No point in him suffering any more than he had to.
She was thankful her duties had turned to simpler issues. No battle wounds in almost a year. That was a great thing. In fact, Mason’s injury was probably the worst thing she’d had to deal with since his brother’s gunshot wound from the solstice battle.
If she never had to deal with injuries like those again, she would be happy. Maybe things were beginning to thaw between the bears and lions. Maybe they had both learned that things weren’t solved with violence. She stopped outside the makeshift door. Fitting things to the inside of a cave wasn’t always straightforward.
She knocked and went into the room. The bright ceiling lights had been turned down and she upped them, so she could see her patient. A lioness sat with him, Lara if she remembered correctly, and her face was shrouded with worry. Griff stood, peering over the bed.
“Hi, Lara.”
“Alicia.”
Alicia set her supplies on the table and moved to the hospital bed where Mason lay. She set out a healing and relaxation candle and lit it on the bedside table. Griff grumbled but she ignored him. The scent would help Mason deal with the pain.
The bandage on his foot was soaked through with dried blood and Alicia donned gloves before she unwrapped him. Lara leaned forward in her seat, watching every move.
“Is he going to be okay?” Lara asked.
“I hope so. I don’t see any reason why not.” Alicia gave Lara a warm smile.
“I hope you’re right.”
“Worst case, he’s broken his ankle and we’ll need to get it set before he starts healing too much. But that’s only if he has a displaced fracture.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t take his sock off, but no bones were sticking out.”
“Well, that’s good.” She peered at Griff. “I assume you’ve told Elijah?”
He nodded. “Yes. He wants us to do whatever we can to help Mason.”
Alicia untwined the bandage, holding Mason’s foot as gently as she could. “If it’s broken, he’s going to have to go for an X-ray.”
“How will you know?” Lara scooted her chair closer. “The trap had a lot of force. I wouldn’t be surprised if it snapped a bone.”
“There’s no obvious malformation.” Alicia tugged the last of the bandage loose and dropped it into the trash. “At least not that I can tell so far. There’s some swelling. Let me get this sock off.”
“I hope there aren’t more of these traps out there, but I bet there are. There’s no use for these inhumane things.” Griff ran his hand through his cropped hair. “We need to get out in the woods and search.”
“We’re going to have to stop the humans, period.” Lara raised her voice. “They’re running right over things in Deep Creek. The traps are just one symptom of a bigger problem.”
“Indeed.”
“Yeah.” Lara watched Alicia. “The situation needs to be resolved before anyone else gets hurt.”
“The bleeding appears to have stopped.” Alicia slid the last bit of the sock off, carefully peeling the parts stuck with dried blood. The humans made her stomach churn. She hated conflict.
“That’s good.” Griff set his mouth in a firm line. “We’re going to need him.”
Mason’s ankle was swollen and bruised, with a row of cuts where the trap had mangled the flesh. Alicia put a towel under his foot and ran water in the sink to clean off the excess blood. She wet a small towel and dabbed at the skin. Shifter healing had already closed off the wounds, and the bruising looked a few days old.
“Can you tell if it’s broken?” Lara held Mason’s hand. “It looks pretty messed up.”
Alicia raised her eyebrows. Were the two lions a couple? Marco hadn’t mentioned it and yet the two were holding hands. “I don’t think it is. At least, not a bad break. But it’s going to take a bit of time to heal. If he has a hairline fracture, it should heal fine without a cast.”
“Get him back on his feet,” Griff said. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
“Working on it. He doesn’t need stitches, so once I bandage him, it’s a matter of resting the foot till he’s healed.” She felt along his ankle, applying gentle pressure.
Mason sucked a breath in and moaned. His eyes remained closed. Alicia was hesitant to give him pain medicine until he was more alert, in case it was too sedating. He’d need it when he woke up, but for now, she’d hold off.
He opened his eyes and everyone turned to him.
“Is he waking up?” Lara asked.
“I hope so.” Alicia moved to stand over him. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Mason muttered.
“That’s to be expected.” Alicia smiled.
“Is Lara here?” He tried to lift up and Alicia put her hand on his shoulder.
“Lie down.”
“I’m here, Mason,” Lara answered.
“I need you to do something.”
“Sure.”
“Get a meeting scheduled for all the shifters. We have to stop the humans now, before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Good idea.” Griff spoke up.
Mason closed his eyes and was out.
“Is he okay?” Lara asked, eyes rounded.
“He’s fine. This is normal for someone in a lot of pain. I want him to be more conscious before I give him a shot that will make him sleepy.”
“That makes sense,” Griff said. “When he wakes up again, he’s going to be in a world of hurt.”
“I’ll take care of him,” Alicia said.
“Thank you.” Lara turned to Griff. “When can we set up a meeting?”
“I’ll talk to Elijah, but let’s say tomorrow night? We can meet here since Mason won’t be mobile for a couple days.”
“Okay. That sounds good. I hope he’ll be feeling better tomorrow.”
“He has to feel better than he does now.” Alicia moved the candle closer.
“Lara, can you go tell the lions about the meeting? I’ll get in touch with Elijah.”
“Sure, when?” Lara rubbed the back of Mason’s hand.
“Now, if you can.”
“What if he wakes up while I’m gone?” Lara clenched Mason’s hand tightly. “And I’m not here. He may think he’s been captured.”
“He’s going to be fine and we can explain things to him if he does wake up while you’re gone. The pain caused him to pass out—it’s a normal bodily response. For now, it’s better that he’s out.”
Lara stood. “When exactly do you want to meet with the lions and wolves?”
Griff rubbed his chin. “Tomorrow at sunset. Here in the cave.”
“Sounds good. Will you contact the wolves?” Lara asked.
Alicia shuddered. “I’m not a fan of the wolves.” She dabbed at the blood on Mason’s ankle. The wolves weren’t trustworthy, and they’d proven that many times over. Powell’s mate, Olivia, was the only wolf Alicia could tolerate and even she had issues with the Green Glen Wolves. Alicia still got an uneasy feeling the wolves were only out for themselves.
“As much as we may not like it, we’re going to need their help.” Griff paced. “I’ll send a couple of bears to talk to them and invite them to the meeting. My guess is they can’t wait to be back in the thick of things.”
“You’re probably right.” Lara leaned and whispered something to Mason.
“Busybodies.” Griff snorted.
“Yes, they are.” Lara swept Mason’s hair off his brow. “I’ll go now but I’ll be back by morning.”
“Take your time. Mason needs to sleep and heal and I’m not going anywhere while he needs care.” Alicia smiled at the lioness. “Please let Marco know that I’ll be here tending his brother and not home tonight.”
“Will do.” Lara shut the door behind her.
“Are we really going
to work with all the shifters? It’s like a dream. Tawodi will be so thrilled.” Alicia dabbed Mason’s ankle with antiseptic. “Do you know how often she’s talked of this day?”
Griff grunted. “If we can survive the humans, we can do anything.”
Alicia smiled as she worked on Mason’s ankle. Gruff Griff could be so dramatic. Even Amy hadn’t completely settled his grumpiness. Underneath it all, Griff was a perfect teddy bear.
“We’ll save Deep Creek,” she said. “I have no doubt.”
But she did have doubts. If the bears and wolves and lions couldn’t overcome their differences, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the humans.
They’d never know until they tried, though, and they had to try.
Chapter Eleven
Mason screamed, his mouth dry. Pain shot up his leg, burning and piercing the muscle. He didn’t know what the hell was hurting his foot, but it needed to stop. He reached for his leg, holding his thigh and hoping the pain would subside. Shifter healing was often painful, but whatever was going on now was the worst pain he’d ever been through. Darkness surrounded him, and he yelled for Marco.
His brother would help him.
A sliver of light slashed the darkness, then more light appeared in a flash of brightness overhead. He held his arm up to shield his eyes, squinting as it blinded him.
“Let me give you some pain medicine.” A woman’s voice grew closer as she spoke, garbled as if she were underwater.
“Where am I?” Mason tried to sit up but his foot throbbed and he lay back. He blinked against the bright light.
“You’re in the cave. Don’t you remember?”
“Alicia?” What the hell. Was this some trick his brother was playing? Or maybe it was a dream. He closed his eyes. “The cave? Why am I with the bears? My foot hurts.”
“Yes, it’s me. You have an injury. Hold still and let me give you this injection. You’ll feel better.”
“Okay.” He waited, then a burning sting pierced his hip. “Ouch. Dammit!”
The laughter in Alicia’s voice was clear. “It’s better than the pain in your foot, isn’t it?”
“I’ll let you know,” he growled. “What the hell happened?” He scanned the room, his eyes now adjusted to the light. Sure enough, he was in the cave. Wait...he and Lara had been in the cave. What happened?
Realization prodded him. Shoshannah had said he and Lara had to work together to save Deep Creek from the human infiltration. Now he was in a bed in the cave. What the hell? Today was messed up.
Had that even been today? Or maybe he was in a dream. A nightmare.
“Remember yet?”
He shook his head. “No. Not really.”
Alicia capped the syringe and placed it on the table beside the bed. “You and Lara were headed home after talking with Shoshannah, and you—”
“Saw a trap and pushed Lara out of the way. I tripped and stepped in it. Dammit!” The memory and pain came rushing back. The snap of the trap and the feel of cold steel teeth on his ankle sent a wave of nausea through him and he gagged.
“Yes, you got caught in a trap the humans set out. Lara was able to release your foot, but you were injured and then passed out. She wasn’t able to get you home, but the bears found you both and brought you here to the cave, so we could treat your injuries.”
“Is my ankle broken? Or my leg?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s badly bruised, though. I’ve cleaned you up and now it’s a matter of waiting on it to heal. The sooner we can get you up walking, the better.”
He pondered her words. Waiting to heal in the cave wasn’t an option. Marco would come get him. “I want to go back to the pride.”
“I want to go to Paris.”
“Very funny. Where’s Lara? You said we both came back to the cave? I vaguely remember, but it’s like a dream.”
“She’s gone back to the pride to let them know what happened and to tell them about the meeting.”
“What meeting?”
“You called for a meeting of all shifter leaders to discuss the human issue.”
He rubbed his chin. “Oh yeah. I remember. When is it?”
Alicia pulled the blanket up and took his pulse. He held his arm still.
“Tonight. Here in the cave.”
“Good. I’m ready to make a plan and stop the humans for good. This shit has gotten out of control. Where’s Marco?”
“I’ve not heard from him yet, but I’m betting he’ll be here as soon as he can. Maybe he’ll come back with Lara.” She put her hands on her hips. “Meanwhile, you need to rest. You’ll heal faster.”
He yawned. The warmth from the pain medicine injection had spread throughout his body, and the pain had mostly subsided. It wouldn’t hurt to stay in the cave until the meeting. It made sense, in fact. No point in getting all the way back to the pride just to have to turn around and come back. “Is Lara coming back soon?”
Alicia nodded. “Yes. She’ll be back any time now.”
The candle burning on the table sputtered and he smelled the pungent odor of pine and wood and dirt. He squinted at Alicia. She was using her wacky witch healing on him. He peered at his foot, making sure nothing weird was going on there. No seaweed wraps or mud, he hoped.
Bandaged, it looked twice its normal size, but there weren’t any weird symbols or other crazy things on it. The candle sputtered and crackled. “What magic are you using on me? You know the lions don’t believe in that faith healing stuff.” He tried to keep his voice level. Alicia was his brother’s mate and he shouldn’t piss her off, or Marco would be mad.
“I’m not doing anything. Well, besides a healing and pain-relief candle.”
He sniffed the air. Nothing hallucinogenic, just pine and dirt smells from the candle. “Fine.” Maybe it was a little bit relaxing, or maybe it was the pain medicine.
A candle couldn’t do anything woo-woo to him. If Alicia got out the herbal concoctions and asked him to take them, or started dancing around the room chanting, he’d have something to say about that.
Marco might’ve allowed her to do weird stuff when she was healing him, but that didn’t mean he had to. Not a chance in hell, in fact. The candle was enough.
“Don’t worry, I’ve not cast a spell or made a voodoo doll of you yet. If you don’t cooperate and rest, I might.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Your bedside manner sucks.”
“Marco doesn’t think so.”
“I’m not Marco.”
“No, you aren’t.”
He scooted up till he was seated in the bed. “Why isn’t Lara back yet?”
Alicia cleaned up, busying herself around the bed and tossing things into the trash. “She said she’d be back in the morning, but obviously that didn’t happen. She must’ve been held up.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “By what?”
“I have no idea. Maybe she decided to come back when it’s time for the meeting tonight.”
“Maybe. I’ll be glad when she gets here.”
Alicia sighed. “Why don’t you rest awhile and think about proposals for the meeting? I’m sure the wolves won’t have any ideas, so it’s going to be up to the lions and bears.”
“Great. The wolves.”
“I’m not a fan either, but we need them. Lara said Shoshannah said all shifters needed to work together and that means the wolves, too.”
“I hope they don’t screw things up.”
“Me, too. Will you please get some rest now? I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.”
“Fine.”
Holding a meeting and getting a firm plan in place was the logical next step. Of course, he’d rather the meeting be held at the lion’s compound, but the cave would be fine.
“I’ll be back to check on you in a couple hours.
Please get some rest. We’re going to need your help to handle the pipeline.”
* * *
“How’re you feeling?” Lara stepped into Mason’s room, Marco on her heels.
Mason turned his head toward them and gave a faint smile. “I’m doing better.”
“Sorry I was gone so long. I had to take care of some things back at the compound.”
“I don’t even know what time it is,” Mason muttered.
“Already early evening. Looks like you slept the day away.”
“Well, I feel a lot better,” Mason said.
Lara pushed down the bubble of excitement at seeing Mason. She was glad he felt better, but there was no reason to act like a schoolgirl. Working together meant just that. Work. Nothing more.
Ever.
“Really, brother? You look like crap.” Marco grinned and hugged Mason. “Alicia treating you well?”
“Of course I am!” Alicia stepped into the room. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Just teasing.”
“Time for more pain medicine.” She maneuvered close to the bed. “Bare that hip.”
Lara moved to the corner. The room wasn’t really big enough for so many people, and the bed took up a lot of space. Mason turned on his side and Alicia gave him his shot then capped the syringe.
“That shit stings.” Mason winced.
“Don’t be a baby.” Alicia grinned.
“My healer.” Marco reached for Alicia, but she held her hand out to stop him.
“Medical waste here.” She held up the syringe. “Let me dispose of it and I’ll be right back.”
“At least a kiss?”
Alicia bent forward, and Marco gave her a peck on the lips. She held the capped syringe at arm’s length.
Lara controlled her urge to roll her eyes at the display of affection.
“Back in a little while to check on you.” Alicia pulled the door closed behind her.
As soon as Alicia was gone, Lara stepped up to the bed. Mason’s tousled hair made him look like a wild animal. A sexy wild animal. Her cheeks heated, and she’d never been happier that shifters couldn’t read minds. She reached to push his hair away from his eyes, then restrained herself.
“You’re really feeling better?” He did seem in better spirits. “That trap was nasty.”
Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars) Page 12
