Free MoonlightTemptation by Stephane Julian

now. And we can’t do anything
about it now anyway. We need to go.”
    Alex. She’d almost forgotten about the little boy who needed
her. The dying little boy who she might actually be able to help.
    * * * * *
    Ryan watched Dane watch Evie as a little boy who looked
deathly ill wheeled his chair into an examination room.
    Ryan hadn’t met Alex Bell yet. Though he’d discussed the
boy’s health issues with Dane, he knew there was a lot more to the situation
than Dane had told him. Such as why the boy was being held in a jail.
    Yes, the building might look like a cottage from the
outside, but Ryan had been around Dane long enough to know the feel of magic.
    And this building was infused with it. Ryan actually swore
he could feel invisible walls surround him when he’d walked into the
observation room.
    Dane had told Ryan to wait here while he and Evie talked
with Alex. He’d be able to see and hear everything.
    Unspoken but clear to Ryan had been Dane’s request that he
observe.
    Ryan had no human medical training but the tenets of
diagnoses were the same.
    And Dane had told Ryan just enough to realize that Dane
thought the boy might have something similar to a disease that ravaged some lucani .
    Similar in ways to Lou Gehrig’s disease, the lucani wasting disease had no cure and no one had ever been able to discover who would
be affected or how it worked.
    Dane had been studying the disease for years. Since before
his father had died of it.
    Which explained a hell of lot about Dane, Ryan had always
thought.
    “Hello again, Alex.”
    “Hey, Dr. Dane. I just saw you this morning.” The boy
smiled, genuinely happy to see Dane. Ryan didn’t know if he was more surprised
by that or by the open affection on Dane’s face for the boy.
    “I know, but I wanted you to meet a friend of mine. Alex,
this is Evie Simmons. Evie, meet Alex Bell.”
    Evie smiled at the boy, but Ryan could see her discomfort in
the stiff lines of her body. “Hello, Alex. It’s nice to meet you.”
    The boy’s smile dimmed just a little as he picked up on
Evie’s nerves. At that moment, he looked even younger than his ten years. “Hi,”
he said tentatively. “Are you sick too? Is Dr. Dane your doctor?”
    Evie shook her head, a short, sharp motion. Maybe Evie
hadn’t been ready for this meeting after all.
    “No, I’m not sick.” With a visible effort, Evie took a deep
breath then sat at the table across from Alex. “I’m sorry to hear you are.”
    The little boy shrugged his thin shoulders. “It’s okay.
Mostly. Dr. Dane’s been trying to help me get better. My mom says if anyone
can, he can do it.”
    Ryan saw surprise cross Dane’s face before he controlled it.
Amazingly, Evie barely flinched at the mention of Grace Bell.
    “Dr. Dane’s very good at what he does.” Evie pointed at
Alex’s chair. “Do you like the Hardy Boys? I used to read them too. I liked
them even better than Nancy Drew.”
    The boy’s face lit up again and Evie’s posture softened
enough to allow her smile to become more natural. “They’re the best. Dane and
Tam bring me all sorts of books. I used to read a lot more with my teacher
but…” Alex’s gaze slid away. “I haven’t seen her for a while.”
    Since Alex and Grace had been confined here at the den.
Christ, what a mess for this poor little boy to be stuck in.
    “Miss Terri taught me math too and science. My mom’s good at
science but she doesn’t teach me much about that now. She said I need a new
book anyway so…”
    “You don’t have a teacher here?” Evie asked as she shot a
look at Dane.
    The boy shook his head, dropping his gaze so he couldn’t see
Dane. As if he was afraid Dane would be angry with him. “No, but that’s okay.
Mom’s good at math and English too.”
    “You know.” Evie laid her arms on the table, her smile
softening even more. “I went to school to be a teacher. I never finished but I
plan to go back some time and get my degree. Do you think you’d be