Healing of the Wolf

by Cherise Sinclair

  He’d been wrong about her.

  But this wasn’t the time to address that.

  Bowing his head, he set his hands on each side of the torn muscles along Tynan’s ribs. Gently, ignoring his littermate’s involuntary growl, he pushed the flesh together as best he could and let the power flow through him. Tissues knitted together. Veins, arteries, muscles, fascia, subcutaneous tissue, and all the layers of skin.

  As he finished, he could feel the emptiness inside where his pool of power had lain, depleted by the number of healings he’d done.

  His hands shook as he straightened up. The sweat on his face turned cold in the bitter wind.

  With little Lucas still cuddled against her side, Margery gave him a concerned look. “Healer, maybe—”

  “You’re turning pale, Donal.” Tynan’s brows drew together. “Stop, mo deartháir.

  Donal scowled. Mo deartháir, my tail. Tynan only used the Irish “my brother” when drunk—or when one of them came too close to death. “I’m fine.”

  “Dammit, I can wait.” Tynan moved as if he’d try to get away and groaned when the movement jarred his broken leg.

  Donal snapped, “Don’t move, idiot,” even as the banfasa growled, “You lie still.”

  Her hazel eyes flashed with anger as she glared at Tynan.

  Someone who could stand up against the cop. Hmm. Donal tilted his head. “I think…perhaps…I might decide to like you.”

  Her astonished expression almost made him laugh.

  Donal turned his attention to Tynan’s leg and considered his own energy. “You’re right, brawd. I need more power to finish.”

  “So, I assumed.” Calum’s voice came from behind him. “I sent for some of your females.”

  “We need to get out of here,” Tynan said. “It’s a park. There’ll be humans.”

  “Not for long.” The corners of the Cosantir’s lips tipped up. “Victoria is here. Seeing the cubs injured put her in a vile mood.”

  Ben snorted. “I’m fixin’ to be sorry for any humans who run afoul of her.”

  Donal noticed Margery’s confusion. “Having served in the human military, she gives orders and expects them to be obeyed. Or else.”

  Chuckling, Ben elaborated. “Alec will move them along politely. Vicki will knock them off the mountain.”

  “Indeed. Thus, no need to move the injured until you’re ready, Donal.” Calum’s gaze turned toward the street. “It appears your help is here.”

  With relief, Donal saw Farrah running across the park.

  “Healer.” Kneeling behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. The bond from the last Gathering was still strong, and as he opened himself, power flowed from her, replenishing his empty stores. His cells revived like dry plants under a soft rain.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” he murmured, patting her hand.

  “Anytime, Donal.” She rubbed her cheek against the side of his face and disappeared as quickly as she’d come.

  Margery stared after the female, then frowned at him.

  “Now, let’s get this fixed.” Donal moved to where he could work on Tynan’s broken leg. It was a fucking mess.

  “You look confused, Meggie.” Tynan winced as Donal covered the break with his hand.

  “I didn’t know healers took time out for hugs.” The disapproval in her voice was oddly amusing.

  Donal smothered a smile.

  Tynan huffed a laugh. “Healers store only so much of the Mother’s power. Once it’s gone, they can get power from shifters with whom they have a bond.”

  “Like their littermate?” she asked.

  “No.” Tynan stiffened as Donal probed the wound. He added, “A bond from mating. From sex.”

  “Oh.”

  Donal looked up to see that the little banfasa had flushed.

  Sex was a normal function to every animal on the planet—except humans. Apparently, she’d absorbed their inhibitions.

  Being a werecat, he couldn’t resist. “The pink is a good color on her, don’t you think, brawd.”

  Tynan winked at him. They both knew that if the word made her flush, the act itself would have her face turning a bright red.

  Damned if Donal didn’t want to see if that was true. After a second, he blinked. If…if she was as fine a banfasa as he was starting to think, and if she was as sweet a female as she appeared…perhaps he’d find her during a Gathering. He might well see her turn that color during mating.

  He and Tynan might even share the little female. It’d been a long time since they’d enjoyed a female together.

  “Where is Lucas? I need my cub.”

  Donal recognized Bonnie’s frantic voice and glanced at the cub huddled next to the banfasa. “Margery, you have her pup.”

  “Oh, right.” Margery released Tynan’s hand and kissed the top of the cub’s head. “Lucas, let’s get you to your mama.”

  The boy had a firm hold on Margery’s shirt, but he whispered, “Mama.”

  “Come on, sweetling.” She tried to stand and winced.

  Before Donal could move, she released the cub to push herself up with both hands. After getting her balance, she smiled and took Lucas’s hand.

  And the pup clung. Because Lucas recognized a caring heart.

  I’ve been blind.

  He wasn’t blind any longer. Donal glanced around the park at the wounded shifters. “Margery, could you check the injured for me, please? See if they need anything else or need me urgently?”

  Her startled expression told him he really had been a boggart before.

  Far more polite than he would’ve been, she didn’t give him any grief. “Of course, healer. I’d be happy to check on them.” She led Lucas toward Bonnie.

  “She’s limping,” Ben commented.

  Tynan frowned. “Her leg wasn’t that bad yesterday.”

  “You didn’t see her running like a charging bull to get here.” Thorson joined them. “Made my bones hurt just to see it.”

  “She did good to get here when she did. Bonnie was losing blood fast.” Donal motioned to Ben. “Griz, can you pull on Tynan’s leg so I can set it?”

  “Aye.” Ben gave Minette over to Thorson, and Donal grinned. The old werecat terrified most adults, especially young males, but the cubs saw through the gruffness and adored the bookstore owner.

  As Minette snuggled up to Joe, she watched Donal with an intriguing intensity. Was he going to have a healer apprentice in a few years? Although the God didn’t call females of bearing age to be cahirs, the healers and blademage professions had no such restriction.

  Ben gripped Tynan’s leg, one hand above the break, the other on the ankle, and pulled slowly.

  Tynan’s back arched, his jaw tight as he muffled what would have been a howl of pain.

  Herne’s heart, but it was gut-wrenching to see his littermate hurting.

  Donal swallowed and forced a smile. “Perfect, Griz. You’re my favorite bone setting assistant.” The grizzly cahir was outrageously strong.

  Tynan growled under his breath as his muscles spasmed.

  Setting his palms over the injury, Donal eased the congestion, loosened the tight muscles.

  Good. Time to work. Closing his eyes, Donal finished aligning the bones by feel—forcing himself to ignore the whine of pain from his littermate. A burst of power, fast, then slow, fixed the break, then the damaged tissue around it.

  Slowly, he worked his way out, then sat back and pulled in a shaky breath. Tried for a light tone. “Not a bad break, really.”

  “Oh. Well. Glad I didn’t put you to too much effort.” Tynan unfisted his hands. “By the Gods, I’d forgotten how much a busted bone can hurt when you fix it.”

  How fucking much pain would it take to make his littermate say that? Donal felt as if a rope was wrapped around his chest. “Sorry, brawd.”

  “Hey, no, feck, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s healed.” Tynan’s face was still pale, but he grinned. “Thank you.”

  The words let Donal br
eathe again. And realize how much of a pain in the tail Tynan would be until he was back to normal.

  “You’re healed, but weak.” Donal pointed a finger at his idiot littermate. “Sleep today and tomorrow. Take it easy for a week after. Lots of fluids.”

  “Yeah, got it.” Tynan brightened when Margery carefully knelt beside him.

  After taking his hand, she ventured a small smile at Donal. “I took care of the superficial wounds on Bonnie. But if you have more…power left, could you check Nia? She has a few scratches that will heal all right on their own. I went ahead and cleaned and dressed those. But the one down her neck will leave a scar. If you could…”

  Her tentative look almost broke his heart. A shifter should never worry about asking for help from a healer. Especially for someone else.

  “Of course, I will.” He smiled. “If I don’t have enough power right now, I’ll ask another female to give me some. There is no need for any shifter in our territory to have scars if I can get to them in time.

  Despite the scar on her own face, she smiled in relief. She half-extended her free hand. “Could I offer you…”

  Could she give him power? A totally selfless, generous offer.

  His misjudgment of her made him feel lower than a dwarf’s ass. “I’m afraid not, Margery. Not without a bond—not unless we’d mated recently.”

  She turned pink again, and how appealing was that?

  He couldn’t resist running a finger down her cheek and stilled in surprise at the lake of power he sensed. She wasn’t a healer, but…

  The Mother loved this shifter.

  That evening, Margery was spending more time grumbling than reading her book. Reclined on her couch, she had her leg elevated on a pillow and ice on the swollen joint…but the damage had been done. Her ankle was totally, completely in revolt.

  Tomorrow, she’d be lucky to walk across the room. How was she ever going to handle the breakfast and lunch shifts at the diner?

  With a sigh, she drank her willow bark-and-peppermint tea. She’d manage. Somehow.

  Because that was what she did.

  Hey, look on the bright side. Everyone survived. The cubs, the mothers,

  Tynan had too, despite how badly...

  As her hand started to shake, she hastily set the cup down. He’d been so damaged, so bloody.

  A rap on the door made her jump.

  “Yes?” Through the front window, she could see Donal on her porch. “Hold on. I’m coming.” She swung her leg down, dislodging the ice pack.

  His dark brows drew together. “Stay put, female. I’ll let myself in.”

  The lock rattled; the door opened, and he sauntered across her living room with a werecat’s predatory grace.

  “How did you get the door open?” Does healing include the power to unlock doors?

  He smirked slightly and held up a ring of keys. “Leo gave me a key years ago. Just in case.”

  “Oh.” Well, this probably wasn’t the time to demand he give the key back. But why was he here? In her house?

  And why in the world did she feel a tremor of excitement at having him here? “Can I help you with something?”

  “Bonnie’s mates brought over a big basket of fried chicken as a thank you for the rescue. Tynan figured you’d be hungry and wanted you to join us for supper and a movie.”

  “Really?” Be with them both? Oh Goddess.

  No, Margery. She wasn’t about to intrude in their evening even if she could get there. “Please, tell him thank you, but I, uh, I’m not hungry.”

  “You, sweetling, are a lousy liar.” Donal eyed her before raking his hand through his long dark hair. “My fault. Let me try this again. Both Tynan and I want you to join us.”

  When she shook her head, he went down on his haunches beside the couch. Close enough she could touch him. “I know I’ve been ruder than a starving badger, and I’m sorry for it.” His rich voice was smoother than warm honey. “Can you give me a chance to make things right?”

  Mother of All, when he sounds like that, what female would say no?

  She frowned, pulling her senses together before she blurted out an acceptance.

  Still…he did look sorry, and she’d never been able to hold a grudge. “Of course.” Then she shook her head. “But I’m giving my ankle a chance to rest, so I can’t…”

  “I can.” He scooped her off the couch and walked right out the door, turning long enough to catch the knob with a finger and close it behind them.

  Howling hobgoblins, but he was strong. Her head spun at how easily he’d picked her up, at how very closely he held her. She was close enough to breathe in his fresh-washed scent. Clean and crisp, like after a spring rain.

  She couldn’t let him just…carry…her. As he strode down the steps, she gripped his shirt. “Healer. Donal, this isn’t a good idea. I should—”

  “Please, Margery, my littermate isn’t feeling well at all. Won’t you sacrifice an evening to help him out?”

  Oh, no. Poor Tynan. He’d hate feeling weak. “Of course I can. It isn’t a problem at all.”

  “Good. Lie still then.” The amused glint in the healer’s eyes said she’d been played by a master of manipulation.

  Her eyes narrowed. “You are a total werecat.”

  “Was that supposed to be an insult?” Chuckling, he thumped a boot on his front door. “Brawd, get the door for me.”

  Margery squirmed. “Let me down. I can—”

  The door opened…and there he was. All power and strength, and more masculine than any male she’d ever met. A day’s shadowing of beard covered the angular lines of his jaw making his smile even whiter.

  Her heart sped up.

  His eyebrows rose as he looked at her in Donal’s arms, then he grinned at his brother. “Donal, no. I wanted you to ask her to dinner—not drag her home like prey.”

  “If my brother asks for a female, I’ll do whatever it takes to see he gets one.” Donal sighed most pitifully. “I’ll be fine, really. She didn’t claw me…much.”

  Margery’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t claw you at all!”

  “You should see my chest and arms, brawd. All bloody.”

  “Lying cat.” Tynan chuckled. “She doesn’t scratch. She’s a wolf.”

  “Ah. Oops.” Donal walked in and set her in the center of the couch. He lifted her legs onto the rectangular leather ottoman before smirking at his brother. “I had to carry her. She messed up her ankle, remember?”

  “How did I forget that?” Tynan sat beside her and took her hand in his big warm one. “How bad?” he asked Donal.

  “I intend to find out.” Donal took a seat on the ottoman beside her legs. Pushing up her jeans, he laid his hands over her ankle and visibly winced. “For fuck’s sake, there’s a mess.”

  She gave him a good frown. “That was not even close to an appropriate comment from a healer.”

  Tynan chuckled. “He’s never been into a healer’s traditional conduct or attire. Made our dam furious.”

  That’s right. Tynan had mentioned their mother was a healer.

  Donal scowled at her ankle, then her. “The bones were shattered and weren’t set correctly. You can feel the bumps of misalignment. A couple pieces haven’t stabilized. The cartilage isn’t happy either. It’s a wonder you can walk at all.”

  “Mother’s breasts, do you talk to all your patients like this?”

  Intent on her ankle, he didn’t even notice her shock. She had a feeling he wouldn’t have cared even if he had noticed.

  Tynan squeezed her hand. “He believes in honesty, although, admittedly, his manner could use some work.”

  “No kidding.” Her laugh died when Donal looked up, his frown dark. “What?”

  “It’s not going to get better.”

  “Since it’s been this way for years, I rather figured that.”

  He blinked as if surprised at her answer, then rubbed his jaw. “Sorry. A lot of shifters refuse to see a problem. I should have known you wouldn’t
be one of them.”

  “Can you help her at all?” Tynan asked the question she hadn’t been able to speak.

  “Right now, I can improve the circulation and reduce some of the swelling and pain. But that’s only a temporary fix.” Without waiting for a response, the healer bent his head and did just that.

  Tingling and warmth radiated from a point deep in her ankle. It wasn’t quite pain, but an uncomfortable gnawing she couldn’t scratch.

  At her disgruntled frown, Donal blinked. “What?”

  “Why didn’t I get stardust?”

  With one smile, his severe austerity transformed into a very masculine charm.

  And took her breath away.

  “Sorry, sweetling. I should have warned you. It only feels like stardust with superficial injuries. Bone-deep healing isn’t pleasant.”

  Didn’t that just figure? She pouted. “I was looking forward to stardust.”

  Tynan laughed. “We’re of the same mind.”

  Oh, ow. He’d had a big nasty healing today. “Now that I know what it feels like, I can’t believe you didn’t bite his hand off when he fixed your leg.”

  “I’ve been tempted a time or two.”

  Donal muttered something rude under his breath, but a smile curved his lips.

  Rotating her ankle, Margery beamed. “It almost doesn’t hurt at all. I’d forgotten what that felt like.”

  The healer’s smile disappeared completely.

  When Tynan made a rumbling sound, she stared at him. “Are you growling?”

  “You’re in constant pain because of those scum-sucking weasels. I’d like to go back and kill them again.”

  He’d killed during the rescue. This male who was a protector to his bone. One who believed in the laws. She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her body speak her gratitude in the way of wolves.

  And, oh, she wouldn’t mind showing her gratitude in other ways, too. Would he want that? He…he liked her.

  “What about a permanent fix?” Tynan asked his brother.

  “So.” Donal kept his palm on her ankle, the warmth reassuring. “There’s only one way to fix this permanently—but it’s not pleasant.”

  Tynan’s wince indicated the healer’s idea of “not pleasant” was probably torture from a patient’s point of view. “Let’s hear it.”