Rachel sipped her coffee, leaning
against Nazu and watching the hotshot OB surgeon in the operating theater
below. She kept trying to refocus Nazu’s attention away from her neck and back
to the doctor they had come to observe.
A trio of interns interrupted his exploration of her neck
and ear when they burst into the darkened observation deck. In the sudden
bright light, Rachel knew without looking that Nazu’s eyes would blaze gold,
his inner light revealed. He glowered without speaking at the young doctors.
They stared for a split second, then looked away and shuffled out the door with
mumbled apologies. Nazu waved his hand as the door closed, and Rachel heard the
lock thud into place.
“A little late for that, isn’t it?”
she teased.
“Better late than never,” he
mumbled, returning his attention to the curls at the back of her neck.
“Nazu, really, you should watch
this guy. I think we should recruit him. What do you think?”
“If you think so, I am sure we
should,” he mumbled against her skin.
“Seriously, Nazu. Watch him.”
“I don’t have to. I already know
he’s the right one. I’d much rather watch you.”
Rachel pushed him away with a
laugh. “Come on. They’re closing up. Let’s catch him before he leaves.”
As they approached John McNamara
in the hall outside the OB unit, Rachel realized she wasn’t the least bit
intimidated by the thought of meeting one of the top-ranked OB surgeons in the
country – the newest star in Mercy Hospital’s roster. The butterflies she would
have felt just a year ago, as a newly minted nurse transplanted from Boston,
had completely flown from her stomach. Apparently dealing with demons made human
doctors less intimidating.
She smiled at the thought as they neared
McNamara. Nazu, ever attuned to her, turned to catch her smile and arched a
brow. She laughed aloud, and McNamara looked up at them. The smile on Rachel’s
face was replaced by surprise, and she shot her own glance toward Nazu, in time
to catch his own smug smile. She turned back to McNamara and held out her hand.
As she made introductions and he
started talking with Nazu, she stared at his eyes. His pupils weren’t black.
They were dark purple. Most people would dismiss it as a trick of the light.
Rachel knew better. She’d seen eyes like that before. McNamara had demon blood.
Rachel surreptitiously searched
McNamara’s neck and wrists for any sign of silver. She felt the frisson down
her back. She knew why Nazu wanted to recruit McNamara. More than their need
for help in the neonatal unit. McNamara didn’t know what he was. Had he ever
seen any signs? A full-grown poltok demon rampaging through Mercy would be a
Very. Bad. Thing.
TBC
Note:
Here’s the growing collection of
stories set in Rachel’s world(s):
|
Dogs in House
|
Houdini, Brindle
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Time writing
|
45 minutes
|
|
|
|
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April word
count
|
13,237
|
Writing report:
ReplyDeleteNovel editing, Ch29. Much generation of new text; slow going.
TIme: ~20 min