Page 45 of Death and Divination
Chapter 16
Ophelia
I’d caught Sylvie just as she was checking out and Cassie was getting ready to wheel her down to the car. My twin had one of Glenda’s smoothies in one hand and an elephant plushie in the other. We paused to talk for a few minutes, then I let her go with a promise to come see her tomorrow. Cassie would fuss over her for the next few weeks before allowing her to go home to her own apartment, and I was sure with all the coddling she could use visitors.
One thing Sylvie had told me before I’d left that had me smiling the whole way over to the firehouse was that Nash had come to the hospital to see her. On his own, he’d taken the initiative to check in on my sister. That in my mind pretty much made him family right there.
When I got to the firehouse, the scene there further warmed my heart. Nash was being shown all the gear and equipment on the pumper truck, a fireman’s hat perched on his head.
“How do I look?” He grinned over at me.
“Not sure having a reaper as a first responder is such a great idea. Maybe you should think about another career.”
“Hey, Pierre is a vampire. If citizens can deal with a vampire providing medical care, then they should have no problems with me hauling them out of burning buildings.”
The people inside of Accident didn’t have a problem with Fernando or any of the vampires, and the people outside of Accident had no idea their paramedic was anything other than a somewhat pale human, so maybe he was right.
Nash took off the helmet, handing it over to Ricky. “I think I’ll explore other options before making a decision on my life’s career, though.”
“We’d still welcome you as a volunteer,” Ricky told him before turning to me. “Did you know your boyfriend is fireproof?”
Boyfriend. Yes, my heart was toasty warm right now.
Fireproof?
“Watch this.” Ricky pulled a lighter out of his pocket and grabbed a flyer for Uptown Bakery off a nearby table. Then in violation of firehouse policy, he set the brochure on fire.
Nash reached out and took it from him, his hands passing through the flames. Then he crumpled the brochure, smothering the fire with his palms. Once done, he dusted the soot and charred paper from his hands and held his palms up to me. They were dirty, but the skin wasn’t even blistered.
“Nice trick,” I told him. “If you’re not interested in a volunteer job at the firehouse, then I suggest you go into performance magic.”
“I’ll add it to my list.” He picked up a shopping bag and wrapped an arm around my waist, kissing me on my temple. “Ready to go?”
We strolled down the street, and at my car, Nash put out a hand to stop me. “I’ve got something I need to tell you. I was asked to keep this a secret, but I shouldn’t keep secrets from you.”
I was liking this man more and more. “Okay. What is it?”
“I met a werewolf in the hospital—a female werewolf. She’s hiding down in the morgue.”
No! It couldn’t be. Although the morgue was an excellent place to hide. The thick walls, the refrigeration units, the smell of decay, although faint, would smell strong to a werewolf nose—all that would mask Tink’s scent from anyone trying to find her. And who in the world would look for a werewolf in the morgue? The only people who willingly went there besides the employees were ghouls. Actually, we had to ward that section of the hospitalagainstghouls because nobody wanted to show up to claim Great Uncle Ralph only to find that a ghoul had stolen his limbs and turned them into a lovely Bolognese sauce.
Which brought up another issue. “Why were you in the morgue?”
Nash held up his hands. “I didn’t kill anyone, I swear. I was visiting your sister, and thought I’d go down to make sure no souls were un-reaped. I honestly thought she worked there until she started ranting about someone trying to force her into marriage and how she was worried she’d be tracked down and killed.”
I nodded. “I believe you. And I’m thrilled that I know where Tink is hiding out. She’s safe? She’s not hurt or in need of immediate help or anything, is she?”
“No, she’s fine. She seems…agitated. I think that’s the right word. Annoyed. Do you want to go speak to her?”
I thought about that for a moment. Really, I only wanted to know she was safe. “Maybe tomorrow morning. I’m thinking I should give her the night to think about everything and decide what she wants to do.”
But would she be safe? There were employees who came and went in the morgue, and Tink might not be able to hide from them. Would they tell the pack? Kick her out? Turn her over to Dallas or one of his wolves? I really didn’t want to push her to make a decision before she was ready, but I wanted to make sure she wasn’t attacked in the night.
So I made a phone call.
And when I was done, I turned to Nash with a smile. “You’ve explored the town. Let me show you my favorite part of Accident—not the city itself, but the eastern side where I live.”
“I’ve seen your house already. Not that I’m not thrilled to be going back there,” he said with a smile.
