Page 16

S ultry heat, rain, wind gusts, dark clouds, and sleet—a mish-mash. Maddy watched it all from the deck, protected by the invisible screen erected around the house. Her mood fit the weather. Changeable.

Dom pulled alongside and enveloped her waist with a strong arm. “You’re thinking too hard.”

“Why was I brought to Angor?”

He shook his head.

Maddy tilted toward him. “Don’t use too many words. You could injure yourself.”

Dom’s smile transformed him from handsome to spectacular.

She glanced up to see two familiar faces braving the weather—both peppered with snow and ice shards.

Ohngel glided inside first. Indigo followed, reining in Oskar before he crashed into the fireplace. Arms akimbo, Dom glared at the witch out of his good eye.

From the back of her gryphon, she shouted and tugged on reins, “So much for a grand entrance. Oskar doesn’t have the hang of a soft vertical drop yet. He’ll catch on soon.”

After jumping to the tiled floor from one of his haunches, she slapped a hand on his rump to send him on his way. “I’ll call for you, big guy, when we’re gonna leave. Go chill with your buds in the meadow. And don’t smoke that wolver’s ass.”

Oskar loped down the steps into the yard. A snarling Freki met him, the hair on his neck in stiff peaks. The furry beast circled the gryphon, growling and snapping. Oskar’s response was to snort fire.

“What’d I say?” yelled Indigo to her ride.

Oskar hung his head. Apparently, wolvers were dangerous while gryphons were deadly.

Madeline waved and raced to the kitchen. She returned, carrying a tray with four mugs on it. “Mulled wine, everyone? Indigo, why don’t you go into the bathroom to dry off.”

“No need. Roark. Hit me.”

Her fire-winged assassin swept out flaming wings. Indigo stepped close. Insta-dry. “Thanks.”

“I live to serve.” Ohngel grinned.

Because of the blizzard outside, Dom snapped his fingers to light the fireplace.

Seated on floor pillows, the four crowded around the heat. “Dominion, have you ever considered sofas for this room?” asked Indigo.

“No.”

Indigo swiped a hand across her lips after she sipped mulled wine. “Clear. Concise. Simple. Hardheaded. Stupid. Moving on. Before I forget, your wolver isn’t happy about the gryphons in the meadow.”

Dom frowned at the witch but broke it off when Maddy stroked his thigh. Though Ohngel and Indigo didn’t miss the action, she didn’t care.

Indigo cleared her throat. “The OC said I could get around here on Oskar. His cousins followed. Not my fault. Since big guy gave me a grazing permit in OneWorld, the wolver can just suck it up. Anyhoo. I’m here because of your predicament, Maddy.”

Glancing at Dom, her hand still on his leg, Maddy sighed. “I know. I’m doing things I have no control over, but I have longer bouts of sanity. Then later, my actions or words are pure Syc-think. Today’s a bad day. I have trouble controlling my desire to fall slavishly at Dom’s feet with my tongue lolling out of my mouth while I wait for his orders, tail wagging.”

The black-winged assassin smiled as he patted the back of Maddy’s hand. Their visitors’ gazes tracked the gesture as if they were surprised Dom had a tender side. Maddy knew he could smile without his face cracking.

Her chin angled up as she stared at Dom, open adoration showing through her foggy gaze. Then she shook her head, eyes clear again. Funny how she was more aware of her swings from Syc to Sane. And better able to control them.

Indigo sat yoga style, crossing her legs under her. “My brother, Alarik, is director of the Ministry of Well Being on Scath. In other words, he’s big stuff, a warlock mix with specialized skills that make him a super healer. I’m not just touting him because he’s my bro. He’s that good.”

“So?” said Dom.

Despite Dom’s grumpy caution, Maddy leaned forward, anxious to hear what Indigo had on her mind.

“Hear me out. I was wondering about this Sycophancy shit. If it behaves like a brain injury, perhaps it can be healed.”

He fixed his good eye on Indigo for a moment. “He’s an Aeternal, she’s a human, and Sycophancy is an Immortal problem.” Swinging his gaze toward Maddy, Dom said, “But it’s worth a try.”

Maddy nodded. “Anything. Are we talking pills or under the knife, Indigo?”

“Uh ... neither. Mage healers have the touch. No meds. No scalpels. It’s a hands-on solution.”

“What’s your take, Ohngel?” asked Dom.

“When Indy and I talked it over with her brother, he said he’d bring along another mage who specializes in brain disorders. As an aside, he said that healer skills wouldn’t work on Immortals with a malady. Something about how our brains are wired. But on a human...”

Madeline bristled. “Because our brains are so puny?”

“No,” said Indigo. “Touchy. Touchy. It has to do with the whole eternity and DNA thingy for Immortals. Anyway, he thinks he could have success with you.”

Dom squeezed Maddy’s fingers. “Your mind. Your decision.”

Her shoulders relaxed, comforted by the black-winged assassin’s touch. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

Indigo bit her lower lip, puzzling the question. “Not usually. When a healer places hands on you to cast a spell, you’ll feel a chill, the shivers. Course, that’s with normal injuries. No Aeternal has tried to heal a raging case of Sycophancy. If the process hurts too much, shout out. He’ll stop.”

Madeline shifted on her cushion, curling denim-clad legs under her. She didn’t appreciate waiting for the Sycophancy to cure itself. If it ever did. This idea of Indigo’s was proactive. On the other hand, could it make the situation worse? Her struggle with indecision was only momentary. Action was better than acceptance. “I’m willing to try. I need to have me back full-time. It’s like some stranger takes over my body, making me do things I’d never dream of doing myself.” She grinned at Dom. “Except for some things.”

Indigo downed what was left of her mulled wine, set her glass on the floor, and sprang to her feet. “Okay. It’s a date. Dom can pick up my bro and the healer from Scath.”

The witch blinked. Oskar materialized in the middle of the room with a small rodent in his mouth. Startled he dropped the critter on the floor, a puff of smoke snorting from his nostrils.

Indigo took off after the creature with Ohngel on her six. They zigged. They zagged, but the little beastie was fast. A growling Dom cast a capture net over the rodent. Overkill . Scooping up the critter, he released him outside.

The startled wolver on the lawn took advantage of the situation, outrunning the rat, swallowing him whole, and licking his lips. “Thanks,” he called out to the gryphon. Freki was the only one pleased by Oskar’s catch.

Madeline stifled a laugh. She enjoyed the gryphon with a bling upgrade and the talking wolver. How ordinary life will seem back in St. Louis. Still, that was where she belonged.

When Dom jammed his fists onto his hips, the tension in the room made Oskar a bit nervous. Indigo jumped on his back and grabbed the reins. “Time for our exit, bud. Dom, Roark will let you know when Alarik is ready for the pick-up. Until then.”

“Can’t wait,” said the black-winged assassin, his arms folded over his chest, a frown plastered on his face. Smiles for Maddy. Grimaces for Indigo. Situation normal.

Yep . Maddy was having a great time. Now, if she could just get rid of this Syc shit. She deserved a worry-free moment with Dom before she returned home.

She’d settle down again with her job at the library, meet up with her sisters for some fun, and re-acquaint herself with her routine. When that grew boring, she could dream about the dangerous but handsome black-winged assassin who had been hers for a brief time.

****

O n bad days, Madeline scrubbed Dom’s already-clean floor, dusted the dust-free house, laundered his already-laundered underwear, and fought her compulsion to fuck him nonstop. She prepped dinner and cleaned up. The hard way. Without the Immortal warrior snapping his fingers.

On good days, she recited the Dewey Decimal Classification System’s major categories, read books, relaxed on the sofa with Dom, made love, and played with Freki when he stopped by for a visit.

Now she chewed her thumbnail, worried but determined to go through with this thing. The Aeternal healer, recommended by Indigo, was on his way to cure her with his brand of surgery. If possible.

At the sound of shushing wings, she glanced toward the sky where the roof should be.

Finally .

Dom flew into the salon with a guy under each arm. Since a monsoon was pounding Angor today, all three were soaked. With a waggle of his fingers, Dom dried himself and then the visitors.

Handy.

With the fireplace crackling, the guests took places in front of it, squirming on pillows to get comfortable, trying to figure out what to do with their legs.

Madeline shook her head. Indigo was right. Couches were a must. If she stayed any longer, she’d find some magazines and point out furniture to Dom so that he could snap more comfortable stuff into existence.

Passing around hot mulled wine, Dom said, “Maddy, this is Alarik, Indigo’s brother. He brought along Rath, a mage who specializes in diseases of the mind. Uh ... neurological disorders.” The men nodded when Dom mentioned their names.

While all three stared at Maddy, she busied herself by settling on a pillow. “Okay. What’s gonna happen here?”

With all eyes still on her, she said, “Jeez. Stop looking at me as if I’ll explode when you explain the process to me. I’m not that breakable.”

At that moment, Freki prowled inside, shaking and splattering the walls and guests with rainwater. He strutted up to Dom. “I’m hungry.”

“I’m busy.”

“Don’t care.” The wolver’s ears flattened.

Rising with a huff, Dom lumbered into the kitchen, the creature following.

He returned without Freki while Alarik was acquainting her with his associate. “Rath is the healer who will examine you. If he deems he can help, he will begin the procedure.”

Maddy clasped a palm to her chest where her heart thumped wildly. “You haven’t worked on Sycophants before, have you, Rath?”

“No. Where we’re from—Scath—we don’t have Mind Rats who can create the injury. If that’s what it is.”

Madeline trembled until a cool breeze blew across her skin. When it did, she calmed.

After flicking his wrist, Alarik smiled. “A slight spell to settle your nerves, dear.”

Nice. Better than anxiety drugs.

Relaxed, she faced Rath again. “Tell me exactly what you plan to do.” The man was an unlikely-looking medical professional. He was muscled, with huge hands, almost clumsy in size.

“I won’t know until I examine you. After that, I will give you a step-by-step.”

Madeline glanced at Dom, who supported her with a nod. “Okay. Where do you want me?”

“Where you are is fine for now.” He unfolded from the floor with more grace than Madeline expected from such a bulky man and stepped toward her.

Dom shot up but didn’t confront Rath. He held himself in check, his hands fisted at his sides.

The healer, though glancing at Dom with uncertainty, crouched beside Madeline. “When I touch you to cast a spell, you may feel a chill.” He set a palm on her forehead, closing his eyes.

Maddy didn’t know if she should breathe. So she held her breath as long as she could. Finally, she gasped for air. She crossed her ankles. She uncrossed her ankles. And he was right. She shivered from a chill.

Apparently finished after a long ten minutes, Rath shoved onto his feet and paced the salon, having a chat with himself. His lips moved, but Madeline couldn’t hear what he was saying.

When the mage resumed sitting on his pillow beside the fire, he latched onto his mug of wine and took a pull. Setting it down, he leaned back, his arms locked around a knee. “Someone has messed with her mind. No question about it. And the problem acts like a brain injury, but her body is fighting it. Quite successfully. Unfortunately, there are patches of ... um ... resistance. I’m assuming these spots may be what you called triggers.”

“Interesting,” said Alarik.

Freki joined them by the fire, curling up near its warmth. He raised his head. “Sounds dangerous to me. You got this guy’s bona fides ?”

“Nobody asked you,” said Dom. “But Alarik says he’s good.”

Freki snarled, his snout resting on top of his paws.

Madeline crossed her arms, listening closely as everyone talked around her. “If untreated what will these triggers do?”

Rath shrugged. “First, I need to ask a question. What are the symptoms of this injury?”

Maddy blushed, biting her lower lip while she wondered how to explain the whole mess. “I guess you could say they make me very compliant. I have a strong need to please.” She glanced at Dom whose frowning lips curved into a smile.

“Everyone?” asked Rath.

“No. Only him.” She pointed at the black-winged assassin.

“Okay. Here’s my guess. They could keep reinforcing original commands. Or I could be wrong. They could be new commands, lying in wait until your body no longer fights them. Then, they could go kablooey. Whatever they are, they appear rather stubborn. But the truth is, I have no idea.”

Dom said, “She showed no signs of being a Syc at the beginning.”

“Probably means a trigger kicked in,” the healer suggested.

“That’s what the Feard thought.” Madeline chewed on her thumbnail. “Rath, I want all things Praevus wiped out of me. Obliterated. Disinfected. Untangled. Whatever you have to do.”

Rath glanced at Dom.

“Don’t look at him. It’s my mind. My decision.” She glanced at Dom but held firm.

“How much latitude am I given?” asked the Aeternal healer.

Madeline shifted her position on the pillow and sipped her heated wine. “Enough to fix me. Not enough to leave me a blathering idiot.”

“That’s a wide range,” said Rath.

Maddy closed her eyes. She fought running to Dom, worshipping at his feet, cuddling in his lap, and pleasing him. Shaking her head, she dislodged the Syc-think. “Do what you can.”

The healer stroked a hand along his jaw. “Do you want to hear about possible side effects?”

“No.” Madeline clenched her hands, digging her nails into her palms.

Dom rotated toward her. “Maddy...”

“No, and hell no. Proceed, doc. Where do you want me?”

“I’d like you on your back with your feet slightly higher than your head.”

A cautious Dom helped Madeline scoot to the floor and kick her feet onto a pillow. The healer sat near her head, a leg on each side of him.

Crouching beside her, Dom rested a palm on her thigh.

The contact comforted her, and she slid her lids closed.

Rath said to her black-winged assassin, “No one can touch her except me.”

She instantly missed the solace his hand offered.

Rath pressed his palms to her temples.

Madeline swallowed a scream, the sensation too similar to what Praevus had done. An invasion. But then, a cool breeze wafted across her skin, which she now realized was thanks to Alarik. She relaxed.

An hour passed. If occasional sharp pains shot through Madeline, she ignored them. Then the healer’s invisible fingers retreated from her mind. Her eyes snapped open.

Rath withdrew his palms from her temples, his arms crashing to his sides. Alarik helped him stand and stumble to his place, where he flopped onto a floor pillow. He inhaled and exhaled until his breathing steadied. “I cleared the pathways of residual Sycophancy and removed one trigger, or spot of resistance. Another remains. It has burrowed so deep that excising it may cause damage.”

“What is it for?” asked Madeline.

Rath shook his head. “No way to tell.”

“Where does it fit on my spectrum between fixed and blathering idiot?”

He inhaled deeply. “I don’t think removing it will make you a vegetable. That is an Earther’s saying, correct? But you could have holes in your memory.”

“That is what we say.” Maddy’s chin dropped to her chest. Like the healer, she was exhausted. “Get it out.” Before Dom could question her resolution, she repeated, “Get it out now.”

Dom’s mouth was a grim slash. She recognized he had feelings for her and how hard this was on him. Still, her body. Her decision. She mustered enough courage to give him a warm, reassuring, though weak, smile.

He nodded, his stern expression unchanged.

“I need a moment,” said Rath.

Madeline twisted her head so she could see the healer. “Sure. Take your time. I’ll just lie here stewing.” After a sec, she said, “Sorry. I don’t mean to be snippy.”

Rath stretched his arms overhead. “I understand.”

Freki snuggled up to Madeline. When he growled, she patted his fur.

Dom surged to his boots, snapping out his black wings and knocking a sculpture off a shelf.

Maddy lifted her head from the floor. “Don’t be a wuss. Get back here. You’re my good luck charm.”

Dom snorted but once again took up his spot at her side. He would be the last vision before she closed her eyes, prepared for the removal of a stubborn trigger.

Because this incursion was more painful, she blacked out. But when the healer’s palms left her temples, she snapped out of the coma with a start. Other than a slight headache, she felt fine.

“What?” asked Dom when she mumbled.

Maddy grinned. “Just reciting the Dewey Decimal Classification System.”

“The what?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s only important that I can.”

Rath’s shoulders slumped, and he twisted his neck from side to side. “Only time will tell if you suffer from memory loss and if your ...” he looked as though he searched for the right words “desire to please has abated. For now, rest.”

She curled onto her side, adjusting her arm until it was a pillow under her head. Maddy watched Dom tuck Alarik under one arm and Rath under the other. With his cargo safe, he soared into the sky. Petting Freki, she fell asleep, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her mind.

Then an arm slid under her legs and curled around her back. Her black-winged hero carried her to bed, throwing a cover over her and crawling in to snuggle against her. “You’re an addictive female, Maddy.”

She bit her lower lip to staunch tears, unsure if she was happy to be going home soon or sad to leave Dom. He was addictive, too.