give an angry throb. He bit back an exclamation and let out a breath through his clenched teeth. “Just fine.”

The selkie didn’t look convinced. “Should I get the nurse?”

Aleric shook his head. “I’m heading up that way. I’ll have her look at it.”

He pushed back through the door.

“Doctor nice,” he heard the troll say, his deep voice carrying up the hall.

“Yes,” the selkie replied in her musical tones. “I’ve never met a werewolf so nice.”

Aleric kept walking. Something tickled at the back of his mind. Instinct willed his feet forward and refused to let him sit down when he wanted to. He reached the Emergency Room and looked inside; it was surprisingly empty besides the goblin bite patients in comas in their beds. A glance in Gregory and Therese’s room showed them gone. By the scent, they hadn’t been up for very long. Aleric grabbed a clean scrubs top from the supply room and eased it on over his injured shoulder. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

When he made it to the door of the supply room, a sound caught Aleric’s ear. He made his way up the hall that led to the staff breakroom. The commotion of many people came from within. Aleric peeked inside to see the entire staff, including physicians and nurses from other areas of the hospital, crammed in the small space so that there was standing room only. Gregory and Therese sat on the back of the couch wearing their scrubs once more. The sight warmed Aleric’s heart. He shifted his gaze to the television everyone watched.

“…they now have the Archdemon cornered in a building in Fallows. We’ll take you to civilian footage of the damage the demons have done in the wake of their leader.”

The scene shifted to the shaky filming of a phone. The image showed the demons barreling after the Archdemon. They took down cars, the sides of buildings, buses, anything in their wake without care for the humans inside. Bodies lay scattered along the streets, fire hydrants shot water into the air, car wrecks and debris were highlighted by the light from the helicopters who followed their path.

The image shifted again. This time, it showed the Archdemon from above as though someone recorded out a window. The demon was huge, his lava skin glowing with angry embers as he stalked up the street, his cloak flowing behind him like an unholy wraith. Humans out late scrambled from their cars and street corners. One, a woman, had bags of groceries in her arms and couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.

The Archdemon grabbed the woman in one of his huge, six-fingered hands, held her to his face, and sucked the soul from her body. When the mist ceased to flow and her head lolled back, he tossed her to the side and continued on.

“He needs to be stopped.”

Everyone turned at the sound of Aleric’s voice.

“Dr. Wolf!” Gregory exclaimed.

The orderly jumped off the couch and ducked under Aleric’s arm. Realizing he probably looked as terrible as he felt, Aleric allowed himself to be led inside. The hospital staff made a path for him and Dartan helped ease him down on the couch.

“You should be sleeping,” the vampire said.

“I could say the same for you,” Aleric replied. “How’s your skin?”

“Toasty,” Dartan answered. “Thanks for asking. It feels worse when you point it out.”

“You need more blood,” Aleric told him.

“You probably need more blood than I do,” Dartan pointed out. He crossed his arms, winced, and let them hang at his sides. “I’m fine.”

“I told you to stay in bed for at least a week,” Dr. Worthen said. “Why in the world are you up? It’s only been a few hours.”

Aleric motioned with his good arm toward the television. “Them.”

The news camera showed helicopters circling the building. Hundreds of police officers, SWAT members, federal agents, and security guards could be seen.

“They’re going to get themselves killed,” Dartan said.

“We can’t let that happen,” Aleric replied.

Nurse Eastwick crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Aleric nodded toward the screen. “If I don’t go, more people will die.”

“What can you do?” Dr. Worthen asked. “What can anyone do?”

“We need to open the Rift,” Aleric started.

Dartan shook his head, cutting the werewolf off. “No way. You think this is bad? Wait until Queen Ashdava comes through. This’ll be like playing ball against minkies compared to that.” At everyone’s uncomprehending expressions, he sighed. “Playing ball against winged cats is easy.”

“You know that for a fact?” Aleric asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Dartan met his gaze with one of steel. “Don’t change the subject. You can’t open the Rift.”

“I can’t,” Aleric said. “But you can.”

A furrow formed between the vampire’s eyebrows. “You keep saying that, but you’re the one with the key.”

“The key?” Aleric repeated. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You know how to open the Rift,” Dartan insisted. “The banshee kids said so.”

Aleric stared at the vampire. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dartan stared back. “Elianna said you know where the hole is and that you could get a message to them through it.”

Aleric shook his head, his mind blank. “I have no clue….” His voice faded away as a thought occurred to him. The faint memory of a smell tickled at the back of his mind. He remembered walking through an alley until the tangy scent that left a metallic taste in his mouth stopped him in his tracks. “I know where it is,” he said.

“Yes!” Gregory cheered. He stopped and said, “Wait, why am I celebrating?”

“You jumped the gun,” Dartan told him. “We aren’t quite there yet.” He turned back to Aleric. “Why open the Rift?”

“We need to send the demons back to Blays,” the werewolf replied.

“There’s no way Pravus is going to let them go home,” Dartan argued.

“I know,” Aleric said. “That’s why we’ll be sending them home without him.”

Silence filled the room. So many people watched from one fae to the other that Aleric wondered how their heads stayed connected. He looked around at them. “You’re here because you love your city, right?”

A doctor wearing blue scrubs nodded. “Correct, Dr. Wolf.”

His respect brought a smile to Aleric’s face. “Thank you. Doesn’t it kill you to see your city torn apart like that? To see a woman used and thrown aside?”

“Definitely,” the doctor replied.

Aleric sat up gingerly and rested his arm against the couch. “If I don’t find a way to get rid of Archdemon Pravus, that’s going to be the story of the entire city, used and thrown away like an empty blood bag.” He met Dartan’s gaze. “You and I both know what a good allegory that is.”

Dartan’s expression was grim when he nodded. “But how are you going to do that? I can’t go out there.”

“Not unless you want to look even more barbecued than you do right now,” Aleric replied. When that failed to bring a wry smile to his friend’s face, Aleric continued, “I have to try, and I think I’ll succeed.”

“Why?” Nurse Eastwick asked.

“Because the grims have the Archdemon’s name on their arms.”

He could tell by the humans’ expressions that they had no idea what that meant, but when Aleric’s eyes met Dartan’s, the realization was there.

“You’re right.”

“They only get a name when the person is going to die,” Aleric said, thinking aloud. “If the grims have his name, it’s his time. Their job is to notify the fae creature and give him or her the chance to say their goodbyes. Pravus chose to run instead. My hope is that I can be a part of the reason he’s gone, especially if he continues to hurt people in this city. I have work to do.”

He tried to rise, but his legs wouldn’t respond. Dr. Worthen and Dartan helped him to his feet.

“You have a lot more bark than bite for a werewolf,” Dartan said quietly as he helped his friend to the door.

“We’ll see about that,” Aleric replied. “I need a car.”

“I’ll drive you,” Gregory offered.

“I’ll come with you,” Therese said.

“We’ll bring it around back,” Gregory said to Aleric. “The officers parked it out front, but I keep it out in the back parking lot because the pigeons like to use it for target practice for some reason when it’s in the employee lot.”

“I think it’s the color,” Therese cut in. “I don’t think they like the blue. Pigeons are funny about things.”

“We’ll go get it,” Gregory said taking her hand. “It’s the least we can do to thank you for saving our lives.”

The couple hurried out of the breakroom.

“I’ll meet you at the car,” Nurse Eastwick told him. “I have something for you. Don’t leave.”

“I have some more goblin tests to run,” Dartan said. “I wish I could go with you.”

“The sun would kill you right now,” Aleric replied. “Don’t try. You can do more good here. Hopefully a few of those goblins are a match.”

“I hope so,” Dartan said. “The patients are declining quickly. We’re going to have to go on another hunt.”

“When night falls,” Aleric agreed. A thought occurred to him. “Thanks for shooting Pravus with the tranquilizer gun. You saved my life back there.”

“I was hoping it would keeping him from morphing to fury mode. By the looks of things, it probably slowed him down a bit.” Dartan pulled the small gun from the waistband of his scrubs. “You better hang onto it in. Seeing you seems to have a bad effect on him. Maybe he’s allergic to dogs.”

Aleric snorted. “One can only hope.” He put the gun in his waistband.

Dartan stopped by the door and turned. “I’m glad you’re alright. Try to keep it that way, okay?”

Aleric smiled. “I will.”

He watched his friend leave. The rest of the hospital staff filed out after the vampire. Several of the doctors and nurses wished Aleric good luck on their way out the door.

“Take care of yourself,” an older doctor said.

“I will,” Aleric replied. “Thank you.”

The thought of going after Archdemon Pravus without the vampire at his side was a daunting one, but there was no choice. The Archdemon thought of humans as food. Aleric wouldn’t let the orderlies get anywhere close to the building. Anyone else he brought would be in danger. If he could convince Pravus to return to Blays with the rest of his demon horde, life could return to somewhat normal in Edge City. If not, Aleric wasn’t sure what to do. No matter what, he wouldn’t let the demons hurt anyone else if he could do anything about it.

Aleric made it to the door on his own, but he was definitely pushing it. He didn’t know how he was going to face the Archdemon. All he knew was that he had to try.