Page 22 of Wicked Savior
She brings each individual to a curtained off bed and leaves them to dress in the gown lying on the end. Except for the woman with the little girl. She pulls her aside.
“You should take your daughter to her favorite places and let her enjoy them one last time. Be together,” she urges gently, smiling down at the blond-haired little girl with the thin face and deep brown eyes.
“She’s my little sister, and we’ve already done all of her favorite things. She’s not afraid of death. We lost our parents a few years ago, and we’re well acquainted with it,” the young woman replies, with a side glance in my direction. “If this doesn’t work, she’s ready to go and be with them. If there’s a microscopic chance it does work, we’ll take it.”
The little girl at her side smiles at Evren. “I’d love to stay here with my sister, grow up, be a ballerina, and marry a handsome prince.” She squeezes her sister’s hand. “I’d also love to see my parents again. I miss them so much.” Her little hand then reaches out for Evren’s and clasps it in her own. “Either way, I’ll be okay.”
She tugs Evren down to her level. “I worry about my sister, though. Can you promise to look after her if something happens to me? Becca will be all alone.”
Evren looks at her solemnly and nods. “I will.” She glances at the clipboard in her hand. “Aurora. You’re a brave little girl with an awesome sister, you know that?”
She giggles and shakes her head. “Yes. Thank you.” With everything resolved to her satisfaction, Aurora pulls her sister over to the bed and closes the curtain.
Evren stares after them, her lip pulled between her teeth.
“Are you giving them Druid blood in the hopes it will heal them or give them magic?” I ask, my eyes darting from the men donating blood to the dying patients. Gabriel is already infuriated with her interference with the Druids. If he knew about this additional experiment, he’d go off the deep end. Changing the order of things like life and death is crossing a line he won’t be able to ignore. Uneasy myself, I stare at the closed curtains.
“My hope is to cure them, but if they evolve and develop magic or pass the ability on to their children, I wouldn’t be disappointed,” she returns, nervously eyeing me. “If you want to leave, I completely understand. We just met, and this is beyond your duties as a savior.”
My jaw clenches, and I pull her closer. “Listen carefully.” I wait until her focus is entirely on me. “I will not abandon you. Period. There is no disclaimer. No out clause. Is that clear enough for you?”
She nods, but the look in her eyes says she’s not quite convinced. Proof. It’s the only thing she’ll believe.
I sigh. “Go, do your thing. I’ll protect us.” My eyes linger on the little girl being tucked into bed. She reminds me so much of Danica at her age. Smart, fearless. If the experiment doesn’t work, she will die. Here. In an abandoned factory.
I head outside and make a few phone calls.
An hour later, Ishkova arrives with the Druid books from my desk, along with a handful of artifacts the scholars found with Viridian spells on them. This is all of the Druid information we have on file. They’re still waiting to hear back from other libraries. I don’t hold out much hope it will happen quickly. The Dark Fae King is notoriously difficult when anyone asks to look at his library, much less borrow a book, but he likes me. Sort of.
She mentioned her temporary living quarters were upstairs, so I take everything up for us to read later.
The upstairs loft shocks me. Sparse is an understatement. A tiny kitchen lies along one wall. There’s one comfortable-looking chair with a small table beside it. A large desk with a computer, laptop, and a large monitor. A bathroom and another room, which I assume is the bedroom, although I don’t go in there.
Frowning, I place the items on the kitchen counter.
This isn’t going to work. It’s cold and drafty up here, and barely livable. Not wanting to alert Gabriel to our location, I keep my magic low key. A couch, a king-sized bed with all the bedding, a fireplace, and a kitchen table with chairs appear in the space one-by-one. Each arrival uses the most minimal of magic, easily attributed to a witch with moderate powers, not the Ruler of the Underworld.
For the pièce de résistance, I add rugs throughout the space and heavy drapes along the windows. It’s not much, but it will be enough for now. Satisfied, I transfer the books and artifacts from the counter to the kitchen table and head back to the lab.
When I get downstairs, the men giving blood are gone, and Evren’s closing the curtains on the bed closest to the door. I arch a brow, and she shakes her head. The elderly man didn’t make it through the first phase of her experiment.
My gut tightens, and I can’t help but look over at the little girl. Her cheeks are flushed, and her heart is beating a little fast, but she’s holding in there. My hand trembles a bit at the thought of seeing her die. Her sister glances over at me, her eyes filled with worry, but looks away quickly as if I scare her.
Evren’s pacing back and forth outside. Her mouth is moving along with her fingers, as if she’s mentally retracing her steps.
Instead of interrupting, I lean against the building and watch her. I expected her to be upset at the old man’s death or to feel defeated, but it’s almost as if it adds fuel to the fire that burns inside her. She needs to help people. It’s ingrained in her.
The young woman comes running out. “Something’s wrong with my sister. She can’t breathe. Help her! Please, please, help her.” Sobs escape, but she shoves them back and rubs furious hands across her face to wipe her tears away.
So young to have to be that strong. I pick up the phone. “I need you now.”
I rush to Aurora’s bed and stand at the foot while I watch Evren working on the young girl. Her little face is now bone white, and her breathing is labored. She’s dying.
“Fight, little one. Fight to stay here with Becca. She needs you, more than she will ever say,” Evren tells the girl. She smooths her damp hair back from her face while she listens to her beating heart.
It’s almost too late. Her heart beats slowly now, as if each contraction takes great effort. A slim hand lands on the crook of my arm, and I turn to find Arden behind me.
“Evren, the experiment didn’t work, but we can still save the girl. Let Arden help,” I say softly, reaching over to grasp her hand.
