“This is the new Titania, Miss Catherine Baker, and her cousin Portia,” Faust explained, nudging me forward into the room.

“Pleased to meet you. Call me Dottie, everyone does. Are you a healer, Miss Baker?”

“I have some skill at it, I’m a witch. Or was a witch,” I corrected. I’m certain I didn’t sound as sure of myself as she would’ve liked, but she seemed encouraged.

“Come with me.” Waving at me to follow her, she led us through a dining room and then down a flight of stairs into the basement. The smell of fur intensified with each step, and my eyes watered. “We only have one at the moment, which normally is a blessing, but this poor boy’s in such awful condition. Well, we’re very grateful for the aid that Mr. Harrison’s given us, and it’s been so helpful in buying medical supplies and the like, but we still can’t find a good healer. There are so few among us, and not many more among his people.”

I nodded in understanding. Not a lot of witches in the necromancer posse, I knew that much was true. Probably not many among the shapeshifters either, considering that once a person is infected with wild magic they tend to lose the ability to control their original magic.

The basement was set up as a sort of medical facility. Empty cots were arranged in rows, like a makeshift barracks. The sharp tang of antiseptic nosed its way through the shapeshifter musk, and it made me sweat. Nervous, I wiped my palms on my slacks as Dottie pushed aside a white sheet that hung from the ceiling and cordoned off a small corner of the room.

A figure lay limp and lifeless on a cot, an I.V. dripping an unknown liquid into his arm. From the body’s broad shoulders and muscular build I guessed it was male, but the face was unrecognizable. Like the shifter I’d judged in the second test, this one was trapped somewhere between canine and human, but it hadn’t gone as far. The nose and upper jaw jutted out from his face, forming the beginnings of a snout, and light gray patches of fur were scattered across his skin. The shifter’s arms lay limply atop the blanket covering him, and his hands were curled into long, wicked claws. An array of bruises covered his skin-black, blue, purple and green-as well as a multitude of cuts and puncture wounds.

“Lord and Lady,” I swore softly. “What happened?”

“The ’yotes raided a facility in Gary. This was the only one they found still alive,” she explained.

“What kind of facility?”

“Government research. Something federal, small but well-funded.”

“They’ve been experimenting on any shapeshifter they can get their hands on,” Harrison commented from behind me.

“Why?”

“Various reasons. We think they’re trying to find a biological source for magic, one they can use for military means. I’m sure you can imagine how they treat an uncooperative test subject.”

“He’s sedated,” Dottie informed me. “Poor thing’s in so much pain. He won’t be able to heal this until he can think clearly, and he won’t be able to think clearly until we can heal some of this damage. Can you help him?”

I glanced at him, uncertain. It was a tall order, but I could probably manage pain relief. Might be enough to let him heal. Of course I didn’t have any of my tools with me, so I turned to Portia. “I need silver and moonstone.”

“Okay. Hold out your hand.” The faerie held her hand above mine, and a large moonstone the size of an egg attached to a braided silver chain appeared in my palm.

I wrapped the chain around my hand, holding the moonstone tight in my fist, and approached the shapeshifter’s bed. Kneeling on the cold concrete floor next to the cot, I held my right hand over the shifter’s chest. After a moment or two I decided on the words, and then I took a deep breath and centered myself. No pressure.

“Soothe the wild, the pain will end,

Calm and mild, your wounds I mend.”

Over and over I murmured the words in a low, rhythmic chant. The magic spread in a fitful, uneven wave as I moved my hand above the injuries, fighting against the wild magic-it’s called “wild” magic for a reason, it’s unpredictable and hard to control. Like an untamed animal it fought my influence, but with persistent patience I waited it out. I wasn’t sure how long I struggled, but it felt like hours. From time to time I heard the whisper of voices behind me, but they wisely didn’t interrupt me. The cuts and bruises faded, and then, surprisingly, the canine features began to recede. I hadn’t expected to fix those, but I wasn’t going to argue. If my magic was able to go the extra mile, then go me.

My legs were numb by the time I sat back on my heels, finished with my task. In fact I was almost entirely numb, physically and magically, and I wobbled as I got to my feet. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder, steadying me, and was glad to see that it was Portia and not Harrison by my side. “You did good, Kitty,” she assured me.

“Thanks.” With a weak smile, I handed the pendant back to her.

“Oh! Amazing! It’s like a miracle,” Dottie exclaimed. “Thank you.” Pushing past me, she leaned over the shapeshifter and examined him. “Truly remarkable. It would’ve taken days to accomplish this without you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, though it seemed like a lame reply.

“We’ll let him sleep for now, I’d like the ’yotes to be here when he wakes up.”

“Coyotes?” I asked, and she nodded. Most of the shifters who came into the café were coyotes. I took a good look at him. Now that he appeared human the shifter was barely more than a kid, obviously a teenager. Built like a linebacker, but he had a baby face that hinted that he probably couldn’t even grow a beard yet. And someone’d tortured him ’til he was a walking bruise.

“C’mon, I’ll take you home,” Harrison offered. Portia and I perked up at the offer, and then he clarified his statement. “The tower.”

The faeries were quiet on the ride back. I sat with Portia, Faust sat with Harrison, and the silence was heavy and strained. When we neared the ward around the tower, Portia gave me a hug and promised to see me at the ceremony. The two faeries vanished at the same time, leaving me alone with the vampire. Though I half expected him to drag me back into his lap and try to molest me, Harrison behaved himself. In fact, he didn’t even say anything for the rest of the ride, and I nearly fell asleep. Once we were back inside of the tower I thought I’d be escorted back to my room, but instead the elevator opened to his floor.

“After you,” he said.

“Why here? I thought I was going back to my room?”

“Not while you look like you’re going to faint. I want to keep an eye on you until you’ve regained more of your strength.”

“Was tougher than I thought it’d be. The kid’s magic wasn’t playing nice with mine.”

“You did very well today, I was impressed.”

“Thanks. I feel like hell though,” I said, and then yawned. Following him into the TV room, I slipped off my shoes and flopped down into a chair.

“Understandably so. It had to be a very draining experience. Shapeshifters can endure a great deal of damage, which is probably how the boy survived. Most magicians would’ve died long before the coyotes discovered the facility… I’ve never met a witch willing to heal a shapeshifter. They seem to consider it beneath them.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a bad witch. Maureen would’ve done it, though.” Frowning, I looked up at him. Did he have anything to do with Maureen’s death? Did I really want to know the answer to that question?

“What would you like for dinner?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Pizza.”

Chuckling, he shook his head and withdrew his cell phone from within his jacket. I listened as Harrison called whoever it is he calls to feed me. The kitchen? A caterer? His secretary? His villainous sidekick? No idea. When he finished, he took a seat on the couch and turned on the television. After some debate we settled on a movie, but I barely paid attention to it. He kept me talking, making whatever conversation he could, as though I had a concussion and he was attempting to keep me awake. It was a good idea, because my thoughts kept wandering off and my eyelids felt very heavy. When the food arrived he encouraged me to eat more in a way that would’ve made an Italian mother proud. I felt better after I’d gotten some food in me, and I curled up on the couch to watch the remainder of the movie. The vampire sat next to me, his arm around me, and I didn’t argue-it felt bizarrely comforting.