Thank fuck our room was located in the back, and we were able to pull into the nearly empty parking lot and away from prying eyes. Kimberly quickly jumped out of the car to unlock the door and turn on the lights. Nick and I awkwardly hoisted Mike back into our arms and we carried him the short distance into the room. He let out a few whimpers of pain before we lay him gently on one of the beds. Thankfully, Kimberly had the smart idea to lay a towel on the one of the beds so he wouldn’t bleed on the blanket. He instantly resumed his light snoring, but it was almost as if being able to stretch out on the bed helped him to rest easier. As much as I wanted to keep driving due to an irrational need to keep my friends safe, Kimberly and Nick were right about having to stop. It was imperative that we rest and focus on our friend getting better.
After we had Mike situated, we quickly ran out to the car to grab my bags and the items that Kimberly purchased at the store. Not only did she grab the things needed to clean up their wounds, she also grabbed some toiletries, clothes to last her, Nick, and Mike for a few days, and some food. Evidently Kimberly didn’t fuck around when it came to shopping. She could have only been in there for a matter of minutes.
“You didn’t screw around in there, did you?” I asked as we sorted through the bags we brought in.
“Who has time for that? I was on a mission and got the shit I needed and left. I didn’t have time to focus on what the clothes looked like, just that they fit,” Kimberly said indignantly as she tossed Nick a t-shirt and pants that’d actually fit him.
Nick grabbed up the new clothes and walked into the attached bathroom. A few seconds later the shower started to run. I stretched out on the bed in exhaustion as I watched Kimberly open some bottles of antiseptic and gauze pads. Funnily enough, even after our laugh over the cell phones, none of us bothered to check them. We had more pressing matters to worry about.
“Do you want any help?” I asked her. I felt like I needed to do something to help in any way I could.
“Maybe you could come pet him or something? I’m not sure if this is going to burn, so maybe you can help keep him calm,” Kimberly suggested.
Nick chose that moment to exit the bathroom, and he looked much more refreshed. I noticed his cuts had finally stopped bleeding and some looked to be disappearing completely. Clearly my mind was seeing things. There was no way that bites and claw marks could disappear hours after they were given. It was fucking impossible, especially with as deep as his were.
I felt the bed dip beside me as Nick joined us, and we sat in a small circle surrounding our friend. Kimberly grabbed some gauze pads and started to wipe some of the ointment on Mike’s ripped-open flesh. I felt tears sting my eyes as his breathing became more labored, and I knew without a doubt that he was hurting even more. Clearly, Nick and Kimberly felt the same way since we all reached out to try and soothe him without any hesitation. It didn’t matter that at that precise moment we were trying to calm a wolf. Yes, he had sharp claws. Yes, his fangs were sharp enough to slaughter anything that crossed his path. And, yes, they were considered wild animals. But he wasn’t a wild animal to us. He was our friend and protector, and it broke our hearts to see him suffering.
We sat there in silence as Kimberly continued to clean the wounds on Mike, filling one of the empty shopping bags with piles of bloody gauze pads. Luckily, the wounds seemed to stop bleeding shortly after Kimberly cleaned them, which had us all breathe small sighs of relief. Then it was time to tackle the gaping wound on his back. We were at a complete loss as to what to do about it. The area was so deep I could see muscle and bone. As much as Kimberly tried to staunch the blood flow, her efforts were in vain. Nothing seemed to be helping. The blood just wasn’t stopping, and even though we didn’t vocalize it, we all knew the devastating truth. If we didn’t stop the bleeding, Mike would hemorrhage to death before the night was over.
“It won’t stop,” Kimberly cried as she pressed more gauze down on his wound. “I d-don’t kn-know how to h-help him,” she sobbed.
I quickly jumped off the bed and grabbed an extra hand towel from the bathroom. Wordlessly, I handed it to her, and she quickly pressed it over the open area. We all watched in horror as the once pristine white towel started to turn crimson.
“We need to take him to a hospital or a clinic. He needs fucking help. We can’t just sit here and watch him die,” Nick growled. That was the only word I could use to describe the sound that emanated from his chest.
“And tell them what, exactly?” I asked. “If we take a wolf in this condition anywhere, they’d most likely put him to sleep. “
“Not necessarily. He could just need some surgery. And it’s a lot better than the outcome of leaving Mike here and letting him bleed out!” Nick bellowed.
“He’s considered a wild animal, Nick. Why would they waste time performing surgery? And say they did? Then what? They’d put him in a fucking zoo or sanctuary. There is no way in hell we’d be allowed to take him back with us. And then there’s the other option we didn’t even consider. What if he wakes up in the middle and shifts back? That’d open up a whole ‘nother can of worms. Are you seriously ready for that shit?”
“So are you suggesting we just leave him here and let him die? Because that’s what it fucking sounds like to me, Courtney!” Nick snapped at me in rage.
I opened my mouth to retaliate when something caught both Nick’s and my attention. We quickly snapped our eyes over to Kimberly and gasps of shock and disbelief filled the room.
“What the fuck?” Nick breathed in astonishment.
Kimberly had her face buried in Mike’s neck as she sobbed hysterically in despair. During the few minutes that Nick and I were arguing, Mike’s breathing had become extremely shallow. His whimpers of pain had increased and the blood had soaked the towel completely through. It was obvious he was about to die in front of our very eyes. But it wasn’t the state Mike was in that had Nick and I staring at them in disbelief. No, it was what Kimberly was doing.
Kimberly had her fingers clutched tightly to the bloodied gray fur that coated Mike’s neck. And coming from those fingers was a fucking white light. The light was so intense it nearly made my eyes burn, but I couldn’t turn away. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“Kimberly,” I said quietly, scared my voice would shock her and she’d stop what she was doing. “How are you doing that?”
Kimberly quickly sat up, but thankfully the light didn’t stop. Mike’s entire body was glowing. That was the only way I could describe it. And with each second that passed he seemed to breathe easier. “I have no idea.”
“Don’t stop,” Nick said softly, then slowly reached over and removed the towel from Mike.
A collective gasp filled the room as we watched the hole on Mike’s back slowly close. Whatever Kimberly was doing, it was healing Mike. The bite marks and scratches had been eradicated and the gaping hole was almost completely closed. Only when his skin was free of any marks, did Kimberly lift her hand away and the light faded.
“Did you know you could do that?” I asked her in bewilderment.
“I don’t even know what the hell that was,” Kimberly answered.
Nick and I stared at Kimberly as we waited for some sort of explanation. I was completely dumbfounded. First, two of my friends turned into wolves and killed fucking vampires. Next, my other one had light coming from her hand like a fucking alien and could close up gaping holes. What the fuck was going to happen next?
“Well, I guess I have some explaining to do,” a voice beside us said.
We quickly turned our attention to the bed and saw that Mike had shifted back into his human form. The collective sigh of relief echoed off the hotel room walls as we looked into the sheepish blue eyes that stared back at us.
“Start fucking talking,” Nick demanded. Clearly, he was ready for some answers.
Chapter 5
“Before I launch into an explanation, do you think maybe I could put some clothes on?” Mike asked as he gestured at his naked body
.
Nick nearly growled in frustration and crossed his arms over his chest. I couldn’t help but laugh as I climbed off the bed to grab Mike some clothes. For having a smaller than average body for a male, Nick sure had a demanding presence that made everyone stand up and take notice.
It was only when I was reaching into the bag that I saw the dried blood still on my forearms. Mike’s dried blood. The urge to take a shower and clean myself was intense, but hearing Mike’s explanation as to what had just happened far outweighed my need for soap and water. So instead of giving into the urge to take a shower, I tossed Mike the clothes and waited for him to start speaking.
“Well, obviously you guys know I can shift into a wolf,” Mike said with a humorless laugh as he stood up and started to put his pants on.
“Yeah, no shit. And so can Nick,” Kimberly sassed at him.
Mike cast his eyes down to the floor and exhaled heavily in resignation. “Sit down and get comfortable, guys. This is going to be a long story.”
Nick, Kimberly, and I sat down on one of the beds while Mike situated himself on the other. Everything else was forgotten. Vampires. A shower. Eating. Even the blood-soaked towel that was still spread out on the bed behind us. None of that mattered. All we cared about were the words that were about to come out of Mike’s mouth.
Mike pulled his shirt slowly over his head, almost as if he was stalling to try and figure out the correct words to say. “I first learned that I was a shifter the night of my twelfth birthday. After my family and friends had left, my father sat me down and told me. He thought I was too young to know, but unfortunately, he was a shifter as well and knew it was inevitable.”
“Why?” Nick asked.
“It’s hereditary. The gene is passed on from father to son. Just as it was passed on to him from his father and so on. He made sure to explain to me how imperative it was that I kept it a secret. That it could be dangerous for not only my family, but anyone else who found out. I honestly thought he was full of shit. But then he shifted right in front of me and I knew my entire life had just changed.”
“That’s pretty heavy for a twelve-year-old kid. I can see why he didn’t want to tell you,” I muttered.
“I shifted for the first time a few days later. I guess learning you’re different from everyone else, as well as finding out your entire life was pretty much a fucking lie, can cause some unexpressed anger. Needless to say, my inner wolf decided it needed to be let out to blow off some steam. My father found me in my room pretty much ransacking the place. As soon as I had calmed down enough to shift back, we had a man-to-man talk. Well, he talked and I pretty much obeyed,” Mike said with a grimace.
“So I’m assuming he taught you how to channel your anger and to shift only when it’s necessary?” Kimberly asked.
“Pretty much. My dad implemented shift days once a week where we could let our wolf out and let off some steam. We would drive to the country and shift where it was safe. His friend owned some farmland out there that was pretty desolate. It was freaking great. I could shift weekly, burn off some much-needed steam, and then go back to living my life like a normal person. And up until now, I’ve never had to shift except for that weekly exercise.”
The three of us on the opposite bed shared a look with each other. “So what fucking changed? And what gives with Fangy, Sniffy, and Licky? Those three fucks who nearly drained us said that you were the enemy,” Nick questioned.
“That’s where it gets more complicated,” Mike hedged.
“How so?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“My bloodline comes from a long generation of protectors that dates back to the fourteenth century. No one in the family is exactly sure who it all started with, but there hasn’t been a time where a shifter was not born into the family. The bloodline is just too damn strong for it not to happen. And as far as I knew, we were the only bloodline like us.”
“Protect who, and from what, exactly? Just what aren’t you telling us?” Nick asked as he narrowed his shrewd greenish-brown eyes at Mike.
“People like Kimberly. Healers.”
“What the hell is a healer? Are you referring to the light show that she had going on with her hand?” I asked in disbelief.
“Exactly. The men in my family have been shifting because they’re needed to protect a healer,” Michael explained, then looked directly at Kimberly. “I could sense you were a healer the first day I met you and knew I was to be your protector. That’s why we bonded so well. It’s like we were two magnets that came together and connected. It’s in my blood to protect you, just as it’s in your blood to heal others.”
“Why didn’t you tell me I’m a,” she gestured toward her body and held up her hand for emphasis, “healer or that you can turn into a wolf?”
“That’s a three-part answer for a two-part question. I couldn’t tell you that I’m a shifter because I needed to keep you safe. As you learned earlier tonight, this shit can be fatal. Just being in the presence of a shifter when he shifts is incredibly dangerous because we give off a pheromone that will stick to you for days. Also, shifters are the enemies of vampires, and after last night, I assume they have good sniffers, so that makes you the enemy by association. I couldn’t put your lives at risk by telling you about it, and I, for damn sure, couldn’t ask you to carry that burden when it wasn’t yours to carry. As for telling you about the healing powers—you needed to find that out on your own. I couldn’t just tell you about it. For one thing, I couldn’t tell you without exposing who I am as well. And for another, I couldn’t risk our friendship by saying something that could be received so negatively. Once a shifter turns in front of a healer, the powers of the healer are then unlocked. It makes it easier for the healer to become detected by anyone who sees them as a threat and immediately puts them in danger. Being a healer is now your burden to carry, just as being a shifter is mine. Now that we know about each other, I will do everything in my power to protect you, Kimberly, and that includes keeping big, life-changing secrets from you,” Michael said vehemently.
Nobody said anything after Michael’s monologue. The weight of what he’d just laid upon us was profoundly heavy. That fight with the vampires was evidently the tip of the iceberg if what he’d said was true. We were beginning to learn that monsters were real. And that there wouldn’t be a gang of misfit kids and a talking dog walking up anytime soon to unmask the bad guy.
“What exactly does a healer do?” I asked. Everyone turned their eyes to me. “I mean, I know they heal, but how?”
“My father told me that they started out working for kings and queens. The royal family kept the healers in their castles to use them whenever the king or a knight came back injured from battle. The healer had to use their special gifts to make them well again. The story goes that the town witch prophesied that once the healer stepped foot in our village, someone was going to turn into her protector. She didn’t say who it was going to be, or what the person would shift into. She only said that the person would protect the healer from unforeseen evils. According to the story, most of the village fled, including my family, while my shifter ancestor stayed behind to protect the healer, as it was in his nature to do. And that’s how our families’ paths crossed.”
“So are the finger pyrotechnics a hereditary thing too?” Kimberly finally asked in a shaky voice.
“All I know about being a healer is that it is passed on through the bloodline as well. I’m not sure exactly the mechanics or biology behind your heritage. But I do know that my family has been protecting yours since the fourteen hundreds. Our family goes back a bit,” Mike quipped with a smile.
“So explain the vamps,” Nick demanded.
“That’s new territory for me. My father never told us who our true enemies are. He told me that we needed to protect a healer by any means required. But obviously I wasn’t just protecting Kimberly tonight, though she was my main focus. I had to keep you and Courtney safe as well.”
“Do you hav
e any way of finding out why they attacked us and called you the enemy? Maybe your father might know?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if it was lack of sleep or the mental exhaustion that was finally catching up to me, but I was feeling the makings of a terrible headache coming on.
“I don’t want to involve him unless it gets to the point I have no other option,” Mike answered.
“Okay, then what about the other part you skimmed over?” Nick questioned.
“What are you talking about?” Michael asked in confusion.
Fuck, my head was really starting to pound. I rubbed my temples and squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to listen to Nick and Mike talk. Hopefully Kimberly purchased some pain medicine.
“You said your bloodline is the only one you know of. Explain me, then. Because I fucking shifted, too.”
“We’re related.”
“What!” All three of us shouted at the same time. The exertion from raising my voice did not help my head any.
“Somewhere down the line we share a member of the shifter bloodline. I’m not sure how strong the line is on your side of the family, since you obviously don’t know about it. But somewhere along the way, shifters were born into your family. That’s why you were so drawn to Kimberly as well and why you two are so close. You have a deep, animalistic urge to protect her.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. So you mean to tell me that not only am I some wolf person, but I am also a guardian of my best friend who shoots firecrackers out of her fingertips. This night just keeps getting better and better,” Nick snorted. “That still doesn’t explain why I never wanted to let my inner wolf out before.”
Mike shrugged. “It could be possible you never had a reason to let him out until Kimberly was in danger. And you like to box, right? You have other outlets to blow off some steam.”
“Fuck!” I cried out in intense pain as my head felt like it was splitting in two.
I pressed my fingertips to my temples and squeezed my eyes shut. I could hear my friends yelling for me as I moaned in agony, but I couldn’t answer them. The pain was so powerful I fell on the bed and pressed my face into the comforter to try and block out any light. Suddenly, images of pale, hairless figures with blood-red eyes filled my head. Pictures of their darkly clothed bodies clustered around a darkened room played in my mind like a silent movie reel. I couldn’t hear them, but I knew what they wanted. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew what they were after.
Fated Heroes Page 3
