Page 4 of Magic and Medicine

‘I want to offer you a job, Doctor,’ He said, and when I frowned and shifted on the chair, he added. ‘Last night was a revelation for both of us, and I rarely encounter something that can surprise me. I genuinely don’t want to kill you, but I can’t let a seer run around unchecked. In exchange for your doctor’s skills and, more importantly, your silence, I intend to offer you a rather generous remuneration. All you have to do is call me if you encounter any more unusual patients or strange items like the dagger last night.’

The coffee suddenly lost its taste. What Leszek was offering was essentially a mob job, even if this mob appeared to be supernatural, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to know more about this world, but there must have been other ways than getting myself entangled in with this man and whatever crime syndicate he was dealing with.

‘And if I refuse?’ I asked, although I knew the answer before I spoke.

The velvet softness of his eyes hardened into ice-cold steel, and Leszek leant closer.

‘Your unique abilities, including the resistance to my magic, make you my problem, Sara, and if I can’t solve my problems, I bury them.’

I swallowed hard, knowing deep down he was speaking the truth. He called me a seer, and something inside my chest felt the rightness of his words, which made this experience even more terrifying.

‘What guarantee can you give you won’t bury me, anyway?’

‘None. Still, you amuse me, little seer, and I like your confidence. That is more than many of my problems can attest to. Let me show you some perks of working for me.’

He reached out, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind my ear. His hand landed on my cheek, and I froze, unsure where this was heading. The warmth flowing from his touch was invigorating, washing away the tiredness of the night and the need for sleep. My muscles relaxed, and I melted against him, exhaling slowly. Something inside me recognised a power I couldn’t comprehend. I felt synergy, like whatever he was completed what I am. This restorative magic and his touch weakened my will and made me want to crawl over and curl up on his lap.

‘Stop, please.’ I whispered, and he took his hand away with a hint of surprise.

‘You appeared to be enjoying it, though.’ There was no shame in his voice, more disappointment that I told him to stop. His reaction firmed my resolve to stay away from him. I couldn’t let a stranger manipulate me like this, so I jerked back to avoid his touch and looked at him with a hostile grimace.

‘You didn’t leave me much choice, but I want more than immunity. Give me your phone number, then find someone to teach me what a seer does and how. I will call you if I encounter a strange patient, but please don’t contact me otherwise.’

My words felt like shards of glass as I spoke them, but determined to avoid this stranger’s allure, I forced them past my lips. When he passed me his business card, I didn’t even look as I grabbed it and my purse off the table.

‘Thank you for the coffee, goodbye.’ I called out, rushing toward the tram stop.

‘See you again soon, my lovely Sara.’ I heard but tried to ignore it. His touch had invigorated me, and now, like a graceful doe, I jumped up the curb toward the safety of my home and far away from the strange man whose verdant eyes made myheartflutter.

Chapter three

I blinked at the flickering computer screen, wondering why everything my befuddled mind had typed into the weekly Emergency Department shift report looked like the ramblings of a lovesick teen writing fanfic. With a sigh worthy of the aforementioned story, I gave up. I had to skip it. There was no way to explain my strange patient. People didn’t sit up with no blood or pulse and start talking, and that was without having a strange dagger sticking out of their hearts, a blade that encouraged the urge to stab the nearest hot-blooded male.

My frustration at the inability to complete a cogent document ended with the bang of the laptop’s lid as I slammed it closed. Why would I even bother? No one would believe it. No one ever did. I remember trying to tell my teachers about the shadows and creatures I was seeing or telling my friends what questions would be on the test. All that happened was me becoming an outcast, with other children mocking me and calling me a witch. So I stopped talking, and now, when I finally had proof, this handsome arsehole made sure no one would remember it, and once again, I had to keep my silence.

Handsome arsehole. Leszek held answers to so many of my questions, but he was precisely the type of man I’d promised to avoid. Yet, for the last few days, I seemed unable to focus on anything else. I worked hard, taking on my junior duties and even exercised to eliminate this weird tension in my body, but nothing helped; I kept daydreaming about the sensual touch of a man with fireflies in his antlers.

A glance at the clock told me it was less than an hour from midnight, with the day wasted on restless activities and pointless paperwork. I considered going back to bed. I would soon be starting a day shift, and it was better to get back into a reasonable sleep pattern, but once under the covers, my thoughts drifted to him again. My imagination ran wild, and I stroked the sensitive skin of my thighs, wondering how his strong, masculine hands would feel as he looked deep into my eyes. It didn’t take much effort to ignore Leszek’s threats and dismissive manner, the need for a release overriding the little common sense I had left. Besides, even if I didn’t want to be near him, it didn’t mean I couldn’t find pleasure while thinking of him. It helped that he would never know, and with this final justification, I allowed myself the indulgence of fantasising about that firm body while I stroked mine.

The feeling was so delicious it took me a moment to register the sound of knocking at my front door.

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake!’

It was one thing to disturb a woman this late at night; it was another to disturb one close to the best climax she’d had in weeks. I was ready to tear my visitor a brand new orifice and shove their interruption right up it. So, grabbing a robe, I stomped to the front door, throwing it wide open to confront whichever idiot was knocking, only to encounter my Lazarus impersonator, flanked by two human walls that could have been extras from a gangster movie. To make the situation even more confusing, he held a cup of what my nose identified as liquid gold, A.K.A. caramel latte.

‘You are needed, woman. Dress and come with us. Oh, and Leszek said to give you this to avoid being punched.’

He pushed into my apartment as if he owned it, leaving his escort standing in front of the doors like obedient guard dogs, and looked at me.

‘So are you going dress, or should I throw you over my shoulder as you are?’ He was clearly angry at something, maybe at being a messenger or, worse, a courier, but his arrogance awakened my mean streak, and I answered with a snarl.

‘Woman? Where did they dig you up from? The middle-ages? I see why you ended up on my table. I don’t have a dagger, but my kitchen knives are sharp, and I know anatomy better than whoever put that blade in your chest. I should have left it there or pushed it deeper to pierce your rotten heart.’

‘Czernobog’s dagger can’t hurt my kind, and I was not its target, but you are welcome to try. Oh, and after we find out you can’t stake me, I will stake you, and I’m sure you will love it.’ He said with laughter as he followed me to the bedroom.

Interesting euphemism. I don’t know where the idiot got the idea I would enjoy myself staked on his cock, so I did my best to ignore his presence while I dived into a pile of washed, unfolded clothes, trying to find something suitable for a late-night, probably bloody trip. Unfortunately, the annoying idiot spent his time looming over me, and I had to admit to feeling intimidated.

I couldn’t overpower him, and even if I managed it by sheer luck, what next? A bare-knuckle fight with the men he brought with him. No, this time, I had to comply. Of course, having a stranger in my personal space in such a manner fuelled the anger bubbling up inside, and I couldn’t help but give in to its urging. Standing up suddenly with my least wrinkly top raised in triumph, my elbow shot back, catching his stomach with all the force I could muster. The painful “umph” that followed pleased me greatly.

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