While all these thoughts whirled through Tim’s mind, Ralf shifted back into his human form. Tears ran down his cheeks, and his hands trembled as he cupped his wife’s delicate face in his large hands. Sobbing, he said, “I’m so sorry, darling, I’m so, so sorry.”
“I’ll shift, okay? It was the only thing that helped against the pain the last time,” Paula rasped.
Closing her eyes, she shifted slowly, in obvious pain. When the shift was completed, she laid on the floor in her beautiful white-furred wolf form, breathing heavily and irregularly.
She’s beautiful, Jay said.
Yes, Tim replied, his eyes filling with tears. Why does this always have to happen?
If I go over to her now, will your father attack me again?
Jay! Didn’t you listen to anything I said?
Silently, all of them watched Ralf petting his wife, crying and apologizing. After a few minutes, Walter asked, “Shouldn’t you call for help?”
“It’s not that easy,” Robin explained. “Normal human medicine doesn’t always work on werewolves.” To Ralf, he said, “Raven might be able to help. He helped her last time, right?”
Ralf nodded. “Robin is right. I’ll call him. I’ll be right back.”
With that, he straightened up and rushed into the kitchen to the phone. Robin rolled his eyes, got up as well, and proclaimed, “I’ll get him some clothes. I don’t know what’s worse, seeing my brother naked or my father.”
Tim watched the kitchen door close behind Ralf, then saw Jay dashing over to Paula. Jay circled her, all the while sniffing, totally ignoring Tim’s hissed, Jay! What the hell are you doing?
Cautiously, Jay nudged Paula’s nose with his own. She struggled to open her eyes and gazed up into Jay’s bright-blue eyes. Even more cautiously, Jay began licking around Paula’s snout. At first she seemed startled, but soon her eyes drifted close and she relaxed into the caresses.
Jay! Tim pleaded. My dad will be back anytime. He’ll go for your throat when he sees you licking my mom! Hell, he’ll go for your throat anyway when he smells you on her. Please, get away from her and let’s run.
“Jayden, what the hell are you doing? I don’t think it’s wise to… to do whatever you’re currently doing,” Walter said while he nervously glanced at the kitchen door. “We should leave. Now. Please.”
Jay yipped softly and danced on the spot, seemingly unsure of his next step. Tim walked up next to him. Since neither arguing nor begging helped, he put as much authority into his voice as he could. Jay, we’re leaving right now. Even if you weren’t a hybrid, my father would attack you for licking his mate. How could you be so stupid?
Snapping at one of Jay’s ears to push him toward the exit, Tim listened to the noises from the kitchen. Ralf was still talking to someone, presumably Raven, on the phone. They still had time to leave and make it to a safe place.
Instead of complying, Jay bared his teeth and hissed at Tim. Dumbfounded, Tim stared at him. Inappropriately, he thought how beautiful Jay was in his animal form. His full, red-streaked fur shone, a clear sign of health. The typical fox attributes like the black ear tips and black socks only added to the picture of beauty and grace.
Robin came back downstairs, a bundle of clothes gathered in his arms. Intent on heading through the living room toward the kitchen, Robin didn’t spare them a glance. He stopped in front of the kitchen door, whipping his head around in astonishment. His mouth made a perfect “O,” then he clicked his mouth shut with an audible clack of his teeth and stumbled into the kitchen.
Tim, take your mate and protect him, Paula advised, her voice sluggish from the pain.
Before Tim could reply, Robin rushed back from the kitchen. He fell onto his knees in front of Jay, grasping the small wolf-fox’s head in his hands. “You licked her. You licked my mother. Christ, I must have hit the lottery today. Do you know how very disgusting this is? Your scent is all over her, our dad will have a major freak-out!”
That’s why we’re leaving now! Tim said.
“Jayden, come on now. If you can’t leave this guy here, we’ll take him with us, for Christ’s sake. Now get a move on!” Walter urged, his voice rising.
“Shh!” Robin hissed. “He’ll hear you!”
Tim snorted. Imitating Walter, he said, We’ll take him with us. How generous of him! Who does he think he is?
My father, Jay snarled. Stop snapping at me or pushing me or whatever. I have things to do.
Things to do? Jay, what are you talking about?
Watch me.
Watch you? What do you mean? Jay!
Tim could hardly breathe when Jay swiped his tongue over Paula’s snout, then proceeded to lick a path down from her chest to her belly. Robin’s eyes widened and suddenly understanding dawned on him. “You’re a healer.”
Paula opened her eyes, looking alert and curious. Tim’s gaze darted between the kitchen door and Jay licking Paula’s belly. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around any of this. Jay, come on, please. I don’t want you to get hurt.
I won’t. You’re at my side.
Tim groaned inwardly. How could he argue with that logic? How could he convince Jay of the danger he was in? Pleadingly, he looked at Jay, who ignored him. In despair, Tim asked, What are you doing?
I’m repairing as much of the damage to her spinal cord as possible.
You’re what?
It’s like lining up pearls in the correct order.
I’m sorry but… what the fuck are you talking about? Tim exclaimed.
“Uh, dude, you’re getting awfully close to, um, her private parts.” Robin coughed. “Just thought I’d tell you, in case you skipped classes in anatomy and so on.”
Tell him to stop acting like a wimp and help me, Jay demanded of Tim.
What?
Tim! Stop playing dumb and tell him what I told you! I’d do it myself but I can’t speak with him telepathically and I don’t want to change in case your father gets back and we have to run, because I’ll probably be much faster on four legs.
Tim stared at Jay, who was engrossed in licking the underside of Paula’s belly, one forepaw resting on her back, the other tucked underneath her belly. She gave a soft bark, and her tail began wagging slightly, something she hadn’t been able to do since the attack almost two decades ago.
Not understanding what Jay meant, but nevertheless implicitly trusting him, Tim told his brother, Jay instructed me to tell you to stop acting like a wimp and help him. I have no idea what he means by that.
Robin blushed and mumbled, “I do.”
He scooted closer to Paula, rested his hands on top of her pelvis, and took in a deep breath. Mesmerized, Tim watched a glowing orange light emerging from Robin’s hands as well as Jay’s mouth. The lights coalesced together into one, sparkling and expanding until Paula’s whole back was covered. She lay under a haze of warmly glowing orange.
It feels wonderful! Paula whispered.
The kitchen door opened, revealing a startled-looking Ralf. Without conscious thought, Tim moved swiftly, positioning himself between Paula, Jay, and Robin on one side and Ralf at the other side. Baring his teeth and growling deep in his chest, Tim dared Ralf to attack again. He didn’t want to fight him, absolutely not, but he would if he had to.
Twenty-Eight
DAD, please, don’t do something imprudent, Tim pleaded.
“Imprudent?” Ralf snarled. “Give me one good reason for not killing your mate.”
Tim heard Walter gasp. Walter surprised Tim by standing up against Ralf, saying, “Ralf, you’re talking about my son here. As far as I understand this whole situation, he’s helping your wife. Together with your son, if you’d like to have a closer look. Robin… Robin said Jay is a healer.”
“A healer?” Ralf asked disbelievingly. “Healers are rare. Usually they are sensers and—” He cut himself off, staring at Robin. “Why are you…? What…?”
Tim stopped growling and baring his teeth upon seeing the distress and confusion
on Ralf’s face, although he remained alert and ready to fight. Softly Tim said, Robin is who he is, not who you’d like him to be.
Ralf’s nostrils flared, indicating he was fighting to rein in his temper. He growled, “Get your mate off my wife.”
Ralf clutched the frame of the kitchen door tightly, the muscles of his forearms roping out from the strength he used.
Tim swallowed. He wasn’t sure he could successfully fight Ralf. The man wasn’t the pack leader for nothing. Others had tried to take away his position, but no one had ever succeeded. Not even Thompson, who had led the attack eighteen years ago, had been able to do that. And he’d been the head of a large group of wolves.
Jay! Are you ready to run? Tim asked, frantically trying to keep the rising panic from his voice.
No, not yet. Maybe a minute more.
Tim’s head swiveled around. That wasn’t a real question!
Paula howled, surprising all of them with her sudden outburst. Tim had barely time to see Ralf shift from human to wolf, sprinting toward his wife in long leaps. Tim headed him off, colliding with Ralf midair. They fell to the floor in a tangled heap, snapping and growling. Tim yelped when Ralf’s canines dug deep into his left foreleg. For a moment he was too stunned to react, which was enough for Ralf to sprint toward his wife.
Jay! Tim screamed as he scrambled to his feet, wincing when he put weight on his left leg.
Ralf skidded to a halt next to his wife, with Tim right on his heels. In despair, Tim cried out, Don’t you dare touch my mate! He’s helping Mom, can’t you see that?
“Dad, calm the hell down. You did enough damage today,” Robin snapped.
Ralf and Tim peered at Robin in astonished silence. Robin never dared to speak to Ralf in that tone, nor did he ever reprimand him. Ralf snapped back at him, You and I will have a serious talk later, young man!
Robin jutted out his jaw defiantly. Tim pushed Ralf out of his way with a firm nudge of his head. Tim knew he wouldn’t be able to go past him if Ralf didn’t want him to, and he took this as a good sign. Maybe he would listen to them, really listen.
Tim walked over to Jay, taking up a protective stance above him.
Maybe you’ve been pack leader for too long, Dad. Jay and Robin are helping Mom. Jay is my mate. I don’t give a flying fuck whether he is a hybrid or not. We’re destined to be together. He’s family! You should protect us, not attack us. I’ve always looked up to you but now… now, I can’t anymore.
Ralf’s eyes widened. He sat down heavily, his gaze wandering from his wife to Tim and his already closing wound, then over to Robin and Jay. He narrowed his eyes. Is your mate licking my wife’s genitals?
Tim cringed. No!
Right on cue, Jay stopped licking, gazed up at Robin, and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Robin lifted his hands and slowly the orange light became smaller until it eventually evaporated completely.
Paula shifted back into her human form, eliciting a hiss from Robin. “I have won the lottery today! I’ve seen all available family members naked today. I need therapy!”
Paula giggled, then beckoned him to hand her a blanket. Robin complied instantly. After covering Paula with the blanket, he held up his hands and demanded, “No one moves until I’ve retrieved three more blankets for you. Is that clear?”
“Absolutely, baby,” Paula chirped.
Robin bounced to his feet and stormed toward a small storage room snugged underneath the stairs, all the while muttering, “Fucking crazy. All of them!”
Rushing back with three blankets in his arms, he threw one at each of them, ordering, “Could you shift now so we all can have a normal conversation? And please, for God’s sake, cover yourselves. I can’t stand seeing any more naked people today.”
Tim locked his eyes with Ralf, saying, Together?
Tim didn’t want to be in his human form with Ralf still being in his wolf form, and was grateful when Ralf nodded in understanding. They shifted simultaneously, never losing eye contact while doing so. It was only when Jay laid a hand on Tim’s bare shoulder that he averted his eyes from Ralf’s.
Bewildered, Jay pointed to the still-reddened flesh on the inside of Tim’s upper-left thigh. “You’re really healing fast.”
Tim nodded, wrapping the blanket around himself. Ralf did the same. Ralf’s voice trembled when he said, “Raven will be here in about half an hour.”
“That won’t be necessary anymore,” Paula said mildly, a huge smile adjourning her face. “I haven’t felt this good in years.”
Slowly, she rolled on her belly then pushed herself up on hands and knees. The blanket threatened to slip from her, which had Robin crouching next to her to keep the blanket over her.
“You’re so owing me for all this crap today. All of you!” Robin said to no in particular. “Mom? Mom! What are you doing?”
Paula sat back on her heels, a huge grin on her face. Robin scrambled to wrap the blanket tightly around her. She held out her hands to her husband, softly asking, “Help me up, please?”
“Paula, you can’t… you…,” Ralf stuttered.
“I can. I’m sure I can. I feel my legs, every part of them. I just fear my muscles will be too weak to support me. Please, Ralf.”
Ralf took Paula’s outstretched hands and pulled. Robin gripped Paula under her armpits to stabilize her, and together they helped her to her feet. She swayed on the spot, and then she laughed; joyous, light laughter, drawing smiles from everyone around.
“My God, I’ll be able to walk again,” she sobbed.
Her legs buckled, and Ralf gathered her into his arms. He carried her to the sofa, settled her carefully on his lap, and held Paula’s head against his chest while he rocked her slightly back and forth. Paula tilted her head, and Ralf kissed her tenderly.
Tim sat on the floor with Jay leaning against him. He saw Robin discreetly wiping his eyes with the back of his hands after prying his gaze off his parents.
Robin bit his lower lip and darted a glance to Walter Cox, who smiled at him. He lifted his uninjured arm in invitation. “Seems like we’re the only ones who have no one to hug.”
Robin smiled a watery smile as he walked over to Walter. As he sat down next to him, he said, “I’m not your son and you’re not my father, but since everyone else is excluding us and would probably bite our heads off if we try to join them….”
Walter chuckled and pulled Robin against his side, who rested his head on Walter’s collarbone, clearly exhausted. Tim smiled, then glanced at his parents before he focused on Jay in his arms.
Walter broke the silence first. “I remember that Jay always brought sick or injured animals home to take care of them. Everyone always said he had the right touch for the job, but I wondered how he did that. Every animal he brought home survived.” Frowning, he addressed his son. “Jay, is this the reason why our horses are never seriously sick?”
Jay shrugged, his cheeks coloring. “Maybe.”
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Walter said.
“Oh dear, that sounds ominous,” Robin piped up. “I’m glad I’m not in your shoes.”
“Well, I don’t want to be in your shoes, either, when you explain why you’ve hidden your healing powers,” Jay shot back.
Robin cringed, shooting a glare at Jay. “Touché.”
Tim took a deep breath and then asked the question that lay heavily on his mind. “Jay, will my mother really be able to walk again?”
Everyone looked at Jay, apprehension clearly written on all their faces. Jay sighed. “I couldn’t repair the damage completely, not even with Robin’s help. Maybe if I’d been around the first time she suffered this injury, but not after such a long time. I suspect she’ll be able to walk short distances.” Turning toward Paula, he added, “Maybe you’ll need a walking stick, but I think you should be able to get back on a horse.”
Paula beamed at him while Ralf grumbled, “No way. No horseback riding. I don’t want you to fall and hurt your back again.”
&nbs
p; “We’ll talk about that later. In private,” she replied. She smiled down at Jay and extended her hands to him. “Come to me, please?”
Jay exchanged a worried look with Tim, then slowly crawled over to Ralf and Paula. Tim followed him, his hands never leaving Jay’s hips. Warningly, he snarled at Ralf, “One wrong movement from you and I’ll go for your throat.”
Ralf glared at him, a low rumble building up inside his chest. Paula touched Ralf’s and Tim’s noses with her fingertips, this time getting the expected reaction from both of them. They withdrew and their eyes softened. Firmly, she gave each nose a rap with her knuckle and told them, “Stop it. Both of you. Your father won’t ever threaten your mate again. Jay is family—his genes don’t matter to us. Isn’t that right, Ralf?”
Ralf opened his mouth, but Paula continued, “Because he remembers that a long time ago, white wolves were considered unsuitable as a mate for an alpha wolf. Because your father knows how hurtful prejudices are, and how hard it is to overcome them.”
Tim gaped at his parents; he’d never known about this. He heard Robin asking, “Did you know about that? Because I didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t know,” Tim answered.
“I’m sorry,” Ralf mumbled as he closed his eyes and nuzzled Paula’s face.
She dropped a kiss on his forehead before bending down to cup Jay’s face in her hands. After kissing the tip of his nose, she whispered fiercely, “Thank you. Thank you for healing as much as you could and thank you for being Tim’s mate. I knew you were special the moment I saw you with Tim. I didn’t know what it was then, but now it’s clear. You’re a powerful healer.”
Jay blushed and squirmed a bit. Tim chuckled at Jay’s uneasiness and silence. “Is that the way to get you to shut up? To compliment you?”
Jay huffed and nudged his elbow into Tim’s abdomen, eliciting a pained grunt from him. “Not funny.”
“It totally is, I can see you smiling.”
Jay ignored Tim’s comment but leaned back against Tim’s body when Paula released his face. Peering over at Robin in Walter’s arms, he said, “I’m not the only one with healing powers. I wouldn’t have been so effective without your son.”
Secret Chemistry (Shifters) Page 18