Filed to story: The Healer and The Wolf PDF Free
It perplexed me that his memories hadn’t been stripped away-not because I wanted him to go through what I’d gone through, but because it made the understanding of his transition to humanity a little shakier. He would have different struggles than I did, which meant I would be a little less apt at helping him.
I’d have to do my best no matter what happened. The most important thing was that he was safe and sound.
“Are you okay?” I asked after a while. I was asking Ricky, of course, who took several moments to come back to me.
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I… I’m good, I think. There’s, uh, a lot I’ve got to sort through in my head right now.”
I chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
“Pardon me for interrupting yet again,” America said from the front seat. “But I’ve got to ask you guys a question.”
“By all means, ask away,” I said. We owed her for helping us out. I wasn’t sure exactly how instrumental she’d been in the escape plan, but if Ven trusted her, then I did.
“So, I was cut off from pretty much my entire coyote clan, but some of us shifters who worked for the brothers-if you could call it working-heard whispers of a wolf pack that managed to take down two of those psychopaths. I gotta admit, when I saw you fighting, I really hoped it was you.” She glanced at us through the rear-view mirror, and I saw a myriad of expressions flash through her dark eyes. She and Ven looked so similar. Not quite sisterly, but cousins, and they both definitely emoted so much through their gaze. “Was it? Or did I just get caught up in a myth and y’all were just here to save your friend?”
“It’s not a myth. Before all of this happened, we killed two of the brothers who were kidnapping magic folk from all over the state. We didn’t know who they were related to or that there were seven of them until it was too late.”
And what a mistake that had been.
She scoffed. “Yeah, not a lot around here were aware that Katarina Vensyclov’s brood had moved in until they started making trouble, and by then it was too late. They’d already gotten their hooks into everything.”
I hadn’t heard that name in ages, and it sent shockwaves rippling through my mind. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten the name of the matriarch. Sure, while she had never bothered us, and some people weren’t even certain she was in America, she was still the root of all the troubles of my pack. It was hard not to resent that. Surely if she was a good person, her seven sons wouldn’t have turned into such monsters.
“Just so you know,” America continued, “you’re not the only one who has a bone to pick with the brothers. I know of a lot of people outside of my family and clan who are tired of those bastards chipping away at our communities.”
Oh? While I knew we had two allies who had helped us take down the brothers in our original fight, I didn’t know anyone beyond that. I also didn’t know if any of those who helped us were still alive, or if they had been cursed.
If they were, then I would need to start looking for them once I found the rest of my pack. It would be much harder considering I wasn’t as close with them, but I owed them that much for helping us in our time of need. Besides, in my relatively short time of being alpha, I had wanted to change things. Wanted shifter groups to look at each other less as rivals and more as equally important parts of the magical ecosystem.
“How tired?”
“Tired enough to throw down if the opportunity presented itself.”
I admired the bite in America’s voice and understood that bitterness right down to my core. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what the road ahead of us held, but I was glad it didn’t necessarily mean we were going it alone. “That is good to know.”
“Of course. Granted, I’d like to settle in with my folks a bit before I go answering any war calls, but if you drop a line, I’ll make sure to answer.”
I nodded, and the conversation faded after that. It was a positive note for sure, as was having Ricky sleeping against my side, but neither of those things made me forget that I was in the doghouse with Ven.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, but I hoped we could talk things out once we had safely returned to her home.
All in good time.
VANESSA
“Go ahead and drink this for me, would you? It’ll help coat your stomach and intestines,” I said, handing a steaming mug to Ricky.
He was bundled up and lying on my couch.
I would have preferred if he’d showered before settling on my furniture, but he needed a lot more care before he could stand in the shower for that long. Even if I helped him like I had Leo, it wasn’t possible at the moment, and I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to do that for Ricky. What had happened between Leo and me had been special-something born of the connection between us-and while I wanted Ricky to get better, it was different with him.
Even if I was still really pissed at Leo.
I should have been happy we were all safe, but I was still so damn upset about how Leo had handled things. Every time I thought I was over it, I saw the scared employees’ faces, remembered how many times I’d had to crouch behind something to avoid gunfire.
Honestly, I was still grappling with the fact that I’d had a direct hand in killing Chadwicke.
Yes, I’d always been a part of the plan to take him down. In fact, it had been my plan. But there was a huge difference between reconnaissance/auxiliary support and ramming into the warlock with a truck.
I could still hear the sickening thud. The way his head had bounced off the hood before he went flying. The craziest thing was that I didn’t feel bad. In fact, I knew it was a good thing. I was simply struggling with my role in it.
What was I supposed to do now? Go back to my job at the grocery store and pretend I was completely normal? My world was supposed to be my garden and restocking shelves, not vehicular manslaughter.
So, yeah, perhaps that emotional turmoil was making me act a bit harsher toward Leo, but that didn’t change the fact that he had put a lot of people’s lives in danger.
“What is it?” Ricky questioned cautiously, looking to his alpha. Leo nodded. I didn’t take it personally that the beta was suspicious. He’d been through the ringer, and if he wanted the comfort of some extra assurance from his best friend, I wouldn’t hold it against him.
“Tea,” I answered. “But if you mean specifically, it’s a combination of valerian root and chamomile to help you sleep, dried red elm powder to coat your digestive system with healthy mucus, and willow bark, which will help with the pain. This should help you sleep, and your body repair itself enough to get some solid food in you tomorrow. I imagine they didn’t feed you much there.”
Ricky shook his head, and I saw so much hurt cross his features. Every time I saw how much pain he was in, it made me realize that I would hit Chadwicke with the truck all over again, even if it tore me up inside.
Did that make me a hypocrite? Maybe. I didn’t know. My emotions were all over the place.
“Do me a favor and sip it slowly. Once you’re done, I’ll give you some warm broth, then you can pass out.”
“No solids?” he asked, so hopefully.