But maybe that wasn’t the case at all.
What if she could find a way to bind her sister, and use that as leverage to force Viansa to reveal the location of the soul? Viansa wanted nothing so badly as to escape hell—a chance to come topside and take over. It’s one of the reasons she’d always resented Jaci so much—Viansa was an original demon, ancient, eternally bound to hell. Jaci was half witch, bound only as long as her mother had wanted her there.
Being trapped in hell without a chance of manifesting in this realm would be torture enough for Viansa.
Being trapped there without any power at all?Thatwould be like a death sentence. One that could easily make her desperate enough to release Jaci’s dad.
She tucked the cards back into her purse, a new plan formulating. With Meech’s help and her own dark magic, she was pretty sure she could make this work. She just needed—as always—the right spells.
A soft knock on the door, and a kind nurse with short salt-and-pepper hair and bright pink scrubs stepped into the room. “Zach? Time for a blood draw, hon. You about finished with your snack?”
Jaci returned the woman’s kind smile. “Perfect timing. We’re all set.”
She gathered up her things and leaned down to kiss her father’s forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Dad. I love you.”
“It’s good that you talk to him,” the nurse said softly, looking at Zach with compassionate eyes. “Visiting him. Lots of folks get old, maybe can’t communicate so well, and all the people they used to love just abandon them here.”
Flames of anger burned through her chest at the thought. “I’llneverabandon him.”
“I know, sweetie. I can always tell.” She touched Jaci’s arm, her smile turning sympathetic. “Dr. Daniels would like to see you in her office, if you’ve got a second before you head out?”
* * *
Across the oak expanse of her desk, Dr. Amelia Daniels leveled Jaci with a stern gaze.
“He’s had a difficult week, Miss Colburn. Each day he becomes a little less responsive to treatments. His organs are still functioning, but he’s showing less interest in exercise and movement. He’s losing muscle mass faster than we can help him rebuild it.”
Jaci nodded, unable to speak through the tightness in her throat.
“We’ll continue to care for him,” the doctor continued, “to make sure his needs are met, but at some point, it’s just a matter of keeping him comfortable. I don’t want to give you false hope that this is a recovery situation.”
Recovery situation.Jaci nearly laughed. What would Dr. Daniels say if she knew the truth? That her father’s soul was trapped in hell? That the only path to her father’s recovery lay in fighting her way through a fiery wasteland and betraying the mother and sister who’d much rather see her burn than help the mage lying in that bed?
But none of this was the woman’s fault. She was only trying to help.
Jaci cleared her throat and forced a smile. “I understand. And I appreciate it. Deep down, I think my father does too.”
Dr. Daniels smiled, but it didn’t last long.
Jaci knew what was coming next.
“I’m sorry to bring this up, Miss Colburn. I don’t mean to be indelicate, but…” She sighed, but didn’t lower her eyes, which Jaci appreciated. Bad news always went down better with eye contact. “The paperwork from your father’s insurance company keeps getting sent back to us. They’re going back and forth with the state, still trying to verify his eligibility.”
“I don’t know what the issue is,” she said, knowing full damn well what the issue was—every single document she’d ever given them was a forgery. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, and lately, her old tricks weren’t cutting it. “I’ve been calling and faxing them, trying to sort it out… Here, I brought a payment at least. Five hundred, just to start.”
She fished the envelope of tips from her purse and handed it over. Five hundred dollars was a stellar haul, especially for her first night on the job.
But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
Dr. Daniels did her the courtesy of setting aside the envelope without counting it.
“I’ll keep trying with the insurance company,” the woman said kindly. “If that doesn’t work out, we can try other avenues. Social services, grants, something.”
Jaci nodded, grateful for the kindness, and quickly said her goodbyes.
Her father deserved better than this—better than a daughter who couldn’t fully care for him.
At least he was in a nice place, she told herself. Not the fanciest, but the staff was kind, they fed him three meals a day, kept him comfortable, did what they could to help. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the insurance ruse, but with tonight’s payment she hoped she’d bought a little more grace. A little more time.
