Chapter 5 #3
Not a minute later, the Mage flashed out the door and pivoted, a longsword in his hand aimed toward the house. “Come get what you deserve!”
I gripped my seat belt when the Vampire stepped out, wielding a sword of his own. I remembered seeing swords mounted all over the house and thought they were part of the Mage’s art collection, but evidently it was home defense.
The two clashed, their steel swords clanging before the Mage flashed into a sunny section of the driveway. Salem jogged out the door with his bag and jumped in the car. Staying in the shade, the Vampire squinted and struggled because of the bright sun.
Salem drove in reverse.
“Did we save him for nothing?” I asked.
“I guess we’ll know later. It’s not my concern.”
“Maybe you should’ve just left him there.”
He pulled onto the road. “Then I couldn’t call myself a healer. I can’t dictate what people do with their life. I’m just here to help.” He wiped his forehead and sighed. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”
I barked out a laugh. “You could’ve fooled me. I would’ve knocked him out and searched for a blowtorch or something.”
“When I worked in human medicine, we had to honor the patients’ wishes until they were incapable of making sound decisions. But it’s different with immortals. If I had done anything without his consent, he would’ve come after me.”
“Even after saving his life?”
“In his eyes, all he would care about is my betraying him. I’ve seen Relics lose their lives for less.
I was once an apprentice for a Relic, and he said the key to a long life is doing whatever the patient wants.
Explain the options and risks, and if they go against your advice, they can only blame themselves.
I gave the Mage every opportunity to change his mind.
That’s not something I wanted to do, but now I see why he was in such a hurry.
He was probably expecting that Vampire to return.
” Salem white-knuckled the steering wheel.
He must have been sorting through his emotions and dealing with the adrenaline crash.
After ten quiet minutes, I broke the silence. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that as long as I live. And you do that every day?”
“Every case is different. As bad as that was, it’s always worse when a child is hurt.” He steered his attention out the window. “Nothing upsets me more than a child’s cries.”
That tender admission permeated my soul. I’d never realized how difficult his job was. I’d always imagined Relics and healers as heroes who saved the day, but I’d given little thought to how much trauma and guilt they took home with them.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a personal question,” he put out there. “May I?”
“Now you’ve got me curious, Salem Lockwood. You can ask.”
He looked across his shoulder at me. “Why didn’t you take away his pain? From what I understand, you would’ve felt the pain regardless, but extracting it would’ve at least kept him calm and still. No judgment.”
I clutched my seat belt. “Well, I’m a hybrid, remember? Most of us with parents of different species have our gifts canceled out or altered. Some people are lucky and get all of them. I’ve also heard stories about crossbreeds having unique gifts because of the mix, but not me.”
“But you clearly felt his pain.”
“I can only feel emotions. I can’t pull them, store them, or even push them into someone else. I can’t even spike a bottle of beer.”
“Do you consider that a blessing or a curse?”
“Obviously no one wants to be born without all their gifts. That’s how we’ve survived wars and attacks.
Being able to push emotions into someone is more than a novelty—we use it as self-defense.
I can’t. But I had my wolf, and that was enough.
I don’t think I would’ve liked sensory exchange.
Sure, it’s job security, but I’m an artist. It’s hard to imagine doing anything else.
Don’t get me wrong, I like feeling people’s emotions. ”
“Why?”
“It’s like being an X-ray machine where I know what’s going on inside a person that others can’t see. That’s why I don’t wear gloves.”
“Chitahs are the same way. They can scent emotions, but some of them like it and others don’t.” He lowered his visor. “Doesn’t it get overwhelming?”
“I don’t hang around in shady places, and I’m not a hypersensitive. I knew one, and he could feel everything ten times stronger. You could give him a bowl made in ancient Rome and he could tell you about everyone who touched it.”
Salem quirked his brow. “Really?”
“He couldn’t eat out. Gloves protected his hands from the dishes, but it was the cooks making the food that spoiled it.
He only trusted one chef, and all his food had to be specially prepared.
Poor guy.” I turned the air vent away. “What I have is a gift, so I use it to understand people better. I’ve had rude cashiers, and as soon as they handed me back my money or card, I could feel they were in pain or depressed.
It helps me be a more compassionate person. ”
“I’ve often thought Sensors would make the best healers, but few of them ever go into that line of work.”
“Well, obviously. I’d quit on day one,” I said with a hollow chuckle. “Boy, did this day take a strange turn.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. Well, I never want to do that again, but it feels good to help. Even though he’s probably dead by now.”
“The older ones can’t let go of the past. They carry grudges and never learn from their mistakes. Always fighting a battle nobody cares about.”
I cracked the window for some fresh air. “Sorry about getting sick. That was so embarrassing.”
“Perfectly normal response. If it makes you feel any better, I threw up on a cadaver.”
“You did not.”
He laughed softly. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
“Well, I’ll take your secret to the grave. Cross my heart.”
“And hope to die?”
“I would never hope that.”
After another quiet stretch, he said, “I meant it about the favor. You can ask me for anything.”
“I might need a new blouse.”
“You can ask for more than that. It should be equal to the value of the service you performed. My mistake was not asking if you were a crossbreed. It was hard to focus on anything but the patient. Whenever you need that favor returned, do let me know.”