Dark Fire 1.1, second addition to the Dark Fire series, is going up! All chapters will be available on Patreon for only a Dollar and will be updating weekly on Kindle Vella!

Check out chapter one below!

Chapter 1

“Here’s your mail!”

“Thank you, Miss Ambers.”

A giggle erupted amid the chatter of the office. “Doc, I keep saying you can call me Lakky.”

“If I were to refer to you by any other name it would simply be your fist name, Miss Laquisha.”

More giggles and snickers sounded into the room. “Give it a rest, Lakky, he doesn’t do nicknames unless he’s known you for ten plus years.”

“Never a time like the present to start a new habit!”

Dr. Daniel Amos ignored the pleasant banter, his blacked-out eyes still glued to the computer screen.

“Do you need anything else, Doc?”

His newest nurse, Laquisha Ambers, was a spirited one. Always happy to be in for the day and just as cheerful leaving. She fit in well with his team. “No, thank you.” She also seemed unafraid of his appearance and abilities. Which was always a positive.

“Alrighty! Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will, thank you,” he answered distractedly, more concerned with the response from an orthopedic surgeon he was looking over. It wasn’t often that he had to request information from a specialist, but when he did, he expected no less than basic professionalism during interactions. And this one was being less than basic. Already knowing that looking was futile, he went ahead and hovered his cursor over the email screen, clicking in and around to determine if there was another attachment he’d missed or a follow up message he hadn’t noticed.

Neither.

He let out a small huff and typed up a concise reply, once again asking for the records of the patient’s procedures. “Miss Yu.”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Please send follow-up requests for Mrs. Weston’s records to Dr. Sander’s office every hour on the hour until he responds.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He took note of the subtle amusement in his PA’s voice as he directed his attention to the mail Miss Ambers brought in. Only to find Miss Ambers was still standing at his desk, looking at her clip board. “Do you need something, Miss Laquisha?” He leveled his gaze directly to her face.

“Hmm? No, no, just checking my docket!” she answered sweetly, turning to start for the ledger desk at the center of the room.

He watched her go, eyes aimed at her but unseeing as his senses detected the minor deception: The sudden dilation and restriction of her pupils, slightly elevated heart rate, expansion of capillaries along her cheeks and neck. He was hardly so strict as to be aggravated by a moment of idleness. Though, despite her eagerness she was still new to his office while also being one of the youngest on staff.

He put the exchange out of his mind and focused on the mail pile. With nothing of great concern and not much to sort through, he had everything filed away within minutes. He was back on the floor at the ledger desk, sorting through the patient profiles to double-check a few medication dosages when his phone buzzed. The notification window read Coal. A split second of hesitation went nearly unnoticed even to his own perception before he flipped it open to read the text.

Relieved to see that it was nothing health related, he rather wished perhaps it had been. Medical situations were simple. Interpersonal relations were not. Though, being fond of this family in particular didn’t help matters.

[Coal, Paulette: We’re getting together tonight. Nothing special, just family dinner. Let me know if you can make it!]

It was both endearing and annoying that Paulette assumed he would jump at the opportunity. Perhaps more so annoying that she was correct in deducing he enjoyed their company more and more as the years went by. Which he thought about occasionally and reasoned that was hardly surprising. They were some of the kindest people as a whole that he’d ever had the pleasure to work with. Such would naturally draw anyone to their circle.

His musings wouldn’t answer her question, though.

Daniel glanced to the ledger in his hand as he did a mental calculation of what other items he had to attend to.

“Everything alright?”

He closed his phone with a loud snap, owning a “flip” phone for precisely this reason. “Yes, Miss Ambers. Did you check the Levalbuterol stock, yet?”

“Yessir! We’re at half-shelf.”

“Good. Patient Zimmer needs his dose upped fifteen percent and patient Ahmed needs a five present increase, please, thank you,” he said swiftly, sliding the ledger back into its slot.

Turning without another word he headed to the door at the back of the offices that lead to the maintenance hall. Making his way to the elevator, he pressed the call button and only had to wait a few seconds before the door opened. He was quick to enter and pulled out his keys as the doors closed. Inserting his elevator key into the slot next to the fourth-floor button, he twisted clockwise, unlocking the button’s function so he could use it.

Living on the top floor of the building was good for proximity but not for privacy. It only took a month after he moved in for him to accept the necessity of locks at every possible entry-point onto his floor. And even while already on his floor as an extra measure. Turning the lock back counterclockwise he stepped off the elevator and fiddled with his keyring as he continued down the maintenance hall. Once inside his door, locking it behind him, he started for his private office, passing the doors along the left side of the divider wall cutting the middle of the whole floor. While work related supplies and necessities were ordinarily stored on the third floor for employee access, he brought older and rarely used equipment and items up to his floor to provide extra space. Though, his own private library at the far end was for his eyes only. It was rare for a medical professional to keep hard copies of textbooks and medical journals and his collection was one of the few personal possessions he was overly protective of.

A small sigh left his nose as he walked through his office door, taking his starched lab coat off. Draping it over his chair he sat and rolled to his computer, unlocking it to continue what he’d been doing downstairs. He wasn’t anti-social as a habit, not with his staff anyway, but occasionally he needed space in which to better focus.

He found he needed space a bit more often lately.

Daniel heaved a proper sigh and leaned back in his chair, digging his phone back out of his pocket. Staring at the message a little too long he finally typed his reply.

[What time?]

Paulette replied within seconds, which didn’t surprise him.  

[Coal, Paulette: Six!]

He glanced to the time on the computer screen. At just over two hours away, and with what little he had left to do for the day, he could feasibly attend. After several minutes sitting stationary in the chair thinking about it, which was to say he was mentally vapor-locked, he responded.

[I can make it.]

[Coal, Paulette: Perfect! Let me know when you’re ready!]

A small shake of his head at the instant reply, Daniel closed the phone and sat up to get back to his work.

Which didn’t last him too long. After fifteen minutes he was done with the accounting and was sifting through emails he’d already read or replied to. Landing on the one from Dr. Sanders he reread the thinly veiled insult. “…expect someone of your unique talents to need little in the way of paperwork…”

He huffed through his nose and closed his emails.

A text conversation with Miss Yu confirmed his staff had the floor covered for the remainder of the day. Meandering from his office to his living areas provided nothing else to do as he hadn’t left any tasks unattended that morning before heading down into the clinic. With literally nothing else to occupy him and not quite willing to settle down into some other fabricated task for the sake of passing time, he went ahead and collected his coat and texted Paulette he was ready when she was. He didn’t need to ask what she meant or where to meet, as he was long used to the hidden meanings in her words. And they had performed this maneuver often enough he hardly blinked at the prospect. Stepping out of his office and turning to lock the door, mind occupied with making sure he had anything he needed for a short trip away, he also didn’t need to look down the way to the maintenance door where she already stood waiting.

She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet when he made it down the short hall to her. “So, happy you could make it!”

He looked up to her and nodded lightly. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Anytime! You know that,” she said with a grin, offering her hand.

He took it and hardly bat an eye when the staticky sensation of her teleporting engulfed him. The first few times traveling with her this way had been disorienting, but after more than two decades it was no more shocking than stepping well prepared out of a warm house into a cold day. He inhaled deeply, as was the natural reaction when pulled so instantly from one location to another. The cool mountain air carrying with it all the musty, woody scents of the forest assaulted his senses.

It was nice.

It was also nice that Paulette was kind enough to use her ability so freely for his benefit.

Driving to Anastasia’s home was fifty minutes for him on an exceptionally good day. Forty-five if he drove in the dead of night with no patrols about. Forty-three a week ago when she called him after midnight to tend to a professional hero in critical condition. But Anastasia was the closest to the city of all the family. Paulette was hours into the wilderness.

“Thank you again for-“

“Oh shush – let’s get inside!”

The corner of Daniel’s lips quirked minutely as he gave a slight shake of his head, following diligently as Polly lead him off the deck into the house.

***