had hired anyone else.”
“He hasn’t. This one’s an independent. Dimitri Weed.
He has a clinic on Canal.”
“You’re going outside of the Anchorage for treatment?”
Jonah said, beating down surprise.
Alison nodded. She leaned toward Jonah. “Don’t tell Gabriel. Or Natalie. It’s not that I don’t have confidence in them. It’s just, you know, an add-on.”
“How’d you even find this guy?” Jonah said. “Where’d he come from? Is he a sorcerer or what?”
“He’s a sorcerer,” Alison said. “Some of the other savants have been seeing him. They said he works wonders, so I thought I’d give him a try.”
Jonah’s heart sank. Charlatans tended to prey on savants, offering them the kind of hope that Gabriel couldn’t. “Alison. You know as well as I do that skin therapy is nothing to mess around with. There are lots of quacks out there who are more than willing to take your money. They do more harm than good.” He paused. “What’s he charging you, anyway?”
“It’s pricey,” Alison said evasively. “But what if it works?
How much would you pay for something that works?” Everything, Jonah thought. I’d pay everything for Kenzie. “Here. Want to see?” She slid her dress off her shoulder to display a new tattoo: a lurid, glittering snake that angled down between her shoulder blades. Jonah leaned in to take a closer look.
“What the hell is that?” Natalie snapped, over Jonah’s shoulder, startling them both. “Nothing.” Alison jerked her dress back into place and hunched over the table.
Natalie and Rudy stood tableside, still flushed and sweating from dancing, both holding drinks. Nat had a familiar fire in her eyes. Jonah braced himself for incoming.
“I thought there was something different about you,” Natalie said. “Let me see that.”
“No,” Alison said. “I know what you’ll say.”
“You went to that guy on Canal, didn’t you?” Natalie slammed her drink down so hard the contents slopped onto the table. “After I told you not to.”
“Leave her alone, Nat,” Rudy said. “It’s not your business.”
“It is my business,” Natalie retorted. “She’s my friend!”
Alison scraped back her chair and stood. “If I’m your friend, you want what’s best for me, right?”
“Exactly,” Natalie said, eyeing her suspiciously. “That’s why I—”
“Well, I’ve felt better since I’ve been seeing Dimitri than I have in two years,” Alison said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I think you’re just jealous of his success.”
“That’s not it,” Natalie said, cheeks flushed. “There just aren’t that many good skin therapists out there. And you don’t go to any one who doesn’t know what meds you’re taking. Besides, I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something—I don’t know— wrong about his work. I don’t trust him.”
“Well, I do. And so does Rudy.” Alison threw a challenging glare his way.
“What does that mean?” Natalie asked, looking from Alison to Severino.
“Shut up, Alison,” Rudy said, licking his lips nervously.
“You promised you wouldn’t—”
“When were you going to tell her?” Alison asked. “In the middle of a hookup? She’s not stupid.”
“I think you’d better tell me now.” Natalie’s voice had gone from fire to ice in an instant.
Jonah wanted nothing more than to escape the oppressive stew of emotions swirling around him—rage, guilt, suspicion, fear. But he was hemmed in by his three friends, with no way out.
Even worse, the shouting match in the corner was drawing attention from onlookers.
“Fine,” Rudy said. “I’ve been seeing Dimitri, too.”
Slowly, deliberately, he turned and yanked up his sweater.
There, at the base of his spine, curled a dragon. “I feel great, Nat,” he said, over his shoulder. “I’m sleeping better, and I have more energy during the day.”
Natalie stared at the tattoo, the blood draining from her face. “And I guess next
“He hasn’t. This one’s an independent. Dimitri Weed.
He has a clinic on Canal.”
“You’re going outside of the Anchorage for treatment?”
Jonah said, beating down surprise.
Alison nodded. She leaned toward Jonah. “Don’t tell Gabriel. Or Natalie. It’s not that I don’t have confidence in them. It’s just, you know, an add-on.”
“How’d you even find this guy?” Jonah said. “Where’d he come from? Is he a sorcerer or what?”
“He’s a sorcerer,” Alison said. “Some of the other savants have been seeing him. They said he works wonders, so I thought I’d give him a try.”
Jonah’s heart sank. Charlatans tended to prey on savants, offering them the kind of hope that Gabriel couldn’t. “Alison. You know as well as I do that skin therapy is nothing to mess around with. There are lots of quacks out there who are more than willing to take your money. They do more harm than good.” He paused. “What’s he charging you, anyway?”
“It’s pricey,” Alison said evasively. “But what if it works?
How much would you pay for something that works?” Everything, Jonah thought. I’d pay everything for Kenzie. “Here. Want to see?” She slid her dress off her shoulder to display a new tattoo: a lurid, glittering snake that angled down between her shoulder blades. Jonah leaned in to take a closer look.
“What the hell is that?” Natalie snapped, over Jonah’s shoulder, startling them both. “Nothing.” Alison jerked her dress back into place and hunched over the table.
Natalie and Rudy stood tableside, still flushed and sweating from dancing, both holding drinks. Nat had a familiar fire in her eyes. Jonah braced himself for incoming.
“I thought there was something different about you,” Natalie said. “Let me see that.”
“No,” Alison said. “I know what you’ll say.”
“You went to that guy on Canal, didn’t you?” Natalie slammed her drink down so hard the contents slopped onto the table. “After I told you not to.”
“Leave her alone, Nat,” Rudy said. “It’s not your business.”
“It is my business,” Natalie retorted. “She’s my friend!”
Alison scraped back her chair and stood. “If I’m your friend, you want what’s best for me, right?”
“Exactly,” Natalie said, eyeing her suspiciously. “That’s why I—”
“Well, I’ve felt better since I’ve been seeing Dimitri than I have in two years,” Alison said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I think you’re just jealous of his success.”
“That’s not it,” Natalie said, cheeks flushed. “There just aren’t that many good skin therapists out there. And you don’t go to any one who doesn’t know what meds you’re taking. Besides, I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something—I don’t know— wrong about his work. I don’t trust him.”
“Well, I do. And so does Rudy.” Alison threw a challenging glare his way.
“What does that mean?” Natalie asked, looking from Alison to Severino.
“Shut up, Alison,” Rudy said, licking his lips nervously.
“You promised you wouldn’t—”
“When were you going to tell her?” Alison asked. “In the middle of a hookup? She’s not stupid.”
“I think you’d better tell me now.” Natalie’s voice had gone from fire to ice in an instant.
Jonah wanted nothing more than to escape the oppressive stew of emotions swirling around him—rage, guilt, suspicion, fear. But he was hemmed in by his three friends, with no way out.
Even worse, the shouting match in the corner was drawing attention from onlookers.
“Fine,” Rudy said. “I’ve been seeing Dimitri, too.”
Slowly, deliberately, he turned and yanked up his sweater.
There, at the base of his spine, curled a dragon. “I feel great, Nat,” he said, over his shoulder. “I’m sleeping better, and I have more energy during the day.”
Natalie stared at the tattoo, the blood draining from her face. “And I guess next
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