Chapter 14
Isaac broke speed records in his mad dash for Stone’s Throw. I didn’t mind past worrying about him slinging Zed around in the bed of the truck. Wargs could heal a lot of damage, but that didn’t make us indestructible. Anyone who said differently had bought into the hype and had a rude awakening in front of them, if they were lucky.
Other than a farmer who flipped us off from the seat of his tractor, we reached the park unscathed. Moore and Abram were waiting at the office wearing matching grim expressions. They jogged out to meet us as Isaac and I exited the truck and lowered the tailgate.
“Damn.” Moore wedged between Isaac and me to get a look at his friend. “Who did this to him?”
“We don’t know yet.” I curled my fingers into my fist against the urge to carry him inside when Moore clearly needed the same contact I’d had earlier to reassure himself our friend was still among the living. “There wasn’t time. Not once we found him like this.”
Déjà vu swept over me as I watched Zed carried into the exam room and spread out on the table. This room had seen more action in the past thirty-six hours than it had since we moved in. That trend was bound to continue at the rate of unanswered questions we had piling up around our ankles.
Abram set to work, his routine as familiar to me as breathing at this point. It occurred to me how much he had taken on by coming here with us. Having recently discovered the pleasure of having a crew to help divide and conquer my daily to-do lists, I resolved to find him an assistant even if I had to draft one of the Stoners.
“Moore, I need you to do Zed a favor.” Invoking his name might not have been kind, but it was effective. Troubled as their friendship might be, Moore would do anything for Zed, even though he could tell I was giving him busywork. “Tallulah is still on the side of the road near mile marker thirty-eight. Someone has already attempted to hot-wire it once. I locked it up when we left, but I’m worried the scavengers might circle back for it.” I grimaced. “Crap. The O’Malley car is still up there too. Can you park it in your garage? That’s where we were headed when I spotted Tallulah on the side of the road.”
“Sure thing.” Jaw flexing tight, Moore gave Zed a final, lingering glance. “I’ll bring Job with me. Let me grab my tool kit.”
“Job’s back?” I aimed the question at Abram. The timing couldn’t have been better considering he was an accountant and handled pack finances, and Lorimar had just hit a windfall.
“Got here about fifteen minutes before you did.” Abram paused with a stethoscope pressed to Zed’s chest. “He went to sleep off the drive but mentioned you two needed to talk.”
Job had applied to a fancy-pants firm a few towns over that would allow him to telecommute. He had a knack for finance, and he preferred to keep a hand in the human world to keep abreast of new trends and upcoming opportunities. Most supernaturals—and fae—viewed humans as transient. As such, they burned brighter and faster than the rest of us, and their ideas and inventions did too.
We had been so desperate for income at the time, I had packed him a lunch then shoved him out the door when the company called with their offer and a request to interview him. The situation he had left was not the same one he had returned to, and now I regretted acting in haste. But he had a right to a life outside the pack, the same as we all did. He would make it work. He was an accountant. Finding balance was his thing, right?
“We do need to talk,” I agreed softly.
The Lorimar wolves must be made aware of the conclave’s generosity. We needed to decide, as a pack, where to allocate our resources. We also had the ability to address the long list of supplies required to bring the Stoners’ living area up to code. We had big decisions ahead of us and would require alpha approval to move forward, but I kept thinking of the bare-bones clinic. More than any other auxiliary building, we needed that one completed and functional. During times of war, it was rare for patients to be as polite as we had been about requiring emergency medical attention one person at a time.
A strong hand landing on my shoulder brought me back to myself. I followed that arm up to the man attached to it and leaned into Isaac’s touch when he began rubbing slow circles near my nape. The contact eased the ball of tension growing in my gut. He had never been prone to public displays of affection, but this didn’t have that same proprietary feel as a guy putting moves on his girl. This was more like the solid, anchoring touch that a pack member might offer because they understood on an instinctive level that it was welcome.
All the mixed signals bouncing between us had scrambled my brain. Despite how good it felt, I stepped away from him and joined Abram beside the table.
“Well?” I stroked the coarse pelt of my friend. “Any ideas what could have done this? Or what kind of damage was done?”
“His eardrums burst. That much I can guarantee.” His hands slid through the patchy fur, tracing each individual rib. Through his fingers, a black stone shot through with silver gleamed in his hand. “He’s got multiple hairline fractures. None of his skin is broken, but with a warg, that doesn’t mean much.” He opened his palm and showed me the silver traceries had turned to red. “Magic was involved in making these injuries. Assuming whatever did this to him didn’t prevent him from healing normally, there could have been a lot more damage than what we’re seeing now. There’s no way to know since we’re not sure what happened or how long he was out there.”
“Or why he was out there in the first place.” Zed owed me some answers, and I would be foolish to trot off without arming myself with whatever information he could supply. “This whole week has been surreal.”
“It will get better or it won’t.” Abram pulled a needle packet out of a drawer and palmed a small glass bottle filled with a bluish solution. “Things are bound to get worse before they get better. We’re teetering on the edge, Dell. Any calm we experience is an illusion.”
There was nothing left for me to do but take a seat in the hall and wait. Isaac took the chair next to me, and it was nice to share the quiet with someone. Even if the air hung thick with unspoken words and the scent of his skin distracted me from where I should have directed my worries.
Bang.
The noise split the silence like a gunshot, and I leapt to my feet.
“The wind snatched it out of my hand.” Enzo stepped inside and put his shoulder behind getting the door closed again. “We’re under a severe thunderstorm warning, and there’s a wind advisory out on the lake.”
A chill breeze swirled down the hall, sending hairs flying around my head and reminded me it was past time to check on Tahvo’s progress. “What are you doing here?” I halved the distance to meet him. “I hope you didn’t drive all the way from town just to tell us it’s about to rain.”
The scent of his cologne lingered in the air, fainter than usual. Not that he bathed in it the way some guys do. His pants were rumpled, and his shirt was creased from wear. All of those were signs that pointed in a direction I hadn’t been looking.
“You never left,” I surmised.
“Is it that obvious?” He plucked at his shirt. “I can’t even magic away the wrinkles. Abram’s forbidden me from practicing for another twenty-four hours.”
“I’m the last person in the world who can comment on someone else’s fashion choices—or lack thereof. Let alone wrinkles. You’ve seen how I dress and how wrecked I look at the end of a workday.” Exhaustion bled into my voice. “Where are you staying?”
“I offered him my spare bunk,” Abram said, joining us in the hall. “He was in no shape to get himself home, and I figured keeping him overnight for observation wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.”
“The real question is what are you all doing in here?” Enzo’s gaze touched on a point beyond my shoulder. “I came in to transcribe some notes before dinner but found a party instead. Any reason why I wasn’t invited?”
“It’s not a party.” I indicated the exam room. “Zed was hurt. We don’t know how or who is
responsible. We’ll focus on that once he gets through this.”
Enzo’s lips parted. “I can—”
“No.” I placed my hand on his forearm. “You’ve done enough. More than enough. You need to rest and heal or you’ll be no use to anyone, least of all yourself.”
Now that he had survived his ordeal, I got to worry about whether his burnout signified the end of our contract. That conversation could wait. Right now Zed—and the potential danger to the pack—took precedence over probing questions Enzo might not be able to answer yet.
“You’re right.” His lips flatlined. “I don’t like it, but I can’t argue the facts.”
“Since you’re benched for the short term—” I withdrew before he got the wrong idea, since touch wasn’t required to appease his inner animal, “—Abram could use a nurse if you’re interested.”
He appeared to give it some thought. “Do I get one of those nifty white hats?”
“I’ve got just the thing.” Abram ambled into the exam room. Papers rustled, and a box crashed. He strolled out with a flat white rectangle laying longwise down his hand. “I had these printed up for when I did first-aid classes with the pups.”
I spread the crease and popped up the center. “It’s got the red cross on it and everything.” I set it on top of his head and tapped the top until it stayed put. “I dub thee Sir Enzo of the Paper Hat and Questionable Medical Qualifications.”
“My lady.” He took my hand and pressed a kiss to the top. “It is an honor to serve you.”
Forcing an awkward laugh, I withdrew my hand. “Well, you’re technically serving Abram. I understand if you don’t want to kiss him. God only knows where his hands have been. Other than inside Zed.”
“I have a working sink, as you well know.” Abram puffed up his chest. “Calling my sanitary practices into question is not amusing, Dell.”
“I was joking.” I tweaked his nose. “We all know your work is above reproach.”
The good doctor left in a huff, rubbing his schnoz, and then I was alone with Enzo.
“I’m going to head home.” Isaac’s voice at my ear almost made me jump. The wolf was a giddy schoolgirl in his presence, and she hadn’t felt like cluing me in to his approach. That she trusted him at our back worried me more than words could express. “Are you coming?”
The invitation painted a cozy picture. He phrased it to sound as if he was asking if I wanted to go home with him.
“No.” Glancing back at him, I frowned extra hard to let him know I was onto his shenanigans. “I’ll walk myself home once Zed’s eyes open. I’m not going anywhere until that happens.”
Having painted himself into a corner, Isaac had no choice but to leave or make it even more obvious he was challenging Enzo by staying. I didn’t have to fake my sunny smile when Isaac realized his mistake.
“I’ll wait up.” He bent down, eyes locked with Enzo, and pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot beneath my ear. “You’ve got my number if you need me.”
Oh, how my palm itched to slap him. I made a fist before I could fan the testosterone in the room and we all suffocated.
“I don’t need you,” I assured him.
He turned and left before I got out my claws.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Enzo’s voice came across a great distance, as if in seeing me with Isaac, he began to understand the gulf he would have to cross to reach me. “That’s the ex. Cam’s cousin. You dated a Gemini.”
Over me was implied.
“Heritage doesn’t matter a whole lot to me.” Mine was a hot mess, so who was I to question anyone else’s? I held up my hand. “Before you give me the speech about how stupid that was, I got the memo. Guys like Isaac don’t stick around. I know. Trust me. I figured that part out all by myself.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
The unexpected softness in his voice brought up my head. “Go on. Get it off your chest. You’ll live longer.”
“It was brave of you,” he told me with utter sincerity, “to give your heart to someone you knew couldn’t reciprocate. Not in the way you deserve.”
The parallels he drew between us ached with the same resigned acceptance of impending pain I recognized from my early days of infatuation with Isaac.
Hearts are foolish. They love what they love, who they love, and rarely consult our brains before it’s too late. By the time logic enters the picture, the world is rosy and the sun is bright. By the time common sense arrives to the party, it doesn’t matter how unsuitable a pair is, they’re all in. And once it’s too late, once you’re in too deep, that’s when your eyes flutter open. That’s when all the rose-colored glass in the world can’t change the landscape of your choices. Love is a choice, but it’s a decision most of us make with our eyes closed or else we might never act on the emotion at all.
“Enzo…”
“Stop hogging all the glory. Give someone else a chance to be brave.” He bumped my shoulder in passing. He unlocked the door to his office and crossed the threshold. “I’m going to start on that paperwork.”
I raised my hand in a half wave as he shut the door, leaving him to while away the stormy afternoon in his own company. I wandered into the conference room and started a pot of coffee. On one hand, it was motivation to stay awake for the next few hours. On the other, if the power went out, I would be stuck in the dark with instant packets and cold water.
“Any news from Tahvo?” I risked questing toward Haden on the off chance he hadn’t crashed yet.
“No.” The mental equivalent of a yawn brushed against me, and guilt for disturbing him so late came quick on its heels. “Looks like the joke’s on us. We screwed up so much of his equipment, he’s having to rebuild from scratch. He’s started tracing the strikes for you, but it’s slow going because of the density of recent activity and lack of resources to verify his findings.”
“Get some sleep,” I urged him. “We’ll talk later.”
His goodnight came out as mushy as jarred baby food.
I leaned my hip against the counter and listened to what should have been the comforting drip, drip, drip as my next fix brewed. This time the promise of impending caffeination skipped the warm fuzzies and left me craving a hit even Folgers couldn’t provide.
For there being so many people here, there sure were a lot of us ending our nights alone.
Chapter 15
“IV?” a coarse voice murmured in the vicinity of my ear.
I jerked upright, sleep coating my eyelids, and toppled backward, hitting the floor with a thump. I landed in a sprawl with one arm trapped beneath the ladder-back chair where I had been sitting.
Warg reflexes for the win!
“You don’t have an IV.” I rolled onto the side where my arm was pinned to get my weight off the chair so I could sit upright. “You got a couple of shots of—I don’t know what—but that’s it.”
“Your breath.” Zed angled his head so he could look down at me. “Smells like you’ve been running on a coffee IV all night.”
The whole covering-your-mouth-and-blowing-into-your-palm thing was unnecessary. The inside of my mouth tasted like burnt roast and powdered sugar dreams. “Are you blaming my bad breath for waking you?”
“You said it.” He fanned the air in front of his nose. “Not me.”
“You’re lucky I love you so much.” I pushed to my knees, set the chair upright and then stood. “I’ll pretend this conversation never happened.”
A slight grin pulled at his lips. “Love you too.”
“You better.” I punched his shoulder lightly. “I saved your butt.”
“That’s a habit of yours,” he agreed.
“New best friends are hard to train.” I scooted the chair closer and sat near enough I could rest my chin on his shoulder. “You want to explain what happened out there?”
“I don’t know.” He tangled his fingers in the ends of my hair, taking comfort. “The last thing I remember is driving with the windows down and catching
your scent. I got to thinking about what happened to you, and the storm was coming…” He twirled a curl around his pinky until it stung, but I didn’t pull away. “I wanted a chance to search the area before the best scent markers got washed away.”
“Did you find anything?” I took his hand to give him something to do other than worry me a bald spot.
“If I did, I don’t remember.” His grip on me tightened. “There is one thing.”
A tad alarmed by his hold, I leaned forward. “What’s that?”
“I heard a lullaby.” He shook his head. “Whatever was out in that field, it was singing.”
The weight of his confession set my brain itching with remnants of a tattered memory.
“A lullaby,” I repeated. “That’s a good place to start.”
He leveraged himself upright in slow increments. “What do you mean?”
“Research.” I scooted back to give his legs somewhere to go. “This thing is fae. It has to be. It’s taken a fae and a human so far. One male and one female.” I studied him. “You’re a guy. I wonder why it didn’t keep you?”
“Thanks for noticing.” Careful not to feed me a sausage and meatball sub, since he was naked and hard as salami, he slid to the floor to test his legs. “Do I have pants here?” He folded his arms over his chest, which did nothing to hide his problem. “This is damn awkward, and it’s not going away anytime soon.”
“The curse of the morning wood,” I said solemnly.
“Don’t mock, Dell.” Blood rushed north, straight into his cheeks. “A man can’t help that his body wakes with eternal optimism.”
I arranged my face in a bland mask. “I didn’t say a word.”
“Knock, knock.” The chipper voice preceded physical knocking on the doorframe. “I thought I heard voices in here and…”
“Morning, Enzo.” I caught the scent of fresh grounds, and my caffeine-deprived synapses fired in excitement. “Is that coffee for me?”
“Yes.” The arm holding the mug swung out, but his gaze remained nailed to the floor. “I came to see how Zed was feeling.”
Promise the Moon (Lorimar Pack Book 1) Page 16