Create a buzz? Until it had happened in his stress, he did not know he could, in essence, turn it off. He had tried. Boy, had he tried. Like when couples came to him and asked permission to be mated. He really wished he could drown out their thoughts. And the older couples were the worst. They had more experience.
The next hour was excruciating. He worked hard at creating the buzz, but their medical jargon kept slipping through. And it was not pretty. Sherona had to send calming thoughts to him more than once which both infuriated and humbled him.
Finally, Sherona and Dr. Waverly came out. They looked haggard, the suffering apparent in their eyes. Suffering but not death. She was alive. Alex is still alive!
He felt weak in the knees and stepped backward until his calves smacked against a chair. He sat, fearful yet some of his worry had eased. Whatever they had to say, he could live with. The relief made him want to throw up. One thing he realized, the weres who’d lost their pregnant mates recently, were being quite calm given the extreme emotions being mated caused.
“Nolan,” Sherona impatiently said, as if she had tried to get his attention before. Had they been speaking? He did not know. The relief pounded in his ears, and all he could hear was the inside of his head.
“What? I missed it.” Focusing on her mouth so he could read her lips as well as hear what she said, he tried hard to pay attention.
He saw the gentle smile. Who knew that werecats could be so compassionated about the werewolves? It was a day for revelations.
“She’s going to live, but it’ll take time. Much more time than we weres are used to in our healing processes. And she’ll likely have scars on her back. Do you know what they gave her?”
“No idea. She said they drugged her, and she was knocked unconscious.” The importance of his statement rocked through the basement hospital as loudly as if a shotgun report had gone off.
“She was out cold?” Dr. Waverly looked hard at Nolan as if he could snap the information out of his head. Maybe he could. If Nolan possessed it.
“Her pack’s enforcer is the one who kidnapped and drugged her. He won’t be forthcoming about the contents. But I think I know someone who will. And believe me, if she doesn’t talk out of familial responsibility, she’ll talk out of fear.”
Now Sherona and the doctor looked confused. “Familial responsibility?” Sherona’s eyes widened as Nolan thought specifically of who. “It can’t possibly be her mother. I know Heather. She wouldn’t hurt anyone!”
“Maybe the drug is so she can operate on weres, and Roxy and Boris have found a nefarious use for it,” he replied. Whatever the reason, he would find the ingredients and help Alex to fully recover. Not to mention keep others from being caught unaware.
Sherona narrowed her eyes on Nolan. He knew she could feel the anger still coming off him. “Ulfric, I think I should come with you to get Heather. Something tells me my bedside manner is more convincing.”
He snarled, and she snarled back.
“Cool it,” the doctor said. He never raised his voice, but the power made it sound like a boom. “All weres are in danger, not just your mate, if Boris and Roxy are using this for reasons other than medical. Sherona shall go with you because it makes sense. She and Heather are friends. You’ll be there to ensure Heather understands it’s a were problem not a cat one.”
Nolan stopped in his tracks, more cautious now. Waverly may not have his own pard, pride, shadow? Whichever cat group he was from. But he was definitely alpha. Nolan was curious what the doctor’s story was, but right now, he was more interested in the feeling behind the words.
“Something happened once. I sense it’s why you’re a doctor,” Nolan said softly. Then in a more normal tone, he continued. “I have no problem with Sherona going with me, if you’ll be here to protect Alex.”
He saw the flash of awareness streak through Waverly’s eyes. He wondered how long he had been hiding his alpha state. Interesting but immaterial at the present time. By saying he would trust his mate with him alone, Nolan had acknowledged and accepted that Waverly was an equal.
“I’d be honored,” the doctor answered after a moment of locked gazes. “But hurry, Ulfric. She’s stable, but I don’t know what other surprises might be in the drugs they gave her.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nolan frowned as they drove onto the restricted lands, the tension riding him like a wild bronco. He did not like this. It had taken them a full day to find Heather since she wasn’t answering her phone and Alex couldn’t tell them where her mother lived. Apparently, Heather had gone into hiding from all but her own pack and they’d been unable to locate Heather until she had contacted Sherona and told her to meet at Heather’s house. It reminded him too much of his earlier foray into the forest when Boris had laid a trap for him. This time his protective angel was at Waverly Mansion and had yet to regain consciousness.
Sherona’s dark hair gleamed in the sunlight, looking almost ethereal to him. As he looked at her and sensed her psychically, it occurred to him that she felt to him as he imagined a true witchdoctor would feel—powerful, calm, one with nature, yet completely barbaric, and ruthless underneath.
“Watch it, wolf. You’re getting personal,” Sherona said, never taking her eyes of the asphalt road.
“How do you do that? You’ve encased your thoughts, yet you can read mine? It’s frustrating and annoying as hell.” Whatever it took, he wanted to have that kind of control.
“You’ll get there. Like all things, it takes practice.” Grimacing at the gentleness and sympathy he heard in her voice, he decided to drop the subject.
Thirty minutes later, they turned onto a gravel road which turned into more of a jeep trail. Typical on Mount Adams. They were in Sherona’s jeep as Heather had requested. One more piece to the puzzle that worried him and made him leery of a trap.
Letting his thoughts drift, he allowed the quietness of the forest to envelope him. The sound of the engine seemed to disappear and the deep stillness, the trees breathing, the sap flowing, all worked through him making him feel right with nature. Many of his kind spent so much of their time either resenting being a freak or using their skills to prey on others that they forgot to just be.
His soul filled up with the essence of the forest, letting its rhythms speak to his body. He closed his mind and focused on Alex. He sent his thoughts to her, seeking his mate to share the moment with her.
“Come back to me, my love. I want to share this with you. Take you camping like my family used to take me. I miss your presence in my mind. Please, Alex, don’t give up.”
***
Her mind was a confusing mass of fear, pleasure, and loneliness. The weirdest part was she could smell the forest. Was she back home? Had it all been a dream? She kept her eyes closed. In her dream, she had found her mate. The rest was horrible and not surprising given how the pack treated her, but for a lovely moment in time, she had been wanted as a woman, had been respected, and not judged as unfit because one of her parents was human. He had been able to communicate with her through their thoughts.
“Alex, don’t give up.”
She jerked her eyes open. Have I gone crazy?
“There you are. You’ve given us quite a scare, young lady,” a man dressed in hospital scrubs said. Where was she? She concentrated on his thoughts. He was surprised and greatly relieved.
“Where—” She cleared her throat. It was dry, and she felt weak. “What—” she tried again. Damn, but my throat hurts. “Who—” she said, then gave up. Her head was spinning, and his relief was so strong it pulsated against her own thoughts.
“You’ve been through a serious ordeal. How do you feel?” he asked, checking her pulse. Trays with bloody gauze and a foul smelling liquid looked ready to be wheeled out.
She tried to move and cried out. Immediately the man looked down at her in admonishment. “Give yourself time. You’ve been here for more than a day. Your back is bound to be sore.”
“Who,” she croaked out aga
in. Befuddlement was not a pleasant state of mind for her.
“Who?” He frowned, then his forehead cleared. “Who am I? I’m Paul Smith, your nurse. Do you remember who you are?”
She nodded.
“Do you remember what happened?”
She paused, thinking. The memories flashed through her, strong not weak like they would have been if they had been a dream; she concluded they explained why she woke up in the hospital dressed in naught but a hospital gown. She nodded again, more slowly this time. Not being able to talk was frustrating. “Water,” she rasped.
“Of course,” he said and walked away. She heard water running just outside the door to her right. She needed to stretch, but now that she knew her dreams were memories, she wanted more information first. Also, Boris’s attack on her might have left scars but would not have normally required a hospital stay. Nor would it have knocked her out. But the aide was very careful not to think of the details of her stay.
Careful? Why would he be conscientious of his thoughts unless he knew she could read them? She narrowed her eyes at the doorway, wishing she could give him the stare of death. How had he found out? She had felt comfortable being in a hospital, but now, she was worried it might not be a regular hospital.
If this was not a hospital, she needed out of there before they did more testing on her and found out her genetics were not normal. Fear of discovery and being used as a lab rat gave her the adrenaline she needed to sit up, but then she had to bit her lip to keep a yelp from escaping. Dear God in heaven, is this what humans feel when they are recovering? She needed to be more lenient in dispensing pain medication prescriptions.
Paul came back into the room, fixing the lid on a drink cup. When he saw her sitting up, he let go of the cup and fumbled to catch it before it hit the ground. He succeeded, barely.
“Alex! What in the hell are you doing? Your body isn’t ready to sit up!” Paul’s anxious voice soothed her. Especially since his fear she might hurt herself had a name behind it. Nolan. He was afraid of what Nolan would do to him if she hurt herself.
Another man came rushing in, ducking his head to avoid the doorjamb. He was dazzling in height. His power wafted over her like a waterfall cascading down the side of the mountains. Beautiful, powerful, strange. She instinctively tried to curl up into a submissive pose and cried out in pain.
“Alex!” the newcomer exclaimed sharply. “I’m Dr. Waverly. You must stop this nonsense at once. I gave the ulfric my word you would come to no harm.” He assessed her. She supposed the sweat on her brow gave away the fact that she was still in a great deal of pain.
“The grimace on your face would have told me long before I saw the sweat,” he said.
She tried to jerk her head back to look into his face. It was too much for her, and she whimpered. One of Boris’s deeper slices was at the base of her skull. Her whimper scratched across her throat, feeling like sandpaper.
“Perhaps, Doctor, while she is sitting, I can give her the water. She wants to speak. It will be easier to hold the straw in her current position,” Paul said, and she nodded gratefully albeit carefully.
“I see she concurs with your assessment, Paul. Make it so. Now, Alex,” he said in what she recognized as a professional caregiver voice. “You must do as you’re told. I’m not used to making promises to ulfrics about their mates. But I’m going to make what I feel is a safe assumption. They don’t take kindly to failure. Do not make me out to be a liar,” he said, a gentle smile on his face. “I fear the consequences would be dire indeed. For both of us.”
While the doctor talked, Paul held the water out for her. She started to reach for it, used to caring for herself, but she caught the reproachful look in his eye. No need to be a mind reader to guess what he was thinking. Grimacing in frustration, she allowed him to hold the straw to her mouth. He took it away much too soon.
Groaning, she pleaded silently for more. Paul flushed, then stammered, “I-I can’t. Please. It’ll make you sick if you drink too much too fast. If you throw up with your neck and back in their current condition, you might rip your stitches. Then Dr. Waverly and your ulfric would have my hide—literally.”
“He’s quite right, you know. I do not pay him to be susceptible to a patient’s charm. Not that we need to worry about it much around here, do we, Paul?” For some reason the question sent Paul into laughing hysterics. Alex tried to read his mind. Flashes of pictures, like a slide show on super speed, went through it. Ah, usually they had very angry weres in animal form when they first came in, too injured to risk shifting. Then the surly human side as they were healing but not strong enough to be out with other weres who might attack them because of their known vulnerability.
She smiled. No, she did not suppose they had too many charming patients around here. “Thank you,” she said softly. “Where am I?” Her voice was still scratchy, but the water had been a tremendous help. At least she got out more than one syllable this time.
“You’re in Waverly Mansion,” the doctor said. At her quizzical look, he continued, a smile in his voice. “It’s a were hospital. A cross between a vet’s office and a human hospital. My doctorate is in human medicine. But I’ve studied animal anatomy and appropriate care as well.”
“I’ve never heard of it,” she said, fishing for more information. Why did her pack not know of it?
“Your pack doesn’t know because I don’t trust most of them,” he said. Damn it, she had to watch her thoughts around him. He continued, “Your mother knows in case she has need.”
“But I don’t know,” she said flatly.
“You were made to sound human to everyone, my dear, including those in the other wolf packs. You’ve hidden your shifting ability well over the years. Until the ulfric brought you in, no one knew. Now, I did not want you in the position to be tortured. No human would have the strength to stand up to Boris’s brand of torture and might not heal either.”
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she blinked them away. “Of course. Thank you for explaining and protecting me.” If Boris or Roxy heard of this place and thought she knew the whereabouts, they would stop at nothing until she had revealed it to them.
“Come now, no tears,” Dr. Waverly said in a gentle but firm voice. “You are to be the ulfric’s mate. You will no longer need to pretend the submissiveness that has been forced on you these many years. You will be able to fight with all the courage and strength inside of you.”
“Paul,” he said to the attendant. “Come, help me get her in a more comfortable position. Alexandria, it is Alexandria?” She did not know if her nod actually happened or not, but he understood her acquiescence. “This is going to hurt.”
She barely had time to acknowledge to herself that he was not kidding before she blacked out again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sherona and Nolan finally arrived at the healer’s home. They were standing at the door of a cabin which was larger than he had expected. It was hewn from nature. The logs were close to even, but you could see where they had been hand planed to fit together better. The place was beautiful and well cared for. He saw evidence where more invasive plants were not allowed to choke the lodge poles and pine that surrounded the home.
Seeing where Alex grew up helped equalize his emotions. A few minutes earlier a new wave of grief swamped him as he lost his link to Alex. It had been faint, but for a little while, he’d felt her presence in his mind, like a probe of light dispelling the darkness. Now it was gone, leaving him in a state of near despair.
“Cool it, Ulfric,” Sherona said, then looked at him sideways. “I’m having to say that a lot, but you don’t have a reputation of being a hothead. Is having your mate threatened really that nerve-racking?” She was partly teasing but partly curious.
“Yes.”
That silenced her, which was just as well since the door opened to reveal a woman who looked too young to be the mother of someone Alex’s age. Heather’s hair was plaited down to the small of her back where it und
ulated with each step as she led them wordlessly into her living room.
“The file for Dr. Waverly is there,” the healer said, pointing to a blue file sitting on the coffee table. “I have a couple of different serums that could cause the symptoms you described on the phone but not the severity.”
She turned to the wall and studied the pictures carefully. Nolan could sense she did not want to speak the words she needed to but also she was hiding behind the strong feeling of reluctance. She did not want to face them. He had seen it before while questioning suspects. Innocent people who felt responsible for someone else’s reprehensible actions acted the way she did.
He followed Sherona’s lead with Heather even though the cop in him wanted to interrogate and the ulfric in him wanted to demand. He stilled his body and focused, the hunter waiting patiently for its prey.
Heather faced them again, took one look at the ulfric, and turned a sickly green. It gave him a savage satisfaction. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, one hand covering her throat, the other out in supplication as she dropped to her knees. “Truly, I didn’t know. I’d never hurt my daughter.” Heather’s voice shook with raw emotions with whatever she had rehearsed to say lost in her fear. He felt no pity.
“What is it you didn’t know, Heather?” Sherona’s voice carried steel under its velvety softness. “The side effects of your serums, the planned use for it, or how they’d planned to use it against your daughter and not some other innocent were?”
Damn. Sherona was pissed. Whereas Nolan had been grateful for information to give to Dr. Waverly, she was angrier at the proof of her friend’s betrayal. He ratcheted back his own anger a notch so he did not inadvertently trigger her change as he had in the car.
“Of course I know the side effects of the serums. I had no way of knowing they’d administer them all at once! They were given to Roxy because she wanted them. Ostensibly, in case of emergencies while hunting.” She took a deep breath. “I know the bleeding serum is to keep a wound open to let the poison out from fights involving Boris when they don’t want the other werewolf to die. I’m not supposed to know. Boris has something on his nails all the time which stays on the claws when he shifts. But he also has a poison tipped knife. I’ve seen him use it.”
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