Page 36 of Her Magic Light

A man stood from a padded, leather-looking chair behind the desk, with the hint of a smile on his face that looked impossibly youthful. His sandy blonde hair had been neatly arranged, and he had shining blue eyes trained on me.

His scrutiny wasn’t as soul-reaching as Coop’s, though. I didn’t feel like this man could extract my inner secrets with a well-aimed gaze.

His easy smile widened enough to show teeth, adding wholesomeness to his youth, and he held out his hand. “You must be Meira. I’m Dr. Anderson.”

I glanced quickly at Coop, who’d taken up an at-ease position by the door, his feet shoulder width apart, his hands clasped behind him. His head was turned, his gaze averted, like he was looking out of the window, but awareness prickled down my spine. Part of me knew he still watched me.

“Do Ineeda doctor?” I asked no one in particular.

Dr. Anderson laughed, and the sound was unexpectedly melodic, filling the room with deep notes of his pleasure. “Oh, Meira,” he said.

When he didn’t expound, I scowled at him. “Why am I here?”

No one else had answered the question, but maybe this guy was more approachable. He certainly gave off friendlier vibes. When I looked at Coop again, his jaw had tightened, and his knuckles were white where he held his hands together.

“My colleague and I have some very exciting news for you, Meira.” Dr. Anderson pitched his voice low as he used my name again, and a shiver of apprehension flitted through me. “Unfortunately—” He broke off and gestured to a seat in front of his desk as he returned to his own chair.

I braced for what came next. I was in a facility, this was a doctor, and there was an exam table behind me. Apprehension wasn’t the half of it.

He cleared his throat. “Where are my manners? Do sit down. Sadly, my colleague can’t join us today, though.” He leaned forward, and his chair creaked sharply. “But we’ve been searching for you for a very long time. In fact—” He steepled his fingers under his chin as his gaze turned probing. “We’d almost given up hope that someone like you existed.”

I didn’t take the offered seat. The apprehension inside me was replaced by foreboding, and my chest hollowed. Someone like me… But I wasn’t anything special. I wiped my hands against my pants, mostly to allow myself some thinking time. Dr. Anderson’s words made no sense at all. I swallowed and cleared my throat.

“Uh…” It wasn’t my most eloquent start to a sentence. “I’m so—” Damn, I’d nearly apologized. I didn’t owe these people anything like an apology.Theykidnappedme. I flipped my hair, trying to look more irritated than casual. “You didn’t realize small town hair colorists existed?”

If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn Coop snorted, but he coughed discreetly behind me instead.

“I mean,” I continued, “there was an easier way to get an appointment with me than straight-up kidnapping.” I ground my teeth a little as I spoke, my jaw suddenly tense. “Like a phone.”

Another cough from Coop.

“You didn’t even have to leave whatever this place is,” I gestured to the room around us, “until your appointment day.”

This time, the doctor laughed, the almost-calculated toss of his head suggesting he didn’t fully understand my anger—or he was choosing to ignore it. “I see you’re still not convinced,” he murmured.

“Convinced about what?” The words exploded from my mouth, and I brought my hands down on the front edge of his desk. “Nothing that has happened to me since I was removed from my workplace has been explained to me. What am I supposed to be convinced of?”

“Oh, Meira.” He sighed my name again, but his habit of repeating my name was creepy now. It made me want to vomit on his old-fashioned desk planner.

I leaned forward, more than ready to flaunt my frustration, and I reached to take the sunglasses off. Why the hell did I have to wear these all the time, anyway? “This is getting ridiculous,” I spat. “I’m not doing this anymore.”

Dr. Anderson reacted like I’d tasered him. He paled, pushed against his desk, and the office chair rolled two yards backward at speed.

“Agent Cooper,” he barked, fear coloring the tone of his voice as he ducked and covered. “Get the lights. Turn off the lights.”

I looked to Coop. What? What was their thing with the lights in this place? “Why am I being kept in the dark? All the time.” I ripped the sunglasses away, and Dr. Anderson gasped as I whirled away from him to watch Coop.

Instead of walking toward the light switch, Coop slowly approached me with his hand held out like I might turn feral at any moment. Then he removed his own glasses, and his piercing blue eyes locked with mine.

“It’s okay, Meira.” He used his soft voice, the one that almost instantly relaxed me. He took my hand, clasping my fingers against his palm as he continued to speak. “It’s okay. You just need to listen to Dr. Anderson. I’ll keep you safe.”

I pulled on my hand, but Coop didn’t let go. The more I tugged, the tighter he held on.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he repeated.

And, for some reason, I believed him, and I allowed him to slide the sunglasses back over my eyes before he positioned a chair for me. This time, I sat down, and Coop took up a new place to stand directly behind my chair.

Dr. Anderson looked up, his features marred by a frown, his cheeks stained with a soft red blush. “Is she under control now?” He directed his question at Coop, but I didn’t glance behind me to see Coop’s reaction.

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