Chapter 13
Beth looked up from organizing the evening's files as the automatic door swooshed open.
Nathan and Harper burst through, faces flushed and breathing hard.
Between them, they half-dragged a massive black dog on what appeared to be a length of climbing rope.
Beth had been to their home several times, visiting with their two adorable jackalopes.
"Help!" Harper's normally quiet voice carried an edge of panic.
Beth rushed around the reception desk, medical training kicking in as she scanned for injuries. But as she got closer, something about the dog made her pause. On closer inspection it appeared to be a puppy, despite the fact that it was approximately the size of a small pony.
Those paws could double as dinner plates. And despite the animal's intimidating size, there was something distinctly puppyish about its expression and movement.
"Oh!" Beth couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped as the creature lost its balance, and flopped onto the floor with an undignified "whuff." Its shaggy black tail thumped against the tile as it grinned up at them, pink tongue lolling.
"That's... that's not a full-grown dog, is it?" Beth crouched down, keeping her movements slow and gentle. The puppy's head was nearly level with her shoulder even lying down.
"No." Harper's voice carried equal parts exasperation and amusement. "At least, you'd think?"
"It just showed up on our front porch," Nathan explained, still slightly out of breath.
The puppy rolled onto his back, long legs waving in the air as he wiggled on the floor. Despite being nearly the size of a small bear, his uncoordinated movements and goofy expression were pure baby animal.
Beth knelt beside the massive puppy, running her fingers through the thick black fur. A sudden tingling sensation, like static electricity, made her pull her hand back. Frowning, she leaned closer, parting the dense outer coat to examine the undercoat more carefully.
Her breath caught. Tiny embers danced through the dark fur, like embers caught in a breeze.
Beth straightened up slowly, keeping one hand on the puppy's shoulder to steady herself. "Nathan, Harper - I think we'd better get him into an exam room." She kept her voice deliberately calm, not wanting to alarm either the humans or the unusual creature sprawled across their lobby floor.
The couple exchanged solemn, worried glances, and nodded in agreement.
Locking the outer doors - they were officially closed now anyway - Beth watched another flicker of red dance through the puppy's fur as she led the way back to Exam Room 2. The sparks reminded her of watching a campfire, the way embers would float up into the night sky.
"Okay big guy, let's get you up on the table." Beth positioned herself at the puppy's chest while Nathan and Harper took his hindquarters. "On three - one, two, three!"
Even with all three of them working together, lifting the massive pup felt like trying to hoist a small boulder.
Beth's arms strained as they managed to get him onto the exam table.
She estimated he had to weigh close to a hundred pounds, despite clearly being just a puppy given his oversized paws and uncoordinated movements.
The pup's huge pink tongue darted out, catching Beth's cheek before she could dodge. His enthusiasm nearly knocked her over before Nathan managed to gently redirect the eager pup's attention.
"Ack! No, no!" She laughed, wiping puppy drool from her face. "I didn't need a bath."
"At least he's friendly," Harper commented.
"He's definitely still growing into those paws," Beth observed as she helped the gangly pup find his balance again. He rewarded her by attempting to lick her hands, face, and any other part of her he could reach. "When he does, he's going to be so enormous I can't even imagine!"
The exam room door opened as Dr. Shelton stepped in, his eyebrows shooting up at the sight of the massive black puppy taking up most of the exam table.
"What in the..." He moved closer, professional curiosity overtaking his initial surprise.
"That's not like any breed I've ever seen.
" His hands moved with practiced efficiency as he examined the pup's ears and eyes.
"The skull structure is all wrong for a Newfoundland or a Saint Bernard. A Black Russian Terrier, maybe, but…"
A red spark danced through the heavy midnight-dark fur. Troy jerked back, nearly colliding with the cabinet behind him. His moss-green eyes narrowed as he glared first at the puppy, then at Beth, Nathan, and Harper in turn.
“Oh, hell no." Troy yanked out his phone like it had personally wronged him. "Why me? Why is it always me who gets the weird ones?"
He jabbed at the screen with more force than necessary, holding the phone to his ear while keeping a wary eye on the sparking puppy.
Beth caught Harper's eye, pressing her lips together to suppress a laugh as Troy muttered into his phone.
Nathan covered his mouth with his hand, shoulders shaking with barely contained mirth.
The three of them shared knowing looks. Harper ducked her head, hiding her smile behind her curtain of foxy-red hair.
Beth busied herself pretending to examine the climbing rope they'd used as a makeshift leash, while Nathan suddenly became very interested in studying the educational posters on the wall about heartworm prevention.
None of them dared make eye contact with each other, knowing they'd lose their composure completely if they did.
The puppy's tail thumped harder against the table, sending another spray of glowing embers through his fur.
Troy's exasperated sigh only made it harder for them to maintain straight faces.
"Jacinth? Clinic. Now." He paused, listening. "No, now." Another pause. "Because I've got a puppy the size of a bear, throwing off sparks like a firework show, that's why."
The puppy released a sound somewhere between a bark and a freight train's whistle.
"Yes, actual sparks." Troy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like tiny embers. Just... can you get here?"
A soft pop of displaced air announced Jacinth's arrival in the exam room. The petite Djinn's dark eyes sparkled with delight as she took in the massive puppy sprawled across the exam table.
"Oh, aren't you just precious!" She cooed, moving closer. The puppy's tail wagged frantically, sending another cascade of tiny flames through his coat as he attempted to give her face a thorough washing.
Jacinth laughed, not bothering to dodge the enthusiastic greeting. "Such a sweet baby! Look at those paws - you're going to be enormous when you grow up, aren't you?"
She grinned at Troy. "I call dibs on telling Douglas."
Troy cleared his throat pointedly. "He's already enormous, if you hadn't noticed. What exactly is he?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I never saw anything like this before."
"You don't know?" Troy ran his hand through his hair, exasperated. "Can you at least get someone here who does?"
"Of course!" Jacinth touched her silver bracelet, her voice taking on a more formal tone. "Kieran."
Beth watched in fascination as tiny blue symbols flickered across the surface of the bracelet, reminiscent of the red sparks dancing through the puppy's fur. The puppy seemed equally intrigued, his oversized head tilting to one side as he watched the magical display.
Beth startled as the exam room door flew open with enough force to rattle the cabinets. A tall figure filled the doorway, his white hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
"I was on my honeymoon," Kieran grumbled, his nordic blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Can this not wait?"
Despite his irritated tone, the Djinn prince managed to look both casual and regal in his cream-colored kurta - the loose-fitting tunic and straight-legged trousers adorned with gold embroidery that caught the light as he moved.
The massive puppy let out an excited bark at the new arrival, his tail wagging so hard his entire back end wiggled. More embers cascaded from his shaggy dark coat, making Troy take another step back.
"Does this look like something that can wait?" Troy gestured at the sparking puppy with obvious exasperation.
Kieran moved closer to examine the puppy, his long silver hair falling forward as he leaned in for a better look. His black eyebrows shot up. "How in the hell did you get your hands on a hellhound?"
Beth's jaw dropped. Around her, she heard Nathan and Harper's sharp intakes of breath. The puppy's tail thumped harder against the metal exam table, sending another shower of red sparks through his dense coat.
"HELLHOUND?" Troy's voice cracked as it rose several octaves.
But Jacinth seemed to have missed Troy's panic entirely. She stared at Kieran, her dark eyes widening as she replayed his earlier words.
"Wait." Jacinth held up a hand, completely ignoring the sparking puppy. "Did you say you were on your honeymoon? You got married?"
Kieran's silver eyebrow arched elegantly as he turned to face the smaller Djinn. "That is usually what a honeymoon would indicate."
Beth pressed her lips together, fighting back a smile at the prince's dry tone. The hellhound puppy chose that moment to flop onto his side, more red sparks dancing through his fur as he grinned up at them, tongue lolling.
"But... but..." Jacinth sputtered, waving her hands. "When? How did I not know about this?"
"Perhaps because I desired privacy?" Kieran's nordic blue eyes held a hint of amusement despite his stern expression. "Not everything requires a grand celebration with the entire Djinn community in attendance."
The puppy woofed, which Beth thought, with a snicker, sounded rather like a foghorn with a head cold. He attempted to roll over, his gangly legs tangling with each other in the process.
"Right," Troy said firmly. "As fascinating as your love life is, can we please focus on the HELLHOUND currently taking up my exam table?"