by C. D. Gorri
“But you’re just trying to help. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s more that I’m using norm medicine instead of letting nature take its course.”
Puzzle pieces fell into place. “That’s why you agreed to take me to Black Rock. You had Michael pay you in antibiotics.” As I said it, a horrifying thought entered my head. “Did you claim me because you wanted a doctor on staff?”
“No.”
“But you knew why I left the city. You knew I could help you—”
“I had no way of knowing your serum would fail, Eden, or that you would enter a heat with your first transition. But if you’re asking whether I’m pleased you have the skills you do, the answer is yes. If you want to know if I would have claimed you regardless, the answer to that is also yes.”
I fell silent, my thoughts jumbled. He was right, of course. He couldn’t have known those things. Even so, doubt burrowed its way into my mind. What a coincidence I went into heat just when he needed a doctor. On the wall before I left, Michael called him an opportunist.
Had Rurik saved me, or had he set me up?
He motioned toward the line of beds. “You said you wanted to save lives. You can start with these.”
Chapter Fifteen
None of the patients in Rurik’s makeshift hospital had life-threatening illnesses, but I sped up the recovery process for several of them. Like the young male with a dislocated shoulder. After a bit of persuading—and some snarling from Rurik—he let me pop it back into place. However, I had my doubts about whether he’d wear the sling I made for him.
“He’ll wear it,” Rurik had said from the corner, where he’d stood with folded arms and a glowering expression.
If the poor kid had been in wolf form, he would have stuck his tail between his legs. I waited until he left before rounding on Rurik.
“If you bark at my patients, no one will ever come here for treatment!”
He was unfazed by my scolding. “You coddle them. If you want people to follow your orders, you have to make them fear the consequences of disobedience.”
“Like threatening them with one of your stinging commands?”
“You don’t need an alpha’s powers,” he said, his tone irritatingly reasonable. He nodded toward a tray of suturing tools. “Those hooked needles of yours are terrifying enough on their own.”
He’d watched me stitch a deep laceration on another male’s forearm—even fetching supplies and handing me tools when I asked for them. He seemed curious about everything, and I could almost see him absorbing information and memorizing details.
I moved through the patients quickly, slipping into my role as a physician as easily as putting on a coat. I could sense the ferals’ curiosity about me, but when I started to explain I was Rurik’s mate, he pulled me into his shoulder and spoke low in my ear.
“They know who you are. They can smell me on you.” The unspoken inside you lingered in the air.
My breath quickened, and I slipped from his arms before the lust could rise again.
When I reached the last patient—a young pregnant woman—Rurik stepped out. At first, she was wary of me, but her anxiety over her baby’s well-being overrode her distrust, and she described unexplained bleeding that came and went.
Without an ultrasound machine, I told her I had to listen for the baby’s heartbeat with a stethoscope.
“Oh, I know the baby is fine,” she said. “I can hear its heart.”
I pulled the stethoscope from my ears. “You can?”
“Since the beginning.” She smiled, the tips of her fangs showing, and smoothed a hand down her belly. “At first, I thought it was an echo of my own. It sounded like a double beat or a hiccup. It started early, before I even knew I was pregnant.”
“You hear it all the time?” That would certainly make a pregnancy easier to monitor.
“I can ignore it during the day because I’m distracted. But at night when everything is quiet, it’s like there’s a tiny drum in my stomach. It’s reassuring, but it’s definitely hard to sleep.”
When I ducked back around the curtain, Rurik was waiting by the door.
He straightened at my approach. “The child is well?”
“I think so. I’m not an obstetrician, but it seems pretty clear it’s placenta previa.” I made a small circle with my thumb and forefinger and lay my other hand flat against it. “Her placenta is blocking her cervix. She might need a c-section, and for that I’ll need a lot more than antibiotics.”
“Make me a list. You’ll have everything you need.”
I believed him. If I asked for an operating suite decked out with state-of-the-art equipment, he would somehow find a way to get it. He was sincere about helping his people.
I just wasn’t sure how sincere he was about his reasons for bringing me here.
“You’re unhappy.” He frowned, his gaze searching my face like it might reveal answers. “You said you wanted to doctor again. This should make you happy.”
I rubbed a spot between my brows. He didn’t really think this was that simple, did he? But looking at his expression, it was obvious he did. In his mind, I should be grateful for the opportunity to use my training. Never mind that I was basically his prisoner. Asking him to take me home would produce predictable results. The inevitable argument would lead to sex, which would just bind me even more tightly to him. In other words, exactly what he wanted.
He stared, obviously waiting for me to admit I was wrong and everything was fine now.
I tipped my head back and said, “We’ve discussed this. You raise the subject so often, I’m beginning to think you enjoy the outcome.”
If I imagined he would be angry at me parroting his words, I was dead wrong. Appreciation flared in his gaze, and he murmured, “I chose a clever mate for myself. A female to tangle with me in and out of bed.”
The mention of “bed” was all it took to make desire flare to life in my sex. I clenched my teeth. “I’m not sleeping with you,” I said, unsure if I meant it as a warning for him or my wayward body.
“Not at the moment,” he agreed. “I have something else to show you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Evening sun stained the courtyard crimson as we left the hospital and Rurik led me deeper into his stronghold.
“What did you want to show me?” I asked.
“Something you’re unlikely to have seen before,” came his cryptic reply.
We passed more ferals, who offered more respectful nods. There were homes, too, along with shops and businesses built of wood and stone. Once again, I had the impression of stepping into a medieval village—an atmosphere only enhanced by Rurik striding like some kind of warrior king at my side. I tried not to think about how everyone around us was capable of scenting my lingering heat cycle, along with his claim.
He took me through an endless maze of streets and buildings, until we reached a clearing dwarfed by a stone tower.
I stopped. “Another one?”
Rurik ushered me up the stairs with a hand at my back. “Watch your step. These stairs are narrow.”
There were also a lot of them, and it didn’t take long for my thighs to start burning. “This better be worth it,” I told him, struggling not to wheeze. Lykos-D was supposed to make people stronger and faster, but it obviously wasn’t doing either of those things for me.
At last, we reached the top, and he paused while I caught my breath. When I could stand upright, I took stock of my surroundings, my gaze falling on battlements that wouldn’t have looked out of place in any city.
I swung toward Rurik. “I thought ferals hated walls.”
“Lycans,” he corrected. He took my hand and led me to the edge. “Look closer. There are no walls here.”
My heart skipped a beat, and for a second I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Not walls, but a vast, green valley that stretched between two towers. The fertile earth was a burst of color in the middle of the unrelenting brown that surrounded his strongho
ld.
“It’s like in the books,” I heard myself murmur.
Rurik spoke, his voice full of pride. “But this isn’t history. It’s right now. I call it The Vale.”
I pulled my gaze from the valley so I could look at him. “How did you do this? Nothing grows anymore.”
He pointed toward the ground, where a long line of wooden poles marched alongside the valley. “During the day, we run tarps over the crops. It’s similar to the design the Romans used in the Coliseum.”
I stared at him. “You don’t use those books for kindling.” And he wasn’t just some brute alpha who punched his way through the world. There was a cunning mind behind those golden eyes, which burned with ruthless intelligence.
Out of nowhere, a shiver coursed down my spine.
He held my gaze a moment, then let his wander over the valley. “There are no new ideas. Only old ideas people have forgotten.”
There was so much green… A dozen questions ran through my head. “How do you keep all this watered?” In the cities, water was as precious as serum. But vegetation didn’t grow without moisture. All the tarps in the world couldn’t shield the valley from the sun that beat down on the Plains.
“There are springs under the ground. Most are too deep to tap, but we can get to some of them. It takes a strong nose to scent the water, which is why your governors have never succeeded in drilling a well. Which is for the best. The earth protects itself from those who would exploit it.”
I leaned against the battlements. “Your norm bias is showing.” I ran my hand over the stone, thinking of the last time I stood in a spot like this. That time, the man at my side was Michael. With a start, I realized he’d barely entered my thoughts at all over the past two days.
“What are you thinking about?” Rurik asked, suddenly watchful.
Some inner voice of caution told me it would be foolish to bring up Michael, so I patted the stone. “You say you don’t need walls, yet you have these guard towers.”
“The towers serve two purposes, allowing us to see which areas of The Vale need tending, as well as projecting strength to our enemies. A wall gives the illusion of safety, and it makes those inside let their guard down. They get soft, and eventually they prefer the cage they’ve made for themselves. They take comfort in having that wall at their back, and they live their whole lives without experiencing the outside world.”
His meaning was clear, except he missed a crucial point. Facing him fully, I said, “You don’t need walls to have a cage. All you need is a jailer strong enough to keep you imprisoned.”
Slowly, he pinched my chin and drew my mouth close to his. Against my lips, he said, “I’m not your jailer, Eden. I’m your mate.” Just when I thought he might kiss me, he turned my head so my gaze fell on the valley below. In my ear, he murmured, “And there’s a whole world out there I can show you if you’re willing to open your eyes.”
To my surprise, he didn’t try to maneuver me into sex. Instead, he threaded his fingers through mine and led me back down the stairs. As we descended, my head spun with the day’s revelations, each one of which had revealed new facets of Rurik.
And I wasn’t at all sure what to think of him now. It was easier dealing with the possessive alpha who overwhelmed my senses and pummeled me with sexual need. But how did I handle a man whose mind was just as powerful as his body? I was raised to believe ferals were little better than beasts. Yet Rurik kept upending that notion, scraping away layers of my worldview in a way that left me feeling raw and exposed.
As we moved down the tower, confusion clogged my thoughts. It wasn’t just Rurik that was new and troubling. His claim about the cities using feral women as breeders swirled like poison in my mind. If the governors covered it up, what else had they concealed? Rurik wanted me to take his word for it, but he was asking me to shove aside my whole life and accept a new one.
Then there was his hospital and his wish for me to run it. We reached the bottom step, and I glanced up at him through my lashes as we left the tower. How could I trust him when he had so many reasons to keep me locked to his side?
Something struck me hard across the stomach, sending me flying.
Chapter Seventeen
I landed hard on my side, my mouth open and gasping for air that wouldn’t come. Pain blazed from my hips to my sternum.
Shouts went up all around me as ferals pounded toward the base of the tower’s steps. Within seconds, a crowd gathered, forming a ring around me.
A feral female stood a few steps away, her fists clenched at her sides and her green eyes blazing straight at me. If looks could kill, I would have turned to ash on the spot.
Rurik stepped in front of her, his posture menacing and his growl deadly low. “An attack on my mate is an attack on me, Hetta. I can have you killed for this.”
Her gaze darted to me, and she bared her fangs. “Her presence here is an abomination. Really, Rurik? You bring a norm bitch to The Vale?”
At the word “bitch” I got to my knees and pushed painfully to my feet. My ribs ached, and I wondered vaguely if they were broken. Then I saw her smirk as she took in my arm slung over my middle.
I dropped it and straightened my shoulders. Injecting as much venom into my voice as I could, I said, “This norm didn’t ask for any of this. I’m here against my will.”
Rurik turned his head enough to give me a warning look. “Eden.”
I ignored him, my gaze on the woman he called Hetta. She was beautiful, with long, blond hair and eyes the color of the valley between the towers. Her features were small and even, giving her a delicate appearance that didn’t fool me for a second. She was tall, and the agony across my midsection was all the proof I needed she was more than a pretty face.
She was also clearly something to Rurik. It was there in the way she looked at him—and the rigid set of his shoulders as he stared her down. Tension sizzled between them.
Abruptly, I had enough of ferals and fighting. If this Hetta wanted Rurik, she could have him. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I turned and walked away. Ferals parted, letting me pass.
Hetta’s mocking voice rose behind me. “Good choice, norm. Run away like the weakling you are.”
Something inside me snapped. A rush of hot energy swept from my toes to my head, and I whipped around with a snarl, already charging. I didn’t think. I didn’t have to. My body moved on its own, and I was on her in seconds, my vision filled with her shocked face and an expression that made my chest hum.
Fear.
I swung my arm back and struck her hard across the face. The impact spun her around, and she stumbled, blond hair flying. Before she could recover, I caught it and forced her back around. I stuck my face in hers, and my voice was unrecognizable as I growled, “I’m not weak, you bitch. And you know it, because he chose me instead of you.”
Blood smeared her mouth. At my words, the fear in her eyes faltered. Her face crumpled, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.
The crowd around us was silent. In my peripheral vision, Rurik stood silent, too.
My insides started to shake, probably a combination of exhaustion and adrenaline.
Retreat isn’t always cowardice. Sometimes, it’s self-preservation.
I released Hetta and left without another word.
Rurik followed but said nothing. He stayed a few steps behind me as I made my way back through the buildings leading to his tower.
A wise move. I’d been ready to sink my fangs into Hetta. Deprived of that satisfaction, my inner beast wasn’t above using him as a substitute, even if I knew I had no hope of besting him in a fight.
Then again, he’d probably enjoy me trying.
All the more reason to continue ignoring him.
I’d only walked through The Vale once, but I had no trouble finding my way back to Rurik’s tower. His scent was like a trail of breadcrumbs scattered on the ground, pulling me forward like a magnet. It led me through the streets and up the tower steps, across the great r
oom and up the narrow staircase to the hall lined with torches.
Then I was in Rurik’s room and he was taking me in his arms, his hands everywhere at once.
“Let me look at you,” he said, his features taut.
“I’m fine. Stop.” I shoved at him, but of course he didn’t listen. He picked me up and took me to the bed, where he stretched me out and pinned my flailing arms above my head.
I struggled, anger surging. “Get off me!” I lifted my head and glared at him, which was all I could do with his weight holding me down. He did it effortlessly, which just fueled my rage even more. I bared my fangs and snapped at his forearm, grazing him.
Surprise flared in his gaze—along with lust. He kept an iron grip on my wrists and used his other hand to lift my shirt. “She got you good.” He brushed a light palm over my midsection.
“I’m fine,” I grated. “Nothing’s broken.”
He released my wrists and planted a soft kiss on my belly. Against my skin, he said, “Nothing except Hetta’s pride.” He chuckled, his hot breath raising goosebumps. “And maybe her jaw,” he added.
I propped myself on my elbows, my brows drawing together as I stared at his dark head hovering over my stomach. “What is she to you?”
He lifted his head. “Nothing anymore.”
“But she used to be. You slept with her.”
“I didn’t mate her.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
His face grew shuttered, his jaw tight. Clearly, he didn’t want to answer the question.
“She’s beautiful,” I said, “and obviously strong. She definitely wants you. Why wouldn’t you—”
“I didn’t choose her,” he said. He left the bed and went to the desk, which had been cleared of food from the morning. He stood over it for a moment, then turned and gestured toward the door. “There’s an exterior staircase off the hallway. I could show you the view from this side of The Vale.”
