Black And White Ops: A BWWM BBW Military Romance (13 page)

Elizabeth
had moved to the window and was peering out at the human. “What’s
wrong with him?”

“
A
group of teenagers attacked him.”

Elizabeth
looked back at her. “Weres?”

“
Yes,”
Tisha answered as she opened the door to walk out. She heard
Elizabeth tsk at her answer and knew she’d hear all about how
when she was young, humans, like she had been, had dominated the
world.

“
All
right, sir, let’s take a look at that leg.” Tisha kneeled
in front of him and pulled open his pant leg. Luckily, the claw marks
weren’t deep, just long. They’d bled quite a bit, and
Tisha hoped that most of the dirt and grime had been washed away.
“I’m going to pour this witch hazel over the wounds to
wash it, then I’ll clean it, put some ointment on it, and
bandage it. You won’t be good as new, but you should heal.”

“
Thank
you, ma’am. I’m Hank.”

“
Tisha.
This is going to sting a bit.” He hissed when she poured it
over the wound. As the blood cleared, she could tell these were
werewolf claws, but she asked to make sure.

“
Yes,
the one who hit me was a werewolf, but I’m not sure about the
other two. They didn’t shift, only laughed,” he said,
bitterness tainting his voice.

She
glanced up at him. “Our world certainly isn’t always a
beautiful place.”

“
No,
it sure isn’t.” He looked at her and smiled. “Thank
you for helping me.”

“
You’re
more than welcome,” Tisha said as she dabbed ointment onto the
wounds. “I’m going to give you some of this to put on it
tomorrow. And you’ll need to change the bandages. After that,
you should be ok as long as you keep it clean.”

Hank
nodded, watching her as she tied the bandage tightly around the
wound. “So not all weres are bad,” he said with a
chuckle.

She
smiled. “Nope. Just like all humans aren’t bad.”

Hank
stood and shook her hand. “How do I pay you, Tisha?”

“
Um,
most people trade. Some give me money. However you can pay me, that's
fine,” Tisha said.

Hank
reached into the pocket of his pants, pulled out a coin, and handed
it to her. “Is this enough?”

Tisha’s
eyes widened a little. “Hank, this is too much. Do you have
anything smaller? Or maybe we could work out a trade?”

Hank
smiled at her. “You deserve this much for the good work, I’m
sure you do.”

She
shook her head. “Well, thank you.” She raised the coin.
“I’ll put this to good use.”

He
lifted the jar of ointment in a salute to her and said, “Thanks
for the ointment. Hope we run into each other again.”

“
If
you need more, just let me know. I’ll be in the village off and
on. How long do you think it will take y’all to build the
worship building?”

“
Oh
gosh, I’m not sure. We only just started. We’ll be here
through the summer at least,” Hank answered.

“
Then
I’m sure we’ll see each other,” she replied,
shaking his hand once more. “Have a safe walk back to the
village. I’m sorry I don’t have a horse you could
borrow.”

“
It’s
only a two-mile walk, but thanks,” Hank replied and turned to
leave. He limped a little, but he’d make it and be able to work
without too much pain. The ointment she’d given him did have a
painkilling property. He’d paid her so much more than she had
expected, she decided she’d carry some ointment with her and
give it to him just to be nice.

Elizabeth
floated close to the door as Tisha walked in, leaving it open so
fresh air could waft in. “What a handsome man,” she
commented in her breezy voice, watching Tisha retrieve her basket and
lifting it up on the table to begin preparations for Chrissa’s
medicine.

“
A
bit of a hulk, don’t you think?” Tisha replied.

“
A
hulk?” Elizabeth chuckled. “I forgot you like your men
less beastly, so to speak.”

“
He
wasn’t beastly! Just . . .” Tisha searched for a word,
“mountainous.”

“
Yes,
I suppose he wasn’t your type,” Elizabeth murmured
morosely.

“
Why
do you care so much about my type?”

“
I’d
like to see a man around here so I can see some children. You’ve
become boring in the last five years. I need some stimulation.”

Tisha
didn’t answer. She removed the titian from her basket and began
searching for her knife. She needed to first cut the root and then
squeeze the juices into the concoction she’d made the evening
before. As she worked, she thought about the attack on Hank. She
wondered why the teenage weres had attacked him just because he was
human. She hoped the new worship building fulfilled its purpose,
which was to teach tolerance. Anyone could worship there, no matter
what deity he or she worshiped. Tisha prayed to her goddess that the
villagers would not only learn tolerance, but would also apply it in
real life.

“
I
wish I could figure out how to make a tolerance potion. I’d
spike the water supply,” Tisha mumbled under her breath,
drawing Elizabeth’s attention away from the window.

She
floated to the table to watch Tisha as she worked. “I wish
you’d find someone to give your love potion to.”

“
I
wish you’d mind your business.”

Elizabeth
let out a ghostly snort. “Tisha, I’m a ghost. I have no
business. So I mind yours.”

“
I’m
so lucky,” Tisha replied sardonically.

Elizabeth
ignored her tone and continued. “In my day, a woman your age
would be married.”

“
I’m
sure. But in your day, weres were the minority. Things were
different.”

“
Not
that different. Although maybe a little better,” Elizabeth
said. Then her transparent brows furrowed. “Of course, people
died at a younger age then. Damn you, dysentery.”

Tisha
giggle. Elizabeth often damned dysentery, the disease she’d
contracted from drinking water straight out of a creek. Elizabeth had
entertained her with the disturbing details of her lengthy illness
and painful death. She was fascinated by the fact that Tisha had a
medicine that eased the symptoms of dysentery and often, if caught
early enough, could cure it.

Elizabeth
interrupted her thoughts. “You know, Tisha, you’re such a
beautiful woman. Your skin is the color of cocoa mixed with just a
splash of milk.”

Tisha
smiled. “What a lovely compliment. Thank you.”

“
And
that ample ass and bountiful breasts! I bet when you walk through the
village, all the men turn to look at you.”

“
And
you’ve ruined it,” Tisha commented. “I sometimes
wonder if you were really a man back in the day.”

“
Nope.
I just appreciate a beautiful woman. And a beautiful man, for that
matter. Of course, I never get to see one of those.”

Tisha
finished the medicine for Chrissa and poured it into a glass bottle.
She placed the stopper in the opening and carefully put the bottle
into her pocket. She cleaned her work area and put away her supplies.
She’d learned from her mother, who’d had the same gifts
as she possessed, that a dirty workspace hurt more than healed
because inappropriate substances may get into the potion or medicine.

“
I
have to go into town, Elizabeth,” Tisha said.

“
Poor
Chrissa. Her illness reminds me of mine,” Elizabeth said.

“
Don’t
start feeling sorry for yourself,” Tisha warned. “And
don’t put bad vibes out there. I’m hoping to figure out
what’s wrong with her so I can heal her.”

“
No
bad vibes from me, Tisha,” Elizabeth replied as she floated up
to sit in the rafters. She looked around. “Oh yuck.”

Tisha
looked up at her. “What?”

“
There
are snakes up here now.”

“
Good.
I prefer snakes to mice any day.”

“
Until
one falls on your neck.”

Tisha
rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. She closed the door and
latched it, shaking her head with a smile. She and Elizabeth bickered
constantly, but she couldn’t imagine her life without her.
What
would she do if I ever actually brought a man home?
Tisha thought with a giggle as she followed the road that led to the
village two miles away.

*****

Tisha
hurried into the village and made it to Chrissa’s family’s
home by eleven that morning. She rapped her knuckles against the door
and waited patiently for her mother to answer. The door swung open
slowly, and Chrissa’s mother smiled wanly at her.

“
Oh,
goodness. You’ve not slept at all, have you?” Tisha asked
gently.

Chrissa’s
mother, Betia, replied hoarsely, “I couldn’t. Her
breathing is so shallow. Oh Tisha, I’m so scared.”

Tisha
put her hand on Betia’s back and rubbed. “I know it’s
scary, but you have to rest so you can take care of her. If you get
sick, what will happen then?”

“
I
know, you’re right, but with Mateo gone until next week, I’m
the only one here.”

“
Of
course. Let me have a look at her. I brought a potion I think will
help,” Tisha said. She sidestepped around Betia, who moved to
close the door. “Oh, Betia, leave the door open. Some fresh air
in here will do you both some good.” As they moved to the back
room where Chrissa’s bed was located, Tisha had another
thought. “Also, if she feels up to it later, you really should
take her out into the sunshine for a bit. Not too long, though. You
don’t want her to get too hot.”

“
The
doctor said the dark would be better for her,” Betia replied.

“
Has
the dark helped so far?”

Betia
chuckled mirthlessly. “Not a bit. I’ll take her outside
after you leave.”

Tisha
reached the bed where the little girl slept. She touched her
forehead; she didn’t feel nearly as warm as she had yesterday,
but she still felt warmer than she should. When Chrissa opened her
eyes, Tisha’s widened. They were bloodshot like a drunk man’s,
and she seemed unable to focus on her.

“
Good
morning, lovely,” Tisha said quietly. “How are you
feeling?”

The
small shoulders shifted in a shrug. “No better,” she
whispered. “But not worse.”

Tisha
smiled. “I like that attitude. Your fever seems lower than last
night. Have you been drinking lots of water?”

“
Mama
wakes me up constantly to make me drink,” Chrissa replied with
a pout. “Tell her to stop.”

“
She’s
doing what she has to so you can get better.” Tisha pulled the
medicine out of her pocket. “Want to go outside in the sun
later?”

Chrissa
brightened perceptibly. “Yes, please!”

“
I’ll
remind her,” Tisha said, glancing back at Betia with a wink.
“And now I’m going to make you mad. You have to take this
potion.”

“
Potion?”
Chrissa looked at it with the distaste of a twelve-year-old. “Do
you mean medicine?”

Tisha
chuckled. “I do. But let’s pretend it’s a magic
potion. Sounds much more fun.”

Chrissa
sighed the sigh of a martyr. “Fine. Do I have to drink all of
it?”

“
Every
drop if you want to get better.” Tisha un-stoppered the
medicine and handed it to her. “Bottom’s up, lovely.”

Chrissa
upended the bottle and drank it in one gulp. A smile flitted across
her face. “It didn’t taste that bad.”

Tisha
leaned closer and whispered, “I put some mint in it to take
away some of the bitterness.”

“
Thank
you,” Chrissa said. She laid back down and murmured, “I
think I’ll go back to sleep now.”

Tisha
rose and followed Betia into the front room. Betia handed her a
basket full of eggs as payment, which Tisha gratefully accepted. She
loved eggs but hated chickens and didn’t want to raise any of
her own. She loved receiving eggs as payment.

“
Oh,
thank you so much! You know how I love eggs,” Tisha said.

“
No,
thank you, Tisha,” Betia said. “I’ve never been
more scared in my life.”

“
I’m
hoping this medicine will work. I’ll come back in the morning
again to check on her.” Tisha
hugged
Betia. “Don’t forget to take her outside after she wakes
up.”

“
I
will. Thank you so much for everything,” Betia said.

*

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