Page 20 of Fool Moon First Aid

“Don’t you know anything?” Eloise giggles, clearly thrilled to be the one to inform me. “Wolf packs often choose human mates, just like vampires, but it’s all kept on the down-low, you know—politics and all.”

She’s spot on. Spiritkins and humans coexist, but it’s like we live in parallel worlds. We’ve moved past the days of outright segregation, but the divide still lingers. Some humans are cool with spiritkins, while others would rather see them stripped of their rights and treated like glorified pets. No wonder their romances are hush-hush.

“Sparky told me,” Eloise says, her voice a soft murmur. She’s draped in her usual gothic attire, with her platinum hair cascading like a dark waterfall over her pale, almost luminescent skin. “I know it’s a ridiculous name, and although our night together was like a scene from a steamy novel, I doubt it’s going to last.”

“Oh no, you were so amped up about him. Or them.” I try to infuse my voice with sympathy, but deep down, I’m relieved. Vampires are risky—a fact that echoes in the depths of my mind, resonating with an old fear. I mentally flinch, feeling like I’m mirroring the same paranoia that plagued my mama. She had this gentle, loving soul, always trying to see the good in everyone, but her caution around spiritkins is something I’ll never forget. She avoided them but fought for them, and I’ll never understand why now. Not to mention her violent end, something so brutal, it could never have been human, left me with a deep-seated caution that I can’t shake off.

Eloise hums, her green eyes shimmering with a mix of mischief and understanding. There’s an unspoken agreement between us, an acknowledgment of the darker edges of our world—the hidden dangers and silent fears. She knows I worry, and I know she does her best to stay safe.

Is it enough?

“I’m working on it,” I whisper more to myself than to her, a vow to overcome my own fears.

“Listen, just because the sex was out of this world doesn’t mean it’s a forever thing, you know,” Eloise muses, a distant look in her eyes, as if she’s already dreaming about her next escapade. “These guys are practically ancient, which isn’t all bad, since choosing to be a vampire bride means eternal youth, but,” she adds with a dramatic pause, a playful smile dancing on her lips, “I want to play the field and sample all the flavors of the world, if you catch my drift.”

“Be careful,” I warn, the protective instinct in my voice genuine, despite my internal struggle.

“Ava, relax,” she says, brushing off my concerns with a flick of her wrist, her bracelets creating a soft, musical sound. “Sure, there are bad eggs everywhere—humans, wolves, vampires, and witches—but don’t worry, I’ll be safe. I’ll even wear a tracking bracelet when I go out on my nocturnal adventures,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “Okay, that’s a plan.”

“Now, let’s get back to you. Tell me everything about those wolves,” she urges, leaning in close, her eyes glittering with curiosity and excitement.

“I think they are planning to bench me from work, and that’s just not going to happen,” I confess, feeling the walls of the hospital room closing in on me. Eloise’s presence is a welcome distraction. “I need your help to sneak out of here.”

“You do realize you’re not exactly in tip-top shape, right?” she points out, her gaze scanning my bandaged form with a mix of concern and disbelief.

I dismiss her observation with a wave of my hand. “Minor details. What’s crucial is finding where those wolves live, because they have my precious snake baby.” I gnaw on my lip, lost in thought, trying to devise a plan to reclaim my pet from a trio of wolves whose address is a mystery to me. “If I had spiritkin sniffing abilities, I could find her.” Maybe. “I’ll figure it out, I just need you to get me out of here. Now.”

“You’re dead serious, aren’t you?” Eloise leans over to check the hallway outside before turning back to me, her face etched with incredulity. “Can’t you just chill here for the night?”

“No way,” I hiss, feeling a surge of urgency. “I’m getting discharged tomorrow, and this is our window of opportunity. He’s gone, right? Get me out of here.”

“You’ve completely lost it, Ava. The pets at the clinic will be fine without you for a bit,” she reasons, but my mind is already racing with plans and possibilities.

If I don’t act now, my life is going to shift in ways I’m not ready for. My comfortable routines, my patients, and my serene apartment filled with plants and familiar scents…all of it feels threatened. Those men, with their effortless charm, and Dr. Walker, who looks at me as if he wants to shield me from the world, are a complication I’m not sure I want.

“I need to get out of here,” I plead with Eloise, my voice trembling with fear and determination.

She frowns, her expression softening as she sees the earnest panic in my eyes. “Fine, but if we get caught, I’m bailing. I have another date tonight, and I can’t afford to be late,” Eloise replies, her eyes flashing with the thrill of our adventure. She stands up, her dress swishing around her legs, and grabs the wheelchair from the corner of the room.

“Perfect, I’ll just camp out in the car while you enjoy your date,” I suggest, injecting a bit of humor into my voice, despite the butterflies in my stomach. “Bring me food, and I’ll be good.”

“What?” Eloise gasps, her face a perfect picture of shock and disbelief. “Absolutely not. Are you out of your mind? Actually, don’t answer that. It’s obvious.”

“Just think about it,” I counter, pushing myself up in bed, ignoring the protest from my aching muscles. “If I’m with you, they won’t find me. They’ll probably start by tearing apart my apartment, then the clinic.”

“You really think they’d come looking for you?” she asks, skepticism dripping from every word. Her question briefly snaps me out of my panic. “I mean, no offense, Ava, but you’re not exactly on their most wanted list.”

“Good point,” I admit, letting out a shaky breath. I scoot slowly to the side of the bed, grimacing as I slide down onto my good foot. With a grace that feels like a clumsy ballerina, I twirl and land in the wheelchair, trying to breathe through the jolt of pain.

“Smooth,” Eloise lies, a hint of a smile playing on her lips as she wheels me backward. “All right, escape artist, how exactly are we breaking out of this joint?”

“That’s a great question. Wish I had a great answer,” I say, my mind racing as I realize I’m about to attempt a hospital escape in nothing but a flimsy gown. My clothing is probably ruined. “Pretend you’re a nurse taking me for an X-ray. We’re going to have to improvise.”

“All right,” she replies with a determined nod. I glance over my shoulder and see her slipping into character, her posture changing to one of professional efficiency. To my surprise, she pulls a name tag from under her shirt, and her readiness impresses me. “I had a hunch.”

“What would I ever do without you?” I whisper.

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