Page 17 of Loved by the Orc (Hidden Hollow #4)

16

HARMONY

“ W ell, I think we know what your magic is all about now,” Madam Healer said as she carefully poured the bright blue potion she’d concocted over the golden fingers locked around my neck.

“What?” I asked. I was feeling more than a little claustrophobic. I normally don’t even like to wear a choker necklace because it makes me feel like I can’t breathe and the golden monster fingers were squeezing me tight enough to make me really uncomfortable.

“Why, you’re an alchemist, my dear,” she said. “In the literal sense. You can turn base metals into gold.”

“But Mr. Price wasn’t made of metal,” I protested, frowning.

“Actually, if he really was a Soul Sucker, he might have been—at least in part,” she told me. “They’re a kind of demon—spawned in the deep, dark places of the Earth. They have no mother or father—they’re sentient rock that comes to life when evil touches it.” She shrugged. “So it seems logical to assume that your Mr. Price must have had a lot of iron ore in his make-up.”

“So…he was just a living demonic rock?” I asked doubtfully.

“Essentially.” She nodded. “That’s one reason you can’t reason or plead with a Sin Sucker—they have no soul and their hearts, if they have one, are as hard as…well, as a rock. That’s why they crave emotions.”

“Well the bastard certainly got plenty of my emotions in the time I was working for him,” I muttered. Then I had another thought. “So…do you think that was the real Mr. Price?”

“Almost certainly not,” Madam Healer said, shaking her head. “If I had to guess, I would say the real Mr. Price is dead and buried somewhere and has been for a long time.”

“Sin Suckers can mold themselves into any form they want,” Tark said.

“Yes, they can,” Madam Healer agreed. “He probably saw the real Mr. Price and realized he had power over others—which is the first ingredient in causing the formation of negative emotions.”

I tried to feel bad for the real Mr. Price…and couldn’t quite manage it. Nobody at work seemed to think that he had changed or was acting different in any way from the Sin Sucker that had taken his place, so it stood to reason that he’d probably been a piece of work too.

“I believe I have it softened enough now,” Madam Healer said. “Tark, could you please try bending the fingers away from Harmony’s neck?”

Tark did as she said and this time, much to my relief, he was able to open the long fingers enough to slip the hand from around my throat.

“Thank you!” I took a long, deep breath and then another. It felt so good to be able to do that again—and to have the heavy weight that had been resting on me for the past half-hour off my chest.

“You’re welcome, my dear.” Madam Healer smiled as Tark laid the golden arm down on the exam table beside me with a clunk . “And I’m glad you discovered your magic in time for it to save you.”

“I did, but what good is it?” I asked. “I mean, other than the obvious, I guess—turning any other kind of metal to gold.”

“Yes, you could be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams, if you used your magic that way,” Madam Healer said thoughtfully. “ Or you could turn your attention to other areas. ”

“Other areas? What other areas?” I asked, frowning.

“Well, a natural alchemist like you should also have an innate talent for brewing any kind of potion or healing elixir she turns her hand to,” Madam Healer explained. “You’ll know instinctively which ingredients go together and which would cause a dangerous reaction. That kind of medical intuition is absolutely priceless .”

“Really?” I felt a little jolt of excitement. “That sounds amazing!”

“It’s certainly something to think about,” she said. “And if you’d like, I would be happy to teach you. Not that you’ll need much teaching now that your talent has awakened—things will come to you naturally, I expect.”

“Thank you!” I said, smiling at her. “I’d love to learn to brew potions and spells!” All the lessons I’d had from her so far had been fascinating—much more interesting than the boring regular chemistry I’d learned in the Human Realm.

Madam Healer gave me a pleased smile.

“Very well. Come see me tomorrow and we’ll talk about it some more. But for now, let me give you a pot of healing salve and send you back home with Tark.” She smiled at the big Orc. “I know he’s longing to take care of you.”

Tark’s cheeks went dark green with a blush but he didn’t deny it.

“I do need to get her home,” he rumbled, nodding. “She’s been through a lot today.”

“She certainly has,” Madam Healer agreed. “Here.”

She pressed a tiny pot of salve into Tark’s big hand and smiled.

I started to get off the exam table, but Tark was too quick for me. He swept me up into his arms and held me close to his broad chest.

“Come on, Babygirl,” he rumbled. “Let’s take you home.”