"That's why we're so alike." I smiled up at her and she chuckled.
"Yes, Dodi. We are much alike."
Chapter Five
"You're all driving me crazy with the pack bonds, mate bonds, parent bonds, weird interspecies bonds. I'm not the federal reserve ya know," Caden called out as he entered the cabin. "But I am the pizza man, so ya'll figure that out." He set down four pizza boxes on the table and grinned, clearly amused by his own antics.
I couldn't help but laugh hearing his grand entrance. He'd spent the better part of two days in heavy discussions with Hank about our ongoing vampire issues. Mal chuckled as he sat by the fire, carving the bone he had salvaged.
"Let's have Chinese tomorrow night, TB." Xany sorted through the different kinds of pizza.
"Sounds good to me, precious." Caden kissed her swiftly as he set down a stack of paper plates.
"It's my fault, Caden. I got everyone all worked up today," I admitted. It was the truth after all. The only person I hadn't upset today was Xany, but there was still time.
"There's always drama with you, NeeNee." Xany giggled as she filled her plate with pizza.
"I told you I was too much to deal with." I smirked at her and turned to my mates. Vanessa sprawled across the carpet a bit away from Mal and I stepped over them with as much caution as possible. I half expected Vanessa to trip me just so she would have to save me afterward. "What kind do you two bums want?"
"Are you fetching for us?" Vanessa grinned. "Our shared Breeder."
"Oh yes. I'm melting into all the old school stereotypical gender roles. I'll fetch your pizza right after I whelp the cubs, and darn the socks." I gave Vanessa a nudge with my foot for being naughty.
"Gavin was here today?" Caden asked Xany, his nostrils flared which meant he picked up his scent.
"I'm good, love." Mal said.
"Are you sure? I can cut up some of the fresh elk you brought home and toss it on top of a slice," I offered. Mal nodded his head at me.
"Can you put salmon on mine?" Vanessa continued to grin up at me, her fingers twitching as if she resisted the urge to swipe at my foot. I stepped closer to Mal and gave her a playful warning glare.
"Tla, you're spoiled enough." She pouted at me. "And besides, Caden got an anchovy pie like he always does."
"Yay," she said, and settled back into a contented purr.
I went to the kitchen and plated up some pizza for Vanessa and then for myself, setting the plate on her stomach on my way back. Mal had ceased carving the bone and I helped myself to his lap. He placed his hands on my outer thighs and rested his chin on my shoulder. My body seemed to dissolve into his, as if the closeness soothed something for us both. Vanessa sat up beside us and ate her fishy pizza while we listened to Xany and Caden.
"He's taking a shower." Xany piped before taking a bite.
"Vanessa okay with him here?" Caden helped himself to a slice piled high with all kinds of meat. He poured out some soda and handed Xany a glass first.
"Nee says Nessa and Gavy are just like Mal and I." Xany giggled.
"Oh dear Gaia, save me now." Caden flopped back in his chair dramatically. Which looked rather odd for someone of his girth.
"It all seems good as long as they don't talk about the Pride."
"Understandable." Caden finished the last bite of his food. "Hank's concerned about the vampire activity."
"We got it covered." Xany grinned.
"And just what have you got covered?" Caden lifted a brow at her.
"Shawnee will be the bait and I'll shoot it with my crossbow." Xany puffed up her chest.
"You're banned from crossbows," I reminded her, trying not to grin too much.
"I've been practicing. Don't worry I won't hit you."
"Anyone see any flaws in this plan?" Caden looked over at everyone. "Anyone at all?" The way he seemed to weave humor in and out of his every word had me laughing once again. I heard Mal chuckle again in my ear and Vanessa snickered.
"Yes. She thought it up," Mal said from over my shoulder. I laughed but when Xany shot me a glare, I settled on a impish smile.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Gavin said as he appeared from down the hall. He wore his usual jeans and that's it pretty much. As he walked past Caden, he clapped him on the shoulder. "This pack would've fallen in a heap without your provisions, mate." Gavin grinned and helped himself to a slice.
"See? Someone agrees." Xany glanced past me to Mal. Her eyes narrowed then her mouth hung open before suddenly snapping shut with a huff. I could hear Mal chuckling again and turned slightly so that I could see him.
"What are you up to back there?"
"Who me?" He smirked.
"Yes you." I kissed his smirk and set my empty plate down on the stone hearth.
"Not a thing, honestly."
"This room is filled with siblings." I turned in his lap more now so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. It seemed like ages since we'd been together like this. Sometimes hours felt like days when we were apart and with our bond still tense, it seemed like longer.
Gavin grabbed a second slice then joined Vanessa on the carpet. She glanced at him then returned her attention to Xany and Caden. Gavin gave her a sharp nudge to which Vanessa returned with an even sharper one.
"It's good to have it filled like this," Mal's voice soft against my ear.
"I know. It feels…" I took a deep breath, searching for the right word. "Strong."
"Like home."
He met my gaze as I looked up at him. I never really understood what home meant before, not like this. "Is that what I feel?"
"Yes." He kissed my cheek.
"I like it." My face flushed under his gesture as I toyed with the buttons of his shirt.
"It looks good on you." Mal smiled down at me.
"Gv-ge-yu-hi," I whispered.
"Love you, too."
"You two are ghastly." Gavin gawked at us but Vanessa swatted him upside the head and went off on a string of Gaelic that was clearly some sort of reprimand.
"Hey! A'right, a'right!" Gavin hissed and ducked a second bat.
"Hmm… whoever said they're like you and Mal was correct." Caden nodded at Xany.
"I disagree." Xany smacked Caden on the arm.
"Now you're in trouble, Gavin." I tried not to laugh at his predicament. Vanessa turned her nose up at him and set her empty plate aside, returning to her usual loll on the carpet. "Shoot, I've got to go to work soon."
"I'll take ya, Nee." Xany quipped.
"I reckon you can't drive, ay, Xany?" Gavin chimed in.
"That's right so I guess you'll have to drive us Gavin."
"I'm an alien!"
"Well, right you are then." Caden raised his glass and saluted Gavin as if calling oneself an alien was a normal occurrence.
"It's okay. Just don't get us pulled over and it will be fine." Xany giggled.
"Someone spiked your drinks perhaps," said Caden. "Don't drink and drive."
"If I didn't know you people, I'd say I was having some sort of drug dream with the antics of you all." I looked between them. "Please proceed."
Vanessa laughed. "Better than television."
"And besides, Mal's taking her to work tonight. Right, bro?" Caden nodded at Mal.
"I don't know. I think I might like to see how this all turns out." Mal laughed.
"They'll end up in jail, or kidnapped. Gavin's got the luck of Xany," Vanessa commented. She moved closer to Mal and me and placed her hand on my thigh, her fingertips brushing Mal's hand.
"That's Nee who gets kidnapped I just shoot people."
"Like the Alpha." Vanessa snickered.
"Wait… you shot your Alpha?" Gavin looked between Xany and Caden.
"It was an accident I swear."
"Right through the arm with an arrow." Caden demonstrated the injury followed by the yanking of the arrow through his arm.
"Blimey." Gavin stared at Xany for a moment then perked up. "Let's see it then, the crossbow."
Vanessa broke away from listening to the others and turned her attention to me. Our mate bond floundered inside me and I watched her. Her eyes searched mine, she didn't speak yet, but she didn't have to. The message was clear: stay. Kneading fingers pressed against my thigh.
"I'm sorry," I told her, my voice soft. It nearly broke my insides to actually experience her desperation and the anxiety over our pending separation. I glanced between my mates. Vanessa's bond flowed through me open and strong. Mal's remained steadied. I was beginning to dislike the shutdown nature of it. It hurt in a way and had me overwhelmed with a sense of sudden isolation.
Mal placed his hand on Vanessa's wrist giving it light squeeze. She drew her gaze from me to him. They shared a silent moment of understanding, it seemed, and the bonds inside me mimicked the connection, bumping into each other creating a soothing sensation like swallowing a gulp of hot cocoa. Soft purrs escaped Vanessa with an increased intensity. Our momentary triple connection had our energies swirling, overcoming me with a sense of rightness.
"Mom said it's supposed to be this way," the words slipped from my lips before I had time to think about it.
"What, love?"
"That me being Two-Spirit is supposed to make you two feel each other. It connects our family, and the magics of two species." I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure if what I said would help or hinder the situation, but I couldn't go on much longer without all of Mal. "That it would be more difficult for wolves than cats."
"Why?" Vanessa looked at Mal when she asked but I answered before he could.
"Wolves aren't used to more than one really close bond. Mom said so anyway."
Mal's facial features smoothed out and his forehead appeared less tense as if he took in everything I said and stored it somewhere to ponder later. He met my gaze, and I caught the slight tilt of his head. I had his full attention for the first time in weeks.
"Weretigers only carry one mate bond, too." Vanessa's brow furrowed.
"Yes, but your pride bonds are much closer and much more personal than pack bonds. Pack bonds are convenient and almost like an acquaintance at times. Only the Alpha gets the full force of it." I glanced at Caden who offered me a firm nod.
"It would be easier if pride bonds were that way," Vanessa muttered.
"You say that now, baby, but things have changed there for you. It was different before that. They were your closest connections in life, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Yeah," I mimicked her tone and gave her hand a squeeze. "It's something for all of us to think about."
"You have to go to work." Her lips curled into a slight pout, plumping her bottom lip in a way that tempted me to nibble it.
"I know. But I'll be home soon after." I leaned across Mal and kissed her. She stroked my cheek, keeping me in the kiss. The heat of Mal's breath found its way to my neck; his lips seared my skin and sent a jolt of excitement through my core. I never experienced both of them at the same time in this way and the thought of more had me flushed. I broke the kiss and Vanessa grinned, biting her bottom lip. "See what she does?" My voice sounded breathy as I looked to Mal. "Right before I have to leave she gets me worked up. I think it's a ploy."
"Of course it is." Mal's pupils dilated in the brief moment my gaze left his, a smirk tugged the corner of his mouth as his hand found its way back to my thigh. "And it works." He lifted a brow at me and squeezed my leg.
Vanessa leaned back on her elbows; a smile tainted her ruby lips. She won.
"Stop that." I swatted both of them at the same time, Vanessa on the knee and Mal's hand. "I have to go and you're both torturing me."
Vanessa drew her gaze from me to Mal and grinned. She twitched her nose once, and her brows flicked upward. He tilted his head, then nodded faintly. His grin nearly matched hers. What was going on here? Mal understanding Vanessa's cat language when I didn't? Maybe that was her intention. Either way, something changed in our connection. Mal's link to me opened ever so slightly, and Vanessa's fluttered with playfulness and delight.
Something had changed. Mal was right. I couldn't put my finger on it just yet but at least now, I had a clue or two. Maybe Xany and I had some scheming to do after all.
Chapter Six
"That junkie is here again." One of the nurses approached the desk where I sat reviewing the charts from the previous shift.
"Excuse me?" I looked up, closing the top file.
"That kid who shows up here once a week or so looking for painkillers."
"His name's Oliver. He's been showing up a lot over the past month." Beth chimed in from over my shoulder.
"I've never met him before." My chair rolled backward as I stood. Beth caught it with her foot.
"First time for everything. I've put him in room two. Give him a few narcs and send him on his way." The nurse, whose name I hadn't bothered to learn mostly because of her attitude, handed me the chart.
"He might require more than that. Like an exam, and maybe even some compassion." She stared at me when I spoke the latter. "I think I'll start there." Beth grinned at me before I walked off.
Oliver sat on the table, an average-looking twenty-something, with his arms draped over his stomach. Shivers wracked his body and he looked about ready to puke. A nurse named James entered the room a step behind me. I wondered if the rude nurse asked him to.
"Hi Oliver, I'm Shawnee. Do you need a bucket?" I grabbed one of the kidney dishes from the table and held it to him. Oliver took it but didn't vomit.
"I threw everything up already." His teeth chattered when he spoke. Part of me wondered if he was in opiate withdrawal.
"All right. Keep hold of it anyway." He nodded and kept his eyes averted. "What's going on today, Oliver?"
"My stomach hurts. I keep getting sick." Oliver glanced at me. "I don't have insurance."
"Let's not worry about insurance right now, okay? I'd like to take a look. Can you lie back on the table?" He obliged but when he moved, he kept his arm crossed over his stomach. "How long has your stomach been hurting?" James took Oliver's blood pressure and pulse while I talked with the patient, he watched me closely for some reason. I wondered if he was annoyed or interested, I couldn't tell.
"About a month," he said, a heavy grunt mixed in with his words when he finally got himself lying flat. "It's worse."
"I can see that. Let's have a look." As I lifted his shirt, he held his breath as if expecting me to stab him. His abdomen, although toned evenly for the most part, seemed distended on one side.
"I'm gonna die." He spoke through a heavy breath before I even touched him, his face screwed up in pain.
"You're not gonna die, kid." I pressed lightly on his stomach, first on the less swollen side. He flinched anyway. As I moved closer, he punched the table. James jumped back, his widened eyes trained on me.
"Start him on fluids and order an x-ray," I told James. "He needs to be admitted."
"Got it," he said, though looked a bit startled as he stepped out.
"You're not giving me pills and sending me off?" Oliver's voice sounded winded after I stopped torturing him with the exam.
"No. I'm concerned you have an intestinal obstruction. We'll need the scan to be sure." I took a moment to listen to his bowel sounds through my stethoscope. Very little sound met my ears save for an occasional high-pitched squeal.
"What? Is that bad?" He leaned up, his eyes met mine for the first time as I removed the stethoscope from my ears.
"It can be if untreated. I'm going to admit you for treatment. It can require surgery but we won't know that until the scan. Oliver…" I turned to face him. James returned and began hooking him up to an IV line. "I have to ask you an important question, be straight with me, all right?"
"Yeah. Okay. What?" He flinched. "Ow, man. Shit." Oliver snarled at James then looked back to me.
"Sorry," James mu
ttered.
"Do you use drugs of any kind?"
"No, well. Yeah, pot. But that's it. And I drink but it's been a while." Oliver relaxed once the IV line was in.
"No heroin or painkillers?"
"Heroin? No. Nothing like that. I just took what I got here. Not like it helped any." He took a deep breath, his brow still tightly narrowed. I hated that he didn't get the proper treatment and now his condition worsened. Part of me really wanted to just heal him right there. Part of me wanted to heal everyone.
I admitted Oliver to the medical floor and within the hour, he was off for his x-ray. It was only a matter of time before I got the call that he would be going into surgery. He was in the OR before my shift even ended.
"What's wrong?" Beth asked me as I hung up the phone.
"That kid could've died. His stomach was completely bloated. Who treated him first?" I angrily flipped through the chart then usurped Beth's computer to look up Oliver on the electronic record.
"No idea." Beth looked on over my shoulder. "That's another of the part-timers."
"Ridiculous." I stood, my anger getting the better of me. "Next time someone labels a patient a junkie without examining them better hope they've got really good malpractice insurance," I said at the top of my voice. A few of the nurses and techs looked at me like I was nuts. The rude nurse tore her eyes away and stalked down the hall. I found myself stalking down a different hall and back to my office, shutting the door with a bang.
My heart pounded in my ears as every bit of my upper body tensed. Get a grip, Shawnee. I wanted nothing more than to punch something. Or someone. Reminding myself that I was at work, and an alleged professional, I took to opening the window instead. The tiny corner panel on the glass tilted outward and allowed a crisp breeze to flitter over my face. I sighed, leaning back against the wall and closed my eyes.
Silence met my ears once I calmed down. While I thought about it, I questioned the force of my anger. Was it really that big a deal? Yes. But that's not usually how I felt after tearing a coworker a new one. Usually, the verbal recourse was enough. This time, I wanted to hurt someone. What the hell?
Bound (Legacy Series Book 4) Page 5
