Page 56 of Hart's Redemption

I straightened from my fighting stance and watched curiously as two figures appeared to argue. The man with his hand on the reader was noticeably taller and older than his companion and had faint smile lines around his eyes, though he was definitely not smiling now. His lips pressed into a grim line as he turned to confront a shorter woman with a fiery mane of hair who was easily ten years his junior.

Abruptly, he removed his hand, but not before the wall began to open. The inch-wide gap was more than enough to hear what was definitely the middle of an argument.

“You can get off your high horse already,” the man said, slicing his hand in a gesture of finality. “I’m well aware of how you detest getting involved. But it’s not my fault you racked up a debt you can’t repay.”

She glowered darkly at him, and the whole corridor seemed to darken in kind. “Do not test me. Getting you in here without drawing attention was harder than you can imagine.Especiallysince I’m supposed to be banned from any Council proceedings. Don’t even get me started on what it took to get you the level of clearance youdemanded.”

He rolled his hazel eyes and returned to opening the wall. “You act as if you never meddle. If memory serves, you have quite the reputation as a meddler.”

“I did what I thought was best at the time.”

“And we all see how that turned out. Small wonder the first thing the Council of Supernaturals did was prohibit you from ever holding a seat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have apatientto attend to.”

Her nostrils flared with an indignant fury that somehow remained absent from her scent. I took a deeper breath. The dank smell of the adjoining corridor filled my nose, but much to my surprise, nothing came from the two strangers.

The man stepped into the room and activated the perimeter that would prevent me from walking out while the door was open. He glanced back at the woman and released a soft sigh. “I know I give you a hard time, and Idounderstand your difficult position regarding the council. Thank you for making this happen.”

She sniffed and moved her still-angry glare to where I was patiently waiting to be acknowledged. “Just don’t forget your name, or it will be more than our asses on the line.”

“Yes, Auntie V.” The man replaced his hand on the scanner, and the wall separating us resumed lifting. While I had no intention of attempting escape, I couldn’t help but wonder why the man was so confident that he could be alone with me.

She curled her lip in obvious distaste, then stalked out of sight, the sound of her movement disappearing almost as abruptly as she did.

Finally, the man turned to face me and walked into my cell. He set down a sizable black bag and walked over to the self-filling water jug. “Good, I see you’ve been avoiding caffeine.”

Rather than address the fact that not only was coffee not provided, but it would be imprudent to consume it in my currentstate, I focused on a more relevant topic. “May I ask who you are and why you’ve come unaccompanied?” On the surface, at least, the man was not imposing. However, his lack of an armed escort warranted concern.

“Of course. Where are my manners? You can call me Yanesh.”

I raised an eyebrow at his word choice and accepted the handshake. I’d been mistaken before. He had a scent. However, it was so faint as to be practically nonexistent.

“It’s a family name. As for why I’m unaccompanied, consider it doctor-patient privilege. The more important question would be why I feel confident to be so.”

“Okay then, why?”

He smiled and retrieved a pouch from his bag. “I’m not going to answer that.”

I scowled openly. “What kind of doctor are you?” He certainly didn’t act like any doctor I’d ever met.

“A very specialized one.” He measured out what smelled like fresh herbs and poured hot water into my only cup.

I watched as steam curled in the air, and a hint of rose tickled my nose. “You are aware of why I’m here?”

“Yes.”

“And what I am?”

“Yes. On both counts,” he replied without meeting my curious gaze.

“Both?”

He dug into his bag. When he straightened, he held two syringes and a small cube. He sat the latter and one syringe on the table. Then he pressed the top of the cube with his index finger. It pulsed red before turning blue. “There, now we can talk without too much worry of being overheard.”

“Aren’t you concerned I’ll attack you?”

He gave me a level gaze. “Are you a danger to me?”

“I can’t confirm that.”