Free Way of the Wolf: Shifter Legacies 1 by Mark E. Cooper

He loved his work.
    He felt sick. What would he do if they made him give up practicing medicine? “I’ll worry about it when the time comes,” he said firmly. It was all he could say.
    “I have one bit of good news for you. I’ve made my transfer official, did you know?”
    “That’s great! Alex could really use the help.”
    “He was pleased,” she grinned at his snort. “Okay, closer to ecstatic.”
    “He’s good, Jan, really good. He knows stuff that no one knows. I’ve learnt a lot from him. Ask him to tell you about elven ceremonies.”
    “Their ceremonies?” she said with wide eyes. “You’re kidding right?”
    “Nope! He can talk for hours on the subject. Not that you’ll ever encounter any of the Sidhe here in LA, but theirs is an interesting point of view. Their magic is innate; it permeates everything they do. According to Alex, they think our use of magic in medicine is crude and wasteful.”
    “No surprise there.”
    “True. They might be arrogant, but they do know what they’re doing,” he frowned as an idea occurred to him.
    “What is it?”
    “I was just wondering what they know about shifters. Maybe they can help me.”
    Jan look dubious. “I don’t want you getting your hopes up. If they knew anything, don’t you think we would know it by now?”
    “They keep so many secrets, who knows what they know?”
    “Maybe, but you say Alex has an in with them. He would have heard something.”
    “Maybe,” he said in a distracted voice. He was wondering how he could meet one of the Sidhe and ask him. They just weren’t seen in human areas. They hated cities. “Maybe. Anyway, that’s for later.”
    “And what’s for now if I might ask?”
    “Home I think. We both know I’m just marking time here. Alex can’t do anything more than he already has done.”
    Jan nodded reluctantly and stood to leave. “I’ll get Alex.”
    “Thanks, and Jan?”
    “What?” she said holding the door open.
    “Thanks for being here.”
    She nodded once then left.
    Alex stopped by not long after Jan left. He took note of the missing I.V and nodded his approval. Fluoperazine-triphosphate was a powerful tranquiliser, but shifters had heightened metabolisms. Drugs of any kind given to shifters lost potency very quickly. The I.V would have been pointless in a few more days.
    “Is there anything I can do?” Alex said.
    “My car is still in the shop. I’ll need to call a cab.”
    “I’ll drive you.”
    “You have work, Alex. I’ll be fine with a cab.”
    “If you’re sure?”
    “I’ll be fine.”
    Alex shifted uncomfortably, looking away for a moment. “Jan said something about your plans. The Sidhe?”
    “I was just thinking out loud, but they might know something that can help.”
    “They know many things, but I don’t want you getting your hopes up. I know something about this, David. Going to them won’t do you any good, and it might do a great deal of harm. They trust me… well, they trust me as much as they trust any human. I’ll look into this for you. Do you trust me?”
    “I trust you.”
    “Then I want your word that you’ll not try to contact them until you have spoken with me. I can’t emphasise this enough. The Sidhe aren’t all the same, no matter what you hear or read about them in the news. People call them the fair folk sometimes and think they’re beautiful, and physically they are, but don’t be fooled by that. The Seelie, and the Unseelie for that matter, do nothing without a price. You have to be very sure they’re asking for what you think they’re asking for. It’s no coincidence that the dwarves call them tricksy folk. They have always had that kind of reputation. Until quite recently, leading hapless human travellers off the path and into trouble was a common entertainment among them, and that kind of mischief is nothing compared with their other forms of entertainment. They may seem civilised, but they have their own standards of conduct that have no