Lupi 06 - Blood Magic

TV.
    "Hey!" T.J. waved a hand in front of her face. "You day-dreaming about the big wedding?"
    "I've got to go." She shoved back her chair, grabbed her notebook, and jammed it in her purse. "The hospital on the news - that's Memorial, downtown. That's where Rule is. And Cullen. And Cynna." And Max and Jason and Nettie - all of them there, where black smoke billowed and sirens screamed. "I've got to go."
    "You'll go with me. Shut up, Yu," he told her, though she hadn't said anything. He was on his feet, too, and pulling out his wallet. "I've got a siren. You don't. End of argument." He tossed a flutter of bills on the table. "Let's go."
    She got two steps in before he grabbed her arm. "Hold up."
    "What?" she snapped.
    He nodded at the TV screen.
    Lily caught the word helicoptero from the excited news-caster as the scene switched to an aerial view of an elegant black shape drifting down through the smoke like an enormous burnt leaf. Wings beat or tilted artfully as the black dragon rode the air down and down to settle on the roof of the hospital.
    "Son of a bitch," Lily said.

 
    TWENTY-SEVEN

    In addition to a siren, T.J. had a police radio in his car. They listened to that and to regular news in their mad race to Memorial. From what she could piece together, the fire had abruptly poofed out about the time Sam settled on top of the building. Firefighters were baffled.
    Lily wasn't, not about the cause - but the motive had her wondering. Sam was an ethical being, but his standards didn't often overlap with human morality. Lily felt sure he hadn't suddenly decided to become a scaled firefighter.
    There were reports of a bomb, garbled and unconfirmed. There was no official word on casualties, but according to someone interviewed by a reporter, the hospital's sprinklers hadn't activated and much of its tech had malfunctioned. So it could be bad.
    Lily couldn't get Rule or Cynna on their cell phones. She knew Rule lived. The mate bond made that a certainty. She didn't know about any of the others.
    Even with a siren, T.J. was unable to get very close. It seemed as if half the people in the downtown had fled when the dragon appeared - and the other half had left their cars or their offices to get a better look. Sidewalks and streets alike were jammed.
    T.J. parked well down Frost Street. As soon as the car stopped, Lily slid out into the oven-dry heat - and jumped as a cool mental voice said, Your mate and compatriots live.
    "Thanks," she whispered to Sam.
    Memorial was big. Like many big hospitals, it had spawned a number of offspring. The campus included parking garages, buildings for outpatient care and rehab, a women's hospital, and a children's hospital. The main building, though, was shaped like a V. They headed toward the western tip of the V, weaving among stranded vehicles and gawking pedestrians.
    Where had all these people come from? San Diego-ans didn't mob up outside in the summer. It was too stinking hot.
    "Are any of my compatriots hurt?" Lily asked Sam. "Including Nettie. She's the clan's doctor. She's been taking care of Cullen. So was Jason. He's Nokolai."
    "Uh, Lily?" T.J. glanced back at her. "You talking to me?"
    "No, I'm talking to the dragon."
    "Sure. Pull the other one."
    Your question is imprecise. If you wish to know whether any of them sustained damage today, Cynna Weaver is coughing but essentially unharmed. The gnome is undamaged. Cullen Seabourne is in sleep. The healer with him... yes, I see that she is called Nettie. She is undamaged, as is the nurse with them. Rule Turner incurred cuts to one arm, but they are healing. He is under arrest.
    "He's what?!"
    He threw a bomb. The authorities find that suspicious.
    A bomb. Lily drew a calm-me-down breath. One question at a time. "What are you doing here?"
    I put out the fire and absorbed the power the sorcerer used to disable the tech in the building. Most of the tech is operational again. Some remains... I believe the phrase is screwed up.
    "That's the phrase, all right." It explained why she'd been unable to reach Rule or Cynna on their cells. "Was that a direct answer to my question, or are there other reasons - "
    "You're worrying me," T.J. said.
    "I'm not the one acting weird. You bought my lunch."
    He snorted.
    Her hairline was already growing damp, especially at her nape. Should've put her hair up this morning. She walked faster.
    They'd almost passed one of the big parking garages. She could see part of the west wing of the hospital now