Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            A twinge of worry rose, and I quashed it. “She can’t shift, can she?” I asked, eyeing the breakaway cast. It was popular with the shape-shifting set in case of emergency.

            Stef reached for Parker’s chart. “Not at the moment. They pumped her full of hexabane.”

            “That bitch killed Walter!” Parker shouted. “Why are you detaining me? Arrest her!”

            “I said, shut up!” Doyle bellowed, and Parker flung herself back into the cushions. “We’re moving her out as soon as a van gets here,” he added, softer. “Her finer muscle and bone tissues were still in flux from her last shift when she jumped, which evened out a lot of the damage. She’s got a couple of bruised ribs, broken wrist, cracked collarbone.” He sucked on his teeth, a faint hint of vamp pheromones rising. “Nothing that needs a hospital.”

            Parker sneered. “Your line ends with you, Morgan. You will have never existed.”

            “Probably,” I said, having given up on the idea of children when I’d found out I was a demon. “But not at your teeth, and not today.”

            Frustrated, Parker spit at me. It fell short, and I took a breath to say something, changing my mind at the familiar sound of pixy wings.

            “Hey, Rache,” Jenks said as he came in, garnering suspicious looks from I.S. and hospital staff alike. “Lee’s stuck in a hallway until they finish their tests. They aren’t giving him a room. I’ll take you to Trent when you’re ready.” Hands on his hips, he hovered before Parker, the angry woman watching him around her stringy hair. “You going to beat some information out of this scrotum sack of a Were first?”

            “Try it,” Parker taunted, and I turned to Doyle.

            “Can I talk to her?” I asked. “She knows who has been spelling for Walter.” But whether she would tell me hinged not only on her attitude but on whether she was under a no-divulge spell.

            “Be my guest.” Doyle gestured at Parker, the woman thrashing as Jenks dusted her. “But can I give you some advice? David Hue has this piece of work in a doggie bag already. You need to be more worried about the coven of moral and ethical standards.”

            Jenks’s wing hum went silent. I glanced up, surprised at the concern in Doyle’s eyes. “Tell me about it,” I muttered. “I’ve got a meeting with Vivian today, so if you could put off arresting me until after two, I’d appreciate it.” Crap on toast, Trent won’t be able to make it. . . .

            Doyle laughed at that, startling Parker into silence. But yeah, I’d stop raving to hear his low voice rumbling about, too. “Well, Parker?” I said, careful to not step in the wad of phlegm she’d spit out as I came closer. “You want to make your I.S. stay easier? Get into a communal room with a TV instead of a standard six by ten? Tell me who you’ve been getting your illicit magic from. I might be able to convince Doyle that you’re the victim. The worst of the charges will fall to the practitioner, but I have to know who it is for you to even have a chance.”

            “Seriously?” Parker laughed, the sound choking off as her ribs hurt, and I looked at Stef.

            “Is that the hexabane?” I asked, and Stef shook her head. Why do they always have to be dicks about it? I wondered as Parker chortled as if I was wearing a pink tutu on the bus. She might have the same no-divulge spell on her, but I was willing to take that risk.

            “Doyle, you want some coffee?” Jenks suggested, and Parker’s expression emptied.

            “Don’t hurt me! Let go!” she suddenly shrilled, though I hadn’t even touched her. Shocked, I backed up as the door opened and a tight-lipped nurse came in, his no-nonsense posture reminding me of my days in the children’s ward. “They’re hurting me!” Parker screamed, dissolving into sobs.

            “Oh, that’s as lame as a troll condom!” Jenks exclaimed, and Stef hid a smirk.

            Damn, she’s got to be hopped up on something, I thought, my hands high to prove I’d done nothing. But clearly Parker knew how to work the system as the nurse pushed me to the edge of the room, his eyes pupil black in threat.

            “She’s killing me,” Parker sobbed as two more nurses came in, drawn by the woman’s distress where they had ignored her angry threats before. “Please don’t let her kill me!”