Blood of Brekkon (The Complex Book 0) Page 6

  “Amazing. Do you feel ill now?”

  I shook my head. “No. Whatever you had was an easy fix. Here, let me scan you out.”

  She held up her palm and I went over it with the scanner.

  “What about weight loss?” she asked. “Can you help with that?”

  “No. I’m sorry,” I said smiling. “Besides, you seem to be at a healthy weight.”

  “Aren’t you sweet?” she said, returning the smile. “Unfortunately, my husband thinks I need to lose a few pounds. He’s always telling me I’m fat.”

  “Maybe he’s the extra weight you need to lose,” I murmured to myself as she walked toward the doorway.

  Laughing, she turned around, her eyes twinkling. “You might be right.”

  “I’m sorry. I should keep my mouth shut.”

  “It’s okay. It actually makes me feel better. I was thinking of going on a liquid diet for a while so I’d get skinny and he’d stop looking at other women.”

  “You should have him see me.”

  She gave me a puzzled look.

  “I’ll examine his head and see if I can fix it,” I said, smiling.

  She laughed again. “I like you. You’re a Meta, aren’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “My husband said all Metas were horrible. I started believing him. But, he’s obviously wrong. I’m glad we met,” she said, smiling.

  “Some Metas are horrible,” I replied. “But, I’m sure you can say the same thing about your own kind.”

  “Very true,” she said. “Well, it was nice meeting you. What was your name?”

  “Natalya.”

  “Pretty name,” she replied, smiling again.

  “Thank you. Let me walk you out.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  I accompanied her back to the waiting area and found that Javich and Brekkon were nowhere to be found. Swearing to myself, I turned back to the examining rooms and began searching for them.

  Chapter 15

  Brekkon

  “Oh my,” said Oscow, the Healer who was examining Javich’s member.

  “That’s what she said,” Javich joked. Although he was trying to be funny, I knew Javich was deeply embarrassed about the situation.

  The Healer looked up at him from the stool. “When did this happen?”

  “Last night,” he replied. “Do you know what I have contracted?”

  “I’ve seen it before. You’re lucky it hasn’t gotten any worse,” said Oscow.

  “What can be worse than this?” asked Javich.

  “Detachment,” he answered.

  His face turned white. “Can you help me?”

  “Yes,” he replied, getting up. He walked over to the counter, opened up a drawer, and pulled out a knife.

  “Wait a second,” said Javich, pulling his pants back over his penis, “what’s that for?”

  Oscow chuckled. “Relax and hold out your hand. We’re going to use your own blood to heal you.”

  Javich let out a shaky breath. “Already tried. It didn’t work.”

  “You’re sure?” said the old man, looking surprised.

  He nodded.

  Oscow looked at me. “It’s possible that yours may do the trick. Being a silver Dragon, your healing properties are supposed to be stronger.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” I replied, walking over. I held out my hand. “Just don’t tell me to rub any on him. That’s something I refuse to do, even for you, Javich.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t want you touching me either,” he muttered.

  Smiling, the old man cut my hand, drawing blood. Then he told Javich to open up his own.

  “Squeeze the blood onto Javich’s palm and he can massage it over the blisters himself,” said Oscow, apparently very much amused at the situation.

  I did what he asked and then turned around when Javich began rubbing blood on his diseased crotch.

  “It’s working,” said Javich, a smile in his voice. “Check it out.”

  I grunted. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “See, I told you,” said Oscow, sounding pleased. “This is why Dragon’s blood is so expensive, and silver is the rarest. You wouldn’t be inclined as to donate more, Brekkon?”

  I was about to say ‘no’ but then changed my mind. “How much is it worth to you?” I asked, thinking that if I was going to do any gambling, during my stay at the Complex, I could always use more funds.

  “I’m not allowed to exchange money for blood. It would be a donation. One that could help cure a lot of diseases,” he said.

  I was about to tell him to ask the AS for permission to purchase the blood. The government could afford to open up their wallets. Before I could get the words out, someone knocked on the door.

  “Excuse me,” said a woman’s voice that I recognized.

  “Yes, Natalya?” said Oscow.

  The door opened and the moment she stepped inside, our eyes met.

  “You’re not following me, are you?” I joked.

  “No. No, of course not. I work here,” she said quickly. “I was… I was just checking in with Oscow, to see if he needed my assistance with anything.” Natalya looked at the old man and then her eyes rested on Javich, who still had his hand down his pants. Her cheeks turned bright red.

  “Sorry,” said Javich, also looking embarrassed. “I… I know this looks bad, but I have some kind of infection and… I’m just rubbing blood on my—”

  “No excuses needed,” she said quickly, looking back at me with a strained smile. Her eyes moved down to my hand, which still had blood on it, although the wound had healed already. “What happened there?”

  Before I could answer, Oscow did. “We needed his blood to cure Javich of a nasty infection.”

  “It worked?” she replied.

  He nodded and smiled. “Yes.”

  “I heard that Dragon’s blood was very powerful,” she said.

  “Especially silver,” Oscow added. “Good thing Brekkon was around or I’d have had to try healing Javich’s condition myself, and that could have been a little awkward.”

  “You could have done it without cutting my hand?” I asked, a little annoyed.

  “Yes, but to do that I’d have had to take on Javich’s disease,” said Oscow. “Which I’m glad to have been able to avoid.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “He would have had to contract it,” Natalya explained. “That’s how we cure most ailments. We take it on and then our bodies fight it off.”

  “Interesting,” I replied. “Well, I guess I don’t blame you for not wanting what he had. Pretty nasty stuff, if I do say so myself. Anyway, if you’d like to acquire more of my blood, I’m willing to negotiate for a decent price.”

  “As I stated earlier, I can’t,” said Oscow. “But, I’ll let AS know that you’re willing to sell, and maybe they’ll approve it, considering you’re a silver Dragon.”

  I nodded.

  Natalya cleared her throat. “What would be your asking price?”

  Surprised, I turned to her. “Why, are you interested?”

  Before she could answer, Oscow spoke up. “Natalya, it’s against regulations to negotiate money for blood here. Any blood, in fact.”

  Her cheeks turned pink. “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Javich smirked. “Maybe you two can negotiate for something other than money,” he said, winking at me.

  Chapter 16

  Natalya

  Something flashed across Brekkon’s face and his eyes dipped below my neck for a few seconds before returning to Javich. “Very funny.”

  Apparently, what I had to offer wasn’t good enough for the Dragon-shifter anymore…

  Gritting my teeth, I smiled coolly. “I don’t think there’s enough blood in your body to pay for that type of exchange.”

  Javich burst out laughing.

  Brekkon’s lip twitched. “I meant no disrespect. I think you’re very lovely. It’s just that we stick to our own kind.”


  He’d been sticking to me quite well last night, and I was about to mention it when Oscow spoke. “Natalya, I think we’re doing fine here. Please return to your station and wait for patients.”

  Nodding, I turned and walked out. As I made my way down to my assigned room in frustration, I heard Brekkon call out to me.

  “Hey, Natalya. Hold up.”

  Stopping, I turned around watched as he approached me. Irritatingly enough, my stomach became fluttery as he drew closer.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I replied, moving out of the way as an injured Meta limped between us. “Why don’t you follow me to my patient room?”

  “Okay.”

  When we stepped inside, I noticed there was a Human waiting for me. He was holding his injured nose and there was dried blood all over his hands.

  “Oh. Hello,” I said, noticing his angry expression.

  “Hello to you, too,” he snapped. “I was wondering when someone was going to show up. I thought maybe they’d sent me to the wrong room.”

  “I’m sorry. I had to step out for a bit. But, I’m here now and will be happy to help you,” I replied and looked over at Brekkon. “This should only take a second.”

  His eyes were hard as he stared at the Human. Brekkon nodded and leaned his shoulder against the wall.

  “So, what’s wrong?” I asked, examining the stranger’s face. From the black and blue marks around his eyes, it was obvious he’d gotten into quite a fight.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” muttered the man. “My nose is broken.”

  I forced a smile to my face. This guy was a real treat. “How did it happen?”

  “Does it matter? Just fix the damn thing,” he said gruffly.

  “Watch your manners, Human,” said Brekkon standing up straight now. He crossed his arms over his chest, emphasizing the size of his muscles. “Or you’ll end up with more than just a broken nose.”

  The Human stiffened up. “Is he supposed to be here?”

  Not wanting to get into trouble with Oscow, I looked at Brekkon. “I’m sorry but could you please wait outside? This will just take a moment.”

  His face darkened. “Only if he promises to watch his mouth and be more courteous to you.”

  “You leave and I will,” he muttered.

  “You’d better. I’m an ear-shot away and we Dragons have exceptional hearing,” replied Brekkon, opening up the door.

  “You’re a Dragon-shifter?” said the man, his eyes widening.

  He nodded.

  “It’s probably better that he leaves then,” said the patient to me. “I’m sure you have some flammables in here, and with all the hot air coming out of his mouth, it’s probably dangerous for everyone.”

  I bit back a smile.

  Glaring at him, Brekkon walked out of the room.

  The patient looked at me, the relief on his face almost comical. “Thanks for asking him to leave and… I apologize for being a jerk. My nose just hurts like a son-of-a-bitch and I’ve been waiting around all morning to see someone. The name is Andy, by the way.”

  “It’s okay, Andy,” I replied, relaxing now that he was apologizing. “Hopefully I can remedy this quickly and you find relief. Now, please, remove your hand so I can see the damage.”

  He did what I asked and as I began examining his nose, I felt Andy’s hand curve around my butt.

  I knocked it away and stood back. “Keep your hands to yourself,” I said, glaring at him.

  “Sorry. My hand slipped,” Andy replied, with a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t even paying attention. Seriously.”

  There was a look in his eyes that told me otherwise, but I decided to let it go. I needed to quickly heal him so I could talk to Brekkon. If he was willing to accept money for his blood, then I would definitely negotiate.

  “Really, I apologize,” said the guy, raising his hands in the air. “It won’t happen again.”

  Sighing, I placed my hand on his nose and closed my eyes, concentrating on repairing the damage. When I knew it was healed, I opened my eyes and took a step back. “How does that feel?”

  Andy touched his nose and smiled. “Like new. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Oh, hold on. I almost forgot to scan you in,” I said, walking over to the counter. I grabbed the scanner and told him to hold out his palm.

  Andy did as I asked, and as I began scanning, he touched my breast with his other hand.

  Gasping, I smacked his hand away. “What’s your problem?”

  Before he could answer, the door burst open and Brekkon charged in, scowling. “What’s going on?”

  Andy stood up quickly. “I accidentally touched her breast when she was scanning my hand, and she flipped out. It was an honest mistake.”

  Brekkon looked at my chest and then at the Human. “A mistake? I don’t believe you. What did I say about behaving yourself?” he snapped, taking a step closer.

  Andy raised his hands. “This is bullshit. She should be apologizing to me.”

  My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

  “You all but shoved your breasts into my face and now I’m being reprimanded for being… a man?” he replied.

  I glared at him. “A man? You mean ‘pig’.”

  Brekkon pointed toward the door. “Get out before I turn your ass into bacon,” he spat.

  Mumbling to himself, Andy headed toward the doorway, but not before Brekkon stuck his hand out and grabbed the guy by the throat.

  “Sorry, this too is an accident,” said the Dragon-shifter. Smiling coldly, he raised Andy up into the air.

  “Brekkon, please stop,” I said, moving toward them. Part of me enjoyed the show, especially the way his feet dangled under him in the air, but the healing side knew it was wrong. “Please, put him down.”

  Brekkon dropped Andy and he fell with a loud thud.

  “I’m telling the Intra what you did,” rasped Andy as he scrambled to his feet. “You’ll get shipped back to wherever you came from.”

  “Go for it,” said Brekkon, shrugging. “Besides, I’m sure there’s a camera in here somewhere and that the AS has already seen what transpired. If anyone is getting shipped off, it would be you for manhandling a Healer.”

  “Plus, he did it twice,” I added.

  Brekkon clenched his fist and scowled. “Twice?” He took a step toward Andy, a murderous look in his eyes. “I say we even the score.”

  Gasping, the Human tore out of the room.

  I smirked. “I’m thinking that guy is going to be a regular here. He’s just asking to get hurt.”

  Brekkon turned to me. “Definitely. Maybe you should put your cloak back on when you’re healing people,” he said, nodding toward it.

  “Why is that?”

  His eyes swept over me. “Your body is obviously a distraction.”

  I grunted. “Apparently, not to everyone,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What did you say?” he asked with a puzzled look.

  “I’m wearing the same thing everyone else is wearing,” I said instead.

  He lowered his eyes again. “Yes but… you wear it better.”

  I arched my eyebrow, surprised at the compliment. “Thank you. I guess.”

  He looked away. “Anyway, you were pretty eager about purchasing blood from me and I thought we could work out some kind of deal. Money-wise, that is.”

  I relaxed and smiled. “Yes. Definitely. How much are you asking?”

  “Ten thousand S-Co an ounce,” he said flatly.

  My jaw dropped. Knowing that I’d need much more than an ounce, I tried bartering with him. “That’s ridiculous. How about one-thousand S-Co an ounce?”

  “It sells for much more than ten-thousand on the Black Market,” he replied, stubbornly.

  “Please,” I said softly. “I need quite a bit and there’s no way I can afford to pay that kind of money.”

  He was silent for a few seconds and then asked me what I wanted it for. Before I could answer, the door opened and
Oscow stepped into the room, looking angry.

  “Brekkon, I’m going to need you to leave. One of the patients complained that you were roughing him up,” said Oscow.

  “He deserved it,” said Brekkon. “He had his hands all over Natalya.”

  Surprised, Oscow looked at me. “Is this true?”

  I nodded. “Brekkon was just trying to send the guy a message.”

  “Apparently, he didn’t get it,” mumbled the Dragon-shifter. He cracked his knuckles. “Maybe I should find him and try again.”

  “Listen, you can do whatever you want, but not in this clinic,” said Oscow, his blue eyes flashing angrily. “I don’t want to have these kinds of problems here, especially on the first day.”

  “Having a Healer who looks like her is going to bring you more of them, I assure you. Especially with the mix living here at the Complex. Perhaps you need to hire her a security guard,” replied Brekkon.

  His flattery made me blush.

  “Good idea. In fact, Brekkon would probably love the opportunity,” said Javich, stepping through the doorway with an amused expression.

  Brekkon gave him a dirty look.

  “We already have Intra to keep our staff safe,” said Oscow.

  “Where was Intra when the Human had his hands all over Natalya?” asked Brekkon.

  Oscow let out a weary sigh. “They can’t be everywhere at once, but I may have to consult with security to see if someone can be with you during examinations, Natalya. At least when there’s a male involved.”

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “I’m telling you, nobody could protect her as well as Brekkon,” said Javich. “And it would sure beat working at the farm, wouldn’t it?”

  Brekkon nodded. “Actually, yeah.”

  Oscow shook his head. “I highly doubt the AS would go for that. Speaking of jobs, you’d probably better check in before they send someone to come looking for the two of you.”

  The two Shifters glanced at each other.

  “He’s right,” said Javich with a sigh. “You’ve already wasted too much time with me this morning anyway.”