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“Quick, while no one’s here, portal the babies out,” Mama said, holding out a blanket she’d pulled from her bag.
Zoe’s eyes widened, but she drew a breath and laid a hand on the cold flesh in front of her. To her credit, she only winced as a portal opened in the air just above the blanket. In a moment, four small babies were wrapped safely in Mama’s arms, screaming their little heads off. The portal disappeared just as the door to the office jiggled.
Without thinking, I snatched a scalpel from the tray beside the body and sliced across the uterus, almost causing myself to puke like Hazel had. Sorry, I said silently to Maryanne.
“It worked!” Sam said, a smile brightening his scruffy face.
The elevator arrived at that moment, depositing Julian, along with an enclosed crib on wheels and a rather disgruntled-looking man with wild strawberry hair and thick, blue-rimmed glasses. He made me think of an Andy Warhol version of Einstein.
“What have you done?” the man demanded, pointing at the corpse. “You’ve destroyed evidence.”
“Dr. Orpheus insisted on accompanying me when he found me searching for suitable equipment,” Julian said in explanation as he opened the lid of the enclosure for Mama, who hesitated before placing the babies inside.
“As you can see, Doctor, we had to save these lives. Now we need to make sure they’re healthy.” Mama used her no-backtalk voice, and it seemed to work since the doctor snapped his mouth shut on his next complaint as he stared dumbfounded at the babies.
“Children?” he asked as though he hadn’t heard the crying and just noticed.
“You know, the little things that come out of women’s bodies all squirmy and needy?” Hazel said, joining the conversation without a trace of fatigue. Zoe’s charms always worked.
“I will take things from here,” Orpheus said, face purpling. “Everyone out.”
“This is my lab.” It was the first I’d spoken up since he’d come in, but I’d be damned if anyone was taking over my lab, even for a minute.
“I will have the body sent to you,” Julian said quickly. “Please look after the children.”
“I’ll come along,” Sam said, stepping into the elevator and leveling a look at the doctor that said he’d have to answer to him for any issues. “Thank you, ladies.”
They disappeared along with the elevator, and I grabbed a nearby stool to drop onto. Had it just been yesterday I’d gone into a nest of vampires to retrieve my drug, been attacked, saved Julian’s life, and had my old assistant, now vampire, refuse the cure I’d created?
Yes. It had been less than 24 hours and I’d already examined a dead body, experienced her last moments, and helped deliver quadruplets. Despite Julian having used his blood to cure me of physical distress and my night’s sleep, I thought it was reasonable to be exhausted.
“I’m Hazel Rookburn by the way.” Hazel offered me a hand and then Mama and Zoe in turn. “Thank you for jumping in without hesitation to help.”
Mama smiled. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Y’all need a lift home? Karma here flew me over since it was an emergency.” She nodded at the bird perched on her shoulder. “But if I have an excuse, I wouldn’t mind asking him to change back to dragon form for the return trip. It’s a hell of a ride.”
“What is he?” I asked admiring his shiny midnight feathers as he fluffed them.
“Karma’s my familiar,” Hazel said in non-answer. “He can’t do human, but he can mimic just about anything else that moves.”
Karma cawed in agreement and jumped from her shoulder, morphed in mid-air into a black flop-eared rabbit, and landed in my arms. He put his paws on my chest and stretched to lick my nose with a small pink tongue.
“He likes you,” Hazel said. “He doesn’t usually trust strangers.”
“I’m glad he likes me,” I said. “I’d hate to be on his bad side if he can become a dragon.”
Chapter 2
Lunch in the Village
“You need sustenance,” Julian proclaimed after the body had been transferred and I’d cleaned up.
My stomach grumbled in response, and he insisted on taking me to lunch. Since I’d had yet to visit the village despite living on the island for weeks, I agreed. I’d been wanting to see The Rusty Shifter pub since Sam had mentioned its existence. I certainly had no desire to go back to the vampire estate where the vamps, including Julian, had been drugged and scented my blood.
We took Julian’s matte black sports car that I’d dubbed the vamp mobile for its ability to change location and regenerate faster than a vampire. Julian refused to tell me how he did it, but I had my money on multiple identical cars.
“I’ve been so busy I haven’t even seen the village up close yet,” I said once he’d started up the car.
