Page 59 of Fatality on the Field

My prince’s eyes sharpen as he looks at me seriously. “If there’s anything we can do to keep this from happening again, you know we will all assist you, maschula. However, you’re not going to win if politics and money are involved. You know that from experience.”

I nod, sighing as I walk closer to him and Lucas. “Channing’s fine. Zuszanna’s a rock. Kaspar’s with the students, and Iggy is working with our superstar saviors. The biggest problem is going to be convincing the Board not to bring in some outside spin artists to keep their lies straight, especially with Bowl week coming up. Having a competing company will make our… research and handling of the past events very difficult. Plus, they seem to care more about the game’s reputation than the lives of three grad students.”

Lucas snorts. “If there’s one thing I learned from hockey, it’s that nobody cares about blood on the ice as long as you finish the game.”

Channing raises her bandaged hand, her expression sheepish. “He’s right, Morgana. There’s no way the Board or even the Council, much less the Society, is going to admit rogue factions are attacking the college in a string of deaths during the Tantalus Bowl. It’s just too big a deal and too much money changes hands during its ramp-up and actual play time.”

“Just fucking fabulous,” I mutter as I look up to plead with the universe this time. “So we might get a reprieve from things affecting Slade and Lucas, but they’ll also suppress all efforts to find out who did this shit, too. You know, with all the gifts and shit supes have, our government is as stupid as the fucking human ones. I want to scream.”

Li turns to Kimmi, who’s been standing quietly, taking everything in. “Professor Nakamura, perhaps you might want to go see the students now? You can also give the medical team the sample you so bravely obtained to help them develop a cure.”

She nods, fishing a small, rune-etched vial from her bag. “It’s locked down in three layers of containment. I wanted to make certain it didn’t harm anyone but me, but I knew the scientists would need it for an antidote."

“Give it to the docs first, please,” I say firmly. “Then let them look you over and after that, you can visit the kids. You’ve done good work, Dr. Nakamura. Your students owe you more than they know and I will make certain the university and all other governing bodies know what you, Zuszanna, Iggy, and the docs have done to save everyone. It will not be forgotten or ignored, if I have anything to say about it.”

Kimmi inclines her head with a surprised, yet grateful expression. “If you need me, I’ll be doing exactly that, Dean LeCiel. I appreciate your kind words.” She moves down the hall and my men look at me seriously as she goes.

“She was very, very brave,” Liam says. “Her grabbing a sample that she carried without going for testing herself was dangerous and she was only concerned with the greater good of the whole college. They should honor her quite spectacularly, I think.”

“Me, too,” Channing adds. “I agree with the Prince, I mean. I’ll tell Jax that and hopefully he can put some pressure through his ties to make certain that all who helped prevent a contagion are rewarded at every possible level, even if this doesn’t go public.”

The hallway goes quiet for a moment, just the hush of filtered air and the low hum of distant alarms. We all know that this is not the worst thing that will happen, as the huge issue that we’ve been fleshing out with our friends from Bay City and in Hell keeps getting worse. It’s obviously stretching to enclaves like the Hollow, and that means it’s in other places as well. This shit is so big that we’re bound to see more and more escalation locally and eventually, across the realms.

And we only know of two sets of people we can definitely trust at the moment, plus we’re waiting on a demon bargain—this semester is gonna suck.

thirty-six

KASPAR

The staff is slowly trying to restore a semblance of order to this room. Each bed is occupied by a grad student who should’ve died, but didn’t, thanks to an act of magical hubris so absurd it’ll fuel rumors for a century if it gets out. The beds themselves are spaced further apart than normal, but it was a meaningless gesture. If the ley line trick hadn’t worked, there wouldn’t be anything left to quarantine.

In a twist I wouldn’t have expected, the damn fools did it and now I’m baby-sitting while the experts here try to work out if it’s permanent.

Liam is at the bed of the first student, standing perfectly still with his hands in his pockets and his head slightly bowed. Not a dramatic posture, just… attentive. I know that look; it’s the face he wears when he’s trying to read a room before anyone else knows there’s even a script. He leans in, says something I can’t quite catch, and the girl in the bed lets out a wet, hiccuping laugh. She’s too pale for her own good, with a silvery streak up her throat that would terrify any medical worker, but she’s alive.

Smiling, my prince says, “I know the situation with the college and these bills must be worrying you, but you do not need to be concerned. I’ll see to it that you and the others don’t owe a thing and I’m sure Dean LeCiel will handle your classes.” His offer is made with formal Fae cadence—firm, no-nonsense, but also like he’s talking to family, not a stranger.

The girl’s eyes widen, and she breaks—just cracks right down the middle, sobbing so hard she has to cover her face. I’d probably do the same if I’d gotten a second lease on life and then someone told me I was off the hook for a mountain of debt.

Of course, his generous nature is going to draw attention to this mess if we’re not careful, so I’ll have to speak with the accountants privately.

The polar bear was hovering behind my old friend, but when the girl starts crying, he goes full bear in an instant. Dropping his bulk into the space beside her bed, he holds his arms out, but realizes midway in that he shouldn’t touch her. His hands hover, useless, and his face flushes so red it looks like he’s having an allergic reaction as he says, “Hey—no, uh, it’s fine, really, you’re fine, you’re so strong, but, uh—do you want a blanket? Can I get a nurse? Or water? There’s water—” He scans the side table, doesn’t see a cup, and then whips around to glare at me in the doorway. “Kas! Is there water?”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re the gallant one, youngling. Get it yourself if you’re offering.”

I’m not being mean; I just have to keep my eyes on the family, especially Li, and the kids. Fetching water isn’t conducive to doing my job. Lucas shoots me a look of absolute betrayal, then rises to bolt out the door. I’m not sure if he’s going to get water or just needs a second to get his composure back, but it’s amusing as hell. The kid’s heart is the size of a Volkswagen, and it’s a wonder it fits in his chest.

However, now I can’t see him and that’s still a problem—damn it.

Walking to the front of the room, I peek into the corridor. The fluorescent panels hum, and I imagine the frequency is a little off after the magical fallout. If it’s bugging me, it’s probably making the lesser shifters here want to rip the ceiling tiles off. Someone should fix that before it causes an unintentional stress shift. When I see the bear not far from our spot, I sigh and turn back to my prince.

“You’re making a scene, you know,” I say softly as I stroll back over. “We discussed this.”

He just says, “Better a small scene here than a larger news-worthy issue in the papers next week. Plus, if I can keep those three from reliving this every time they look at their bank statements, it’s worth the paperwork and the annoyance of hiding it amongst all the expenses.”

I grunt, which is the closest I get to approval in front of strangers. “She’s gonna be telling everyone she got saved by a Daybreak prince. Your father will have a fit if gets out and then he’ll question how they got healed. It’s a bread crumb, Li, and you know better.”

“I’ll get Thorne to draw something up and they’ll sign it. I guarantee these grad students are working because they need to and their gratitude will supersede their need for fame. If that proves difficult because others get involved, I’ll throw in more incentives. I have more than enough money to do anything I wish to make this right and you know it.” Liam finally glances over, mouth pulled into the smallest of grins. “If covering a hospital tab for three students triggers a diplomatic incident with the king, at least it’s for a cause worth defending rather than something silly.”