"Nothing last night." Imogene peeked over my shoulder. "You don't really have to do it, Shawnee, he'll survive."
"Mom!" Cote whined.
"It's all right, it won't take much. Ready?" I lifted my eyebrows at him.
"Go!"
I laughed and placed one hand over his knee. The heal took less than a second to rise, the indigo swirled beneath my palm and wiped away his scrape. It didn't last long, but it was enough to humor him.
"Magic!" Cote squealed in delight and then threw his arms around my neck. I laughed and hugged him tightly. My mother chuckled along with us.
"Remember the one rule?"
"Never tell nobody about magic. Ever." He nodded his head firmly and looked at his mother for reassurance.
"That's right, Cote."
"Does Isabelle get magic?"
"Is she hurt?" I queried.
"Nope."
"Then no magic." I rubbed his back when he hugged me again. His unique level of affection warmed my heart in ways that words couldn't express. I didn't understand why he liked me so much, I've only ever been invasive to him and mildly entertaining.
"Am I the only one who getted it from you?" He leaned back to look at me and I set him on my hip.
"In your family? Just you, kid."
"Cool." He grinned and looked at his mother.
"Come now, Cote-bug, time to go back home before Daddy loses his mind." She chuckled and held her hand out to him. I kissed his cheek and set him down.
"Will he find it later?" He took his mother's hand.
"Perhaps." Gene grinned and handed me the school paper.
I jotted down today's date for Cote's current vaccines, and backdated for the boosters of infancy and toddlerhood. Mom kept watch, partly out of interest but I got the nagging feeling she had something to ask me. I signed off on the paper, marked it with the stamp that had my required registry numbers and returned it to Imogene.
"There you go, Gene. Feel free to list me as the primary care for all of the kids."
"Oh, you already are, Shawnee." She grinned. "Henry will be in eventually for his college physical. That should be interesting."
"I'll stare at him and talk to him about safe sex. I think that will be particularly comforting," I jested and both Gene and my mother laughed. Cote was too busy playing with a rubber glove to take much note of us.
I saw Gene to the door of the clinic then she and mom made plans to have tea this evening. Even in the daytime, the winter chill didn't let up. Mom shut the door behind her and joined me at the desk.
"Dodi?"
"Hmm?" I jotted down a few things in Cote's chart and filed it in the locked cabinet.
"Why did you not scan him?"
"Scan him for what?"
"Anything. It is proper to do, just in case. Especially with Breeders."
"Like an X-ray?" My brow furrowed while I listened to her.
"Tla, tla, Dodi." She waved away my suggestion of modern medical technology. "With your gift."
"Scan with my gift? How?"
She sat down on the desk, her hands folded in her lap. "Dodi, I have not taught you enough."
"I didn't know I could scan. Like a full body scan?"
"Yes." She nodded toward the exam table. "I will show you, come." I followed her over and she patted it. "Lie back."
"Me?"
"Yes. Do not look at me like that." She chuckled. "It won't hurt."
"This is weird." I listened to her for no other reason except for the fact that she was my mother. "I don't make it a practice to end up on my own exam table."
"Good. Now watch." She placed her left hand over me, an inch from my body, and slowly moved her hand upward beginning with my feet. I tensed when she neared my stomach. What if she found something wrong? Something that explained my infertility? I watched but her hand didn't lag, and she continued to move. "You have a scar there."
"Yeah, I do."
"We cannot heal scars. That is only for—"
"Cats, I know." I took a deep breath. "You don't feel anything else there?"
"Tla." She kept moving, over my neck and shoulders, then awkwardly over my face. "Always use your left hand. It is the hand that receives information. The right hand guides the heal."
"I've used them separately before."
"That is normal." She moved her hands down over my arms then I suddenly sensed a warmth growing over my left wrist. Mom lifted it and placed it on my stomach. "Here—"
"What are you doing?" Vanessa entered the clinic, her eyes narrowed at the two of us as concern flooded our connection.
"She's teaching me to use my gift to scan for illness, baby," I said but she remained unmoving. "I'm fine, I swear."
"Watch." Mom drew my attention back to the task. She traced my left arm, an inch above my skin, and paused over my hand. Vanessa stood beside her looking on, her lips pursed. Mom's left hand hovered over my wrist, I sensed warmth from her the instant before the familiar indigo glow spiraled from her palm in a slender line. "Did you hurt your wrist?"
"No, not at all. It feels fine."
"It is broken." Mom met my gaze, and lifted a brow.
"What?" Fury laced in with Vanessa's question.
"Broken?" I sat up a bit and examined my own hand. Sure enough, I felt an unaligned bone on the side of it. "Shit."
"You have another three hours to go before you will feel it." Mom removed her hand as Vanessa fluttered to the other side of the table. She took my hand in hers, eyes darting about while she examined me herself. Her tongue drew across her lips once and she looked up at my mother.
"How can you tell I have three hours left? Your gift picks up that much, Mom?" I wasn't sure whether to freak out or be excited.
"Our gift does, Dodi. Yes, it is very specific. You injured it about nine hours ago. What happened then?" Mom took my hand in hers again as Vanessa reluctantly let go.
"Nine hours ago I was still at work. Two in the morning." The answer hit me. "I tripped over a chair in my office." I nearly shouted. "But it wasn't a bad fall at all."
"It doesn't matter, Dodi. Bones are bones." She caressed my forearm from my elbow to fingertips. "Healing a Breeder injury before it appears will force it to do so. You will feel it for a fleeting moment. Dull but present. "
"I'll do it," Vanessa said as she squeezed my shoulder. "Let me."
"Baby, she has to show me how to do this." I looked up at her.
"Pain," she spoke through clenched teeth. Our mate bond shuddered with a mix of anger and possessiveness that mimicked Mal's. I wondered why he hadn't arrived in the room yet. Maybe my signals weren't sending him anything. I wasn't distressed, after all. Could he sense Vanessa's response? If so, what kept him at bay?
"It will be brief, Vanessa. This is very important," Mom spoke to my mate, using her proper name for the first time it seemed. Vanessa returned her gaze to mine.
"It's all right. I've had worse pain than a 'dull fleeting moment.'" That didn't make her feel any better. "Go ahead, Mom." Reluctantly, Vanessa nodded.
"Keep watch, Dodi." Mom held her right hand above my wrist, the left below, sandwiching me in the same way I had done when I healed Cote's broken wrist. The indigo surrounded me, though her glow was clearly defined like tendrils of light weaving in and out. As promised, the pressure built and I bit my lip. The swelling rose, as did the hint of a bruise, but as fast as it came, it went, as did the pain. A sharp jab like a pinprick met my wrist as Mom's indigo faded. She lifted my hand to show Vanessa. "Not terrible, no?"
"Not at all." I moved my wrist around. "Thanks, Mom." Vanessa stroked my arm, though she remained quiet.
"Now it is your turn." Mom took a step back as I swung my legs off the table. "Up you go." She nodded to Vanessa who stood stock-still watching me. Our link had cooled down now that she wasn't as upset. Mom cleared her throat.
"Who, me?" Vanessa seemed to startle out of her stare.
"Yes. She will work better with you than me."
"In what way?"
I asked.
"You know her body best and her claws are sharper," Mom said, nodding to Vanessa as she took the spot on the table for the second time this week. Her thoughts seemed to be on the same track as mine because she smiled. I gave her hair a tug and moved beside her.
"What do sharp claws have to do with it?" I asked.
"First, you will scan her and find nothing. She will then give herself a scratch which you will find, yes?" Mom lifted a brow at Vanessa.
"Yeah, okay." Vanessa nodded, her anger melted away now that she was part of the demonstration.
"I don't want her to scratch herself, Mom…"
"She is a big cat. She can handle it." My mother gripped my newly healed left hand in hers and tugged me toward Vanessa's feet. "Concentrate. Feel for hot or cold spots." She drew her gaze to Vanessa. "If her hand grows warm, report." Vanessa nodded and watched me. A shiver of excitement moved through our bond and brought a smile to my lips. She was into this, which made the idea of practicing on her much easier.
I had to admit, Mom's instructions were rather vague. I had no idea how to scan using my gift let alone control spontaneous healing of humans. Mom gripped the newly healed wrist and guided my hand over Vanessa's bare feet, moving slowly up her body with my palm barely an inch from her skin. While I focused as my mom suggested, reddish striations flashed in my mind's eye when I hovered over her thigh. I yanked my hand away.
"Tla, Dodi. Stay." She shoved my hand back into place. "What did you see?"
"Um… something red." Mom pressed my palm closer to Vanessa. "Muscle. I saw her muscle?" I glanced at my mother, Vanessa perked up as her amusement grew.
"Yes, strong and healthy muscle," she said. "Continue."
"Yes, Mommy." She gave me a pinch and I laughed softly then continued to move my hand over Vanessa's thighs, sliding toward her abdomen. At first, I sensed nothing unusual. The heat of her body seemed even as if her spirit pulsed steadily. Just below her navel, the temperature changed and a round ball of energy pressed against my palm. "She's warmer here. But there's nothing to heal, I can tell that much." I continued moving up her body as Mom's hand followed mine. She, too, paused over Vanessa's abdomen. I made my way to the top of her head without feeling anything else unusual. I messed up her hair for good measure and she laughed, swatting at me.
Mom's hand remained over Vanessa's stomach. Her brows narrowed and Vanessa met her gaze. The two of them shared a silent stare until Mom spoke in rolling sounds that I couldn't understand but recognized immediately.
Vanessa shot up and a growl rose in her chest as she grabbed my mother's hand. To my surprise, my mother returned the gesture and dragged Vanessa from the room. Our mate bond seized inside me and clamped down, sending a sharp jolt to my gut like a firm punch.
Behind me, a knock sounded from the entryway to the clinic. By the time I turned back around, Vanessa and Mom disappeared. What the hell is going on? I rushed to the door and pulled it open, expecting it to be the source of the disruption. Instead, I mild-mannered woman greeted me.
"Doctor Twofeathers?"
"Hi, yes. Welcome. Come in." I ushered the woman inside after getting a hold of myself and restoring the polite version of my poker face. "You're here about your son."
"Yes. I'm Wendy." She cleared her throat as she stepped into the clinic. Behind her, an adolescent tawny-colored wolf jumped the landing and skidded in the door between us. He slapped his paws clumsily on the wood floor before regaining composure and sitting on his haunches, his ears perked up as if trying to appear innocent. "Brandon," the woman spat his name under her breath, reprimanding him for the rude entry. "I'm sorry. He's…"
"Young. I understand." I crouched down beside the young wolf. He sniffed my hand first, then my hair. I chuckled a bit. "How old is he?" The woman closed the door and moved beside us.
"He's twelve. He had his Firsting last week. He hasn't shifted back since." She sighed.
"He's feral-born then. And you saw him in human form just that one time?" Brandon nearly knocked me over when he reared back and placed both of his paws on my shoulders. All that radiated from him was the playful energy of a happy cub. I ruffled his fur and played right back. Using my height as an advantage, I swept him off his feet and had him pinned on his side in no time. Wendy laughed and Brandon played dead. He let me win that one.
"Neither me nor my mate are feral. He won't talk to us about shifting. It hurt him, it seemed. Is that normal?"
"What do you think, kid? Is it normal?" I looked down at Brandon, he peeked one eye open at me then chuffed. Wendy chuckled because she obviously understood his affirmation. "Can you shift for your mother, please? You're freaking her out. Enough to bring you to a doctor. Changers don't need doctors, do they?"
He shook his head and I sat back on my heels. I grabbed a sheet from the drawer of the exam table and held it up to him. "C'mon then. We just need to make sure you're all right." He rolled to his paws, knees and elbows clunking on the wooden floor. He stood there, looking between us.
"Just do it, Brandon. If you can. Your father is worried sick," Wendy pleaded with her son. Part of me wondered why this bothered her so. Being one of two Changer parents, birthing a feral-born isn't that unusual. I wondered what societal pressures had her so worried. Brandon looked between us then took position behind the drape. I stood as I continued to hold it for him, shielding him from his mother's watchful gaze.
Brandon began to shift. First, his fur shortened, his shoulders popped, and cracked, his hips followed suit. A whine escaped him as his spine rolled and straightened, yanking him into an upright position. The light brown muzzle melted into the face of a fair-haired, smaller than average boy. He looked between me and his mother, his eyebrows lifting in a gesture that said, "See? I can do it."
"Good job. Did it hurt less this time?" I wrapped the sheet around his middle. He looked at me like I was crazy but held onto it. He nodded once, opened his mouth then frowned.
"Brandon," his mother said, her eyes a little teary. "Why didn't you shift before?"
He opened his mouth again and continued to frown, looking up at me and touching his throat.
"Ah, it's harder to communicate," I said. He nodded. I felt around his neck and throat just in case something had gone wrong in his shift. He let me examine him but my healing touch remained tucked away. "You'll learn English quickly, but you need to give it a chance. Can you make a sound?" I opened my mouth and made an "ah" sound for him to mimic. His shaggy hair needed quite a trim. He shook it out of his eyes and attempted to mimic the sound. It came out raspy and garbled. "There you go."
"So he's really all right?" Wendy asked the question that I knew burned inside her.
"He's fine. It's going to take him a while to grow comfortable with his new, far less useful form." I patted his shoulder and ushered him toward his mother. His skin had the overheated temperature of Mal's. This boy was also close to his wolf. "Go give your mother a hug, kid, before she passes out from worry."
Brandon toddled over to his mother who embraced him readily. His legs didn't obey him in the same manner his voice hadn't.
"Brandon, spend one hour a day in human form. That's my treatment recommendation, all right?"
He lifted his lip at me but nodded. Wendy gave him a flick on the ear for the attitude. I couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"Give him a few weeks. If he's still struggling, let me know. Shifting gets easier, Brandon, the more you practice."
"Thank you, Doctor Twofeathers."
"Shawnee." I nodded to them.
Brandon slipped from his mother's arms and burst back into wolf form. He shook out his coat and trotted a circle around us, stomping on the paper drape along the way. I laughed.
"You've got a stubborn boy on your hands."
"Tell me about it." She chuckled as I opened the door for her. Brandon raced out and jumped into the back of her pickup truck. "Thank you."
"Of course." I waved to Brandon as he propped himself up on the roof of the truc
k, his tail swayed happily not unlike a domesticated dog. Wendy ordered him into the front of the truck and he climbed in through the sliding back window. I shook my head, laughing at the cub who was clearly acting out for my amusement. He definitely won this game.
I closed the door and leaned back against my desk, continuing to chuckle at the antics of the cub. Mal entered the clinic shortly after, his stony expression shot me back to reality.
"What's going on?" I shoved away from the desk and over to him. He placed his hands on my waist to stop me from rushing down the hall.
"I'm not sure. Ana and Vanessa were going back and forth in Gaelic. I only understood some of it. Then she left."
"Who left?"
"Vanessa. I can't sense her very well now, can you?" His eyes searched my expression as concern wrinkled his forehead.
"No, well, yes. She's fine, I can tell that much but she's far away." I paused, focusing inward on our bonds. Mal's was once again open entirely and pulsing, we equally provided each other with worry. Vanessa's bond shrunk to a small emerald tendril, indicating her distance. "I think she's in Ireland." I met his gaze. "That feels right, yeah."
"What happened in here?"
"Mom was teaching me how to use my gift to scan for injuries. The next thing I know, they're speaking in foreign tongues and rushing away from me. Where's Mom?"
"She left, too." Mal's grip on me tightened. "It's only you and me here."
"Where's Xany and Caden?"
"They went to Hanks."
"Right, Mom was going there for tea, too." Again, I focused in on the connections inside me. I couldn't feel Vanessa much and that in itself set aflame a sudden panic that nearly choked me. Mal gripped my hands and held them.
"Easy, Shawnee."
"Did they have a fight?" My voice trembled as a wave of dread hit me hard. Now it was me freaking out over the distance rather than Vanessa. "What did you hear them say?"
"Ana asked something about 'how long' and Vanessa kept saying 'no.'" My knees suddenly grew weak and I would have fallen if Mal hadn't caught me. He lifted me and carried me back into the main room.
The deepening evening darkened our home and brought shadows to places where the glow of the fire should be. Mal sat with me on the sofa.
Bound (Legacy Series Book 4) Page 7
