Tempering Steel

by Lea Barrymire

  They lapsed into companionable silence for the rest of the short ride. They followed a cautiously driving Margie into the Alpha’s driveway. From the number of times she’d looked over her shoulder and into the bed of her truck, he figured she’d be happy to park and get the stranger settled.

  The men climbed out of Skip’s little car. Connor paused for a moment and cleared his throat to grab Skip’s attention. Leaning toward his Alpha, he whispered, “I’m not letting her tend this guy herself.” His comment was met by a nod from Skip. “Who’s here that we can put in with her?”

  “Zeke is hanging around. I think Jared or Mikey might be here.”

  The immediate growl and whine from Connor’s animal had him fighting a blush. What the hell was going on with him? He was already avoiding the fact that he’d pulled Margie into a hug earlier. He hadn’t been able to fight the need to comfort her, and the feel of her in his arms had been perfect. She’d fit against his chest and in his embrace as if she’d been built specifically to be there. And where was his anger at being shot? At being put to sleep like some damn dog? And why had he been so upset over her off-hand comment about him being a Fido?

  His coyote gave him the animal equivalent of a duh and eye-roll before settling down in the back of Connor’s mind. The critter had been tense when he’d been mad at Margie, but now that the irritation was gone, the pup was happy to watch and sniff her from the back of his mind. The crazy creature hadn’t given him a minute’s rest since all hell had broken loose at Cammie’s house. After days of intense fights for control of mind and body, it was nice to have his animal half settled a little.

  The coyote perked up for a moment to chuff happily after scenting her, and a clear thought came through. Mate. Silly pup didn’t have a clue. Hadn’t he learned from Lisa? Hadn’t they suffered enough when she’d promised to mate him and then left them? Hadn’t that heartache been enough?

  Obviously not, as his furry side pushed his desire to rub against Margie’s legs in animal form, to mark her with his scent. Connor tried to ignore the beast, chalking it all up to the lack of sex he’d had over the last few years. Maybe his coyote was feeling frisky and had picked Margie as his target out of lack of options. The growling animal in the back of his head told him the truth, but he didn’t want to hear it. Margie wasn’t his mate. Nope. No matter what his other half thought, they weren’t going to go through that again. He’d nearly gone out of his head the first time. He’d been lost and his coyote had mourned the loss of his marked mate. Connor wasn’t strong enough to go through that again.

  The memories curbed some of his coyote’s enthusiasm, but still a glimpse of Margie as she bustled around to get the wolf situated had the animal sniffing the air to catch her scent.

  “I take it you and your other half are battling? Your eyes keep shifting colors.” Skip’s whispered words pulled Connor from his musings. When he looked at his Alpha, the man continued. “I don’t know why you’re fighting this so much, but she’s a good woman. She’s passionate about shifters and would be a fantastic mate. Stop living in the past.”

  Connor shook his head. “The past is meant to be learned from. I’ve done this once already and was handed a broken heart. You’ve lived through far more than I have. Do you really think you’d take another mate after losing Elizabeth?”

  The flash of pain in his friend’s eyes burned away the lingering irritation Connor had held for his Alpha. Fuck. No one talked about Skip’s dead mate. It was an unofficial rule told to new inhabitants in whispered words. They’d been perfect together, and when she’d died in a car accident it had nearly killed Skip. It had taken him months to finally come out of his house and interact with the pack again in human form. During that time everyone had taken turns sleeping with him in animal form. He’d needed the contact and so had they.

  “To answer your question, yes. If I found another woman who made me feel half of what I felt with Liz, I’d scoop her up and mate her faster than she could blink.” Skip’s words were coated in pain and remorse but the firm chin and clenched fists told Connor all he needed to know. His Alpha would take a chance at love again.

  Which begged the question—why wasn’t Connor jumping at the opportunity?

  “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to bring her up.”

  Skip sighed. “It’s okay. She’s been gone five years. I have a lot of great memories and the pain has dulled a little.” The man looked intently at Connor. “You, man, need to get out of the past. Take a chance on her. She really loves you but she’s strong. Way stronger than you give her credit for. If you don’t step forward and take her, someone else will.”

  Connor’s reaction was immediate. “No one else will touch her.”

  Skip threw his head back and laughed. “You are so screwed. Claim her, man. Give in and enjoy the ride.”

  With that, his Alpha walked toward Margie’s truck, giving Connor a moment to collect his thoughts. He ran his fingers through his hair. Fuck. What was he going to do? He wanted Margie with an intensity he’d never felt. Was he really going to be so chicken-shit that he couldn’t step up and at least date her?

  A thought pulled a grunt from him. He was taking her to the mating ceremony for Cammie and Ian the next evening. That could be a test-run for them. See if they could spend an evening together without killing each other or pissing each other off. Maybe he’d even get to kiss her and finally find out if she tasted as good as she smelled. Finally get to hold her in his arms and feel her gorgeous body melt against his while they swayed to music.

  His coyote and cock thought those ideas were fantastic. Both perked up and nodded in agreement. With a glance up to make sure no one was looking, he adjusted his dick. Great, now he’d be around Margie with a stiffy.

  Walking toward Skip and Margie, albeit stiffly, had him snorting at his own thoughts and issues. If she only knew the amount of control it took each time he was around her to keep from grabbing her and fucking her against the wall. That smart mouth of hers made him hot to stick something in it to quiet her down. Connor groaned. He needed to stop thinking about getting Margie to blow him, or he’d do some blowing of his own. And everyone knew cum-soaked jeans were uncomfortable.

  As he approached the truck, Skip turned, raised a brow and grinned. Yeah, Connor knew. He smelled of arousal and desperation. Stupid shifter senses. Flipping off the other man did nothing but pull a laugh from the Alpha, but at least Connor felt better.

  “Let’s get the wolf out and into the barn. We can put him in one of the empty stalls.”

  Connor nodded and jumped into the back of the truck bed. The shifter hadn’t moved an inch. Good. He didn’t want to fight some mysterious drifter while trying to get the male someplace he could be watched.

  “Hey, y’all need some help?” Zeke called out, bounding toward the truck from the darkness of the barn’s interior.

  Connor wanted to bare his teeth at the other man and had to fight the actual curling of his lips. It didn’t matter that he knew the man didn’t have designs on Margie. The fact was that Zeke had lived with Margie for days after being shot. Sure, the guy had been bleeding and in animal form, but he’d still been able to get petted by her, taken care of.

  Skip gave him a not-so-light punch on the arm. Fuck. He’d been growling again.

  *****

  Margie looked up and smiled. “Hey, Zeke. Can you bring my bag into the barn for me? Connor and Skip are going to carry this bad boy in and I can grab the IV bags.”

  The answering grin slid off her friend’s face as he approached them. Zeke turned and both eyebrows shot up until they hid under a short shock of dark hair. Following his gaze, she found a scowling and rumbling Connor staring daggers at Zeke.

  Before she could say anything, Zeke chuckled. “Dude. Chill. Your fangs are showing.”

  Margie gawked and squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of Connor’s teeth. She’d been curious for days and days about what Connor looked like when he shifted. At Cammie’s house he’d been there in
coyote form for a very short period of time and she’d only caught a quick look.

  “Really? Can I see?”

  Everyone turned and stared at her for a moment before all three men burst out laughing. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “What? You all have grown up knowing all of the ins and outs of shifters. Us curious humans want to see the fun stuff. I mean, how else are we supposed to know what’s real and what’s only in books? It’s not like Mr. Talkative over there is filling in the holes in my knowledge.” She thumbed toward Connor and mumbled the next bit. “And Alpha Skip doesn’t seem really open either.”

  “Oh, Margie. You know more about us than any other human I know.” Zeke’s words were meant to soothe her but they just made her more ticked off.

  “So I’m supposed to just accept that? What if I give you guys something that will make you sick? Hmm? What happens if I’m interacting with someone and say something I’m not supposed to?” She turned and looked pointedly at Connor. “How am I supposed to know what’s taboo and what isn’t?”

  She was really on a roll, and she took a breath to gather her questions, prioritize them. In the moment it took her to structure her thoughts, Skip and Connor jumped in to shut her down.

  “Not now, Margie. We have this wounded guy to get into the barn. I don’t want him waking up out here. If you have questions later, I’ll try to answer them.”

  Connor nodded while his Alpha talked and the look of relief that flowed over his face added to her irritation. They didn’t want her to know. Was it trust? Did they not trust her enough for her to know everything, or was it more? She hated not knowing.

  “Fine. Whatever. Y’all can keep your secrets for a while, but I’m going to figure it all out. Let’s get going and get this wolf snuggled into the barn.”

  At least concentrating on getting the sleeping wolf out of her truck and into the building without more injury gave her something to concentrate on. The men once again worked well as a unit. Connor carefully hoisted the animal, blanket and all, and handed it to Skip. Zeke quickly dug into the cab and pulled out her black duffel bags filled with medical equipment.

  “Here, Margie.”

  Connor’s voice was soft as he handed her the IV bags, still dangling from the coat hanger.

  “Thanks.”

  She quickly looked away from his gaze. Those were the most civil words they’d said to each other in days. Maybe he didn’t feel like it was a massive step forward, but she did. Lying to oneself never got anyone too far, and it wouldn’t with her either. The soft voice and comforting hug at her office and his calm reaction to her shooting him with the tranquilizers really had her confused. Could she give in and feel hope that he’d finally come around, or should she be guarding her heart against a momentary hiccup in his prolonged fight against feelings?

  Nothing really came to her as they scurried into the barn and gently deposited the wolf on a blanket in one of the empty stalls. Margie buried her issues under a thick layer of work. She gave the shifter a quick once-over to make sure nothing had changed in his status during the drive and moves.

  Handing the bags of fluids to Connor, who seemed to have taken up residence at her elbow, gave her a minute to clear her head.

  “Hold these up for now. I need to check his hydration, heart rate and the stitches again before he wakes.”

  As if to punctuate her words, the wolf’s muzzle twitched and the uninjured paw did the same. She had about ten minutes before he was fully awake. Margie grabbed her bag and dug through the contents. Her hand found her favorite mini-flashlight and her stethoscope in the same grab. Donning a pair of nitrile gloves she’d shoved in her pocket earlier helped to center her thoughts. Deal with the injured animal now, her wayward heart later.

  The wolf’s heartbeat was perfect as it thudded loudly in her ears. As she listened to his belly gurgle and growl, she lifted his upper lip to check for circulation and hydration. It seemed a couple of bags of fluids did wonders. Good. It meant she could remove the IV before he woke.

  “Zeke, find me two gauze pads, the horse wrap and a red plastic bag.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  Connor’s growled words had her sighing and rolling her eyes. He didn’t want her, but apparently no one else could be around her either? “I don’t have time for your shit, Connor. If you’re going to be obnoxious, then you’d better get busy.”

  Even as he grumbled something under his breath, her coyote was efficiently collecting everything she’d asked for. He even retrieved a pair of scissors and a second set of gloves.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  His question stumped her for a moment but then the wolf under her hand twitched. Right. “I’m going to remove the IV. You can gather all that stuff and place it in the red bag. That needs to be removed from the stall in case wolfie-boy isn’t happy about being here. While you’re doing that I’m going to check his stitches.”

  Connor grunted at her but grabbed the biohazard bag and waited patiently for her to remove the tubing from the wolf’s vein. He took it all without a word and did exactly as she’d instructed. While he dealt with the tubes and bags, she swabbed the small wound, wrapping it with a couple of loops of horse wrap. She snickered when she finally noticed that Connor had grabbed the fluorescent pink roll instead of green or blue.

  “Margie. He’s coming around.” Skip’s voice held a note of worry. He stepped into the stall with them and knelt at the wolf’s head, resting his huge hand along its neck. Gentle strokes over the black fur seemed to calm some of the small sounds and movements from the waking animal.

  “I need to check the stitches and then I’ll do what you need.” Without waiting for confirmation, she removed the existing wrap and bandage from around her stitching. The wound still looked good and she could see it was already healing well. Shifter healing was amazing. With quick movements she rewrapped the leg with another few loops of bright pink.

  “Hand me the garbage.”

  Connor was still right there. Why she kept forgetting he was assisting, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the new, quiet demeanor. Connor was many things, but quiet and obedient weren’t in his normal repertoire. By now he’d usually be demanding information, elbowing her out of the way to see the wound for himself. She liked the new calm facade but she wasn’t going to assume it was permanent.

  Skip cleared his throat quietly. “I want everyone out of the stall now. Margie, stay close. I’m hoping he’ll be rational and not force me to do anything drastic, but you might need to use that handy little dart gun of yours.” He turned to Zeke and then to Connor. “Get me a set of chains with leather restraints. Again, I’m hoping I don’t have to use them, but we don’t know his mental state.”

  Zeke sloppily saluted his Alpha. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Margie grabbed her bag and was impressed to see that all evidence of what she’d done had been picked up. Connor would make a great vet tech. She snorted then shook her head at Skip when he raised a brow at her.

  Stepping from the stall made her realize how little she’d known about shifters before. When she’d come out the farm to take care of wounded animals, she’d been under the impression that they were just that. Animals injured in or on Skip’s land. The fact that some of them had been restrained hadn’t seemed odd before, but now, knowing they were friends… She shivered. Knowing that some of the men and women she knew had been hurt so badly they’d fallen into their animal side and had to be collared and chained until they regained their humanity added a new layer to the paranormal world.

  It took a little over three minutes for the wolf to realize he was with strangers and another second for Skip to have the creature pinned to the straw-strewn stall floor by the neck. Margie gasped and instinctively reached for the door. A warm, heavy hand lightly grasped her shoulder.

  “No. You can’t go in there yet. Skip has it under control.”

  Connor’s presence helped her to keep it together. He must have known how hard it was for her to
watch the wolf struggle under the weight of Skip’s grip. Connor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in to his body. “Watch,” he whispered. “It takes a moment sometimes for the human to deal with what the animal senses.”

  Sure enough, a few seconds later the wolf stilled. Skip started running his hand down the shifter’s neck, murmuring quietly to him. He lay quiet, shaking slightly but slowly relaxing under the rhythmic petting.

  “See? The man has taken back residence in the mind.” Connor’s arm was warm and safe around her. She found herself unconsciously leaning in to the embrace.

  Before she could ask any questions, Skip started talking a little louder. “You’re safe here. This is my home. My name is Skip Peters and I’m the Alpha here.”

  That elicited a reaction. The wolf struggled again. Skip let the creature get into a more upright position, but when the animal attempted to stand he started talking again. “You were caught in a coyote trap. Don’t try to stand yet. We had Margie over there patch you up, but your leg is still pretty torn up. Rest. You’re safe. Don’t shift yet. She thinks the stitches might rip.”

  The wolf grumbled. If she hadn’t been so concerned about the shifter and his reaction, she would have laughed.

  “Margie, is there anything you need to know? You can ask him yes or no questions.”

  “Oh. Good idea. Um, hi.” She felt stupid talking into a pair of golden wolf eyes, but she knew there was a person inside. “Are you feeling any pain?”

  The big black head nodded and he dropped his snout to his leg, tilted his head and whined.

  “Yeah. I know. It should be better by morning. How’s your head? Fuzzy?”

  The wolf did a good impression of a shrug, and she laughed.

  “Fair enough. Are you hungry?”

  He nodded twice in quick succession.

  “Okay. We’ll get you something light for now. I’m worried about the sedative I had to use.” Margie turned to find a smirking Zeke and a bemused Connor. “What?”