Wolf’s Heart (11 page)

“Don’t fuck with mine.”

“I think I pee’d…just a little. I swear…nothing on the carpet, but I may need new shoes. You can feel if you want. The carpet I mean.” He reached over to help her ease back into her seat, but she shook her head and waved him off. “I think I’ll just stay down here for a bit.”

“Fuck this shit. We’re going back to DC to get those reports. You’re going to use that amazing brain of yours and get to the bottom of this. Then I’m gonna take you on a vacation to Bora Bora.”

She stayed down in the floor for several more minutes, for once seemingly scared into silence. He wanted to tear someone’s head off for putting her through this. Instead, he tamped down the raging beast, taking long slow breaths and focusing on the road in front of him.

Ryden took a deep breath and almost laughed at the insanity of it all. He knew he would eventually have to tell her about the new changes in his life, hopefully later rather than sooner. Shit, he wouldn’t care if she never knew. Fact is, she’d probably run screaming into the night and never look back once she met the beast inside of him. He still couldn’t figure out why he would even care. It had been three years since he’d even seen her, much less talked on the phone. He figured it would be better to cut ties to those he knew before his change. People would start to talk when they got older and he didn’t. Eventually, even Justin would have to be cut off. Grant was dying from cancer, so he wasn’t an issue and Ryden knew there’d be a lot of people in his life he’d see die if he lived long enough.

Finally, a bit calmer, he looked down at Carlee and tried to smile.

“Come on, Buttercup. You’ll be more comfortable in the seat. We’re not being followed. You’re safe.” He reached out his hand, and she took it with cold, shaking fingers and sat carefully in the seat beside him. “Buckle up.”

She did as she was told, almost like a robot following orders. Ryden could tell she was in pain from that rough ride they had just taken and knew she wouldn’t admit that to him. She was too stubborn. But for now, he agreed with the firm stance she’d taken on the refusal of pain meds. She had to be able to move, painful or not. Whoever was after her was coming too quick. They were finding her at every stop. Letting them get Carlee wasn’t an option. Ryden would protect her or die trying. In her current condition, if they kept up this pace, she would either be captured or killed. Neither of these scenarios was an option in Ryden's mind. He’d protect her or die trying.

After tossing Carlee’s phone, Ryden felt a bit safer. Until she was able to move around better they were sitting ducks for those after her. He could smell her wound again. It wasn’t healing as it should have been and infection was a concern. He had to get her some help, something that would heal her, get her better before it was too late and they were caught because she was slowing them down or worse…

But how? There was still so much he didn’t know about his new physiology, things that he might never find out unless he just got lucky. But JT might have some answers. As soon as he could get Carlee somewhere safe and out of ear shot, he would give him a call and see if he could help. For now, Ryden just had to just keep them both alive.

Somewhere south of Richmond, Virginia, Ryden picked up an exhausted Carlee and carried her into yet another motel room. What he was about to do was really going to piss her off, but she needed pain-free sleep. The only way that was happening was with the pain medication. So while she lay on the bed, so tired she couldn’t move, he prepared the shot and popped it in her arm before she knew what he’d done.

“Ouch! Shit, Ry, what the hell? I told you no more drugs!”

“You need it, and with your phone gone, we have time. Shut it and get some sleep.” His voice left no room for argument, but of course, her tongue had a mind of its own.

“Hell, I don’t remember you being this bossy before. What changed about you?”
If she only knew..
.

“Just sleep, I’ll keep watch.” After a while she finally fell into a drug-induced sleep and he called JT.

JT picked up on the third ring. “Everything okay, Ry? Did you locate Carlee?”

“No, everything’s not okay. It’s pretty fucked up, actually. Carlee was nearly beaten to death and she’s on the run. I managed to find her but she’s hurt pretty bad and we’ve still got assholes after us. Until I know what I’m dealing with, I don’t want to get the police involved. What I need is for her to get healed up and able to move.”

“Shit, are you sure about this? I mean if there’s someone after her, you need to call the police.” JT was very concerned and Ryden felt it straight to his bones.

“No, not yet. I’ve got a feeling there’s some bad blood somewhere along the way, and I can’t risk it. I’ve got a question for you, though. Do you have any idea if there’s a way to fast-track her healing? I won’t force a change on her.”

JT was silent for a minute and then said, “I’m not sure, man, but I’ve heard rumors of our kind being able to heal without the bite and inevitable change. I have no idea if any of the rumors are true and it’s a risk at best. She might end up sprouting fur. Then there’d be hell to pay.”

“Explain.”

“Well you would clean the wound. Let the wolf come to the surface enough, it will know what to do. Just don’t bite her. It wouldn’t hurt to rub your blood on top of it. It’s supposed to heal without the adverse side effects, like becoming hairy on the full moon. Can you imagine if this was true and humans got a hold of this information? We’d be hunted for sure, but not because they think we’re evil. It would be for our blood.”

Ryden shuddered at the thought. “I’ve got to try at least. She’s...” He hesitated, not sure how to explain it, when he didn’t understand it himself. “I know you’re going to say I told you so, JT.” He didn’t say anything, just sat silently on the other end of the phone. “She’s special to me. Why, I have no clue. I mean she was my girlfriend for several years before my change and I thought I could make a clean break from her for her own good. I don’t understand this strong urge to protect her. The night she was hurt, I felt it, like my soul was being ripped from my chest. It woke me up, and at first, I couldn’t breathe.” Ryden could hear the silence on the phone as if it had a life of its own. “What’s wrong, JT?”

“Ry, I hate to tell you this, but there’s only one reason why a male werewolf has feelings that intense for a female and feels her pain like that. She’s your mate. I’ve suspected this for a while now, but this proves it in my book. Your strong reactions every time she’s mentioned, and refusing to see her, even though I could tell you wanted to, spoke volumes.”

“Mate? What the hell are you talking about? She’s just a friend, or was. I don’t know if we will be even that when this is over.”

“Trust me on this. She’s more than a friend. You wouldn’t risk all you have for just anyone. Wolves mate for life, and when he or she finds their true mate, the wolf inside recognizes that mate. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

Ryden looked across the room where Carlee slept peacefully and wondered if he was right.

My mate...mine. Could this be true?

He shoved that thought aside and focused on getting her better.

“Regardless, I’ve got to help her, even if it puts me in danger. Thanks for the info, JT. I’ll be in touch.”

He hung up and walked over to the bed where Carlee slept. Her face was still gaunt with exhaustion with dark circles under her eyes and her hair now a matted mess, the blue and purple streaks she loved looking even more lifeless than before. He leaned over and brushed her hair back from her face, and she turned onto her back with a sigh.

“Alright, Buttercup,” Ryden whispered. “Let’s see if this works.”

Carefully, he pulled back her shirt and eased her bandage up so that he could see the row of staples down her belly. The incision was an angry red and the infection he suspected was undeniably there. If this didn’t work, he’d be forced to take her to a hospital. His wolf rose to the surface as he looked down at her. Crawling onto the bed beside her, instinct took over and he laved the row of staples that marred her abdomen. Once he was sure the wound was clean, he unsheathed the knife at his ankle and drew it across his right forearm, smiling to himself as the head of the Salad Fingers tattoo separated from its body. Blood pooled and then dripped along the length of the wound. Before he’d covered it all, his arm had begun to heal. He opened the vein again and ignored the biting pain at his incision site and kept the blood flowing. When it was finally done he wiped the blood from his arm, watching Salad Fingers regain his head as the wound closed on its own. Now to see if this experiment worked.

Several minutes passed, and he started thinking this rumor was a bunch of bullshit. Frustrated, Ryden sat back against the headboard and closed his eyes. There had to be something that would work. When he opened his eyes again and looked at her belly, the redness had faded and the wound definitely looked much better. Frustration turned to hope, and he grabbed the staple remover and gently pulled each staple out.

She flinched a few times, and he hoped she’d stay asleep for this. There were certain to be a lot of questions when she woke up. Ryden had no idea what he’d tell her. He just hoped once she was healed, she didn’t start sprouting hair, fangs and claws.

Once all the staples were removed, he took a damp wash cloth from the bathroom to wipe the excess blood away. Her wound was healed, leaving only a faint red line where the incision had been made. Ryden looked at her face, and the gaunt look, dark circles and bruises were fading. It had worked better than he ever hoped. He pulled her shirt closed and lay down beside her, holding her gently as she slept peacefully.

Carlee came awake slowly several hours later, and turned in a pair of arms that were strong and warm. She rolled onto her side with her head in the crook of his neck, and then lay there for a couple minutes, letting the fog lift and realization to set in. Sitting up in the bed quickly, she glared down at him.

“You
ass
, you drugged me!” She slapped at his sleeping form, startling him awake. “I told you, Ryden, I did
not
want to be drugged. Who the hell do you think you are? You know after what happened last night, I need to be able to move, to be able to get away.” Carlee was up off the bed and pacing across the floor, her hands tossing in the air as she talked.

“Exactly
what
would have happened if they found me again? You gonna go caveman, toss me over your shoulder and carry my ass out the fire escape? That would’ve felt really great when the staples started to pop out…”

As soon as the words came out her mouth, her hand went to her belly, feeling through the shirt. There was nothing there, no staples, no pain, just an odd tingling sensation. She ripped the shirt up over her head and looked down to find a diagonal red line just under her left breast where the staples had been. She looked up to Ryden’s smug expression.

“And good morning to you, too, sunshine.”

Her finger traced the fading incision line. It was the slightest of scars. She shivered as she touched it, eyes looking up to meet his, trying to read them, but the cold gun metal blue was there and he was not saying a word. Again, a flash of gold in his eyes had her taking a step back.

“Ryden, exactly what the hell happened while I was out? Did you have your doctor friend come again? You stayed here with him right? You didn’t leave me alone while I was passed out...”

Ryden looked extremely pleased with himself. Carlee couldn’t make up her mind whether she wanted to smack him or kiss him. Grabbing her shirt and covering herself, she tried to figure out what happened. There was nothing on earth that she knew of that could heal anything that quickly. If there was, it would be worth a fortune.

“What? Did you cop a feel while I was asleep? Ryden, something happened and you need to tell me what the hell is going on. I feel like I was never beaten at all. That isn’t possible.” 

Stepping backwards until she hit the wall, a million possibilities went through her mind.

“Ryden, what the fuck have you done to me?”

“Carlee, I’ve told you, I’m not your enemy. I’m helping you, keeping you safe. I won’t hurt you. You’re my...friend.” He hesitated, and she wondered what he was going to say.

He stood up and walked across the room, taking his time approaching her. “Buttercup, please, just relax. I’m sorry about the drugs, but you were in pain, and you’re a stubborn woman. I knew you’d never admit to needing them.”

She flinched but didn’t pull away as he reached out to caress her cheek. Starting with her hair, he used his fingers to untangle her long dark tresses and tuck them behind her ear. His other hand moved along her neck, her shoulder, and even though she still clenched the shirt in front of her breasts, her body seemed to relax at the contact. His touch was magic, unraveling the pit of anxiety and mistrust she kept bottled up inside. The fear that he’d hurt her was still there, but something in the way his hands caressed her seemed to ease that, at least for the moment.

“You’ve got to trust me, Carlee.” Her eyes lifted and met his. She felt the flush of heat rush to her cheeks. He traced his finger across her lips, tugging at them until she snaked her tongue out and licked across the tip of his thumb.

What the hell was it about his touch? It was calm, tranquil. At least it was until he ran his finger across her lip. It was like turning the key in her Hemi as her girly parts hummed to life.

“Come on, Buttercup. You’ll feel better after a shower. I’ll see if I can come up with something for you to wear from my bags. They’ll be big, but at least they’ll be clean.”

He moved away from her to dig out some running shorts and a
Go Army
t-shirt from his bag. When he turned around, she had composed herself. Inhaling deeply, the scent of an earthy musk filled her senses as she reached out and took the offered clothing.

“Go on, I’ll order us something to eat while you’re getting cleaned up.”