Page 52 of Shai

“That would take years.”

He took a long sip of his wine without breaking eye contact. “Are you

planning on going somewhere?”

“No, I just…”

“You just…?”

In lieu of an answer, I shook my head. He’d already told me he found

insecurity unattractive. Therefore, there was nothing to be gained from shaping the snarling mass of half-formed emotions and thoughts into anything approaching a sentence. I pushed the plate containing the half-eaten lobster away from me, Shai’s gaze following the movement. Reaching for the napkin, I spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning the grease from my fingers.

“Would you like dessert?”

I didn’t look up. “No, thank you. I couldn’t eat any more.”

“Then maybe we could go for a walk?”

I perked up at that suggestion. “Could we?”

Shai’s dark gaze found mine. “I don’t see why not. You’ve already

assured me that you won’t run.”

There were many strange things in the hour that followed. There was

the way Shai insisted on holding my hand as if we really were a pair of lovers taking an evening stroll. There was the way he chatted about things of little consequence, but at the same time interesting, sharing his knowledge of the history of the city as he pointed out landmarks that had stood for hundreds of years. There was the way he acted as if there was nowhere he’d rather be. And then there was the way he kissed me. Not a rough, proprietary kiss that acted as a prelude to a sex, but one that said he cared, one that made my heart beat faster in a way which had absolutely nothing to do with fear.

Shai

THE FURROW on Callaghan’s brow grew ever more pronounced as I explained what I required of him. Once I’d finished, he cast a quick glance over to where Elijah slept on, completely oblivious to the conversation going on over his head. “I don’t think—”

“I don’t pay you to think. I pay you to do whatever I ask. Did you or did you not say it was possible?”

He swallowed, the action seeming to take a great deal of effort. “Well, yeah, but… I thought we were talking theoretically, not that you wanted me to”—he inclined his head in Elijah’s direction—“just because something is possible doesn’t make it ethically or morally correct.”

I made no attempt to hold back my snort of laughter, Elijah stirring but not waking at the noise. “I hope that you of all people are not about to lecture me on ethics. Remind me, doctor, how many people died when you operated on them while you were as high as a kite? Wasn’t one of those operations a simple gallbladder surgery? Was that ethically correct?”

A dull flush appeared on Callaghan’s cheeks. “You know it wasn’t. I just don’t get what the purpose of this is.” His gaze strayed back to Elijah. “I’m not up for torture for torture’s sake.”

I leveled him with a hard stare. “Since when have you been required to worry about the why. Perhaps it’s time you retired and I found myself a new doctor. A younger replacement, maybe. Someone who’s grateful for the job security and generous benefits package that I offer.”

Sweat broke out on Callaghan’s brow and he held his hands up in a

gesture of supplication. We both knew that retirement meant something completely different than its usual connotation. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I forgot my place for a moment, and I forgot how much you’ve done for me. I’ll do better in the future.”

“I hope so.” I watched in silence as he extracted a syringe and a small

bottle from his medical bag. He pierced the bottle with the needle, extracting the fluid and then tapping the syringe to get rid of any air bubbles. I flicked on the light switch as the doctor crossed to the side of the bed. The light achieved what our conversation hadn’t, Elijah sitting up and blinking sleepily. “What’s going on?”

Callaghan made a clumsy grab for his arm and Elijah automatically

snatched it back, cradling it against his chest and staring at Callaghan in confusion. I made short work of the distance between myself and Elijah, laying my hand on his forehead to push him back to lying, at the same time as unfurling his hand from his chest and passing it across to Callaghan. “Shhh, be still. Let the doctor do what he needs to do.”

There was a question in Elijah’s eyes as they met mine. “What’s he…”

He winced as the needle slid into his vein, confusion turning to panic in the blink of an eye. “It’s not time for any more Void.”