Shadowed Magic (The Enlightened Species Novella) (4 page)

Aymee nodded. The doctor gave her an encouraging smile and stepped out, closing the door behind him. “Eros?”

“I’m here.” Deep and low, his voice came from the wall behind the bed. She tried to grin in his general direction, but tears flooded her eyes. Sick of sentences that began with who, what, where, how and when, she just wanted … him. His quiet comfort, silent understanding and compassion. She wasn't sure if her perception was real or just wishful thinking, but it didn't matter, she needed him.

“Don’t leave, please. I know this next part is going to … suck. Just … stay with me.” Of all the people in the world to find comfort from, it shouldn’t have been Eros Sicarius.

A thumb brushed her tear away. “You have my word.” His old word declaration filled her with warmth.

She heard Jess, Irsu, Umbrae and Greycia arguing with someone in the hall.

“She’s our friend …” Jess

“… see if she’s okay.” Umbrae.

“I’ll just be a minute.” The young girl wearing a dark jersey shirt with gold lettering that blared ‘Forensics’ slipped in. Aymee caught a glimpse of her friends' worried faces as the door closed. “Alright, Miss Yamamoto. I will try to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible. My name is Terri.” Terri sat on the rolling chair and set a heavy case on the floor. “First thing I’m going to do is scrape under your nails.” Once Terri was ready, Aymee set her hand over the catch paper while she started to chat. “One thing's for sure, your story has definitely encouraged me to enroll in self-defense. You said you weren’t raped, right?”

Aymee could tell the tech was trying to put her at ease just in case she’d lied about the rape out of shame. “No, I wasn’t raped.” Then more small talk as Terri touched pieces of tape up each of Aymee’s arms and her thighs above her boots.

“Ok. I know this is uncomfortable, but I need to collect your clothing now.” Terri opened and lined up brown paper sacks by the case.

Here
we
go.
Aymee let out a sigh. Terri pulled Aymee’s boots off one by one and put them into sacks. Her stockings followed. Then came the hard part. The tech had to help Aymee out of the tattered remains of her shirt. Her shoulder resisted the movement. Terri slipped Aymee's miniskirt down her bare legs. The tech's eyes halted and narrowed at the torn panties clinging to Aymee hips.

“Are you sure you weren’t raped? I brought a kit. It will only take a second to do a swab.” She tried to be encouraging while sliding the ripped scrap of lace off Aymee to disappear into a bag with the rest of her cloths.

“The guy groped me, he didn’t rape me.” Aymee repeated … again.

The tech pulled out another piece of tape. “Okay. I’m going to pat you there for skin cells. Would you mind spreading your legs just a little?” Standing naked in a hospital room legs spread while a girl felt her up with tape was not how she’d pictured this night. “Hold that pose.” The tech put the tape into a small plastic baggie and pulled out a camera. “You’re pretty bruised down there for someone who wasn’t raped.” The flash of the camera blinded Aymee for a second.

Her irritation blinded her more. “If I’d been raped, I would tell you. You ask me one more time and I’m going to kick your ass out of here … got it?”

Terri's eyes widened then ducked behind the lens without another word. She had Aymee turn this way, that way. Took faraway pictures then a few close up of every bruise and cut. She had to bend over for the pictures of her scalp. That was the only time she wondered exactly where Eros had taken up his post. When she'd fantasized about Eros pushing up on her from behind, it didn't include the smell of ammonia or harsh florescent lights. Aymee looked down at her breast, it was black and blue with finger marks clearly visible. God, she could just imagine what her cheek looked like. The swelling in her eye had already starting to restrict her vision.

“All done.” Terri handed her a gown and turned her back considerately while Aymee put it on. Aymee rolled her eyes … like Terri hadn’t seen every nook and cranny at this point. Granting her modesty now seemed stupid. With the gown on, Aymee lay on the bed for the first time. Terri quickly gathered her things and left. Jess, Irsu, Jerika, Umbrae and Greycia burst in. She stifled a groan.

“Great Fates, Aymee, you look like you went rounds in a boxing ring.” The concern on Jess’s face contradicted the jest she made. Her best friend's eyes glanced to where Eros had been standing earlier then returned to Aymee. Jess had an ability that allowed her to see shadowers, like Eros and Umbrae.

“I’m okay, Jess. Eros helped me.” She felt his light touch on her shoulder.

Umbrae looked around. “We heard. I know you’re here, dad. I just want to say thank you and I love you.”

Aymee expected Eros to appear, instead his voice whispered in her ear. “I’ll be right back.”

Aymee nodded as the door of her room opened and closed as if by magic.

“Is there anything we can do for you?” Greycia had the sweetest heart wrapped in the sinfully sexy body of an Aquatie warrior.

Aymee tried to grin at them. “Yeah, get the one I stabbed in the shoulder with the heel of my shoe.” She tried to chuckle.

Irsu and Greycia looked at each other wide-eyed. “Son-of-a-bitch,” Irsu snapped and the two tore out of the room with Jerika right behind them.

“What was that about?” Aymee asked

Jess brushed her bangs from her forehead. “We saw a shirtless man leaving the ER on foot when we arrived. He had a shoulder injury.”

Eros stepped back in, to his jeans and boots he had added the shirt he’d loaned her for a few minutes, now stretched across his broad chest. Aymee quietly sighed with relief. He pulled Umbrae into a tight hug and Aymee felt her heart melt. She remembered what it was like to have a father. Her dad had died of cancer when she was eighteen. He’d always hugged her and made sure she knew how much he loved her. Though Eros looked only a few years older than his daughter, his paternal love was the same.

Umbrae’s hand went to her mouth. “Oh, I hadn’t even thought.” Eros must have spoken to Umbrae telepathically. “Be right back. Nobody changes this space.” She vanished from sight only to reappear in the exact same spot a minute later clutching a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops. The Volaticus ability to fold space and ‘port’ from one known location to another never ceased to amaze Aymee. They could only port their own body mass so passengers weren't allowed and they had to be familiar with where they were going or be injured, but the whole thing was pretty cool. She preferred to fly with her friends. Wonder if Eros would fly with her?

Eros looked back toward the door. “Daniel.” His son manifested instantly from being shadowed. “Get Jess and Umbrae home, then follow up on Irsu, Jerika and Greycia’s hunt for the forth assailant.” Daniel nodded to his father and finger waved to his sister Umbrae then shimmered from view again.

“I knew you were there the whole time, brat.” Umbrae told the now empty space. “are you staying with Aymee then dad?” There was a smile in her voice.

“I will take her home with me, yes.” Eros gave Umbrae another quick hug goodbye.

Jess leaned to Aymee. “Don’t worry about anything. I take care of The Ryu. You take as much time as you need. And I still expect you to call me tomorrow.” Jess was her best friend and business partner. Aymee knew Jess would handle her martial arts classes.

“I love you Jess.” Aymee whispered.

“I love you too.” Jess whispered back and kissed her forehead.

Eros met Aymee’s eyes with a stunned nearly panicked expression when Jess paused in front of him and gave him a hug too. Eros was not the type of guy anyone would hug randomly. Fierce and deadly he was known for his integrity and honor, his love for his children and the four grandchildren Umbrae had just given him, but he was by no means … the warm and fuzzy kind. He had to bend slightly to accommodate Jess’s embrace. He patted Jess’s back a couple of times awkwardly. Aymee choked back a snort.

Jess redeemed his comfort when the hug ended and she pointed her finger up at him threateningly “Take care of her.” Eros grinned and bowed slightly while Umbrae and Jess … and an invisible Daniel, left the room.

The doctor walked back in while Eros held the door open. This time Aymee did groan. Would this night never end? “Sir, you're welcome to wait outside.” The doctor seemed slightly intimidated by Eros. At least the doctor's eyesight worked.

“No, he stays,” Aymee stated. The doctor looked between them and nodded. Eros leaned against the closed door his arms and ankles crossed.

****

Eros felt anything but casual as he leaned against the door. He watched Aymee undergo repeated questioning. The absolute humiliation of something call forensics and now the doctor touched her in personal areas while he cleaned the asphalt burns and small cuts that covered the back of her legs, arms and buttocks. Her fingernail had to be removed, and she received a few stitches in the exposed nail bed that Eros felt sure would cause her tremendous pain for a while. She also had stitches in her head where her hair had been pulled so violently her scalp had separated and torn. The small cut at her bruised cheekbone would heal on it's own according to the doctor. Thankfully, whatever Aymee had been given by the doctor made her groggy. The doctor ducked out only to return a few minutes later with an armload of bottles full of medication.

To Eros's surprise, the doctor addressed him when he held the bottles up. “Are you going to be her caretaker?” Eros glanced to Aymee who had dozed off.
Caretaker.
That entailed more than taking her home and keeping an eye on her.
Aymee might want another to care for her. Either way … there was no way he would allow her out of his sight until she healed.
He swallowed hard and nodded.

“These are antibiotics to keep Aymee from developing an infection. She's to have one of these twice a day.” The doctor shoved the white-labeled brown bottle into his hand and held up another one. Eros listened intently. Now that he'd agreed to care for Aymee during her recovery, he needed to insure he did it correctly. Twenty-first century human medicine was completely unfamiliar to him. “She can have up to two of these every four to six hours depending on her pain. Even if she says her pain is manageable, you need to give her one, otherwise her pain will be harder to bring back under control later.” The doctor handed him the second bottle. “This is a muscle relaxer to help blood flow to her bruises and promote healing, one very six hours.” He handed Eros a third bottle.
Blood
flow,
yes,
very
important.
Eros nodded, the doctor held up the fourth and final bottle. “Give her one of these in the morning with breakfast and a second one with her evening meal today.” The fourth bottle landed in Eros's hand.

“She only needs two of these?” He held up the final bottle. The doctor nodded. “Why? What are they for?” The doctor had explained the purpose of the first three.

“The antibiotics will disrupt the delicate yeast balance of her vaginal chemistry. These will counter it.”
Delicate
vaginal
chemistry?
Eros had never heard of such a thing. The doctor fished a bag out of a drawer and held it open while Eros reiterated the bottles and dosage before he dropped each bottle into the bag. The doctor smiled warmly and handed the bag to him. “She's quite an amazing woman. It's been my honor to treat her. Will you let her know that?” The doctor shook Eros's hand.

“I will, and yes, she is.” Eros found he liked the doctor.

“She's free to go now, but you're welcome to stay and let her rest awhile.” The doctor closed the door behind him leaving Eros alone with Aymee.

He set the bag of pills on the clothes Umbrae had brought for her, sent a telepathic message to his sons and sat down in the rolling chair at Aymee's side. The back of his knuckle returned to touch the softness of her unmarred cheek. His thumb brushed across her ruby lips. She sighed, “Eros...” His name from her lips made him grin. Beautiful.

“We can go home once you are rested,” he whispered to her. Home. He was taking her home. His home. The thought filled him with anticipation. Aymee snapped her eyes open though it was obvious she remained groggy.

“Let's go.” She tried to sit up. Eros aided her. “Get me out of here. Where are my clothes?” The last woman he'd help dress had been Umbrae's mother nearly a hundred years ago, but the T-shirt and shorts were far easier to get Aymee into than corsets and lacing. When he tried to figure out the odd sandals, Aymee shook her head. “Bare foot is better. I might trip in those.”

Her bag of pills and shoes dangling from his fingers, he helped her stand with his other arm. Swaying, she leaned heavily against him. Eros scooped her into his arms and carried her past the hospital staff and through the doors. A black viper came to a stop in front of them. His son Jacob climbed out of the driver's seat and raced around to open the passenger door.

“I told you to bring a vehicle Aymee would be comfortable in.” Eros scolded Jacob as he set Aymee gently into the seat.

“OHHH. I love this car.” Aymee muttered sleepily as Eros strapped her seat belt. Jacob gave him an 'I told you so' lift of his brow.

Eros shut the door and chuckled. “Thank you, Jacob.”

“No problem, Pops. I'll go pack some things from her apartment and drop it by your house.” Jacob turned, stepped into the dark space between the floodlights of the building and shimmered into shadow before porting.