Revenant (19 page)

Several staff members were frantically trying to revive the pale, elflike demon. Slash, another of several Seminus brothers Eidolon had hired recently, was gripping the
blanchier
’s ankle, his
dermoire
glowing madly as he channeled healing power into him. Unfortunately, the
blanchier
was a species that didn’t respond well to a Seminus demon’s healing power.

“Fuck,” he barked. “Something is shutting down all his systems.”

Bane, his brother, snatched the IV bag off the pole. “This is saline. It’s fucking
saline
.”

Oh, shit.
Blanchiers
were highly allergic to saline. Who would have ordered a saline drip? Or had someone accidentally spiked a bag of saline instead of glucose? Blas grabbed the demon’s chart and scanned it for physician orders.

Eidolon had ordered labs. Bane had given an injection of hydrogen peroxide. Blaspheme had ordered… saline.

All around her, the alarmed beeps from hospital equipment and the raised voices of the people trying to save the demon faded into a distant buzz. Blaspheme’s pulse fluttered in spastic bursts as guilt stabbed her in the chest like a dull blade. She’d marked the wrong damned box.

“No,” she whispered.

Revenant appeared at her side and peered at the chart in her hand. “What is it?”

Nausea racked her, stealing her voice, and when she could finally talk, her voice was barely a whisper. “It’s my fault. I meant to mark D5W. I remember now. I was distracted and… fuck. I didn’t even sign my name on the chart.” Shoving the clipboard onto its hook at the foot of the bed, she leaped into action. “Someone give him a glucose injection. Hurry!”

“We already did that. He’s dying,” Slash said.

“Did you try adrenaline? Cefazolin?” She scrambled for the open drawers and cabinets, knocking stuff out of the way as she desperately sought every drug known to help
blanchiers
. “Acetazolamide?”

“We’ve tried everything!” Doctor Shakvhan’s shrill voice rang out, but Blaspheme didn’t stop tearing through supplies, knocking wrapped syringes, bandages, and who-knew-what-else to the floor.

Behind her, she heard Revenant’s low curse. She stopped her frantic search to watch him shove his way through the crowd of doctors and nurses.

“Hey!”

“What are you doing, asshole?”

“You can’t be in here —”

Revenant ignored everyone to lay his hand on the demon’s forehead. For a moment, everyone went silent as the room filled with a strange, electric energy. A heartbeat later, the patient inhaled a great, gasping breath, and all the machines that had been beeping in alarm suddenly went back to normal.

Shocked expressions quickly yielded to relief, and then the scramble to stabilize the guy began.

“You saved him,” Blas croaked, her mouth dry from the adrenaline overload. “Oh, damn. You did it.” Her hand shook as she swiped a paper cup from the dispenser, splashed water into it, and downed it to relieve her parched mouth. When she could speak without sounding like a three-pack-a-day smoker, she asked, “How did you do that?”

He shrugged. “I’m powerful as shit.”

“If you ever get tired of your other job, I’m sure Eidolon would hire you,” she said, only half kidding.

Revenant went taut. “I don’t heal, Blaspheme. I kill.”

His words struck her oddly, as if he’d gone dead inside when he spoke them, as if he had no choice but to kill. But he’d saved her life. He’d just saved the
blanchier
. Yes, she was terrified that he’d turn on her if he learned the truth, but for some reason, she was even starting to question that. He’d been too good to her, his touch gentle, his gratitude genuine.

“If all you do is kill,” she said, “then why did you heal the
blanchier
?”

Revenant glanced over at the flurry of activity around the demon. “So you’ll owe me.”

That, she didn’t doubt, but she didn’t give a shit what his motivation was. He’d saved the patient, and he might very well have saved her job.

Leaving the patient in capable hands, she slipped out of the room, followed by Revenant and both Slash and Shakvhan. Shakvhan immediately lit into her.

“You stupid twat,” she snapped. “You could have killed that patient. If not for your friend here, the
blanchier
would be dead.”

“I know,” Blas said.

“I told Eidolon he was making a mistake when he put you in charge of the clinic with Gem. I’m reporting you.”

Revenant peeled off his sunglasses, and Blas shivered at the ice in his dark eyes. “Do that, and you’ll be dead the moment you step outside this hospital,” Revenant said, the stark emotionlessness of his statement much more frightening than if he’d been angry.

“Easy,” Blas said, laying a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Doctor Shakvhan is doing her job.” She was being an asshole about it, but Blaspheme would be just as pissed if the situation had been reversed. “Go ahead and report me to Eidolon. I’m going to talk to him when he gets here for his shift anyway.”

Shakvhan sniffed. Then she eyed Revenant in a new light now that she’d calmed down a little. As a succubus, the doctor was hypertuned to all males, especially those who were especially… virile.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“He’s Reaver’s brother,” Blaspheme said. “Revenant.”

Shakvhan’s eyes flared. “I thought you looked familiar.” She glanced at her watch. “I have some time before my next surgery… want to see the inside of a supply closet?”

Supply closet
was code for sex, and Blaspheme bristled. Didn’t matter that she had no claim to Revenant. Hell, she didn’t even want him. But for some reason, she didn’t want anyone else to have him, either. Especially not the bitchy succubus.

Blas didn’t give him a chance to reply. “Sorry, Shakvhan, but we’re on our way to a house call.”

“I don’t know,” Revenant said as he looked the curvy female up and down. “There’s no hurry.”

You bastard
. Then she saw it, the impish glint in his eyes. He was trying to make her jealous. And the bitch of it was that it worked.

“Fine,” she said. “Take your time. But I start shift in about forty-five minutes now, so the clock is ticking.”

She didn’t wait to see if her bluff worked or not. She started toward the administrative offices, hoping Eidolon had come in early like he usually did. If not, she’d wait outside his office door.

Revenant caught up with her before she made it ten feet. She was strangely relieved that he hadn’t gone with Shakvhan.

“Blaspheme?”

“What?”

“Why did you admit to your mistake? You could have lied and escaped punishment.”

“
Someone
would have been punished. Major mistakes like that don’t go ignored. Eidolon and his brothers don’t let shit slide, and they shouldn’t. I can’t let someone else pay for my incompetence.”

He gazed at her for so long that heat flushed her face and she started walking faster, as if she could escape his stare. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because,” he said quietly, “I’ve decided that I’m not through with you. Not any time soon.”

“Oh, come
on
,” she groaned.

He suddenly went taut, and she followed his gaze down the hall, where Eidolon was striding toward them, his expression stern, his eyes burning gold. Looked like Shakvhan had already called him.

“You want to tell me what the hell happened with the
blanchier
demon?”

“I fucked up.” She cursed the tremor in her voice. “I take full responsibility for what happened.”

Eidolon scowled at Revenant before turning back to her. “Can I talk to you in private?”

“Of course.”

A shadow passed over Revenant’s face, but he managed a forced smile of all teeth and fangs and no amusement. “I’ll wait here.”

Eidolon led her a few paces down the hall. “What’s going on, Blaspheme? That was a serious mistake, and it’s unlike you.”

“I know. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was distracted by everything going on with my mother and my… you know. I’m not excusing what I did,” she added quickly. “I’ll make it up. Take extra shifts. Take janitor duty. Whatever you need.”

“What I need is for you to get your head on straight.” Eidolon’s words were harsh, but his eyes had lost the angry gold glow. “Between work, your mother, and your… other issue, your attention is too divided. Starting right now, I don’t want you to treat patients. Administrative duty only until we find a way to repair your disguise.”

“What? Wait, no —”

“My decision is final,” he interrupted in a tone that discouraged argument.

Tears stung her eyes. Her work was all she had, especially now that her apartment had been compromised and her mother was in the wind.

“Look,” he said, his voice losing the stern edge. “This won’t affect your status here. You’re still in charge of the clinic. But you’re off your game. We need you at your best.”

He was right, but she couldn’t help feeling as if she’d let him down. She’d let everyone at UG down. All she’d wanted her entire life, even during the years when she and her mother had moved from town to town so they’d never be pinned down, was to be a doctor. The desire to help others had always been strong inside her, and equally strong had been the desire to belong in a tight-knit community.

Now she couldn’t help people, and that tight-knit community would surely see her as a screwup no one could trust. Hot tears burned her eyes, but she dashed them before they could fall. Gods, she felt like a fool.

“We’ve all been where you are, Blaspheme,” Eidolon said gently. “Sometimes personal issues interfere with our professional lives, and one of them has to be resolved before we can move on with the other.” He glanced over at Rev, who was watching them like a hawk, and lowered his voice. “I spoke with Reaver about the Gethel situation. He had an idea that might or might not work, but we don’t have a choice. Given Lucifer’s size, Gethel could give birth at any moment. Let me know when Revenant is ready to take someone on a house call.”

“That’s why he’s here now. He wants to take me to her.”

Eidolon gave a curt nod. “I’ll go.”

She gripped his arm, and she swore she heard a soft growl coming from Revenant’s direction. To be safe, she released the doctor. “He won’t deal with anyone else, and I can’t put anyone else at risk. I’ll go.”

“This isn’t your fight, Blaspheme.”

“Eidolon, you’ve risked your life a million times for this hospital. But you have a family now that needs you. I don’t. And Revenant… I don’t trust him with you, and he won’t take you anyway. If anyone is safe with him, it’s me.”

“Blaspheme —”

“Please don’t argue. You know I’m right.”

Eidolon closed his eyes and blew out a long breath. “Take the blue obstetrics bag in my office. There’s a specially marked syringe in it. It’ll have a thirty-minute delay. You’ll know what to do.”

“What’s in the syringe?”

“Something called solarum. It was Reaver’s idea.”

She’d heard rumors of an angel-produced evil-eradication substance created by liquefying sunbeams. Was solarum that product?

A page came over the intercom for Eidolon, and the rotating red lights on the walls began to flash, indicating an incoming emergency via ambulance.

“I have to go,” he said. “But Blaspheme, your suspension doesn’t change anything. You’re still a vital part of the hospital and clinic, and both Wraith and I are looking for anything that will help you with your issue. And be careful. Your safety is the most important thing right now. Understood?”

She nodded, mainly because she couldn’t speak around the knot in her throat.

“Good. Come straight here after you see Gethel. Got it?”

She nodded again. Eidolon took off, and Revenant was there instantly, so fast he must have flashed to her.

“What happened?” he demanded. “He made you cry. Do you want me to kill him?”

“No,” she croaked. “And please don’t mess with Shakvhan, either. To kill her or… otherwise.”

She couldn’t believe she’d just asked him not to have sex with the succubus, but then, she couldn’t believe she’d almost killed a patient, either.

“Then what? I don’t like to see you…” He trailed off, cursing, as if he was beating himself up about admitting to having feelings like normal people. “You’re upset. I need to do something, Blaspheme.”

She turned to him, desperate for anything he could do to take her mind off what she’d done. She’d made a nearly fatal mistake, and now she’d lost her job. Even if the suspension was only temporary, probably a matter of days given how fast her False Angel enchantment was failing, it felt like she’d been fired. People were staring at her already, looking at her like she was a murderer.

“My office,” she said. “I need to get away from here —”

Suddenly, they were standing next to her desk. “What else?” His hand snapped out and caught her by the chin. She inhaled sharply at the possessiveness in his gaze, the way it heated her skin like an erotic sunburn. “Please, Blaspheme. Let me help you.”

“Why?” she rasped. “Why do you want to help me? Why are you so fucking obsessed with me?”

“I don’t know.” He smoothed his thumb along her jawline, and she leaned into it, more starved for contact than she’d like to admit. “Something about you draws me. False Angels are always dark, but there’s a light in you that seeps out and warms me.”

She should be terrified that he had noticed yet another frayed thread in her disguise, but it occurred to her that every time he pointed out something that made her different, it was a compliment. He
liked
that she wasn’t a standard-issue False Angel.

Dipping his head, he brushed his lips over hers. “I haven’t been warm in a very long time, Blaspheme.”

His words were like a balm, a caress that both soothed her and aroused her. She suddenly knew what she wanted, and although she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Regrets were for later.

“Fuck me,” she said. “Make me forget about all of this.”

Instantly, his arms came around her. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.” At this very moment, crazy as it was, she’d never been more sure of anything.