Dr. Wolf, the Fae Rift Series Book 2- Demon Spiral

by Cheree Alsop

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” Dartan replied. “Let my friend go or else.”

  “I don’t respond well to—” a shout of pain sounded from the Archdemon followed by cries around the room.

  Pravus released Aleric and the werewolf found himself plummeting to the ground. He hit and his legs buckled. Aleric rolled to his hands and knees. He looked up to see Dartan cringing by the door. Light flooded into the room. By the agonized reactions of all of the Dark fae around Aleric, the werewolf knew the light was from the sun. The effect on the Dark fae filled the air with cries of agony, the scent of burning flesh, and the pained gasp of someone he knew very well. The vampire fell to his knees.

  “Dartan!” Aleric yelled.

  He pushed to his feet and ran past the Archdemon. The sight of his friend’s skin smoldering in the sunlight stole Aleric’s fear. The werewolf tore the cloak from the Archdemon’s throat as he ran by. He threw Pravus’ billowing black robes over Dartan and ducked, picking his friend up over his shoulder.

  When Aleric reached the hallway, glass crunched beneath his shoes. He glanced up to see that the windows overhead had been broken to let the sunlight in. The mirrors that lined the huge hallway had been angled to catch the light and send it into the Archdemon’s grand room.

  “You were busy,” he said as he rushed down the hallway.

  Aleric had no idea how the vampire had survived directing the sunlight to serve as a weapon against the other Dark fae. He could hear Dartan’s labored breathing as he ran. The scent of the vampire’s charred skin filled Aleric’s nose.

  “Hang in there,” he said, attempting to ease the jarring of his footsteps on his friend. “I’ll get you help.”

  Dartan gave a moan of pain beneath the black cloaks.

  Aleric followed the scent of the path they had been led the night before to the cell. He ran through the twists and turns, grateful the ogres and demons were trapped in the great room, hiding in the corners away from Dartan’s clever trap.

  Aleric turned and barreled through the final door while protecting Dartan who lay too still across his other shoulder.

  The werewolf blinked at the sudden brightness. The car the medusa had driven stood solitary in the rubble beyond the half-constructed building. Aleric ran to it and slammed his fist into the window. Glass fell to the ground at his feet.

  “Did you check…the handle?” Dartan asked, his voice breathless.

  Aleric grabbed the handle. The door opened.

  “Know-it-all,” he muttered.

  Dartan let out a huff of laughter that ended in a pained gasp as Aleric maneuvered him to the back seat.

  “Stay with me,” Aleric told him. He slid onto the driver’s seat and was relieved to find the keys sitting in the cup holder. He started the engine. The sound of Dartan’s weak heartbeat had his foot on the gas before the car was even in drive. The vehicle lurched forward and the tires spun before they caught. The car shot away from the demon building.

  “That was ridiculous,” Aleric said as much to Dartan as to himself. “If you told me I would be arguing with an Archdemon today, I would tell you that you were insane. But I did. Now who’s the insane one?”

  “You,” Dartan said.

  The pain in his voice made Aleric drive faster.

  “That was a rhetorical question. I don’t need anyone to tell me that I just signed my death warrant.” Aleric glanced back at the mound of robes behind him. “He would have killed me, too, if you didn’t make that crazy trap.”

  “I’m…the insane one,” Dartan said, his words weak.

  “Yes, you are,” Aleric agreed. The thought of the burns that covered the vampire’s bare torso made Aleric clench his jaw. He didn’t know if the Dark fae could survive such damage. He swore Dartan’s shoulder bones had been visible through the damaged flesh. The charred smell filled the car.

  Aleric pushed the vehicle faster. A truck pulled in front of him. The werewolf swore under his breath and sped around the truck. A car coming in the opposite direction honked its horn. Aleric pulled in front of the truck just before the car hit them.

  Dartan’s heart skipped a beat, then another.

  “Don’t you dare,” Aleric said. “Dartan, you stay with me.”

  A slight sound caught Aleric’s ear. It was a sigh, a whisper of breath escaping the vampire’s lips. The finality of the sound made Aleric’s stomach clench. He had heard that sigh before. It had replayed in his ears a million times when Sherian died after the demon attack.

  “No!” Aleric shouted.

  He jerked the wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes. The car hit the curb. The truck behind him honked as it rocketed past.

  Aleric threw open the door, ran around the car, and pulled up on the handle for the back door. It was locked.

  Aleric slammed his fist into the window. The glass sliced his knuckles as it shattered. Aleric reached the handle from the inside and opened the door.

  “Stay with me,” Aleric said. “You stay with me, Dartan. You can’t leave now. There’s no way I’m letting that happen.”

  He threw the cloak back from Dartan’s face. The sound of the sunlight burning the vampire’s already singed skin made Aleric shove the black cloth against the broken window to block out the light. Dartan’s head lolled back, his red irises just visible within his half-closed eyelids.

  “Wake up,” Aleric demanded.

  When Dartan didn’t respond, the werewolf picked up a piece of glass. He drew it across his palm in a deep gouge. Blood welled up.

  “This better work,” Aleric whispered to himself.

  He closed his fist tight above Dartan’s face. Blood dripped from his wound into the vampire’s mouth.

  “Come on,” Aleric said.

  He watched with every sense straining. The vampire’s chest was still, his heart motionless. The burns that covered Dartan’s torso were severe. A human with such injuries would have died from the instantly of the pain alone, yet the vampire had defied the burns long enough to turn the sunlight to the demons, saving Aleric’s life.

  “Swallow,” Aleric pleaded.

  Dartan lay there, the pallor of his skin a stark contrast to the blood that dripped from Aleric’s hand. He squeezed harder.

  “You’re not leaving me here alone,” Aleric said. “I can’t handle the patients by myself. The troll’s going to be groggy and the goblins are going to get out of hand. It’s inevitable. They’re goblins; that’s what they do.”

  He listened, hoping beyond hope that Dartan’s heart would give a beat.

  “Don’t you dare leave me with the goblins,” Aleric said.

  His blood trickled from the side of Dartan’s mouth. Aleric let out a hiss of frustration.

  “Wake up!” he yelled. He slammed his palm against the vampire’s chest. “Open your eyes!” He hit the vampire’s chest again.

  Lightheadedness swarmed Aleric. He leaned against the back of the seat, his body weak from the blood the vampire had taken earlier and his thoughts numb at the sight of his damaged friend. He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t, yet when he tried to lift his hand to give the vampire more blood, his limb wouldn’t respond.

  “Curse you, Dartan,” Aleric growled, but there was no strength behind his words.

  His gaze stayed on his blood-red handprints on the vampire’s burned skin.

  “Curse you,” he whispered.

  Aleric wanted to rage, to howl, to phase and go back to attack the demons in his wolf form even if it meant his death. They had been the reason for Dartan’s extreme actions. They had killed Aleric’s friend. Aleric hated that he couldn’t do more than sit there, his body overtaken by exhaustion. He was unable to break his gaze from the red handprints above the vampire’s still heart.

  Aleric blinked, then focused on the handprints again. His eyes weren’t fooling him. The handprints were vanishing, disappearing into the vampire’s skin.

  Aleric’s gaze shifted to Dartan’s face. The blood in the vampire’s mouth and trailing down h
is burnt cheek was gone.

  A deep whoosh and thud struck Aleric’s ears. The sound was loud. Aleric looked out the window, expecting a storm to match the thunder he heard. Yet clear skies lit the day and sunlight streamed against the black robes.

  The whoosh and thud sounded again. Aleric’s eyes widened. He looked at Dartan. The sound was the vampire’s heartbeat.

  “Ouch.”

  A smile of relief spread across Aleric’s face at the sight of the vampire’s grimace of pain.

  “You better believe it,” Aleric said. “Pain is good. Pain means you’re alive.”

  “Pain…sucks,” Dartan forced out with a groan.

  “Vampires suck,” Aleric replied. “Stay with me. I’m getting you to the hospital where there’s blood, darkness, and goblins to keep you company.”

  “I…hate…you,” Dartan said.

  “I know,” Aleric replied with a grin. He hurried as fast as he was able around the car and pulled the door open. He drove into traffic, ignoring the honks and gestures out open windows, and pulled into the hospital’s back parking lot in record time. He yanked open the car door, ran around to the other side, and opened Dartan’s.

  “Slow down,” Dartan said.

  “No way,” Aleric replied. He bent and picked the vampire up, careful to ensure that the cloak covered him completely. “You need blood and I’m pretty sure I’m fresh out.”

  Dartan gave a pained chuckle.

  Aleric hurried to the door and turned his back to push it open that way. His shoulder slammed against the door, but it didn’t budge.

  “Ow,” he said.

  “Pull the door open,” Dartan pointed out.

  Aleric managed to grab the handle with one hand and pull it open.

  “I blame that on you,” he told the vampire he carried. “Blood loss is affecting my brain.”

  “I’d believe that…if I didn’t know you before this,” Dartan replied.

  Aleric shook his head as he carried the vampire up the hallway and turned to the D Wing. They both breathed a sigh of relief when he ducked into the Dark fae side and set Dartan on the closest bed. He heard the vampire’s groan of pain at his charred skin’s contact with the sheets.

  “I’ll go get you some blood,” Aleric told him.

  Dartan’s eyes were closed tight. He didn’t reply.

  Aleric burst through the doors to the D Wing and ran up the hallway. He shoved the doors to the E.R. open and made a beeline straight for Dr. Worthen’s office. Dr. Worthen and Gregory were there in discussion about something. Both stared at Aleric when he entered.

  “Dr. Wolf! We thought you were a gonner,” Gregory said with a huge smile upon seeing him.

  Dr. Worthen nodded. “We were worried you got bit trying to catch goblins and were still out there somewhere.”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” Aleric said quickly. “But I don’t have time to explain. I need blood for Dartan and more tranquilizer guns from Dr. Indley.”

  “I’ll get the blood,” Gregory told him. The orderly ran out the door.

  “I’ll call Dr. Indley,” Dr. Worthen said. Worry touched his gaze. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

  Aleric nodded. “I’m fine, considering.” He hesitated, unsure how much he should tell the head physician. His legs felt weak. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the chair.

  “Of course,” Dr. Worthen replied. He pulled open a drawer and held something out. “Eat it. You look like you could use something in your stomach.”

  Aleric accepted the bar and opened it. His hand shook as he brought it to his mouth and took a bite.

  “Aleric, you look horrible,” Dr. Worthen said. “Look at your wrist and your hand. What happened?”

  Aleric let out a breath. “We found trouble, lots of trouble.” He leaned forward. “There’s an Archdemon in Edge City.”

  “That’s sounds bad,” Dr. Worthen replied, watching him.

  “If you thought Forsythe was a lot to deal with, imagine something twice his size and filled with enough ego to devour this entire city,” Aleric replied. “Archdemon Pravus brought the goblins to control the humans of Edge City.”

  Dr. Worthen’s eyes widened. “What do we do?”

  Aleric sounded as exhausted as he felt when he replied, “Catch them all and send them back to Blays.”

  “Is the Archdemon gone?” Dr. Worthen asked.

  Aleric shook his head. “Dartan trapped him, but he’ll be out by nightfall if he’s not out now.”

  “Will he come here?”

  Aleric sat back in his chair. He studied the bar he held. “I’m not sure,” he replied quietly. “I hope not, but he wants to know how to open the Rift to Blays so he can bring the Demon Queen through.”

  Dr. Worthen was quiet for a moment. When Aleric glanced at him, the doctor’s face was pensive.

  “I’m sorry, Doctor. We had no idea an Archdemon made it through. We’ll do whatever it takes to get him out of your city.”

  “Our city,” Dr. Worthen corrected.

  That brought a small smile to Aleric’s face.

  Dr. Worthen pulled out another bar. “Eat that, too. And I’m having accounting put you on the payroll as a janitor. The pay won’t be as much as you deserve, but it’s something.” He picked up an envelope from his desk and held it out to Aleric. “Consider this your first week’s salary and an advance so you can get some clothes and find somewhere to live.”

  Aleric stared at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course I’m serious,” Dr. Worthen replied. “You need to get away from this place once in a while or you’ll go insane. Also, you need civilian clothes. Nurse Eastwick mentioned it’s impossible to keep you in shirts, whatever that means. And buy yourself some food. Young men your age should be eating far more than you are, at least that’s what Loreen tells me. She thinks you’re wasting away and she’ll blame it on me if I don’t do something about it.”

  Aleric could imagine Nurse Eastwick saying exactly that. He accepted the envelope with a feeling of guilt. “I never meant for you to pay me.”

  “I know,” Dr. Worthen told him, his gaze solemn. “You were thrown into this as much as any of your fae patients, and you’ve proven to be an invaluable person to have at one’s side in times like this, so I’m not about to lose you.” His sharp gaze took in Aleric’s wounds. “That looks like it’s from a vampire. Is Dartan alright?”

  “He will be if I can get him some blood,” Aleric replied. He took another bite and kept his gaze on the bar to keep from meeting the doctor’s too knowing expression.

  The door flew open.

  “Here’s the blood!” Gregory said. He tripped on the carpet at the edge of the door and the bags of blood flew out of his arms.

  Aleric caught the three bags with his quick werewolf reflexes before they could hit the ground.

  “Whew, thanks,” Gregory said. He attempted to straighten his mussed red hair.

  “Thanks for the blood,” Aleric replied. He held up the envelope. “And thanks for this,” he said to Dr. Worthen. “It’ll be put to good use.”

  “I’m sure it will,” Dr. Worthen replied. Aleric was almost to the door when he said, “Did you happen to bring anymore goblins?”

  Aleric knew he was worried about his daughter. The werewolf shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I’ll go out again as soon as Dartan is stable. How’s she doing?”

  Dr. Worthen’s gaze lowered. “Not good. Her vitals are poor and she had another seizure. I’m just not sure how much more she can take. I’ve moved her back to the E.R. so I can keep a closer eye on her.”

  “I’ll find the goblin that bit her,” Aleric promised. “I won’t stop until I do.”

  The doctor nodded. “Thank you, son.”

  Aleric followed Gregory out the door.

  “Have any of the other patients responded to the goblin serum?” he asked the orderly.

  “Four of them,” Gregory replied. “Dr. Worthen cleared two to return home ye
sterday. One of the others is showing signs of psychosis, so the doctor recommended for him to have a psyche eval.”

  “Good idea,” Aleric agreed. Considering the fact that the Archdemon was using the goblin bites to make the humans easier prey, a psychological evaluation would be beneficial. “Let me know what they find out.”

  “I will,” Gregory said. “Since you’re one of the admitting physicians, they’ll release the files to you.”

  “One of the admitting physicians?” Aleric repeated.

  The orderly nodded. “Dr. Worthen has instructed us to add you to the current patients’ files in case he needed your opinion on their cases. It’ll give you free range to review whatever files you need.”

  “That was thoughtful of him,” Aleric said. He gestured to the D Wing. “I’d better go.”

  “Let me know if you need more blood,” Gregory said.

  “Don’t waste it on them.”

  They both turned to see Nurse Tarli watching them from the next section.

  “Given all that’s been happening here, we might need all the blood we can get,” the nurse said, her tone curt. “Don’t you dare waste it.”

  Aleric held her gaze. “It’s being used to save a life.”

  “Is it a life worth saving?” she shot back.

  “Is it your role to judge that here?” Aleric replied.

  Nurse Tarli turned without a word and disappeared back the way she had come.

  “She might just think that,” Gregory said quietly.

  “If you see her anywhere near the D Wing, you let me know,” Aleric told him.

  “Will do,” Gregory replied.

  Aleric shoved through the doors and hurried back down the hall. He reached the D Wing and took the door to the Dark fae side. The sound of Dartan’s heartbeat was so faint Aleric could barely hear it when he crossed the floor to the bed against the wall.

  “I brought you some blood,” he told the vampire.

  Dartan’s arm was over his face. He gave no sign of hearing Aleric.

  “Dartan,” Aleric said louder. “Drink up.”

  When the vampire didn’t respond, Aleric swore under his breath. He bit the bag, tearing a small hole in one corner. Carefully, gently, he lowered the vampire’s arm from his face. Taking care not to spill the blood, Aleric tipped the corner into the vampire’s mouth.