by N M Thorn
“Thank you, doctor,” mumbled Tessa, instantly feeling relief.
“Do you know what bit him?” asked Dr. Alister. “It looked like a bite of a large animal, but in my years of practice I had never seen anything like this. We’ll have to treat him for rabies.”
“I don’t know,” said Tessa, terrified of the idea of telling the truth to the doctor. “I didn’t get a chance to see the attacker.”
“Well, you can go to the nurses’ station and they’ll tell you where you can find Dr. West,” said Dr. Alister and left the room.
As soon as the doctor was out of the room, Tessa turned back to Zane. “I got to go,” she said. “Can you do me a favor?”
“What do you need?”
“Can you tell Aidan that I’m in the hospital with Ryan? I don’t want him to worry about me, so please go to the school as soon as possible and let him know. Don’t wait until the evening training. Okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell him.” He raked his fingers through his short hair. “I’ll have to find a way to explain to him how I know that you’re in a hospital with your boss.”
“Good point,” said Tessa, narrowing her eyes at him. “What were you doing in my dental office, huh?”
Zane laughed and opened the door out of the waiting room, gesturing at her to pass through first. “I had an emergency appointment. Toothache.”
“Yeah, right. If only I believed you.” She scolded him with her eyes as she walked past him, pushing him with her shoulder. “And don’t you dare open doors for me, little man. I don’t need your assistance… Friggin’ knight in shining armor.”
“My lady.” Zane laughed and bowed to her. It wasn’t a traditional martial arts bow, more like a bow of a medieval knight. And even though his bow was full of mockery, Tessa couldn’t shake off the feeling that it wasn’t the first time he bowed like this.
This man is full of secrets, she thought walking away toward the nurses’ station. And there is nothing I love more than unravelling a good mystery. He’s my kind of puzzle.
Chapter 11
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz left the hospital and walked through the busy parking lot, searching for his car. It didn’t take him long to find his white Mercedes. He sat down in the driver’s seat but didn’t start the car right away, thinking about Tessa and the mystery that surrounded her. She could see and communicate with spirits, but he didn’t think she was a medium. He came across a few mediums before and they all had a different aura about them. Their aura included some energy of magic. Tessa had none of that and the brightness of her own energy was unprecedented.
He remembered the first time when the Fire Salamander in him reared its flaming head and the torture he went through until he learned to control his power. He didn’t know what was happening to him, and even though his power didn’t manifest in its full potency right away, he still hurt those closest to him—his friends who stood by his side, no matter how hard it was.
Now that he learned how dangerous his natural state was to humans, he was thanking God for not letting him gain his pure Fire Salamander state until much later on. By the time he grew into the full power of a Fire Salamander, he was under the control of his mentor—Kal, the fierce Fire Elemental, the magnificent Great Salamander.
At the beginning, Gunz hated Kal. He was terrified of Kal’s ability to control him and suppress his freewill. The knowledge that at any moment Kal could make him do anything he wanted was making Gunz sick with fear and anger. But with time, he realized that everything Kal did in the beginning was done to teach him how to control the dangerous power within him. And now that Gunz was in complete control of his power, he no longer feared or hated Kal. He started to appreciate everything the Great Salamander did for him and respect him as a mentor, valuing his help and advice.
Tessa didn’t know what she was and there was no way to say what kind of possible powers or magic her slender body was harboring. Keeping in mind all the troubles he went through in the beginning, when he didn’t know what he was, Gunz couldn’t let Tessa go through it alone.
He started his car and drove toward Elements Martial Arts. He wasn’t looking forward to having a conversation with Aidan. However, since Tessa asked him so nicely and he foolishly agreed, there was no way of avoiding it.
Gunz pulled out his phone and dialed Angelique’s number. She answered almost right away, her voice mostly cheerful with slight shades of concern.
“Zane, is everything okay?” she asked. “Are you coming in?”
“Hi Angie, everything is fine,” he replied, suppressing his smile. On the phone, she sounded like a teenage girl. Besides, she didn’t call him Vladislav, and that was a step in the right direction. “And sorry, but I’m not coming in, not yet. I still need to go to that martial arts school. But there are some new developments in the case and I need to talk to Jim about it. So, I’ll try to stop by his office tomorrow.”
“Oh,” she exhaled, a breeze of disappointment in her voice.
“Angie, can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure, what do you need?” she asked right away with that undying eagerness and cheerfulness she always had.
“I met someone—”
“You met someone?” she parroted, interrupting him, all the cheerfulness gone.
“Angie, relax, not that kind of someone,” he said chuckling.
“Oh… sorry… please continue.”
“Anyway, I met someone with a power or a magic signature I couldn’t recognize,” he continued his explanation. “She’s a young girl. Eighteen at the most. And she doesn’t know what she is. I was wondering if you could do a reading for her.”
Angelique stayed quiet for a few seconds, but then cleared her throat and said, “Yes, you can bring her over whenever you’re ready. I’ll do the reading. Where did you meet this girl?”
“At Elements Martial Arts,” said Gunz. “She can see and communicate with the dead.”
“She is a medium,” said Angelique, immediately sounding dismissive.
“I assure you, she’s not a medium. Let’s do a reading. But we need to meet somewhere outside the FBI building. I don’t want her to know that I’m working for the FBI.”
“No problem,” said Angelique, and in his mind, he could see her waving her hand. “We can meet at my apartment. Just let me know a few hours before you show up with your new… um… supernatural friend.”
“Thank you, Angie. I owe you one.”
“You owe me a lot more than one,” she replied grumpily. “Be careful out there, Zane. Immortal or not, you still can get hurt.”
She hung up the phone and Gunz smirked, throwing his cell on the passenger seat. Angie was always worried about him no matter how many times he proved to her that he was quite capable of taking care of himself in a combat situation, but it was nice to know that someone actually cared if he was dead or alive or hurt.
A few minutes later, he parked his car in front of Aidan’s school. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was still early, and the kids’ lessons weren’t over yet, but delivering a message from Tessa was a good opportunity for him to check out the school and the instructors in the daytime. After a few minutes of consideration, he decided to go in and talk to Aidan right away.
Gunz walked inside the school and halted, surprised how different the school looked in the daytime. The spacious lobby was filled with children and their parents. The dojang floor was occupied by at least twenty little students, their ages varying from seven to twelve. A few instructors took care of the children, running the practice session. He recognized Angel and Uri, but he didn’t know the third instructor. He wasn’t as tall and looked slim, compared to the other two.
Gunz looked around the lobby but didn’t notice Aidan anywhere. He walked closer to the counter and searched the floor. At the far end of the dojang, he found Aidan. He was kneeling next to a little boy. Holding the boy’s leg gently in his hands, he was showing him how to kick properly. The boy was lau
ghing, trying to repeat the move, and it seemed that both of them had fun.
It was only the second time that Gunz saw Aidan McGrath, but the contrast in the way Aidan behaved yesterday and the way he was right now, was striking. Gunz looked at the warm smile on Aidan’s face and the way he was with this little boy, realizing that Aidan loved working with kids, and that was making him more human than he originally thought.
Gunz decided not to bother him and was about to leave the school when Aidan got up and turned around sharply. His gaze, now cold and heavy, bore into Gunz, pinning him in place. Aidan crossed the floor and put his hand on the counter heavily. His jaw tightened, and his hand clenched into a fist.
“My office. Now!” he hissed, pointing at the door behind the front desk and stormed away toward his office.
Gunz sighed, mentally getting ready for a beating. He walked through the side door and ended up in the back of the dojang. Aidan was standing in the doorway of his office, his arms crossed over his chest, his whole body locked up with rage.
“Get in,” said Aidan, pointing at his office.
“Master McGrath, let me explain—,” Gunz started to say, but Aidan grunted and shook his head stopping him. He covered the distance between them in two long strides, grabbed Gunz by the back of his neck and pushed him inside the office, slamming the door shut behind them.
“Oprimenta Amnia,” mumbled Gunz, placing a concealment spell over Aidan’s office.
Aidan checked the soft yellow glow of the spell and a cold smile stretched his lips. “Perfect. A Fire Salamander with magic,” he whispered, and his eyes shone with a bright white light. “Goddammit, Salamander, what are you doing here in the daytime? I thought I made it clear to you. You can be here only after all the children are gone.”
“Master McGrath, I assure you I’m in complete control of my power. The children are not in any danger, or I would never show up here,” said Gunz calmly.
“I don’t give a damn what you think!” shouted Aidan, slamming his hand on the wall above Gunz’s head. “If you want to take lessons here, you will do as you’re told. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Gunz calmly. Aidan looked fearsome in his anger with his glowing white eyes and bulging muscles, but it didn’t bother Gunz. “I would comply with your orders, sir, but I had to deliver an urgent message to you and I was asked not to wait until the evening.”
“Oh? Now you’re also a messenger boy, puny lizard?” huffed Aidan, the white glow in his eyes slowly fading away. He walked around the desk and sat down in the leather chair. “Who is the message from?” Gunz hesitated for a moment considering all possible exit strategies, but Aidan waved his hand dismissively. “Go on. Normally I don’t kill the messengers.”
“The message is from Tessa, sir,” said Gunz quietly, taking a tentative step back.
“From Tessa?” growled Aidan, slowly rising. He slammed his hand on the table and his eyes lit up with the blinding light again. “What the hell were you doing around Tessa?”
Gunz shuddered inwardly. He still couldn’t recognize the source of Aidan’s magic, but he was undeniably powerful, and his anger spiked the magical energy field around him with incredible strength. But besides the pure rage, there was something else that Gunz noticed on Aidan’s face—a deep concern about Tessa bordering with fear. The kind of worry that one can have only about a person he deeply cared about or loved.
“Please, sir,” said Gunz peacefully, “let me finish.”
Aidan took a deep breath and waved his hand at Gunz, allowing him to proceed.
“Tessa is fine, sir,” said Gunz. “She’s in the Broward Health Hospital with her boss, Dr. West. He was attacked and severely injured. She wanted me to tell you that she’ll be late for the lesson, if she even makes it here at all tonight. She asked me to deliver this message to you right away, so you wouldn’t worry.”
Aidan dropped back in the chair and put his hands to his face, tiredly rubbing the corners of his eyes. “How did you know about it? Were you with Tessa when the attack happened?”
“I was in the office—”
“What were you doing in Tessa’s office?” asked Aidan. He didn’t sound angry, but his every word was infused with a silent threat. “And think well before you answer that question, reptilian.”
“I didn’t know that it was Tessa’s office,” explained Gunz patiently. “I needed to see a dentist, and I made an appointment to see Dr. West. I had no idea that Tessa was working there. When I came to the office, I heard Tessa screaming for help.”
The color drained from Aidan’s face and sweat glistened on his forehead. “Who attacked her?”
“Not who, sir. What,” said Gunz. “Dr. West was attacked by an upir and by the time I ran into the room, he was nearly dead, and Tessa was completely subdued by the monster. They both were lucky that I happened to be there.”
Aidan closed his eyes and shook his head with a heavy sigh. “Upir in a dental office? What did he need? Crowns for his fangs? What the hell? Please tell me you didn’t use your elemental power in front of her, Zane.”
Gunz’s eyes widened—it was the first time Aidan used his name instead of calling him a lizard, Salamander or reptilian. A step in the right direction.
“No, Master McGrath, of course not,” he said with a half-shrug. “But I had to use my magic though. It was an upir and fire was the only way to kill it. But Tessa didn’t see anything.” He quickly recounted everything that happened in the office, omitting a few details.
“Zane, thank you,” said Aidan, lowering his blazing eyes. “I can’t imagine what would happen if you weren’t there and I appreciate you stepping in. Nevertheless, I don’t want you anywhere next to Tessa or my students. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk their safety.”
“I understand, sir,” said Gunz rising. “I’m leaving right now.”
“No, wait.” Aidan waved his hand, placing another spell over his office. “If you want, you can stay here until all the children are gone. Today only.”
Definitely a step in the right direction, thought Gunz, watching Aidan leave his office.
Chapter 12
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
By the time his Taekwondo training was over, Gunz was no longer sure that he progressed in his relationship with Aidan. And the so-called step in the right direction didn’t feel so right any more. Besides him, there were three more students at the Elite team training. Tessa didn’t make it and Gunz was wondering if everything was okay with Dr. West.
Aidan started the training by introducing Gunz to his team. He didn’t bother to say his name, but right away called him a Fire Salamander exposing his true nature to everyone who cared to listen. He didn’t bother introducing the other team members to him either and jumped straight into the training. Saying that Aidan was merciless with him, driving him to the point of exhaustion with his non-stop drills, would be saying nothing. He was far worse than Gunz’s drill-sergeant during special forces training.
Gunz couldn’t help but notice that Aidan was patient and respectful with the other members of his team, and it was only him whom he was driving up the wall with snide remarks and endless sarcasm. By the end of the two-hour training, between the physical exhaustion and constant mental strain to keep his emotions at bay, Gunz was at the end of his rope.
When Aidan finally announced that the training was over, he dropped on the dojang floor, breathing laboriously, his uniform soaked with sweat, and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he felt a light touch to his shoulder and cracked his eyes half-open. Instructor Angel was squatting next to him, staring at him with a wide grin.
“You survived, little man,” he said with his light Spanish accent, offering his hand and pulled him up. “I wonder if we’ll see you tomorrow after Aidan’s warm welcome.” He laughed, and the other men joined him.
“I’ve been through worse. So, trust me, you’ll see me tomorrow, Angel,” muttered Gunz, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “And t
he day after tomorrow and the day after that.”
By the time he walked out on the street, he could hardly move, his every muscle sore. The freshness of the evening air enveloped him, and he inhaled enjoying the cool touch of a light breeze to his hot skin. The restaurant was still opened, but his car was parked right in front of the school and this part of the parking lot was mostly vacant. He opened the door and heavily dropped on the driver’s seat. He didn’t start the car and for a few minutes, stared blankly at the dashboard, not sure if he had enough strength left in him to press the pedals.
The only thing he could think of was going back to his house and letting his guard down, allowing his power to run free. He needed to heal his aching body, but mostly he needed to relieve this constant pressure of keeping his emotions under control. He needed to unwind. He thought of Missi’s Kitchen and how much he would love to have a shot of vodka right about now. Or three…
Gunz glanced back at the school. All the windows were dark, and no one was inside. He smirked tiredly. He didn’t see anyone walking out of the school. It could mean only one thing—every single man of the Elite team, including the owner of the establishment left the building by teleporting or by using a portal. All of them weren’t human.
He reached toward the dashboard, ready to press the start button when he noticed a slight movement in the dark alley that was curving around the building toward the small parking lot behind the school. Gunz sharpened all his natural and supernatural senses. He still couldn’t see clearly, but something was definitely moving in the shadows. He sighed and opened the car door. Since yesterday he encountered four demons on that same parking lot, he couldn’t leave the area without checking it out first.
