Page 47 of Magic and Medicine

‘It’ll do you good. Your head’s been in the clouds all day, though you need to get yourself together, or they’ll mother hen you till we both scream.’ Nina was right, and the dream of laying on Leszek’s lap disappeared into the ether as I sighed, and I finally defeated my turtle-neck arch-nemesis, heading out to face the music.

My mood improved at the prospect of drinks with the Dream Team, but I nearly ended up face into the wall when Jarek silently appeared by my side, and when I cast him a questioning glare, he just shrugged.

‘Please, Sara, I need to help keep you safe. I couldn’t bear it if you get hurt,’ he begged, and I instantly felt sorry for him. It wasn’t his fault I was attacked, but Leszek made it clear he didn’t want Jarek near me and had arranged more competent protection.

‘Were you waiting here the whole time?’ I asked, and when he nodded, I sighed. Jarek was like an overgrown pup, clumsy and adorable, and I didn’t have the heart to dismiss him after he’d spent nine hours waiting.

‘I’m going to the pub with friends. If you want, you can come along, but… they will be asking questions. They saw you in werewolf form,’ I said, watching his shoulders slump.

‘I can’t do a single thing right,’ he muttered. Nina came to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

‘You helped save man’s life today, so stop beating yourself up, kid, and if dumb and dumber saw a bit of fur, who cares?’ She said, and Jarek instantly brightened up.

‘We love you too, harpy, and yeah, we care, but not because our young friend’s different, so shift, get it? Your arse so that Sara can tell us all about it,’ Damian snarked. I saw my boys blocking the exit, and it was clear Nina was right; it was time to face the music. My only worry was that the circle of friends who knew about my new life had suddenly grown.

We went to the pub near the hospital, right on the edge of Old Town. It was located in the basement of a medieval townhouse, well known as the watering hole for medical staff, and our group frequented it with a regularity that guaranteed Christmas cards from the owners. I waved to the bartender, and we moved to the darkest corner while Nina placed our order. Jarek sat beside me with the two paramedics opposite, silently waiting until Damian couldn’t hold back any longer, and leant forward with a questioning look.

‘So, what’s going on? I mean, we saw him, he’s a werewolf, a fucking werewolf, Sara, and no, I haven’t been using the truck’s supplies. I know what I saw.’ Damian acted like he thought I’d argue, gaslighting them into believing it wasn’t real, but I respected my boys too much to lie.

‘Jarek is a shifter, a werewolf to be exact, and you saw one of his forms,’ I said. Damian and Rysiek glared at Nina as she interrupted, returning with the drinks.

‘What she said, besides, our Sara is kind of witchy herself, and her new boyfriend is… what is he exactly, Sara?’ She turned to me, and I rolled my eyes at the playfulness I could hear in her voice.

‘I wish I knew, but he looks after the elder races and creatures of the Nether. He’s kind of well-connected here in Tricity. Leszek runs things in this area, and everyone magical answers to him.’ I stumbled over this explanation, unsure how much I could share because I was sure if I mentioned he was some kind of god, my friends, who already were at the end of their tethers, would lose the plot entirely.

Rysiek laughed, surprising me with his reaction. ‘Sara, we’ve always known you were not normal, but this… hell, girlfriend, this is a whole new kind of weird. Let me guess, you wouldn’t have told us if we hadn’t stumbled on that accident with your young friend donning his haute couture fur.’

‘No, I wouldn’t. I’m sorry, I didn’t know if.’ I stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. ‘This world, the knowledge of its existence, is dangerous, and I was worried you wouldn’t believe or accept the new me.’ I was blushing now, but Rysiek leaned over and playfully ruffled my hair.

‘It is weird, I admit, and scary, but if you are in it, we are in it, and we will make it work. We’re a team through thick and thin. You should have trusted us. Even your harpy knew, and we will hold this against you forever.’

‘Will you stop calling me Harpy? It’s your turn to buy a round, so stop beating your gums and open your wallet.’ Nina knew when the boys were getting too sentimental for me, knowing to split them up when I got close to tears. I sat there stunned that my friends were taking this in their stride, as if meeting a werewolf was as ordinary as ordering a pint. As Nina led Rysiek to the bar, Damian came over, sitting beside me, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

‘Thank you, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know about this stuff till recently, and I’ve struggled with coming to terms with it.’ The weight I’d been feeling this last month had disappeared with the boy’s acceptance, and being able to share my life again with people who were my friends left me with tears slowly escaping my eyes, soaking my friend’s jumper. Damian embraced me, kissed my forehead, and rubbed my shoulders playfully before we both jumped at the command snapping out of the shadows.

‘Get your hands off my woman.’ Leszek’s expression was carved from ice, and I sat there, stunned, as he grabbed Damian, pulled him from his seat, and moved in, surrounding me with his arms. ‘Sara, we need to go,’ he growled, but even as I enjoyed the feeling of his body, my temper flared at his unacceptable behaviour, and I squirmed around to escape.

‘Stop acting like a possessive arsehole. Damian is my friend. Jealousy is no excuse for hurting my family,’ I said, pausing when I noticed the blood on his suit. ‘What happened?’

‘My men were targeted with the same damn bullets that hurt Jarek. Please, I need your help.’ He said, and my breath hitched. A quick glance at the wolf revealed a face as pale as a ghost. I stood up, grabbing my bag.

‘Take me to the hospital. I need to borrow some equipment before I perform surgery. Those tools you had last time were awful. Wait, you said men. How many?’ I said, sending an apologetic nod to my friends, but they were already on their feet.

‘There’s no time for that. I have everything you could need. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I need you to come now. I’m sorry.’ The sharpness in Leszek’s voice and the tension in his posture told me it was bad.

‘We’re coming too; she’ll need our help, and we work well together.’ Rysiek’s determination made Leszek frown before he turned to me.

‘They know, and he’s right; I’ll need their help. Please trust me on this,’ I said, and he nodded slightly, the hint of a smile expressing his gratitude.

‘I will always trust you, Firefly, but please, we need to hurry.’

Chapter twenty-five

We all clambered into Leszek’s car, packed like sardines, as no one wanted to be left behind, clinging to each other and any part of the interior we could to avoid being hurt as my lover drove like a maniac to the old shipyard. I half expected he would bring me to the same old warehouse where I’d performed Jarek’s surgery, but instead, we stopped near a shiny building facing the waterfront. When my brows rose in surprised inquiry, Leszek offered me an apologetic smile.

‘It was supposed to be my present to you. The interior still needs work, but it will have to do for now. I promise it will be perfect after we finish,’ he said, opening the door.

The noise was the first thing I noticed: the screaming of people at their limits, thrashing about in agony on makeshift stretchers, followed by the metallic scent and blood, which seemed to be everywhere I looked until a man blocked my view, his clothes dishevelled, and desperation etched onto his features.

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