by Sydney Addae
"There's a human child on the ground?" Damian asked.
"Yes. She'll be okay, wounds are superficial but she's dehydrated. Is there someplace inside I can work on her?"
A few seconds later he answered. "Yes. Have Raoul bring her inside. Have you scanned her for metals or weapons?"
Gem hadn't. When Raoul arrived with her bag, she took it and pulled out her tablet. "Can you scan her for weapons, please?"
He nodded. A few moments later he whistled.
She looked up at him. "What?"
"She's clean." He looked around the area. "Was she alone?" He met Gem's gaze. "Someone, somewhere, is probably looking for her."
No doubt he was right. Gem took pictures of the child from several angles before lifting her dark brown hair from the side of her face. A dark purple bruise covered her cheek. Gem gasped.
"Let's get her inside so I can help her. Be careful, I don't sense any internal injuries but bruises like the one on her cheek will hurt just as bad if you touch them."
Raoul nodded. He stooped and slid his hands beneath the child's legs and shoulders. The child didn't stir as he lifted her and walked toward the house. Gem strode ahead, opened the door, and followed them inside. Raoul veered in the opposite direction of the voices in another section of the building. Gem hadn't given the place a second glance while they were outside. Now, as Raoul lay the child on a long wooden table in the middle of a former dining room, she realized how cold and dusty it was.
Someone had wiped the table and placed a yellowed cloth on a section of the wood. Raoul gently placed the child down and then looked around. "I'll try to get more light," he said, and pulled off a section of wood from the window. Sunlight filtered into the room, dispelling shadows and revealing layers of dust, broken mirrors and furniture pieces, and a huge, inoperable chandelier hanging in the middle of the room.
Gem used an anti-bacterial gel on her hands and snapped on a pair of gloves. Taking her time, she examined the child from top to bottom. Human for sure. When she finished her examination, she sent her results, along with the photos, to La Patron's lab for the doctors to review. From the moment she became a part of this team, the chain of command had changed. All reports went to La Patron's team, Hawke, Dr. Passen, and Dr. Chism, and she wanted everything to be perfect.
"Everything okay?" Damian asked.
"Just finished examining and cleaning her up. She didn't need stitches and there's no sign of infection. I'd say she's lucky."
"Are you done?"
"Almost. I'm setting up an IV to get fluids into her system."
"Why didn't you do that first if she's dehydrated?"
"Because I don't know anything about her. She's still out of it, and the fluid intake may change that."
"A human child alone in the woods is unusual."
"Yes." She placed the needle in the child's arm, set-up the IV.
"Think someone's searching for her?"
"Possibly." She added pain meds to the solution and watched the drip. "How’s the planning going? Has the old hag confessed her beast?"
"No. Quentin agrees with you, he senses it, too. I'm not getting anything, neither is Raoul. Ivona wants to go to the original location. She and the other one have been arguing over it. I'll give them ten more minutes to decide where we're going."
That surprised Gem. "Why wait?"
"La Patron's checking something and needs the time. He's really interested in the human child. I don't know if we'll leave her behind or take her to one of my grandfather's dens. He wasn't surprised about the shifter in disguise, claims there are several breeds on the continent."
"I didn't know that." She hadn't ever left the states, but there was no need to tell him that.
"When you finish there, let me know. I've assigned two full-bloods to watch over the child. They are outside the door right now and will stand inside when you leave."
"Okay." Gem studied the large bruise on the child's cheek, had someone hit her or had she run into something? Lying still, she looked peaceful, as if she were taking a nap. Gem covered the child's hand with her own and said a small prayer to the Goddess for a full healthy recovery. The child's chest heaved as she took in oxygen.
The first bag of saline was almost empty. Gem moved her hand to replace the bag and stopped when it was gripped tightly.
"Who?" the child asked in a ragged whisper without opening her eyes.
"Dr. Okla." She glanced at the bag and then back at her patient. "The child's waking," she told Damian.
"Where?" the child asked, looking around.
"Honestly, I don't know. Somewhere in Scotland, I'm not from around here." The child seemed to relax even though she didn't release Gem's hand. "I need to change the bag so you can get more fluid, you're still dehydrated."
"Dehydrated? What?"
"Your body needs water; you couldn't drink before so I'm giving it to you another way." She tried to move again but the hand tightened, and Gem realized how strong the child was. In order to break the grip, she called on her beast, it was a short tug-of-war, which she eventually won and changed bags.
"No. No more, no," the child said, her voice gravelly as she pulled out the IV. Blood and water flowed down her arm as she tried to sit up, and finally rolled off the table onto the hard floor.
Gem turned off the IV and watched the child on the floor, wondering why she hadn't opened her eyes. "What's your name?"
The child didn't speak. Instead she crawled on the floor sniffing. Gem repacked her bag, pulled out her phone and recorded everything. "Do you know your name?"
"Lamia." Eyes closed, the child had crawled to the door and stopped.
"How old are you, Lamia?"
"Ten."
Long and lean, Lamia was no child as Gem thought, but a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. "Why were you in the woods? How did you get here?"
Lamia turned in Gem's direction and crawled toward her. When she reached Gem, she touched her feet, then her legs, and sat back on her hunches for a few seconds. "You?" She pointed at Gem.
"Dr. Okla. Gem Okla."
"Gem, doctor?"
"Yes." Gem continued recording. "Why were you in the woods?"
"Lost. Running."
"Hungry?"
Lamia nodded her head fast. "Eat, yes. Hungry."
Gem started to ask why she kept her eyes closed and changed her mind. If the child was blind she didn't want to cause her discomfort. "Hold out your hand."
With some hesitation, Lamia extended her hand. Gem looked at the small, delicate palm and remembered the strength behind it. She took the hand and pulled. "Stand up, let's go eat."
Lamia stood.
With her free hand, Gem grabbed her bag and they headed toward the door. She reached out to Damian. "Lamia and I are coming to get something to eat. Have the men move from the door, they may scare her. Oh, and she's blind."
Chapter 15
Damian stood at the back of the room half-listening to the two witches argue over the best course of action. Raoul leaned against another wall near two windows, and Quentin leaned against another wall with one window. For a mission with a tight deadline, these two didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. It sounded as if they wanted to go to different places for reasons that didn't include the mother. Ivona mentioned a key and Saffi snapped at her for mentioning it in their presence as if she hadn't said it at the airport.
He looked at his watch and wondered what La Patron planned to do next when he caught Gem's message. "Oh yeah, she's blind." Damian straightened and moved near the door. "We need food for the child," he told Quentin.
A few moments later, a pack member knocked on the door, handed Damian a bag and stepped out. He looked inside, didn't recognize the local food but assumed Lamia would and placed the bag on a small table near the back of the room.
"What are you doing?" Ivona asked him.
Without looking at her or slowing down, he pulled over a chair as he sensed Gem at the door. "Don't be concerned by what I'm doing;
you need to come to a decision to which location we'll travel. Plans have to be made." He opened the door. Gem and a tall, skinny, fair complexioned female walked in. Holding onto Gem's hand, the girl inhaled deeply and turned her head in the direction of each person in the room. Twice she turned toward the old witch before moving toward the table with the food. Gem assisted her by taking the food from the bag and placing it near.
Ivona moved closer. "Where did you find her?" She looked at Gem who ignored her. "Who hit her? Why is she here?"
"Do you know her?" Damian asked.
Ivona's gaze flew to his. He read panic, and fear in her eyes before she turned away. "No, not personally."
"Then why are you asking questions?" he pushed.
Saffi moved closer.
Lamia stopped eating and turned her head in her direction.
"No one's going to hurt you," Saffi said, her voice calm and soothing.
Lamia grunted and kept eating. No one spoke. Instead they all watched as the small female ate every crumb of food from the bag and it had been full.
"Have you learned anything about her other than her name?"
"She was lost and running in the woods. She's intelligent, strong, and has excellent co-ordination for someone who can't see."
"Why can't she see?"
"I don't know, might have something to do with falling in the woods. She hasn't opened her eyes the whole time she's been here."
"Which doesn't mean she can't see, right?"
"Right. What are you thinking? That she can see and this is a trick to catch us off guard? Someone's using children?"
He liked her indignation on behalf of children, but they needed to focus on the mission. "All I'm saying is unless you've examined her eyes, don't say she's blind. We don't need that handicap."
After a few seconds she spoke. "Good point. I'll update my report to the lab."
"Damian?"
"La Patron?"
"We've looked at Dr. Okla's report on the female, there's something strange going on. I want her sent to one of Barticus' dens that have a lab for observation. He's setting it up and a team will be there in half an hour to pick her up. As far as the mission with the witches, they have one hour to tell you a destination, one destination. If Ivona cannot make up her mind, that mission is over and the three of you return home."
"Yes, Sir. I believe there is more to both witches and their desire to reach these different locations."
"Of course there is. The Loch has a dungeon and Tara is still there, but she's not a prisoner. She can leave anytime she wants. I have no idea why she's dragged her daughter into this mad scheme. The other location belongs to a well-known coven and has a dungeon as well. Both places use human security, so be careful. If you do not travel to the Loch, let me know so I can inform Barticus and the Alpha of that area."
"Yes, Sir."
"You and your team have done a great job for our Nation, Damian. Thank you."
Damian's chest expanded so wide he thought it would burst. "My honor to serve, Sir."
"She's finished, what now?" Gem asked him.
"Make her comfortable, these two haven't decided." He told her what La Patron said regarding the hour.
"Don't tell them now. Let them waste another 45 or 50 minutes and then hit them with it at the last five or ten. That's when we'll get an idea of what's really at stake," Gem said.
"Good idea." He played with the idea of not telling her what would happen to Lamia. Chances were good, La Patron would tell her and she'd know he knew but hadn't told her. So far her insight had been spot on and made a big difference in the direction of the mission. He didn't want to jinx that. "La Patron gave instructions for Lamia." He repeated his instructions and ended with. "Don't mention it to her. Wait until they arrive."
"That's probably best."
"What do you plan to do with her?" Saffi asked, glancing at Lamia.
"Take her to find her mother, that's the reason we're all here," Damian said, deliberately misinterpreting her question.
"No, not Vona." Saffi did a small motion with her hand beneath the cloak. "The Lamia."
"Do you know her?" Damian asked and looked at Raoul. "Look up the word Lamia," he told Raoul.
"Not personally. I've heard of her."
"What have you heard?" Damian asked, curious at the way the old woman moved back slowly. Ivona did the same.
Lamia sat still in her chair and then stood. She took Gem's hands and faced her. Similar in height, the two stood inches apart.
"Step back, Gem. I don't like this," Damian said, taking a step toward them when Lamia opened her eyes.
Gem gasped at the brilliant yellow-green serpent eyes staring into hers. A few seconds later, Lamia's eyes changed shape, normalized as they rounded out and the color changed to a forest green. She blinked a few times and fell forward onto Gem's chest.
"What was that?" Damian asked Gem. "I saw snake eyes, did you?"
Gem picked Lamia up and laid her on a nearby sofa. She stood over the child and stared at her for a few moments. Saffi and Ivona moved closer and watched Gem instead of Lamia.
"Dude, we might have a problem," Raoul said.
Damian tore his gaze from a silent Gem and looked across the room at Raoul. "What?"
"I used dad's, Barticus', library for the search and there's Greek history surrounding the Lamia, mistress of Zeus, cursed by Hera, her children destroyed, she started eating kids in retaliation. She's also tied up with snakes and witchcraft, that's probably why these two are watching so closely."
"Damn it, we don't need this right now."
"No we don't. But it seems like the Lamia did something to the doctor. Her beast's upset."
Damian stared at Gem, who appeared calm and focus. "Gem?"
"What's happening, Damian? She did something, gave me something... what's going on?" Her voice rose, and he sensed her beast was agitated.
"Hold on." He looked at the witches and decided not to bother asking them questions. "La Patron?"
A few seconds later Silas answered. "Yes."
Damian explained everything that happened and Gem's concerns.
"I'll examine her," he said.
Gem's head snapped up. A low growl rolled up her throat as she stared at the wall. The hairs on Damian's arms rose as La Patron's power leaked into the room.
Ivona shrieked and fell, covering her ears, and shook on the floor.
Saffi's face morphed to a younger female, an old crone, a middle-aged woman, and then she fell to the ground.
Gem's body vibrated as she stood with her head back, looking wide-eyed at the ceiling. She coughed, held onto her stomach and bent over Lamia, who opened her eyes. Over the course of several seconds her eyes changed from rounded pupils to serpentine slits. She closed them tight and rolled to the side, holding her belly.
Damian enfolded Gem in his arms. Raoul covered her back and together they supported her while she took heaping breaths.
Gem cleared her throat and looked at him. "She escaped from a coven who wants to use her in a ceremony. She has the ability to transfer her power for safekeeping for a period of time so she can see the world differently. She doesn't trust what she sees and uses other senses to determine the core of a person, that's why she keeps her eyes closed. She knows Ivona and Saffi are witches and isn't interested in working with them."
"Your beast didn't appreciate her hijacking your body," Damian said.
"True. Neither did La Patron. They ousted her quick and spanked her and the others in the process. He's strong."
"He's Alpha," Damian said with pride.
"Yes, indeed." She leaned against Raoul and smiled up at Damian. "Thanks, calling him was quick thinking. I'm not sure I could've gotten rid of her on my own. Her power is seductive, it feels warm and nurturing, but it has a definite bite."
Damian nodded and took a step back. "Barticus' team will be here soon. I'll make sure she's blindfolded and explain what happened."
"Blindfolding isn't necessary. S
he can control the snake-eyes thing, they only come out when she wants to transfer her power," Gem said, and then looked behind at Raoul who still held her close. "Thank you."
Raoul winked. "Anytime."
Damian turned away from the two, wondering when Raoul planned to release her. "Okay, no blindfold, should we tie her up? Is she a threat?"
"I don't know." Gem paused. "She’s a child."
"Not according to the information Raoul found. She's been around a long time." Damian clicked on the link Raoul sent and gave her his phone. She stepped out of Raoul's arms, took the device and read.
"Wow, this... this can't be. But I suppose there are all types of unexplained elements in the world." Gem looked at Lamia again and shook her head. "So she takes the bodies of young girls? Is that how she's survived all this time?" Gem frowned.
"What?" Damian looked at the teen shaking on the sofa. "I don't know, never heard of a Lamia before."
Raoul helped Ivona up and walked her to a chair.
Quentin stared at Saffi, who rolled from one side to the other trying to avoid all the fabric of her long, black robe. Damian strode forward and lifted the not-so-old woman from the floor, pulled the cape from her head and stared into her face. "So you're not as old as we thought."
She snatched her arm from his, pulled the covering back over her head and turned her back on him. Damian looked at his watch. "Here's the deal." He looked at Ivona. "La Patron put this mission on a time clock. You have 15 minutes left to give me the location of your mother. That's the only place we will attempt a rescue, that's all we promised. It doesn't matter to me which place you choose, but if you don't tell me in the allotted time we're done. Do you understand?"
"What are you going to do with the Lamia?" Ivona asked, her gaze on the girl.
"Do you understand our deal?" Damian asked again.
"Yes. We're going to the original location," Ivona said.
"You've lost the key," Saffi said in a sad voice shaking her head.
Ivona's eyes widened and she looked away.
Saffi moved toward the sofa and gazed at the teen. "Since you won't need my directions, I'll leave."
