White Swan (special preview)

Ophelia places my palm to her chest. “Well, half swan,” she murmurs. “My father is something else,” she grumbles angrily when she speaks of him. 

“My mother is the Swan Queen,” she replies. “Our kingdom is hidden from the eyes of humans.” She then glances out the window. “I can see it from here,” she murmurs, pointing a finger towards the glass. “Just the peaks of it, right outside.”

I furrow my brow, only seeing clouds outside.

“Ever since we had to send my sister away, my mother has kept me locked up in the palace,” Ophelia grumbles. “I’ve been planning my escape for a long time.” She touches her wounded shoulder again and goes quiet.

“Do you know where your sister is?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Not really,” she rubs at her eyes. “All I know is she is hidden in a tower.”

“That sounds like a fairy tale,” I murmur.

Ophelia stands up from the sofa and looks around. Her soft fluffy hair shimmers slightly in the light. I try not to stare, considering she’s naked, but I notice there is mud on her legs and feet, and there is still blood caked on her skin.

“Would you like a bath?” I ask.

Ophelia turns and looks down at herself. Her fingers brush along her pale skin and she sighs. “I didn’t realize how filthy I had gotten. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” I lead her to my bathroom. “I just thought you might be more comfortable.” I turn on the shower and Ophelia leaps forward.

“Oh wow!” She stretches her hand out under the water and grins. “It’s even warm!”

I smile, admiring her bright smile more than anything. “I need to get back to work,” I tell her. I show her how to turn the faucet on and off. “When you’re done, turn it off. Feel free to use my bed to nap if you’d like. I’ll try and come up later for lunch.”

Ophelia leans out of the shower, kissing my cheek again. “Thank you,” she whispers.

I swallow and try to clear my throat. I feel flustered and panicked and I know my face is as red as a beet. 

I walk downstairs, seeing that the other two vets are already there. Madison and Kim are mixing formula into bottles and I see a box on the table with baby opossums trying to climb out of it.

“When did these get here?” I ask, capturing one of the attempted escapees. 

“I brought them with me,” Kim says as she gets a bottle ready. “A neighbor of mine gave them to me. The mother was dead on the road and the babies were all trying to get to her.”

I take the bottle and start to feed one. 

“What were you doing?” Madison asks with a smirk. “You seemed in an awful rush when I got in,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me. “I thought I heard a woman.”

“It was the radio!” I blurt.