by Creator
“I’m fine,” she said softly, her strength starting to wane.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Connor said.
A portly man with glasses entered, giving them a smile. “I’m Dr. Kent. You must be Aislinn,” he said looking at his patient.
“Yes, sir,” she mumbled.
“You are quite a remarkable lady.”
“What do you mean?” Connor asked.
“Well, she has three fractured ribs, one broken rib, and her right wrist is sprained. She has internal bleeding and a skull fracture. By all rights, she should be unconscious. How she’s able to sit up and talk is beyond me.”
Connor sank blindly into the chair beside Aislinn’s bed, the blood draining from his face. He’d known her injuries were bad, but he hadn’t realized just how bad.
“Now, before you get too carried away, Mr. Tierney, I should tell you that we plan on running more tests. This young woman is a miracle to say the least. We’re going to do everything we can for her.”
“I’d like a moment alone with her,” Connor said quietly.
The doctor nodded and left the room.
Connor stared at Aislinn, dazed. “The Sorcerer must have kept you alive.”
“He said I would have a decision to make. I think I know now what he meant.”
He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
“Will your blood heal all of my injuries?” she asked quietly.
Connor’s breath hitched in his throat. Was she asking because she planned on staying? “I’m not sure. I know Marin was severely injured when Cole found her, but nothing like your injuries.”
“Will you try?”
“What exactly are you asking me, Aislinn?”
“Will you try and heal me? Will you…” Aislinn paused. It was hard to form the words, but she knew she had to.
“Will I what?” he asked quietly.
“Will you let me stay with you? Will you…” No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t form the words will you accept me as your mate.
Connor gently squeezed her hand. “Yes.”
“But how? The doctor isn’t going to let you inject me with anything.”
“Let me worry about that.”
Connor stood and opened the door. Sticking his head into the hall, he waited until Lucas’s friend walked back. Flagging her down, he asked a question he hoped wouldn’t be impossible.
“I need a syringe.”
She gave him a questioning look and opened her mouth to respond.
He held up a hand. “Please, I can’t answer the question your about to ask, just know that it’s going to help Aislinn.”
“Does this have anything to do with Lucas and his secrecy?” the nurse asked.
Connor gave her a grim smile. “I’m afraid so.”
She nodded. “Give me a minute and I’ll bring it to you.”
“Thank you.”
Connor closed the door and sat down beside Aislinn again. He held her hand, stroking her fingers. He’d never tried to heal anyone before. The thought of losing her scared him to death. What if it was too late? What if her injuries were too severe for the blood to work?
“Connor, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, flashing her a grin. “Just anxious for the nurse to return.”
“If… if it doesn’t work, I want you to know that I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
“It’s going to work,” he said, squaring his jaw in determination.
“But if it doesn’t… it’s been a long time since anyone has cared about what happened to me. I’m glad I met you, Connor.”
The door opened and the nurse stuck her head inside. “Here’s the syringe,” she said in a hushed voice.
Connor got up and took it from her. “Thanks.”
She nodded and slipped back out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her.
Connor took a breath and faced Aislinn. “This might be easier if I were sitting behind you.”
“I don’t mind,” she said weakly, “but I can’t sit up on my own.”
Connor helped her into a sitting position and climbed onto the bed behind her. Settling her body between his legs, he wrapped an arm around her, letting her head fall back against his chest.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked, his voice rumbling through his chest under her ear.
She nodded.
Taking the syringe, he uncapped the needle and stuck it in his arm, withdrawing as much blood as he could. He pulled the needle out.
“Before I inject you, I need to get a Band-Aid. You won’t heal as quickly as I do.”
Aislinn looked at the injection site on his arm and realized it had already closed.
Connor rummaged in the drawers until he found an adhesive strip.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded and curled against him. Extending her arm, she tried to relax. She winced when the needle pricked her skin, but Connor’s murmured words of comfort helped.
He had just put the bandage on her arm and deposited the needle in the biohazard tub when the door opened again.
“We’d like to run some blood tests,” Dr. Kent said. “We’d like to figure out how it is she’s survived this long.”
“Dr. Kent, we appreciate all you’ve done, but if her injuries are as severe as you say I’d rather take her home for however long she has left.”
Dr. Kent narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, his displeasure apparent. “I can’t stop you from checking her out of the hospital, but I would advise against it.”
“I understand,” Connor said, “but I think we’ll take our chances at home. At least she can be comfortable there.”
The doctor nodded. “I’ll draw up her release paperwork, but you should know that it will say she’s being released against doctor’s orders.”
“I understand.”
“Connor?” Asilinn said softly.
“What?” he asked, shifting her so that her body was more comfortable.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
He grinned. “It’s my pleasure, sweetheart.”
While they waited on someone to bring Aislinn’s discharge papers, Connor absently rubbed her arm, lulling her to sleep. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent. Connor couldn’t remember a time when he had felt so content just holding someone. He only hoped his blood would be enough to heal her. Now that he’d found his mate, he didn’t want to lose her.
An hour later, a portly nurse walked in carrying a clipboard.
“I have your discharge papers ready,” she said in a no nonsense voice.
Aislinn stirred from her nap and opened her eyes.
“Did you hear that? You get to go home,” Connor said with a smile on his face.
Aislinn gave him a half-hearted grin and buried her face against him. Still tired, she closed her eyes again.
“I’m afraid I need Ms. Walsh to sign the papers,” the nurse said.
Connor hugged Aislinn and whispered in her ear, “Come on, honey. You have to wake up now. The nurse needs you to sign some papers.”
Aislinn snuggled closer to Connor.
“Aislinn, if you don’t sign the papers, they won’t let you go home.”
Aislinn lifted her head and scowled at him. Turning to the nurse, she held her hand out for the clipboard. Signing on all of the highlighted lines, she handed the papers back to the nurse.
“Okay, Ms. Walsh, you’re ready to go,” the nurse said.
“That’s it?” Connor asked in surprise.
“Since you’re declining medical attention, she won’t have anything to take home with her other than the receipt showing she was here. We can’t send medical advice home with someone who doesn’t want to be treated.”
Connor nodded. “Well, thank you for your time.”
He gently shifted Aislinn, lifting her into his arms and got out of the hospital bed. Carrying her, he headed for the ER lobby and his fam
ily.
Chapter Five
Later that evening, Cassie and Matt stopped by after having heard about the excitement from Kiera. If Connor was surprised to see them, he didn’t give any indication.
“So, where is she?” Cassie asked with a smile.
“In the bedroom, resting.”
Cassie lifted a small plastic bag. “We stopped and did some shopping on the way here.”
Connor sighed. “I should have known. Alright, go on in, but try not to wake her if she’s still sleeping.”
Cassie grinned at him and hurried through the living room to the bedroom, leaving Matt and Connor alone.
“How is she?” Matt asked.
Connor shrugged. “It’s too soon to know if my blood was enough to heal her or not.”
Matt nodded. “Let us know if we can help in any way.”
Connor rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Now that you mention it, I don’t want to leave her alone when I have to return to work on Monday. Do you think Cassie would come and sit with her?”
Matt smiled. “I bet she would be delighted to. The kids are staying with their grandparents next week for spring break so she’ll have plenty of time on her hands.”
“Thanks. I’ll feel better knowing someone’s here with her.”
“You never know. She may be good as new by Monday. You have the whole weekend.”
Connor nodded. “True, but she’s …”
“She’s what?”
“He nearly killed her. She has broken and fractured ribs, a skull fracture and a laundry list of other injuries. The doctor said it was a miracle she was alive.”
Matt placed a hand on his shoulder. “But she is alive. That’s what counts.”
In the bedroom, Cassie quietly approached the bed. She didn’t want to disturb Aislinn if she was sleeping, but she wanted to get a closer look at Connor’s mate. She looked over her shoulder at the closed door, hoping no one would walk in. She didn’t just have clothes and toiletries in the sack. She’d also prepared a spell.
Taking out her anointed candles, she placed them strategically around the bed and the sleeping woman. Pulling a piece of paper out of the sack, she took a steadying breath.
Goddess of love and light
Embrace this woman with your power.
Make the wrongs right.
Heal her hour by hour.
Wrap her in your arms,
Bathe her in your love.
Let her come to no harm,
Protect her from above.
Sprinkling a powder of lavender, sage, and patchouli around the bed, she thanked the goddess for assisting with her spell. Putting everything back in the bag, she pulled out the clothes she’d brought. Laying them across the back of the chair in the corner, she turned back toward the bed.
“You poor thing,” she murmured, eyeing the bruises covering Aislinn.
Quietly slipping from the room, she left Connor’s mate to her rest. It would be a miracle if she survived the night, but at least Cassie knew she had tried to help. Between her spell and Connor’s blood, the young woman in the bed might just have a fighting chance.
Following the voices of her husband and Connor, she found them in the kitchen. “I left some clothes in the chair for her, but I doubt she’ll feel up to wearing them for another few days.”
“Is she still asleep?” Connor asked.
Cassie nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be improved by morning.”
“I hope so. The only way she could get worse is if she died.”
Cassie tried not to grimace. She knew that death was a very real possibility. “If you need anything, just let me know.”
“If she lives, do you think you could sit with her when I go in to work on Monday?”
“You’re going to work? You don’t think this is reason enough to take a few days off?” she asked, incredulous.
“I don’t have a choice, Cassie. I’m the boss, remember?”
“All the more reason to take off! Don’t you have a foreman or someone who could oversee things for a day or two?”
Connor rubbed the back of his neck, tension having built up painfully. “Yeah, I have one, but I need to be there Monday to sign their pay checks. I’m the only one authorized on the bank account.”
“I don’t mind staying with her, but she needs you. Don’t ask me why it’s important that you stay with her as much as you can, but it is.”
Connor stared at her a moment, trying to read between the lines. He knew there was something Cassie wasn’t telling him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. But if she thought it was important for him to be with Aislinn, then he would stay by her as much as he could. Regardless of what Cassie said though, he had a job to do.
“If you can stay with her Monday, I’ll take Tuesday and part of Wednesday off work. I’ll see if Colin can stay with her when I’m not here for the rest of the week.”
“Connor…”
He shook his head. “I can’t let the company run itself yet, Cassie. It wouldn’t do me any good to stay with Aislinn and lose the company, the only means I have of supporting her.”
Cassie grinned. “So she’s going to stay here permanently?”
“I’m hoping she will. She knows what I am and she accepts it.”
“Well, for your sake, I hope she stays. Call me if you need anything.” She tugged her husband toward the door. “We need to get home before it gets any later.”
In the bedroom, Eric materialized by Aislinn’s bed. He was glad she had chosen to be Connor’s mate and to stay in Ashton Grove. But, before she could have her happy ending, she was going to need a little help. The werewolf blood now flowing through her veins was helping repair the damage that had been done, but it wasn’t enough. Even Cassie’s spell had lent a little extra power, but it would fall short and Aislinn would die by morning. Unless he intervened.
Leaning over her prone form, he brushed his lips against hers, passing some of his magick to her. As his breath entered her lungs, her body was bathed in a golden, healing light. The bruises on her face and arms slowly started to fade.
Eric placed his hands on her ribs and felt them become whole again. He stepped back from the bed and smiled. He’d done as much as he dared. It was time for the werewolf’s and witch’s
magick to heal her now. As it was, interference of this magnitude would be frowned upon. But he couldn’t let her die. She was a fighter and deserved her chance at happiness. No matter what it took, Eric was determined she would get it.
Sitting in the chair by her bed, he decided to watch over her until the werewolf returned. While he knew the Fates had to test her, he didn’t want the trials to begin before she was fully healed. It was going to take everything she had to fight the upcoming battle. If it had been left to him, she would have been given her second chance free and clear. After all, the Fates were the ones who had screwed up, not the young woman lying in the bed before him.
If he had to play guard dog until she was well, then he would do so. It was beneath him, but this one time he didn’t mind. He’d seen so many humans get a second chance, most of them undeserving. This was the first time he felt the human had truly deserved another chance, a new life.
Aislinn was a remarkable young woman. More so than she realized. She may think of herself as plain or ordinary, but she was far from it, especially in Ashton Grove. In this world, she was capable of so much more than she realized.
He grinned when he realized that Cole’s and Michael’s mates were the only ordinary humans. The gift of sight allowed him to see Colin’s future mate, Ramsey’s and also Hunter’s. All three men would be blessed with unique women. And Connor… Connor’s mate would be the most unique of them all. Coming from another world, defying death and being granted special gifts would make Aislinn the strongest of the mates, and the most useful.
The footsteps echoing down the hall were his cue to leave. While he knew Aislinn had told Connor about him, it was entirely different to let the werewolf see him. He needed
to maintain an air of mystery. More importantly, he needed to make sure no one would recognize him. Aislinn would be able to, but she would be the only one in the pack who would know who he was, and it needed to remain that way.
As the doorknob turned, Eric faded until the werewolf wouldn’t be able to see him. Cloaking himself in darkness, he hid in the shadows. The werewolf would know he had been here, but he wouldn’t know why.
Eric smiled when he remembered how jealous Connor had been before. Let the werewolf stew a little longer. It wouldn’t do for him to think Aislinn was his simply because she was his destined mate. After all, everyone had free will.
Chapter Six
Connor stepped into the bedroom and sniffed the air. Growling, his eyes scanned every inch of the room. He knew the sorcerer had been here again, but he didn’t know why. Swiftly walking to Aislinn’s side, he checked on her.
Shock rippled through him. All of her bruises were gone. He knew it was impossible for his blood to have healed that much damage so quickly. Scenting the air, he recognized some of Cassie’s herbs and realized she had done a spell. But somehow, he didn’t think even that would have been enough to heal her so quickly. That only left the sorcerer. Connor had no idea why the illusive man had chosen to heal Aislinn, but he was thankful just the same, if not a little suspicious.
Aislinn was still sleeping peacefully. Making sure she was comfortable, Connor settled himself into the chair near her bed and kept watch. So far, the sorcerer hadn’t harmed her. But not knowing what the man’s motives were, Connor wasn’t about to take any chances; his mate was far too precious to him.
As he watched over her, Connor pondered Cassie’s statement. She had seemed convinced that Connor should remain by his mate’s side. But she hadn’t said why. It wasn’t like Cassie to be so cryptic. Was something going on that he needed to worry about? Was Aislinn not yet safe?
He had promised Cassie that he would leave work early on Monday and would remain home Tuesday. He had every intention of keeping that promise, but he didn’t like to leave the office for too long. Sure, he had a good bunch of workers, but the company was still new to him. It was like having a new baby and leaving it with complete strangers, it left him feeling unsettled.