Page 40 of Bad Medicine

He slapped the table so hard thedishes clattered. “She’s back,” he roared.“There’sour Kaity Bug.” Hestood, pulled my blade from beneath his jacket, and slid it across the table.“Here you go.” He sat back down, wiping his hand on his napkin as though theblade had left something clinging to his palm, but he didn’t stop smiling. “Iput your other special blade in a bag with your belt, but I knew you’d want meto hang onto this one.”

I gave him a quizzical smile asI patted my blade, glad to have it back. “Other special blade?”

His smile froze, then fellaway. “You know. The one the spirit gave you at the office. You said he was adwarf.”

I laughed. “Come on. A dwarfghost gave me a real blade?”

My mother broke the suddenlyuncomfortable silence. “It’s fine. Ben said you might have some lapses inmemory, Kaity. Before your…” She shuddered, then straightened her shoulders andplowed on. “Before your attack, a client had a tagalong spirit. Apparently hegave you a blade and though no one could see your ghost, they could all see theblade.”

I nodded and began to eat, butmy stomach was churning. I supposed it was completely understandable that I’dlose some of my memories, especially of things that had happened right beforeI’d been taken. But I’d be damned if I would wallow in fear and worry anddoubt.

Finally, when they simplystared at their plates, unsure, I brought up a subject Ihadn’tforgotten—one that would take their minds off my damage and put it on somethingequally as intense.

“So,” I said. “Anyone want totalk about how a shapeshifting serial killer saved my life?”

ChapterTwenty

Joe and my mother had plenty tosay, then.

“Booyah!” my mother said, butthere was something feverish and just this side of panic in her eyes. “He washella mad when he came in there—at least if the wolf parts scattered around theroom were any indication. That dude is wicked cool.”

“I didn’t get a look at him,” Joetold me, after everybody paused for a few seconds to stare at my mother. “Whatabout you, Kait?”

“He looked like Adam,” I toldthem. “After that…no, not really. My vision was blurry, and things happened sofast.”

“Max told us,” my mother said.She shuddered and put her fork down. “You’ve added a shapeshifter to yourposse, Kaity. Ashapeshifter. Imagine. That’s a good man to have at yourback. Bad to the bone.”

I wasn’t sure if it was theobviously contrived cheerfulness to her tone or the horrified look deep in hereyes, but I knew at that moment that my mother was hiding something from me. Iknewher. But now was not the time to probe for answers she would not give meanyway.

“He’s a serial killer,” Ipointed out, peering at them like they’d lost their minds. “He tortures andkills women.”

“Only,” Lucy said, deciding toweigh in, “women who torture little boys.” She didn’t look at me.

“He kills humans,” I said gently,understanding her feelings. “Murders them. Stabs them to death. I don’t knowwhy he came in after me, but as I do with any supernatural who stalks andmurders humans, I will hunt him down and end him.”

Lucy looked up at me, finally.“You kill the bad guys. Sam kills the bad guys. You’re the same.”

“I kill evil,” I said.

“So,” she replied, “does Sam.”

I turned to my mother. “Mom. Itis not the same.He’sthe evil. Surely you see that.”

“Honey, I can’t advise you. Hesaved your life, and I cannot hate anyone who protects you. That night, hekilled the evil, no matter what he is. He made it possible for me to bring mybaby home.” She pressed her trembling lips together. “As far as I’mconcerned…no. He’s not the bad guy here.” She paused. “He must have beenhorribly abused as a child.”

“Joe?” I murmured.

“Sorry, Kait. I was abused byboth my parents until I was taken out of the situation at twelve years old. Bythen…” He swallowed hard, and then looked away. “You don’t want to ask me if Ithink child abusers should die.”

I stared at him, realizing justhow little I really knew Joe Patrick. “I’m sorry, Joe. But the humans have ajustice system. This shapeshifter can’t be judge, jury, and executioner.”

“Why not?” Lucy asked. “Youare.”

“Because the nonhumans have nosuch system,” I told her. “They have no rights or laws or fair trials. I coulddeliver them all to the council, but they’d make them suffer before they killedthem.” I shrugged, then flinched at the arrow of pain that shot through my backand up my neck. “People like me keep the nonhumans from abusing their power. Iwill not let nonhumans kill humans.”

“No,” Lucy said. “You can’tabide them killing humans, but you have no problem killing the supernaturals whodo. Who made you the humans’ savior, Kait? Why do you protect them?”

I frowned at her. “Them?You’rehuman, Lucy, and I will protect you with my life. I’ll protect anyone who’s indanger. It doesn’t matter if they’re human or nonhuman.” A sudden and rathervicious pain shot through my head, and I grabbed the edge of the table,groaning as the edges of my vision blackened. My stomach tossed as I tried tobreathe through the red-hot pain.