Page 88 of Love & Heart Braking

His question drew my new arrow to the fore of my mind. That piece of heart elemental hardware certainly wasn’t born of warm fuzzies. Maybe he was partially right on that count…

“I prefer not to be close-minded in my research,” the healer continued. “Now, if you—”

A yellow light flashed to my right, casting a sickly hue over the white walls.

The healer paled. “The alarm. Wait here.”

He ran off to the biohazard zone, taking the clipboard with him this time.

I leaped off the medical bed and walked to the opposite drawer. Opening it, I grabbed the tube he’d used on my phoenix burn and slid it into my pocket. Spotting a camera blinking down at me, I gave it a wink and a thumbs-up.

The healer rushed around in the biohazard area. I didn’t even want to guess what might be cooking in there. The walls were clear glass from ceiling to floor, and I crossed to peer inside.

Despite the words Biohazard written on the glass, there didn’t seem to be as much medical equipment inside. In fact, there were only three conveyor belts that extended back much farther than I’d thought the space would have allowed.

Liquid was being injected into trays on the first conveyor belt.

In the second, the same trays showed a gloopy-looking substance.

And in the third, packets were spitting out into boxes.

I squinted, wishing I had Devereaux’s eyesight. I spotted a symbol on the packets. Was it overlapping shapes? Semicircles maybe. I blinked to refocus. The colors were more evident—yellow, red, and blue.

The siren stopped flashing its silent warning, and I moseyed back to my station.

The healer exited the biohazard room, stopping in a transition area to stand with his arms raised as white spray jetted out at him from all directions.

Out in the lab again, he crossed to a phone, and I once again wished for Devereaux’s abilities as the guy spoke to whomever was on the other end.

“No… Nothing is immediately obvious. No… Yes, of course. The batch will need to be destroyed.” The healer dragged a hand down his face. “Call her, then get your ass to the lab.”

Whatever it was, I could assume Granny Phoenix wouldn’t be happy about it.

“Can I help with anything?” I called sweetly.

He glared. “We’re done. Get out.”

Gladly. “Are you sure? I can—”

“Get out!”

Smirking, I shoved off the bed, and walked out the way I’d come. If I was braver, I’d purposefully take a wrong direction to snoop some more. But as beautiful as the garden was, walking through the looming trees and rustling shrubs in the dark with corrupt phoenixes likely able to see me from their tower perches was unnerving as hell.

“Psst” came a tiny whisper.

I paused, searching the shrubs. “Mantel?”

“Don’t say my name!”

Oops, okay. What had she expected? “What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”

“I set off the alarms. Did you get to poke around?”

Huh. She did? “A little.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

Was she though? The brownie sounded unsure. Poor woman. So tied to her garden, yet so tied to the wellbeing of Nepos. This shituation must be hell on the small descendant. “Thanks for your help. Nepos will be better off for it.”

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