Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

            His eyes opened, brilliant with pain despite the amulet. His lip curled, and the cuff clinked when he moved.

            “Yeah, I’m happy to see you, too,” I said, and he grunted when I shoved his legs over to make room for my ass. “I’m supposed to be babysitting Trent’s and Quen’s girls right now,” I added, one hip on the bed as I scrolled thorough his stats. “That I have to come down here and beat some information out of you really pisses me off. I don’t get much one-on-one with them.” My eyebrows rose as I looked at him over the tablet. “And here I am with you.”

            Walter silently stared at me, perhaps hoping that Glenn would walk in, as that was the only way he was going to remain pain-free.

            “Mmmm,” I said as I read his chart. “Multiple internal injuries, nicked jugular, crushed wrist. Your ear is gone.” I tossed the tablet to the narrow, rolling table, the clatter loud in the small room. “Wow. Parker is a bitch.” I slid from the bed. “She take you by surprise? Bet she did. Five minutes, and she ripped away everything you built. Left you for dead. I know how that feels. Want to get back at her? Here I am. Talk to me.”

            Walter’s pulse quickened, his lips pressed tight.

            “Okay. I don’t mind going first.” Standing, I pinned his free arm to the bed, my other arm heavy across his chest as I drummed my fingers atop that pain amulet. “Who’s the mage?”

            “Go turn yourself,” Walter rasped, and I pushed off him, hard enough to leave him gasping for breath.

            “Manners,” I said, not liking who I was at the moment, even as I imagined worse things.

            Smiling, I reached for a ley line, inhaling as I drew it in and then flicked a tiny wad of it at the ceiling monitor. With a puff of electronic smoke, the little red light went out. Not as clean as if Jenks had done it, but I wasn’t fussy. “What’s the invocation phrase to break that chakra curse?” I asked, and his eye twitched when I pulled the pulse monitor off his finger and put it on mine. “Did the mage figure out how to flip the ring? Is that why he wants it back? Or does he think I will figure it out.” Walter was silent, and I leaned in, whispering, “What did you give him for helping you? Not your kidney, I hope. You’re probably going to lose one.”

            His chin lifted, scraped and bloodied. “Kill me or get the fuck out of here,” he rasped.

            “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I pulled the other rail up and leaned the flat of my arms on it. “I’d think you’d be happy to see her fail after what she did to you, because, Walter, you’re out of the game.” The pulse at his neck was fast, but the machine made a steady beep, beep, reading mine, not his. “Tell me about that ring. Did the mage figure out how to flip it?”

            “What ring?” he practically growled.

            “Maybe I can jiggle your memory. Sometimes these pain amulets are too strong.”

            I reached for his amulet. Walter grunted as he lifted his bandaged arm to stop me, but I hesitated as the door opened and the noise from the hallway spilled in.

            Relief crossed Walter’s face. But I leaned closer, having recognized the scent of Glenn’s aftershave. “Glenn won’t help you,” I whispered, then ripped the amulet clean off him.

            “Oh . . . God . . .” Walter moaned, clenching in on himself.

            My pity faded fast. Dizzy from the powerful spell, I tossed the amulet to Glenn.

            “Walter’s overmedicated,” I said as Glenn caught it, juggling it from hand to hand like a hot potato until Cassie made a grab for it and sent it thumping into David’s lap. Though dressed in his usual jeans and button-down shirt, the Were was in one of the hospital-supplied wheelchairs, and his focus blurred as the magic took hold. “He can’t seem to string two words together and tell me how to uncurse your people, Cassie,” I added.

            “He’s awake?” Glenn came forward, his attention going from the slow beep of the pulse monitor on my finger to Walter, curled up and gasping as if it was his last. “Seriously, Rachel?” he said as he took the amulet and handed it to Walter. Walter grasped it with his good hand, his breath rasping in with relief.

            “You stunted little whore of a bitch,” Walter gasped, and Glenn’s expression hardened.

            “You want the pulse monitor back on him, too?” I said sweetly.