Keeper of the Moon - By Harley Jane Kozak Page 0,26

got things to do. I’ll be happy to see your doctor tomorrow, though.”

“Sorry, Sailor.” Declan moved to let himself out from behind the bar. “Tomorrow you can see Highsmith’s doctor. Tonight you’re seeing mine. C’mon. I’ll drive.”

“Wow. You’re a little bossy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Character flaw.”

She moved to the table to collect her purse. “Not that I don’t enjoy the attention, as the only live victim of a rare disease—but no doctor tonight. I’m tired, I’m badly dressed, and I have to go home and walk my dog. Do you have pets?”

“No.”

“Well, then, you wouldn’t—” To her annoyance, she found herself wobbly on her feet. Immediately Declan was at her side, his strong hands grasping her shoulders, and she had to admit, there were worse places to be than in the hands of Declan “Dreamy Eyes” Wainwright. But then one of his hands found the back of her neck. She had just the briefest moment of panic as he squeezed a bit tighter than was comfortable, and she could think of only one reason someone would do that.

And then she felt herself falling a long way down.

Chapter 5

It wasn’t the first time someone had passed out in the Snake Pit. People had even died there. So there was a protocol for it, and when Declan saw Benjamin, his bartender, heading for the register, he knew it was to press a button on the security panel and alert his bouncer, a muscular hulk capable of hauling away passed-out sumo wrestlers. But his bouncer was Elven. Too susceptible to the Scarlet Pathogen to risk touching Sailor.

And to his surprise, Declan realized he didn’t want anyone else’s hands on Sailor Gryffald.

“It’s okay,” he called to Benjamin. “I’ve got this.”

He’d held on to her as she went limp and grasped her by the rib cage. Then he readjusted his grip and picked her up. She was long-limbed and tall, not easy to haul around, but he was happy to do it. Holding her in his arms felt natural. One thigh beneath its black silk stocking showed red scratches from having been dragged down the hillside that afternoon. Her arm, too, had scrapes. And there was the bandage on her chest that he himself had put there hours ago. He felt a rush of some emotion he couldn’t put a name to.

And one he could: regret. He hadn’t planned to render her unconscious. But the opportunity had arisen, and he’d taken it, his need to get her to a doctor overriding civility.

His bouncer was at his post at the door. When he saw his boss, he made a move to help, but Declan told him sharply to step back. “She’s not feeling well,” he said. It wouldn’t take the large Elven long to figure out what was going on. Everyone was talking about the Scarlet Pathogen, and he knew Sailor Gryffald was a Keeper. He would start to connect the dots. There would be no keeping any of this secret for long.

One of his busboys—a leprechaun—was in the alley, emptying bottles into the Dumpster. Declan had him help get Sailor into his Lamborghini Aventador. She was stirring now, making moaning sounds, and he only hoped she wasn’t going to throw up when she regained consciousness. His feelings for her were complicated, but the way he felt about the car’s upholstery was not.

Kimberly Krabill’s office on Beverly was only minutes away, and by the time they arrived, Sailor’s eyes were open. “Where are we?” she mumbled, letting him help her out of the car.

“Someplace nice,” he assured her.

Krabill buzzed them into the building and met them as they got off the elevator. She was blonde, cheerful and, like most shifters, of indeterminate age. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt, which made her look nothing like a physician, and she told Sailor to call her Kimberly and then worked a little glamour, altering her own voice and her facial features until they both resembled Sailor’s. She was not quite shifting, merely inspiring trust by suggesting a woman who Declan assumed to be Sailor’s mother. It worked. Sailor went willingly into the inner room and onto the exam table, her focus on Kimberly. He was noticing how strongly Elven Sailor was, how many of the species’ characteristics she had. Most Elven had little use for hospitals or doctors, being such gifted healers themselves. But Kimberly was no ordinary doctor, as Sailor would soon figure out, if she hadn’t already.

“All right, sweetie,” Kimberly said, peering at her eyes. “Let’s see