lighting kicks in. In those ten secs we gotta get from here to halfway down the stairs.”
“Don’t think I can walk. I can barely breathe.”
Christian smiled. “There are advantages to being a magus. One is speed. The other is strength.” His phone dinged again. He unlatched the restraints while counting, “Five, four, three, two, one.”
The room went black. Air rushed from her lungs in a moment of holy-shit-that-hurts when her injured ribs hit his shoulder. Before she could register how much his running jarred her pain into the stratosphere, the lights popped on. He took a flight of stairs a second. Her stomach lurched. She swallowed against the nausea, but her stomach didn’t care.
“Puke,” she warned.
“No, you damn well won’t on me.” He halted and held her to the side while her stomach emptied.
Without warning, he slung her over a shoulder again, and jostled down another flight. He cornered into a hospital hall and onto the elevator where Nate, dressed in scrubs, waited with a gurney. Christian dropped her onto the rolling bed, and covered her in a sheet.
As the elevator car zoomed downward Nate announced, “You’re late.”
“I hauled ass,” Christian replied, “but she had to have a puke break.”
After the ding of two floors, the elevator lurched to a stop.
“What’s going on?” Christian asked.
Nate reached for the control panel. Shocks flew from his hand. Fire roared from the number-pad. “Shit.”
“I can’t believe Ashor saddled me with the newbie fuckhead,” Christian muttered as he shouldered Astrid and stood on the gurney to push open the ceiling escape panel.
As he crawled onto the top of the elevator car behind Christian, Nate declared, “I’m no longer the newbie.” He waved at Astrid.
Christian pointed upwards, at the light peeking through the door opening at an elevator landing a few feet above. He lifted Astrid, indicating she hold onto his neck while he climbed. “When Astrid tries to charbroil me in an elevator, then I’ll call her the newbie.”
“Go to hell,” Nathan grumbled.
“You just tried to send all of us there,” Christian snarled. “I take getting torched in an elevator personally.”
“What happened in there?” Astrid asked as Christian started his ascent.
Christian moved upward, fast. “Mr. Firestarter over there had a malfunction. He’s got like zero control over his electrical ability. Just count your lucky stars that we’re not on an airplane right now. He tried to drown us a few days ago by crashing the plane into the ocean.”
Nate said from below them, “I did not have anything to do with the plane crash. Even Scott admitted there was probably computer tampering.”
Christian cursed. “Why the hell are you here without Dakar anyway? At least Dakar can stop the fires, when you screw up.”
“We get a special power when inducted into magus-dom?” She bit her lip to suppress a smile when Nate flashed his middle finger upward at Christian.
“Yeah.” Christian pried open the elevator doors, which opened onto a busy floor.
A thirty-something nurse in pink scrubs marched toward them. “What’s going on?”
Nate replied as he climbed through the door, “She’s a transfer. Just loading her on a bus, ma’am. But the elevator got stuck.”
Christian said in smooth tone, “We’ve got to get going. Thank you for your help. Why don’t you get back to your duties.”
The nurse smiled dreamily at Christian and giggled.
Christian plunked Astrid onto a new gurney with all the care of a dog tossing its favorite toy. Lacerating pain spiked through her chest when her ribs hit. Stars lit up her peripherals.
Christian texted on his phone.
As they began to wheel the gurney away, the nurse followed, still glued to Christian with moony-eyes.
Christian groaned. He swept off his surgical head cap and ran a hand through his hair. With a slow pivot, he grinned at the nurse and touched her forearm. “Thank you, Cindy. I appreciate
“Don’t think I can walk. I can barely breathe.”
Christian smiled. “There are advantages to being a magus. One is speed. The other is strength.” His phone dinged again. He unlatched the restraints while counting, “Five, four, three, two, one.”
The room went black. Air rushed from her lungs in a moment of holy-shit-that-hurts when her injured ribs hit his shoulder. Before she could register how much his running jarred her pain into the stratosphere, the lights popped on. He took a flight of stairs a second. Her stomach lurched. She swallowed against the nausea, but her stomach didn’t care.
“Puke,” she warned.
“No, you damn well won’t on me.” He halted and held her to the side while her stomach emptied.
Without warning, he slung her over a shoulder again, and jostled down another flight. He cornered into a hospital hall and onto the elevator where Nate, dressed in scrubs, waited with a gurney. Christian dropped her onto the rolling bed, and covered her in a sheet.
As the elevator car zoomed downward Nate announced, “You’re late.”
“I hauled ass,” Christian replied, “but she had to have a puke break.”
After the ding of two floors, the elevator lurched to a stop.
“What’s going on?” Christian asked.
Nate reached for the control panel. Shocks flew from his hand. Fire roared from the number-pad. “Shit.”
“I can’t believe Ashor saddled me with the newbie fuckhead,” Christian muttered as he shouldered Astrid and stood on the gurney to push open the ceiling escape panel.
As he crawled onto the top of the elevator car behind Christian, Nate declared, “I’m no longer the newbie.” He waved at Astrid.
Christian pointed upwards, at the light peeking through the door opening at an elevator landing a few feet above. He lifted Astrid, indicating she hold onto his neck while he climbed. “When Astrid tries to charbroil me in an elevator, then I’ll call her the newbie.”
“Go to hell,” Nathan grumbled.
“You just tried to send all of us there,” Christian snarled. “I take getting torched in an elevator personally.”
“What happened in there?” Astrid asked as Christian started his ascent.
Christian moved upward, fast. “Mr. Firestarter over there had a malfunction. He’s got like zero control over his electrical ability. Just count your lucky stars that we’re not on an airplane right now. He tried to drown us a few days ago by crashing the plane into the ocean.”
Nate said from below them, “I did not have anything to do with the plane crash. Even Scott admitted there was probably computer tampering.”
Christian cursed. “Why the hell are you here without Dakar anyway? At least Dakar can stop the fires, when you screw up.”
“We get a special power when inducted into magus-dom?” She bit her lip to suppress a smile when Nate flashed his middle finger upward at Christian.
“Yeah.” Christian pried open the elevator doors, which opened onto a busy floor.
A thirty-something nurse in pink scrubs marched toward them. “What’s going on?”
Nate replied as he climbed through the door, “She’s a transfer. Just loading her on a bus, ma’am. But the elevator got stuck.”
Christian said in smooth tone, “We’ve got to get going. Thank you for your help. Why don’t you get back to your duties.”
The nurse smiled dreamily at Christian and giggled.
Christian plunked Astrid onto a new gurney with all the care of a dog tossing its favorite toy. Lacerating pain spiked through her chest when her ribs hit. Stars lit up her peripherals.
Christian texted on his phone.
As they began to wheel the gurney away, the nurse followed, still glued to Christian with moony-eyes.
Christian groaned. He swept off his surgical head cap and ran a hand through his hair. With a slow pivot, he grinned at the nurse and touched her forearm. “Thank you, Cindy. I appreciate
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