The Catalyst of Corruption (The Final Formula Series, Book 4) (9 page)

A little apprehensive, I scooted closer to lay my head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around me. “What do you have tomorrow? Can I take you to breakfast?”

“I have an appointment with Dr. Steadham at ten.” Steadham was the new chair of the Burn Unit, and not yet a fan of my work. I intended to change that tomorrow. Although, that might be an uphill battle. I had seen Steadham leaving Xander's party, so the good doctor might be receiving outside influence.

“How's that going?”

“This will be our first meeting. Gavin's little appendectomy put things on hold for a bit.” He hadn't actually removed my appendix, but he probably could have.

“Don't remind me of that.” Rowan kissed my forehead. “I have enough nightmares.”

“Hey, it was a happy ending.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” I closed my eyes. “Let it go. Dream about something else.”

“Any suggestions?”

I smiled. “I'll leave that up to you.”

 

Despite my advice to Rowan,
my own dreams turned nightmarish in a hurry. I was back in Alexander's catacombs, alone and stumbling through the dark. Something followed me, and by the irregular sound of its tread, I knew it was one of Psyche's lich creatures. It was herding me toward the autopsy room, and I knew that if I didn't find Rowan soon, it would have me.

I reached out and my fingers brushed a dirt wall. I followed it, able to just make out a dim doorway ahead. In my mashed up dream world, I was trying to get to the elevator that would take me to the opera, where the Elements waited.

I stepped through the doorway and stumbled to a stop. I must have made a wrong turn, because I was in Psyche's workshop. I started to turn, to flee, but hands clamped around my biceps from behind. Claws dug through my shirtsleeves and into my flesh.

“Don't leave, Addie,” Gavin whispered in my ear. “She promised me your liver.”

“She?”

In the next moment, I was clamped to the autopsy table. I struggled in vain to break the old rusted chains.

A form stepped into sight, holding a scalpel already smeared with blood.

“Don't look so concerned, Addie.” Elysia leaned over the table, her white eyes glinting in the lamplight. “This will be fun.”

I opened my mouth, to beg her to stop, and she looked up, her eyes widening. I followed her gaze and saw Rowan standing in the doorway. I sobbed in relief, longing to run to him, then his eyes turned gold. I screamed as the world erupted in flames.

The sound echoed in my ears, and I had a befuddled moment wondering if I really had screamed in my sleep. Warmth enveloped me, and I opened my eyes, only to discover that the world really was on fire.

“Oh God!”

Flames raced across Rowan's black sheets, coming right at me. I pressed my hands to the mattress and pushed myself back, intending to slide off the bed, but I bumped up against something behind me. A glance over my shoulder revealed that something to be Rowan, and he was still asleep.

“Rowan!”

Heat seared my hands where they were still pressed to the mattress, and raced up over my wrists to my forearms, catching my shirtsleeves on fire.

This time, I screamed for real.

Chapter 7

T
he flames were all around
me, and since I couldn't move back, the only way out was through the fire. I tensed, ready to leap forward, when arms suddenly encircled me from behind.

I was lifted from the sheets and pulled away from the flames—except the ones currently consuming my sleeves.

We were moving fast. I caught a glimpse of a doorway, then my butt connected with something smooth and solid. Rowan's big bathtub. An instant later, a spray of water hit me. I cried out. It was ice cold.

“Just sit still,” Rowan commanded when I tried to pull away from the water.

He held my arms under the shower spray, and between him and the water, my shirtsleeves were extinguished.

“Addie? Addie, talk to me.” He caught my face between his palms, forcing me to look into his orange eyes.

“C-cold,” I told him, longing to pull away from the freezing spray that had already soaked my hair and shirt.

Rowan reached out and shut off the water, slamming the lever down with far more force than required.

He turned back to me an instant later. “Let me see.”

I frowned at him, struggling to bring my sleep-addled brain into focus. The horror of the dream still clung to me, making it so hard to concentrate.

He took me by the elbows and pulled my arms forward until I held them out in front of me. The shirtsleeves were a blackened waste, burned away to nearly my elbows. Blistered red flesh ran up my forearms, dotted with patches of burnt fabric.

Rowan carefully rotated my arms to expose my inner wrists and palms. Here the damage was worse, the skin black in places.

Rowan whispered a single word. I was pretty sure it started with an F.

I blinked and looked up. “Did you just drop the f-bomb?”

Rowan released me and shoved himself to his feet. A blistered patch of red flesh covered one bicep, and the opposite forearm, but he turned away before I could look closer.

“James,” he muttered and started for the door. His way was suddenly blocked by Donovan's large form. At the same instant, a fire alarm kicked on.

“Turn that thing off,” Rowan demanded. “Where's James?” He took a step into the room.

“Don't.” Donovan's big arm caught him around the waist. “Era can put out the fire.”

“James needs to go to the lab to get some burn salve,” Rowan said. “Would you please turn off that damn alarm?”

I looked down at my hands and arms. With the immediate excitement over, I was becoming increasingly aware of the pain. Oh dear God. My compassion for the patients I treated went up one hundred fold.

Tears leaked from my eyes, and I struggled to keep it together. I didn't want to make Rowan feel worse than he already did, but if that burn salve didn't get here soon, I was going to start screaming again.

“Addie?” Cora knelt beside the tub and placed a hand on top of my head. “You're freezing.”

I nodded my head. I was shivering, yet burning, too.

Cora draped a towel around my shoulders, then grabbed a second one and began to dry my hair.

I broke down, unable to handle her kindness on top of everything else.

To my shock, she climbed in the tub with me, then carefully wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me.

“Shh,” she whispered, her cheek against my wet temple. “James went to get your salve. Just hang on.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “Rowan's burned, too.”

“He heals fast. Even faster from fire.”

A disconnected part of my brain noted that with interest.

“Are you warmer?”

I nodded. “You were right—about Rowan.”

“Did you…get amorous?”

“No. We were both asleep.”

She fell silent.

“Is that another sign?”

Raised voices carried from the other room.

“…doing here?” Rowan was practically shouting.

“I can't carry anything through the portal,” James said.

“Then you should have asked Elysia. Hell, I'd even take Doug.”

Footsteps approached, and Rowan's outburst made sense when Ian stepped through the door. He hurried over and knelt beside the tub, setting a jar of burn salve on the rim.

“Addie?” His cool fingers brushed my cheek. “You're cold.”

“Ice bath.”

“Hmm.” He unscrewed the lid on the salve. “To stop the blanching process?”

“You have a sick sense of humor.”

“It's either laugh or cry, and I have no tears.” He shrugged.

“That explains a few things.”

He scooped up some salve. “This is going to hurt.”

“It already does.”

He nodded, then touched the salve to my right palm. He was so gentle, but just brushing my skin awakened the pain on a whole new level. I squeezed my eyes closed and gritted my teeth.

“Hey, Ad.” James gripped my shoulder. “Been playing with fire?”

“What is it with the dead and their twisted sense of humor?” I sucked in a breath at the next brush of Ian's fingers.

James's grip tightened. “And your sense of humor isn't twisted?”

“Maybe you guys are a bad influence,” I whispered.

“Here, give me a hand,” Ian said to James.

Soon they were both slathering salve onto my arms and hands. The pain gradually subsided, and an itchy tingle took its place.

“The itch is a bit maddening. I wonder if I can do something about it?”

“I suspect those who get this treatment don't care about a little itch.” Ian rested his elbows on the side of the tub and watched the last of my burns fade away. In a matter of minutes, no evidence remained.

“What did you do to your ankle?” Ian asked.

My lower leg was still wrapped in a now soggy bandage.

“Twisted it. See, those damn heels are a menace.”

He smiled and put the lid back on the salve. “I'll leave this here.” He looked up at Cora. “His Grace looked like he could use some, but it loses its efficacy after twenty-four hours.”

“He heals quickly,” she said.

Ian nodded, then rose to his feet. “I'd better go.” He pulled open the portal and left.

“You brought him here?” Cora asked James.

“No.” James's eyes met mine. “When I told him what I needed the salve for, he grabbed a jar and came on his own.”

“He knew where we lived?” Cora demanded.

“How?” I asked, sitting up so Cora could step out of the tub. “I never told him.”

“He probably followed me,” James said. “He and his brother can both move through the land of the dead in a way I don't understand.”

Cora sighed.

“I don't think it's a matter for concern.” I gripped the side of the tub and pulled myself up so I could sit on the rim. “Wow. I'm drained.”

“Healing takes energy,” she said. “And that energy must come from somewhere.”

“I guess.” I swung my legs over the side of the tub and set my feet on the rug. “Give me a hand.” I held out mine to James. “I'm going to test this ankle.”

He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. My ankle ached, but it held me.

“Well?” James asked.

“Sore, but functional.”

A knock at the door, and I looked up.

Era stepped into the room, concern clearly written on her face. “Are you okay?” Her eyes met mine.

“I am now. I can even walk.”

She gave me an uncertain smile.

“Where's Rowan?” I needed to let him know I was okay. “There's more salve.”

“I told him to take a walk,” Donovan said from the doorway. “He needed to cool down, especially after Ian showed up.”

“Sorry about that,” I said.

“I didn't bring him.” James repeated his story for the others.

Donovan frowned, but if the concept angered him, he didn't voice it.

“It's a little early,” Cora said, “but I know I'm not going back to sleep. How about I order a big breakfast this morning. A good meal should get Addie's strength back.”

“And put some meat on those bones,” Donovan said.

I stuck out my tongue and he laughed. I was still down a few pounds after Gavin had rearranged my digestive track.

“Breakfast sounds good,” Era agreed.

Snugging my towel around my shoulders, I followed them from the bathroom.

I tried not to stare at the charred remnants of Rowan's bed. What had happened? I would like to ask the others, but I was afraid of what the answer would be.

 

The shower—a hot one this
time—drove the rest of the fog from my mind, which only served to make me aware of how hungry I was. I decided not to bother drying my hair. I could mess with it later. Right now, I was going to slip down to the kitchen and find something to snack on while I waited for breakfast.

After quickly toweling off, I pulled on my underwear, bra, and jeans, then reached for the black T-shirt I had grabbed from my closet. Fortunately, I had left some clothes in the room the Elements had originally given me. They still called it my room, even though I stayed with Rowan when I spent the night.

I shook out the shirt and noticed the red block letters across the front. Flammable. Rowan had given me the shirt the first night I stayed here. It had been a joke. A reminder of how I tried his patience. It wasn't a joke now.

I wadded the shirt in my hand and headed for my room to select a different top. I stepped through the doorway and stopped.

“You're limping.” Rowan rose from his seat on the side of my bed. He must have returned to his room, because he had pulled on a fitted blue T-shirt and a pair of sweats. Aside from pajamas, it was the most casual I had ever seen him dress.

I hurried to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Addie.” He returned the embrace, holding me tight against him. I could hear the rapid beat of his heart beneath my ear.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“Don't ask me that. You were the one who was burned.”

“So were you. I have more salve.”

“I don't need any.”

Everyone kept saying that, so I decided to let it go. “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”

“No.” He released me and stepped back. “Go ahead, get dressed. I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy.”

“You're not. Like I mind if you see my underwear.”

“It would be best for me right now if I didn't.” He reached out and tugged at the T-shirt in my hand.

I tightened my grip. “I'll get a shirt from the closet.”

“What's wrong with—” The shirt fell open.

“I just grabbed one at random. Let me get another.”

“I got that as a joke. I guess they're right about every joke containing a bit of truth.”

“Rowan.”

He reached out and rubbed his fingers across my stomach. I inhaled, surprised by his touch. He trailed his fingers along the raised scars to either side of my navel. The scars Gavin had left.

“I put you in danger,” he said.

“I put myself in danger, frequently. I believe you've criticized me on that more than once.”

“Then I'm a hypocrite.”

“Don't.”

He took his fingers from my skin, his gaze dropping to his hand. It was shaking. He turned and walked away.

I studied his back, longing to go to him, but not sure that I should.

“I've deluded myself.” His soft words just reached me. “I can't do this. I must remain cold.”

“No.”

“Don't make this harder than it already is. I'm going to hurt you. I'm going to kill my family all over again.”

“No.” I stepped up behind him and laid a hand on his back. “I need you to—”

“To what?” He faced me. “Try harder? I've tried everything: new meditation techniques, more intense workout sessions. I've even considered hypnosis. But—”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “I need you to give me a chance. I had an epiphany last night.” It was little more than a vague idea—and a dark one at that—but for Rowan, I would do anything.

“Alchemy.”

“Of course.”

He frowned. “This can't be fixed.”

“Nothing is impossible.” I gripped his forearm. “Please don't give up on us.”

“This is one of those cases where I can say,
it's not you, it's me
—and mean every word.”

“Fine, then give
me
a chance.”

He closed his eyes for one long moment, then those cool gray depths met mine. “I can't. Just having the hope that there is a way…” He stopped and shook his head. “I'm Fire,” he whispered. “It's all or nothing.”

I gripped the offending shirt tighter in my fist. “Please—”

“I'm sorry, Addie.” He turned and left the room.

 

I stepped into my lab
an hour later. James hopped out of the portal after me, and remaining the hellhound, crossed the room and headed for the stairs.

I closed my eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of home. The lab. Here I would find the answers. Here I would put everything right.

“Addie?” Ian's voice interrupted my meditation.

I opened my eyes and watched him walk over to me. He must have been working, because he had doffed his coat, wearing only his waistcoat over a fine white shirt he had rolled up to the elbows.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

I glanced toward the door to his room and the stairs.

“Doug and Elysia are upstairs,” Ian said. “She called him up for breakfast ten minutes ago.”

I nodded. Good. We were alone.

He reached up, his cool thumb brushing my cheekbone, below my left eye. That's when I felt the tears on my cheeks.

“He left me,” I whispered. “Rowan. He ended our relationship.”

“Do you want me to go beat him up for you?”

I smiled, then bowed my head at the threat of more tears. I was trying to find some equilibrium so I could explain what I wanted to do. What I wanted him to help me do. Then he threw everything off kilter when he hugged me.