Blue

2

"Astra."

One word. Declared like gospel. That was it. That was all the silver-haired woman said, as if it explained everything: the sudden drop in temperature and the fact that Melissa was now staring down two women who looked like they'd stepped straight out of an overfunded fantasy epic… assuming, of course, one overlooked the anachronistic choice of clothing.

Melissa glanced at Eydis.

She was smiling. Pleased. Like Astra had just rewritten the laws of nature for her personal amusement.

Melissa shivered. Internally. Mostly. These two…

Eydis stepped closer. "Astra's simply introducing herself, Doctor. She's my…"

The sentence trailed off, unfinished. Eydis turned slightly toward Astra. Something passed between them. Eydis's lashes fluttered. Astra's shoulders tensed.

Melissa squinted. Not nothing.

"Roommate," Astra finished. "From St. Kevin's."

"Right. Well. Enjoy your reunion." Melissa turned slightly. "I'll just—"

"We'd rather you came with us," Eydis interrupted smoothly.

"And why exactly would I do that?" Melissa asked.

Eydis smirked. "Because, Doctor, we're terribly persuasive."

Melissa crossed her arms. "So what, you expect me to tag along with no explanation? If you're trying to recruit me for something shady, at least put in the effort. Some robes, sunglasses, maybe a villainous monologue. Not just 'Astra.'"

Eydis exhaled in something close to delight. "Oh, Doctor, you're making this very hard to resist."

Astra shot Eydis a look. "Resist it."

Eydis shrugged. "If we were recruiting you, you'd be wearing something much more dramatic by now."

Then, she tilted her head. "And you'd love it."

Astra's lips twitched, maybe, Melissa thought.

Or maybe it was an optical illusion.

Melissa wanted to squint again.

"Just a simple request, Doctor," Astra said. "A friend of ours is in danger."

Eydis finished effortlessly. "And you happen to be the most qualified person we can think of."

Melissa scoffed. "Drop the 'happen to be,' and I might've mistaken that for flattery."

Astra arched an eyebrow, expectant.

Melissa sighed, checking an invisible planner. "Would you believe I'm fully booked until spring?"

"You don't have time for jokes." Astra's voice dropped. "Neither do we."

"Who said I was jok—"

Melissa stopped as she sensed the shift. The air throbbed with something so thick with power that made the hair on her arms stand on end. She met Astra's gaze and felt it, the scorching heat beneath all that ice. It was a threat, and her own magic reacted instinctively, her fingers twitching as moisture condensed at the tips.

Drip.

Astra's eyes flickered perceptibly to Melissa's fingers.

Before it could escalate, Eydis's fingers brushed Astra's shoulder with a touch so soft it could have been unintentional.

Astra froze. And then, just like that, the tension melted from her frame.

"Astra." Eydis said softly. A name spoken like it meant something. She traced an idle pattern against Astra's leather jacket, fingertips skimming the curve of her neck.

The touch wasn't obvious nor overt, but it was too intimate in a way that made Melissa blink twice.

Just who the hell are they?

The only thing more unreadable than Eydis and Astra was Eydis around Astra.

"Astra meant no threat, Doctor."

Melissa cleared her throat. "Sure. And I suppose you also 'come in peace'?"

Eydis sighed. "I find peace to be such a fleeting concept."

"Of course you do," the doctor muttered.

"That aside, you might want to head home before the—" Eydis glanced at Astra.

Astra picked up without missing a beat. "Before the police arrive and ask for your statement."

Melissa shot them both a look. She hated how effortlessly they did that. They spoke in sync, moved in sync. Too smooth. Too confident. Like a synchronised crime duo who had personally selected her as their favourite victim.

They made Dubai Lightning Bro look like a mild technical glitch. Melissa knew Eydis wasn't Gifted, but that didn't mean she was innocent. There was something about the way Eydis carried herself, something just off-center enough to set her apart. She wasn't normal.

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But, damn it, she had a point. Again.

Melissa was actually glad she had listened to Eydis and skipped that absolute train wreck of a masquerade gala. If she hadn't, she'd be drowning in paperwork and police questions about Thomas Blackwood right now.

"Fine," Melissa turned sharply and walked.

And of course, they followed her. Damn it. Not that she heard them (she couldn't), the slow-motion head turns from passersby, once they stepped onto the busy street, was plenty confirmation.

So she wasn't losing it. This was real.

By the time she reached her building, patience had officially left the chat. She stopped, faced the two trouble‑magnets, and scowled.

"Is this your idea of persuasion? Stalking?"

"Oh, we're not stalking you, Doctor." Eydis replied, the red‑and‑blue splash of a nearby siren flickering across her smile like a scene from a crime thriller. "We simply parked our ride up top."

Melissa almost flagged one of the patrol cars for help. "And 'up top' means…?"

Eydis merely smiled and angled her head toward Astra.

"Wait," Melissa snapped.

Astra, perfectly monotone: "There it is."

"The helipad," Melissa ground out. "My helipad. The one reserved for my very expensive, very registered helicopter."

Eydis's grin took on a wicked edge that made Melissa instinctively pat her pockets. "Indeed. Blue really does suit you, Doc."

How did they know the colour of her helicopter? Unless… they weren't bluffing!

Melissa counted to five in her head. "I swear, if you've stolen my helicopter—"

"Stolen is such a strong word," Eydis said, shaking her head.

Astra added, "Think of it as an indefinite lease."

"And let me guess, you're here to negotiate the return policy." Melissa muttered, shifting her glare from one conspirator to the other. Astra's lips twitched, as though a smile were determined to escape.

Worse. So much worse.

She groaned. Blinked once, twice, then muttered, mostly to herself, "I hope you know, I charge extra for emotional distress."

Seriously, are they teenagers, or just devils wearing human's face?

Inside the lobby, Eydis kept her smug, expectant smile while Astra stood statuesque and unreadable. Melissa's patience was on life support. She swiped her card, selecting the helipad.

"So, are we skipping the part where you explain how you got down here without a passcode? Did you hack my system? Please tell me you just fly down like normal people."

Eydis's grin widened, and Melissa regretted asking immediately. "Astra," she said, as if that explained everything.

Déjà, freaking, vu.

Astra's shrug was so imperceptible it was legally stillness. She wasn't unreadable, it seemed. She was just actively, aggressively committed to refusing to explain anything. Ever.

Melissa leaned back against the lift wall. "Right. You two have also mastered Being Suspicious as Hell. Let me guess… your helicopter is also 'borrowed'?"

Astra stared straight ahead. "It's not."

The lift dinged at last, and the doors opened onto the roof. Instead of her sleek blue machine, a pristine white helicopter waited. A wolf crest and two crossed swords were emblazoned on its body.

Melissa knew that symbol. Her gaze darted to Astra.

Silver hair. Oh. Oh. "House of Silverkeep?"

Astra didn't reply.

Melissa narrowed her eyes. "Are you from—?"

"No," Astra cut in quickly. "I stole it."

Melissa sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly through her teeth. "If you two ever get caught stealing a European royal's helicopter, leave. my. name. out of it. I have enough paperwork in my life already."

Eydis beamed and clapped Astra's shoulder. "We'll be fine. It's only stealing if you get caught, right?"

A trace of a smile curved Astra's lips. Which, in Astra-speak, was hysterical laughter.

Melissa could tell by now.

"I swear, you do that on purpose. Whatever. Let's just get this over with." The doctor pulled her beige trench coat tight as the wind slammed aggressively into her, like it, too, wanted answers. She marched forward, preparing for whatever fresh bullshit awaited, only to stop dead.

Her helicopter was still there, but not where she'd left it. It was neatly repositioned in the corner, as if someone had just… gently scooted a two-ton aircraft out of the way.

That wasn't possible. Not logically. No one had enough space to land a second helicopter. The skill level required was either terrifyingly precise or outright supernatural.

"It's both," Eydis murmured, clearly delighted.

Melissa realised her shock must have been plastered all over her face. She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly sprained something. Astra was already in the cockpit, popping open the back door.

Melissa had just enough time to summon a fresh glare before she saw the body inside.

Pale skin flushed red. Shallow, rattling breaths. Red hair spilling across the seat. Older now, but still the same little girl who had once clung to her.

Melissa's stomach plummeted. "Natalia?"

For once, Eydis sounded genuinely surprised. "You know her?"

Melissa knelt beside Natalia and pressed two fingers to her sternum, the other hand finding her wrist.

Pulse—weak, erratic. Skin—clammy, burning. Fever had set in hard.

Melissa knew this body, having mapped it before. She forced herself to focus, blue irises glowing as she summoned her Gift.

Water: foundation of all life, silent regulator. It fuelled cells, stabilised temperature, flushed toxins.

Her Gift was not healing in the conventional sense. She couldn't mend broken bones with one touch. What she could do was more intricate: redirect, stabilise, shepherd the body back toward its own equilibrium.

A medical intervention, not a miracle.

She swept her fingertips to Natalia's temple where the heat peaked, layering control into every droplet, dispersing excess warmth through lymph, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, the hidden streams between cells.

Then she met the source: the arcane heart. It fought her. Why? It had… never resisted her before.

The moment her magic touched Natalia's churning mana, it recoiled violently, pushing back with a force that sent a sharp pulse up her arm.

Melissa's eyes glowed brighter, casting a cold blue glow across Natalia's fevered face.

Lionel has some explaining to do.

But first, stabilisation.

Rather than ram through the barricade, she slid alongside the natural flow, nudging pressure and temperature. Natalia's body needed to recognise that this wasn't an attack. It was assistance.

When she eased deeper, the resistance flared again. Natalia jerked, breath hitching, muscles locking.

"Come on, Red, meet me halfway." Then, she leaned closer, whispered so only Natalia could hear. For a heartbeat the tension eased, then snapped tight again.

Why?

"She's fighting you. Just like…" Astra's voice trailed off.

"No kidding, she's holding on to whatever's poisoning her. She's choosing this."

Eydis, silent until now, stepped forward. "May I?" Her fingers brushed over Natalia's hand. "It's alright now, Natalia. We're here."

There was something in Eydis's tone; not playful, not manipulative. Just honesty, just regret.

"I… I should have seen it sooner. Come on, handmaiden. You don't get to leave me talking to myself."

Natalia responded. The resistance didn't vanish, yet it softened enough for Melissa to slip deeper.

Good.

With the body no longer rejecting help, Melissa guided water through constricted pathways. At last Natalia's systems began to cooperate.

Natalia's eyelids fluttered. "Eydis… I'm… sorry." Then, her fingers loosened, and her body sagged.

Melissa tensed, but when she caught the slow rise and fall of Natalia's chest, she let out a sigh of relief.

Stabilised.

She ran a shaky hand through damp curls. The winter air bit, yet sweat cooled on her skin. She rose, then swayed, but a pair of hands steadied her from behind.

Blue met crimson.

Astra. Her gaze had softened, if only slightly. "You… overexerted. Do you know Natalia?"

Melissa huffed, stepping away. "Can't it just be the Hippocratic Oath? Or the fact that I'm a damn good doctor?"

Astra arched a brow.

"Yeah, I know her," Melissa admitted. "And you know what would've been really helpful? Saying 'save Natalia' instead of whatever ominous garbage you and your… roommate?! led with."

The mention of said roommate made Astra's gaze shift, landing on Eydis, whose hand remained firmly clasped around Natalia's. Something quiet passed in that glance, brushing against Melissa's senses.

She exhaled deeply.

"You three. My penthouse. At least for tonight." Then she leveled a look at Astra. "And this time I want actual sentences. If I hear one more 'Astra,' I swear, you're sleeping outside. With the possums."

Astra remained impassive, but Melissa could have sworn she saw something close to a smile playing at her lips.

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