Page 34 of Fallen Court

“It’s me. I’m in Dublin, at a place called O’Malley’s, but—”

The phone beeped and cut off right as Oberon’s guards walked through the door.

Chapter Ten

Lach

The stench of antiseptic and anxiety hung inside Gage Memorial. Now I knew why I’d never bothered to step foot inside the hospital that bore my family’s name.

Despite my desire to go alone, I was outvoted, because apparently under Ciara’s rule, we were now a fucking democracy. That’s why she was here: to be the reasonable one. I suspected that Roark had come to be the muscle if she needed to keep me in check. Even with both of them chaperoning, we’d wasted twenty minutes bickering over whether or not it was safe to venture into this part of town while Ciara’s phone rang incessantly. It seemed every creature in New Orleans needed a piece of her.

Roark eyed me as Ciara strode up to the desk to speak with the nurse on duty.

“Are you doing all right?” he asked when I remained silent.

“Fine,” I grunted. The yarrow had officially worn off, and along with the torturous prickle of magic healing me, I was increasingly aware of a different pain.

I felt like I’d been ripped in half, like I was bleeding out, like I was going to die. I had no idea where Cate was, but she was in danger. I felt it like the mark on my own neck. I was running out of time to find her.

Roark studied me for a moment. He knew me too well to buy it. Even without the signet ring connecting our thoughts, he knew what I was thinking. Sympathy softened his eyes, but before he could speak, Ciara waved to us.

“Let’s go,” she called.

Roark followed dutifully, and I fell into step beside him, but as soon as we were through the double doors, a nurse stepped into our path and held up a hand to block us.

“Can I help you?” She eyed us over her reading glasses like she could see past the glamour Ciara had placed on me before we left. Using my magic was still too dangerous. But the nurse only frowned. “Visitors aren’t allowed back here.”

“Lachlan!” Garcia rushed toward us, fumbling with his stethoscope as he tugged his lab coat on. He paused to give the nurse a sharp look. “Haley, they’re with me.”

But she didn’t budge. “Lachlan? Lachlan Gage?”

Was she a nurse or security? I nodded, starting to move past her. Garcia fell into step beside us.

Haley followed, eyeing me critically. “Where is Cate? She hasn’t visited her brother once, and who is that guy hanging around? Is Channing in trouble again?”

Ciara stepped in before I could answer. “Cate has been sick,” she lied smoothly, though I could see the strain in her eyes. “She can’t risk exposing Channing or anyone else here.”

“That’s what you keep telling me.”

So they knew each other.

“It’s the truth.” Ciara held her gaze.

Haley pursed her lips, clearly not buying the story. “Cate never called in sick once the entire time we worked together. If you think that I—”

“Nevertheless,” Garcia interjected, “Cate isn’t here right now. I’m sure she will come when she can. I believe there’s a patient waiting in room two.” He gestured toward the other side of the emergency room.

Haley’s jaw worked like she was biting back a retort, but she marched off.

“Cate is missed,” Garcia said apologetically.

His words hit me in the one spot the blood apple’s magic couldn’t heal. I nodded numbly as we continued into the private section of the emergency room that was reserved for members of my crew. Nearly a dozen doctors and nurses were clustered around a station, and I turned to Garcia in surprise. “How many of our people are back here?”

We kept the hospital supplied with the latest technology and hired the best fae and human doctors in exchange for a certain level of discretion. For some reason, it looked like every member of that carefully selected staff was present.

“It’s unusual to have a human here,” Garcia explained, “and quite a few of them heard that a vampire…”

“Get rid of them,” I said through gritted teeth.