Page 20

Chapter 20

T he next few days were both quiet and draining, and Gordon could do nothing about the latter. Three days after breaking apart and crying in Adler’s arms, Gordon had endured about all the careful yet hovering attention of his mate he could and decided to do something for what was apparently his pack.

He exercised his power as Master of the Morgue to tell Corinne she was going to have to be responsible for most of the day, interns and all. Thus free of work obligations, he took Mil to see her granny while Adler went to work. The little wolf seemed happy enough to go with him, and her granny had been moved from the stroke unit to the ICU while awaiting transport to rehab, a less scary setting, or so Gordon hoped.

Gordon let Mil talk to her gran alone while he took a closer look at the patient file at the nurses’ station.

“She was lucky,” one of the nurses told Gordon, a vampire like himself.

“I can see that.” Gordon frowned at the MRI. “These look like she had mini strokes in the past.”

The nurse glanced at the file. “I’m not a doctor, but they’ll redo those after the next full moon. Then we might know more. You’re seeing that werewolf, right? The detective with the shoulders.”

Gordon nodded. “Yup, that one is mine.”

“Is the kid his? You doing stepdad duty?”

“No, but it’s a pack thing. She lived next door with her grandma, and she knows him, and we both like reading.”

The nurse’s brows crept up his forehead. “That sounds so…domestic. I know we don’t know each other well, Dr. Morris, but I never picked you for someone who was after that sort of thing.”

You and me both. “Well, this just happened. Nothing anyone planned for.”

Before they could talk more, Mil came out of her grandma’s room with her bunny and her book in her arm, making straight for Gordon.

“Uuuh, wait here. I’ll steal a snack for the kid from the stash in the break room,” the vampire said and hurried off.

Mil, luckily, looked composed and not anywhere near tears.

“Granny says I have to be good. She says you probably know nothing about being a werewolf, so I have to help you. She says you’re younger than me in vampire years.”

Gordon closed the file before turning to Mil. “Huh. Vampire years. Okay. I’m not trying to be a werewolf though. I’m just werewolf adjacent.”

“Well, she meant that. Can we go to a bookstore?”

“But if we go to the bookstore, we’ll buy too many books.”

Mil’s brows furrowed. “I have my allowance. We can split it.”

“That’s okay. I have…funds I set aside for special editions and collectibles each month, and I’ll split that with you because I’m older. In werewolf years.”

Mil considered that long and hard before agreeing with a single nod. It was then that the nurse came back with several oversized chocolate bars.

“I didn’t know which one is good,” he said, holding them out to Mil. “You can take all of them.”

Mil’s eyes went wide, but she took a step closer to Gordon.

Those’re not healthy, but I’ll let Adler do healthy for dinner.

Gordon took all of the chocolate bars from the nurse. “We’ll keep them for later. We still have a lot to do this afternoon.”

Mil reached for Gordon’s hand as if she wholeheartedly agreed with that plan.

The nurse cackled. “Well, this is something you don’t see every day. Dr, Morris, I’ll keep you updated on the patient’s status?”

Gordon nodded. “Yes, please do.”

Mil and Gordon left the Forum Hospital through the confusing doors and archways, taking no less than two elevators in their quest to get to the outside.

Lucky for Gordon, the weather wasn’t very bright at all. They’d picked the wrong exit though, meaning the walk to the subway station was going to be about ten minutes. That’ll make me hungry. Adler will be all over that, and he’ll tell me to be more careful out in the sun.

Gordon was lost in thought and smiling when all of a sudden, Mil stepped in front of him and made herself big.

“Huh, Mil?”

“Excuse me? Hi?”

A human was walking right at them, hurrying across the Forum’s pale flagstones. Gordon wasn’t sure what Mil was so upset about, but the human was struggling with his shoulder bag, and it was swinging wildly. Yeah, and I was lost in thought and didn’t see. Also, she probably knows sunlight is evil if you’re me .

“Mil, it’s fine. Sure. What are you looking for? An intern program?”

The human was young enough to be a student at NAU, and usually, it was either that or outreach and educational courses that brought humans to the Forum.

“Ah, no. I mean, maybe? But not really. I’m looking for my roommate.”

“Did you arrange to meet them at a specific place? I should be able to point you in the right direction, maybe. You’d be better off asking a fae though to be honest.”

The human shook his head, adjusted his bag, and came closer. Mil watched him but had given up the werewolf posing.

“No. I’m looking for him because he didn’t come home after coming here to listen to a lecture.” He pulled out his phone and brought up a photo of a college-aged kid, black-haired and pale, blue-eyed and with a guarded smile. “His name’s Raven. I can’t reach him, and he texted something weird about needing a few days to find himself. He went here, and now he’s gone.”

Panic edged the human’s words, something all too familiar to Gordon. It was like that when Paula wouldn’t come home and when Mom and Dad couldn’t reach her over the phone.

“Have you talked to anyone here? Did you file anything with Forum authorities?”

The human’s expression soured. “I tried that, but they told me he’s human, and I have to talk to human authorities. Tried that, too, and the police told me Raven is an adult, and if he wants to take a few days away from everything, then that’s his choice. But he wouldn’t do that. He just wouldn’t, not without taking any of his stuff, and sure as shit not without telling me. I’m just trying to find anyone who saw him at that lecture at this stage. I mean, he has to be somewhere, right?”

“Do you know which lecture?”

The human shook his head. “No. But he was excited about it.”

Gordon pulled out his phone, bringing up Adler’s number, but then he reconsidered. “What’s your name?”

“Jason. Jason Gray. I’m looking for Raven Crawford.”

Gordon nodded. “I’ll call…a friend. He’ll help you.”

Maxim picked up almost immediately. “Yes, Gordon? I heard tell you left the corpses be to go attend to the living. How exciting! Tell me, what is it like, talking to someone and having them respond instead of just waiting for that magical Y-incision?”

“Maxim, please. It’s sunny outside, and my head is starting to hurt. I just ran into one Jason Gray at the Forum, and he’s looking for his roommate who never came home after going to a lecture here—when, Jason?”

“Three days ago.”

“Heard that?”

Maxim made a low hissing sound. “I heard. Where are you?”

“Near the hospital. In the fucking sun.”

Gordon could hear movement on Maxim’s end. “So go and find shade. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Keep eyes on the roommate for me, please.”

“Will do.”

Maxim ended the call, and Jason’s eyes went wide. He looked like he hadn’t slept properly in a while.

“Someone’s…actually helping.”

“His name’s Uncle Maxim,” Mil said.

Gordon cleared his throat. “He’s a hunter, and he’s on his way.”

Jason wiped his forehead, ran his hand over what was approximately three days’ worth of stubble. “Thanks, thank you so much. I can’t believe I just ran into you after all of that.”

Mil pulled on Gordon’s hand, pointing to one of the many benches that stood around the courtyard. “Gordon, look. There’s shade over there. I can read there. Will you please come with me?”

Gordon smiled. My pack . “Right. Jason, we’re waiting over there. Join us.”