Better the Demon You Know: An Enemies-To-Lovers Urban Fantasy by Deborah Wilde

Author:Deborah Wilde [Wilde, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Te Da Media Inc.
Published: 2024-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Jasmine’s room at the Maccabee rehab clinic had a view of the mountains, state-of-the-art equipment to bolster any magic healing treatments, and two steely-eyed operatives on guard outside her door.

The elderly Eishei Kodesh leader of the drug ring looked fragile under her pile of heated blankets, her left wrist manacled to the bed rail with a magic-nulling handcuff. The side of her head with her missing ear was bandaged, but there was no bruising or other visible injury and her vacant stare wasn’t due to pain medication.

She wasn’t responding to treatment and Monica, the Maccabee healer in charge of her case, feared her trauma was too severe. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for Francesca and Paul, though even they were healing slowly.

I’d come up empty searching for anyone matching shedim with humans, and now my interviewee was almost comatose. Had Dmitri set me up to fail?

Monica showed me the call button in case I required assistance and left me with the patient.

“Jasmine? I’m Aviva Fleisher. I’m the operative who got you out that night.” I leaned forward, directly into her field of vision.

Her gaze paused on me for a fraction of a second before slipping off, but she didn’t flinch or scream in horror that I was a demon. The only sound was her slow breathing against the percussive beeps of her heart monitor.

I prayed that her brain was so scrambled that the sight of my Cherry form had blended together with her memory of Bratwurst Demon into a single nightmarish fever dream. I pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. “How did you find the shedim, Jasmine?”

She made a soft croaking sound.

“Take all the time you need. You’re safe now and getting the best care possible.”

A tear leaked out of one eye. Was she thinking that getting well would only speed up her inevitable path to incarceration?

Well, it’s not like the metal cuff on her wrist was the latest in Parisian accessories.

I draped my forearms on my thighs. “You can have a lawyer present if you like, however, this is just a friendly visit asking for your assistance. Who connected you with the demon?”

Jasmine’s lips moved.

I cocked my head, trying to catch what she said. “Again, please?”

She made the faintest sound.

I gripped the sides of the chair against the urge to clap my hands over my ears because she was humming, and the sound thrust me back to the horror of the drug lab. The sterile room wavered, overlaid with my memory of blood and mangled bodies, while the scent of lemons washed over me.

I fought to keep my breath steady and banish the all-too-real memory. “Jasmine, you’re guilty of colluding with a demon and there’s a special prison for criminals like you.” Sector A was the only outcome. “If there’s anything you can tell me about the shedim you were producing drugs with, that would work in your favor. Get you some special privileges to make your life easier there.” My lie was so smooth, it would have fooled the magic to detect them.

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