Page 18 of Lightning Strikes

“Then what?” He whispers and I grimace at him.

“I told my parents what happened days later, and they forced me to tell them her name so that I could go fix it. My mom was so furious… and I also saw the terror in her eyes. That night she sat me down and told me there hasn’t been a true healer in centuries, and never born on Earth. The stories her parents told her were that only the ‘high fae’ had such gifts and since they haven’t been seen in centuries… she needed to keep me safe, hidden. So after we figured out how to fix the girl, we left that same day and came here.”

He nods, pulls me onto his lap, and rubs my back. “What else can you do?”

I sigh. “Pretty much anything that has to do with a body. I can heal and take away pain. I can sedate someone, mess with their minds… I can also heal bones, organs… But I can also hurt. I can give pain, make someone go crazy, have them do what I want. I can shatter bones and have someone’s body dehydrate and also explode the blood out of them.”

He kisses my temple and hums. “So Max… How long did it truly take him to recover?” He’s completely ignored all of the bad shit I could do… so I don’t give him a look like he’s dense and just assume he has selective hearing.

I smile. “He was about ninety percent perfect after the first day. I did want to watch him since he was so malnourished and dehydrated, just like Cutie… But he could have gone home after two or three days.” I snuggle into his chest under his chin and listen to his heart beating.

“And Laura?”

I chuckle and my body shakes with deeper, suppressed laughter. I calm down so that I can sit up and stare into his eyes. “Her house was really strange, Mac… There was no furniture at all and all of the drapes were pulled closed over every window… No food in the house, only coffee… I made up some sob story to get her to come close to me without shooting me… and when I touched her head, I had her forget some things… added a few more.” I raise a brow at him and he furrows his brows in confusion. “But there’s more, Mac… She’s working at the precinct under her father’s orders and is a lateral transfer.”

“Her… father? No… She’s a rookie cop.”

I hum and tilt my head, my hair falls over my shoulder and whispers across his chest. His eyes follow the motion and his pupils dilate with desire. “Not so much, Mac… She’s a lateral transfer from Florida. Something happened down there and they gave her a choice, either she works under her dad, or goes to prison.”

The breath whooshes out of his mouth as he pales. “Don’t… You’re telling me Morrow is her father? That this is all a set up because that asshole hates me? He’s always had a damn hard on for me ever since he was a lieutenant and I was a damn rookie cop...”

I nod slowly and blow a raspberry with my lips. “Well, at least it’s not because he thinks you’re a supernatural and has followed you to the pack lands… That’s what I was terrified about. I just wanted to stop their plans. It won’t hurt her, she’s just a little crazier than she was. I’ll fix it eventually.”

He chuckles and rubs his hand down my spine. “So she’s engaged, talks to spirits, and doesn’t remember who her father is or that she’s a cop.”

I nod and he cracks up. “Well, now that I know you didn’t drug her… and now that I know what Morrow and Laura were really up to… Fuck, I’m sorry, Ang.”

I snuggle back under his chin and yawn. “I get it. Adam and his dad only know about certain healing abilities thanks to my parents. So, everything else, please never, ever speak about it again.”

He stays with me for a while longer and orders me a pizza before he leaves to pick up Max from his parents. Since I don’t have any patients in the hospital, I feed Scout and then head back to one of the recovery rooms that I’ve made up as my makeshift apartment to get some sleep. Since apparently sleep is all I want to do lately. No matter how much caffeine I consume, how many naps I take, or how much I exercise, drink tea, eat healthy… I’m tuckered.

I’m hoping that our plan to move out of this town will help my energy levels, it’s probably just stress. Adam, Carolina, my magic, Laura, the clinic… It all stacks up. Plus having Scout and waking up every two hours to check on her and feed her is probably not helping my energy levels. Good thing she’s damn adorable… And after talking to Fran earlier, learning that all of the other kittens are doing so well, starting to stand and walk… opening up their eyes? I’m ecstatic that all of them are thriving. At least someone needs to be around here.

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“You better not be late, Miller! I’m about to head to the restaurant.” Melissa yells and I wince as I pull my phone away from my ear. She’s been driving me insane lately, but it has been nice having a sort of assistant. I’m either too exhausted to remember my appointments or completely forget about them.

“I’m on my way, mistress. Closing up the clinic and leaving up the sign with the emergency phone number to call.”

She hums and I hear a car door slam, the whisper of the wind through the speaker from wherever she is outside. “You’re not showing up in your scrubs, are you?”

I huff and walk to my truck. “No, I made sure to bring extra clothes. A comfortable sweater dress and a pair of boots.”

She chuckles and I hear her talking to someone in the background. “Okay, hurry up. Miguel and Randy will be here soon. It’s just Willow and me so far.” She hangs up on me as I step up into my truck and turn it on. Mac and Max showed up about an hour ago to settle in and so I could show him how to feed Scout… Thank goodness for him because a restaurant and loud music isn’t the place for a kitten, even a deaf and blind one. He also hasn’t brought up Laura or my healing powers since we talked about it a few days ago, so I call that a win.

Last I heard from Mel, after I finally caved and made up a bullshit story about checking up on the crazy woman, she was moved out of the hospital and now lives with her dad in town at his house. So now the truth is out and Morrow has been fielding questions and refuses to talk about her to anyone… I just hope that someone in the precinct does a deeper dive into her background so they know what really happened in Florida… Because, I for one, would love to know. Probably more blackmail and psychotic shit. With a father like Morrow, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I could always ask Melissa, but I don’t want to bring any attention to my involvement, especially since she’s the one who gave me her background and address. Knowing her, she already knows, and is just waiting for me to ask.

I turn into Margarita Shakers and park around the back of the restaurant where there are only a few spots left. I forgot how busy this place gets. I sigh as I jump out of the truck and walk down the walkway to the front door. My stomach is screaming at me for sustenance, especially with the incredible smells wafting from the kitchen I just passed. Chips, salsa, tacos… Give it all to me, please. Tamales, margaritas, rice and beans, please.

I just hope that Mel didn’t only order enchiladas… Tacos are a staple in my diet and Margarita Shakers handmakes their tortillas and fries them so perfectly… Just thinking about the crunch, flavor, and crispy lettuce and juicy chicken… My mouth is watering. I pull open the heavy red door and sigh when I see how crowded the entryway is.

“Excuse me.” I call out and shoulder my way through.

The rattled hostess looks up at me and fixes her hair black, curly behind her ears. “Hi, ma’am. It’s a long wait, probably about an hour, is that okay?”

I send her a small smile and want to pull the poor girl into a hug. Her hair is all over the place and her brown eyes are big and doe eyed. Sweat is dripping down her temples and her red dress is stained with food. “I’m here with the Miller’s Vet Clinic.” She sends me a grateful smile and points to the back room.

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