job cut out for him.” Adam was Alison’s assistant, a young vet learning the ropes. “I think Honey got a good peck of disapproval in.”
Ben snorted. “She would, bloody little troublemaker. That’s a good sign, though, right?” He leaned in and whispered to Honey. “Come on, sweetheart. Stay strong.” His chest ached at seeing the usually rambunctious bird lying on the table. Honey blinked and looked at Ben sadly.
“You’re going to be all right,” Ben murmured, though he wasn’t so sure. The disease, if it was what they suspected, had a high mortality rate.
Alison walked over to the ever-bubbling coffee machine on the side counter and poured them both a strong cup of black coffee. “Sorry, all out of milk. Sugar’s in the bowl there if you need it.”
Ben spooned two sugars into his mug and took a sip. He grimaced. “Jesus, how long has that been brewing? Tastes like tar.”
His friend chuckled. “Adam made it earlier. He tends to have a heavy hand with the coffee grounds. I’d hate him to mix me an alcoholic drink.”
For a moment, the two drank their coffee and regarded the quiet bird on the table.
“If it is aspers, we’ll need a miracle to get her through it,” Alison observed softly. “She was already a little immunocompromised, and this could be something she can’t fight off. Antifungals may help, and we can give her some intravenous fluids and force-feed her fish gruel by tube if necessary.”
Ben shuddered at the thought of the stout penguin resembling something out of a sci-fi film, filled with tubes and monitors. A glimmer of hope struck him.
“I may know someone who can help with a miracle,” he said, then bit his lip because, honestly, he didn’t want to have to explain the presence of a magic genie in his life. He’d be carted off in a straitjacket.
Alison looked hopeful. “Oh, who?”
“Erm, a specialist I know. He may have some advice. I’ll give him a call.” Ben plonked his mug on the counter and walked into the small office at the back of the surgery. This was a call he couldn’t afford anyone to overhear.
At home, the phone rang, over and over again. “Come on, Dae, pick up,” he entreated. The man had probably gone back to bed. Well, this was an emergency and Ben was sure the genie could cope with it for one night. “Pick up, you bastard.”
There was a click and Dae’s voice came over the line. “If you’re trying to fucking sell me anything at this time of night, I will—”
Ben didn’t have time to hear one of Dae’s rather creative curses. “It’s me,” he said urgently. “I want to make a wish.”
“A wish? What kind of wish?” Dae asked, sounding apprehensive. Ben took a deep breath.
“Oh Djinn of the lamp, please grant me my wish. I want Honey the penguin to be healed from what ails her and restored to full health.” Ben waited for the confirmation of his wish, not expecting to hear Dae’s deep sigh of regret.
“Oh Ben, that won’t work at all. I’m sorry.”
Ben’s stomach dropped. “What the fuck do you mean, it won’t work? You have to grant me my wish. That’s what I want.” Anger built in his chest at being denied.
There was a short silence on the other end of the phone. When Dae finally spoke, his tone was compassionate. “Ben, when we first met, I told you one of the things we Djinns can’t do is heal. I don’t have the power to do what you ask of me.”
“Why the hell not? This is my mate, Dae. She’s a mom and she doesn’t deserve to have a lingering death, unable to breathe. I need her to get better.”
“I can’t. I would do it in a heartbeat if it were within my remit, but matters of life and death, sickness and health, are not one of them. I’m so sorry.” Dae’s voice caught. “I understand you’re upset but—”
“Oh, I get it,” Ben spat into the phone, catching another glimpse of Honey in the surgery. “You can grant frivolous wishes to aspiring actresses and wannabe Hollywood stars, but when it comes to the serious, really meaningful stuff, you’re hopeless. What’s the point of having a genie if they can’t grant the one thing you really want?” He tightened his grip around his mobile.
He heard Dae draw a deep breath. “Ben, that’s not fair. I was clear when I told you what was and wasn’t within my powers to grant. I’ve