The Isis Collar

could carry him up two flights of stairs. His voice was dry and firm. “I’ll manage.”

My eyes rolled automatically.

Men.

21

It took nearly half an hour to reach the third floor. Thankfully, the cat had realized now wasn’t a time to be affectionate and weave between our legs. She’d taken one look at us and gone back to her favorite perch on the windowsill. I was just glad we hadn’t tumbled down the stairs. The treads are narrow and it wasn’t easy to keep our balance while he hobbled and hopped.

We paused by my office door for John to catch his breath. That’s when I found a note taped on the paneled wood.

Tenant Meeting on Tuesday at 10:00. Be there.

Ron

I yanked it off the door and crumpled it in one hand before throwing it on the floor. Yeah, I’d be at the tenants’ meeting all right. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Ron’s snotty face when he found out I was the new building owner. Maybe I’d kick his ass to the curb.

John was pale and sweating from the stress of the climb up the stairs, but he wasn’t making a sound. I had to give him credit. “Okay, it’s only a few more feet to your office.” John’s office was right next to mine. He’d rented it a few months before during the blowup with Miller. I wasn’t quite sure why he’d kept the lease after Miller’s death. “Hang in there for just a few more seconds and you can lie down.”

“There’s nowhere to lay down in there. All I have is a desk and a safe.”

Okay. Change of plans. I pulled out my keys and opened the door to my own office. In a few minutes, I had John settled on my couch. When I put one of the pillows under his head, he grunted. “It’s comfortable.”

I had to let out a small chuckle. “Glad it suits you. I bought it after the last time I wound up sleeping on the office floor. It’s good to sleep on after long nights. Hang on while I get the med kit out of the safe.” He turned his head so he could watch me open it. He’s mentioned more than once he finds the whole process fascinating. He should. The safe is top-of-the-line and takes a good part of my income to maintain. The day we’d first met, John had planned to stay outside the building and watch the perimeter while guarding his movie star client, but the sheer power of the safe’s magical wards had intrigued him enough to come inside and check it out. He could still feel the energy from the look in his eyes. I shifted position so he wouldn’t see me enter the combination, looking at him over my shoulder.

At my move, a glimmer of humor returned to his face, which was nice to see. “Always the professional. I wouldn’t expect any less. Besides, I don’t mind the view.” He looked me up and down once, slow. “Nice outfit.”

He was being sarcastic, of course. I looked down. The splatters of zombie goo were now accented by splotches of John’s blood. Oh shit, zombie goo, in open wounds. What the hell had I been thinking?

“John, you’re going to have to go to the hospital. I’m sorry. Really. I didn’t think. But I fought a zombie—a guy who’d been infected with M. necrose.…

To my surprise, he only shrugged, then winced. “I’ve been vaccinated.”

I looked at him with disbelief. “Don’t bullshit me, John. Nobody gets vaccinated for a weird disease like that.”

He chuckled. “You do when you’re guarding a group of doctors from Physicians Medecins Sans Frontieres in Papua, New Guinea. Especially when M. necrose is what they’re going there to treat.” Maybe my disbelief continued to show, because he shrugged. “It’s on the list of immunizations in my passport in the safe in my office. When I can walk I’ll show you.”

My knees went weak with relief, and I had to steady myself for a second. The thought that I could’ve infected him …

“I’m glad it matters so much to you, but could you get a move on? The leg really hurts.”

No doubt. I pulled myself together and hurried over to the safe that takes up most of the wall behind my desk. The charms, like most of the really valuable stuff I keep on site, were locked inside.

My safe is both magically and scientifically biometric. After I entered a code onto the keypad, a palm plate popped out to test my DNA and fingerprints. The display reminded me that I was nearly at my “due date.” When I was turned, the safe didn’t recognize me anymore. My software guru suggested I use the pregnancy override to account for my changed body. It worked, but when the nine months were up, the safe might not open. I was going to have to remember to clean it out completely before my “due date.” It’s a big safe, so that will be a pain in the butt.

Once the lights all turned green the locks disengaged with heavy thunks and the door cracked open. It’s easier to open now that I’ve got the extra strength, but I’m still glad the door is well balanced. The med kit held all the new stuff I’d bought at Levy’s. I hadn’t planned to use the charms quite this fast. “Okay, let’s see what we have here.” I dumped everything on the coffee table. The one I wanted landed on top. “Here we go. Leg Set.” I read from the back: “‘For relief of simple breaks of toes and legs. Not for use on ankle or knee joints or when bones protrude from skin. Severe breaks should be treated by a physician or licensed healer.” I looked at his left leg. “I don’t think you could have walked at all if the bone was protruding. You probably would have passed out. But we should probably check. Upper or lower?”

He raised his leg slightly and turned his foot toward me. “Lower. Feels like it’s just above my ankle.”

At least he was wearing sneakers, so I didn’t have to worry about getting a boot off. I carefully pulled up his pant leg and took a look at the leg. He had really nice calves. He must swim or run. The whole front of the leg was definitely swollen and red, but there was no lump that might indicate that the bone was separated. “You’ll need to get an X-ray even with the charm to make sure there aren’t any chips in there.”

He raised his brows. “Of course. But let’s get it to where I can walk on it.”

I opened the package and wrapped the hook and eye fastener around the area and then squeezed the plastic vial inside the covering until I heard it crack. A glow enveloped John’s leg and he sucked in a sharp breath. “You didn’t mention the stinging.”

A quick glance at the warnings revealed the answer. “Ah. ‘May cause swelling, itching, or burning sensation for first thirty minutes. Reaction is generally mild to moderate. Leg should not bear weight for thirty minutes and patient should not run or attempt strenuous activity for twenty-four hours. If pain continues for more than sixty minutes, a spiral fracture may be indicated and professional treatment should be sought.’ So, I guess we’ll see, huh?”

He nodded. “Actually, it’s starting to fade already. Or at least it’s not as bad as when you first put it on.”

“Your lip’s bleeding again. Try not to drip on the rug.” He shot me a sarcastic glance and opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. “How about we just fix it?”

He shook his head. “Eye first. It’s swelling enough it’s getting hard to see.”

That was easy, but, “Well, that should take your mind off the leg.” I smiled, but he didn’t. Oh, well. It was the truth, because I was going to have to sit down on the couch next to him and hold the cut together while I poured on the skin-mend powder. Nothing like squeezing an open wound for sheer, raw pain.

Worse, it was a long cut and tricky to hold. I finally wound up positioning John’s fingers on one half. He blistered the air with swearing as I poured, but he didn’t move. Soon enough he had a thin, angry red line over his eyebrow instead of the once-nasty cut.

“Okay, then. So—” Next was his mouth. “Any loose teeth?”

He nodded. “I probably took one or two kicks. One molar and an upper canine are loose. But at least they’re all there.”

It was time to bring it up, while I pulled another package from the stack on the table. “So, what happened? Who messed you up?” He was silent for a long moment while I read the instructions for the charm. I decided to break the silence. “Oh, this is the ‘new and improved’ version. I need water. Hang on while I get a cup.” I paused before I left the room. “You can decide what you want to say, but I think I’ve earned an answer.”

He let out a harsh breath as I walked to the bathroom down the hall for a paper cup and some water.

John was in a sitting position on the couch when I returned. That was probably better for swallowing. The