Read Online Lynn Viehl - Darkyn 1 - If Angels Burn (v1.1) by If Angels Burn - Free Book Online Page B

nose and scare away those nasty kids. I was six, I believe.” She smiled a little, remembering. “After that, he’d take his nose off around me. Stuck it in the back pocket of his jeans. I didn’t know at the time, but his face never really healed, and it hurt him to wear it. Most people can’t stand to look at someone who doesn’t have a nose, though. It’s considered one of the worst disfigurements you can have.”
    “Is it?” Cyprien touched a mass of scar tissue on his face where his nose should have been. “What happened to this gardener?”
    “He died a year after the surgery. They didn’t get all the cancer, and it went up into his brain. That’s when I decided to be a surgeon.”
    “For which I must be grateful,” Cyprien said, his voice strained.
    She stared across the table at him. For a moment, she saw the old gardener’s flat, sad face superimposed over Cyprien’s.
I will not give myself Stockholm syndrome
. “That’s the reason. Satisfied now?”
    He nodded. “Café au lait, Phillipe.”
    Alex felt like an idiot as she drank the cup of strong chicory coffee Phillipe brought her. Cyprien was a man who could heal in minutes. If there was some way to nail down and duplicate what his body did naturally, it would make a tremendous difference to patients like Luisa Lopez. It would, in fact, change modern medicine. Plus the man was holding her captive. She couldn’t afford to be hostile toward him.
    “That was the best meal I’ve had since… I can’t remember.” Being gracious was awkward; she was out of practice. Hostile was so much easier. “Thanks.”
    “You’re very welcome, Doctor.”
    “I have some questions,” she went on, probing cautiously. “Have you been able to spontaneously heal your entire life?”
    He shook his head. “I acquired the ability as a young man.”
    Adolescence triggered some genetic factors. “Does it run in your family? Either of your parents have the same ability? Your grandparents, aunts, uncles?”
    “No.” He lifted his wineglass to his mouth.
    “It still could be genetic.” She put down her coffee cup. To isolate a gene for spontaneous healing would be the medical equivalent of finding a pink diamond mine. The applications were endless, but she didn’t think of anonymous research. She thought of Luisa. “Mr. Cyprien, if I restore your features, will you allow me to run some tests? All I need—”
    “No.”
    Patiently Alex began to explain what could be learned from studying him, until he held up one of his hands.
    “Dr. Keller, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but my ability does not come without a heavy price.” He placed his hand over hers. The bones and muscles felt heavy, the skin cool to the touch. “Imagine a war fought by soldiers whose injuries heal as quickly as mine. No conventional army could stand against them.”
    The bread pudding, which had tasted so divine, abruptly formed a solid lump in her stomach. “I see your point.”
    “I am glad.” Cyprien merely finished his wine and rose. “If you’re finished, perhaps we can adjourn to my chambers? You can inspect your equipment.”
    Alex blinked. “What equipment?”
    “Éliane obtained what you requested.” He walked over and offered her an arm, and she realized he was a lot taller than she’d thought. “Come, I’ll show you.”
     

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Chapter Five
    « ^ »
    T en minutes later Alex sat down on the edge of the surgical table. All around her, diagnostic equipment hummed and glass-paneled cabinets showed off shelves stocked with every conceivable instrument and medical supply. She stared at the portable lab and X-ray machine, their related processors, and the latest in alloplastic and autogenous grafting materials in refrigerated cases.
    She stared up at Cyprien. “This isn’t equipment. This is a whole freaking field hospital.”
    He sat beside her and turned as if watching her face. “It is what you will need, is it not?”
    “Uh, yeah. I could treat a hundred