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1222 Words
Cedric Raine
The mention of her child has her closing her eyes, and with a shimmer of light, she shifts out of her wolf form. She promptly passes out, her tolerance for pain much lower in her human form. There’s a strange vibration coming from her pocket, and I reach for the source of it. I recognize the device for what it is: a cell phone. The name on the screen is Maya, and there are plenty of missed calls from her. Maya? Is she a healer?
I accept the call and press the phone to my ear. “Are you a healer?” I demand.
It’s a woman on the other end, and she splutters, “What? Who is this?”
“You’re wasting my time,” I bark. I decide I’ll have to take Leanna to my hotel, but it’s on the other side of the city.
The woman on the phone interrupts my thoughts, saying quickly, “Wait. Is something wrong with Leanna?!”
“Yes.”
“I am a”—she hesitates on the word—“a healer. Bring her to the house. What happened to her?”
“She has a fatal injury to her stomach! And I don’t know where the house is,” I growl.
“Just track my phone. Use the GPS.”
“The what?” This whole conversation is confusing me. “What’s the GPS?”
She hisses. “Okay, just stay there. Stay where you are. I’m coming to you.”
She’s coming to us? She must be a wolf.
“And keep the phone on you, doofus!” she snaps.
The line goes dead, and I stare at the device in my hand. Doofus? Is that supposed to be an insult? Did this healer just insult the King of the Northern Wolf Kingdom?
Choosing to ignore the slight, I consider the situation before me. I’m not going to leave Leanna here in the middle of the forest. Picking her up carefully so as not to aggravate her injury, I head out of the trees and move closer to the side of the street. It’ll be easier for the healer to find us here.
Leanna is bleeding heavily. I take off my shirt and press it against the wound. If I were in the North, I would howl and one of my healers would be able to locate me. But I have a feeling if I howl here, the city noise will drown it out. Maybe I should get one of these cell phones. They are confusing contraptions but useful for communication.
A bright red car pulls up on the other side of the road ten minutes later, and a woman hops out. She stares at her phone and begins running in my direction. Then, she suddenly comes to a halt and looks around.
“You are Maya?” I growl from the shadows. She nearly jumps out of her skin and squints into the darkness until she finally sees me.
“What are you doing skulking there? Bring her to the car!”
She opens the back door, and when I lay Leanna across the seat, she examines her. This woman doesn’t smell like a shifter. She’s a human. But her name was in Leanna’s phone, so she must be someone my mate trusts.
“We need to go to a healer,” I say harshly.
“I am a veterinarian,” she says. “That’s as good as a healer.”
“Is that what the wolves call healers in the human realm?” I’ll have to learn more about this world that Leanna lives in.
Maya hops into the seat in the front and then stares at me through the opening. “Well, are you getting in or not?”
When I move to follow her into the car, she looks angry. “Unless you’re going to sit on my lap, get in the passenger seat.”
“The what?”
“Over there, you i***t!”
She leans away from me and opens the door on the other side of the car. I don’t like her insults, but Leanna doesn’t have the time for us to argue. I quickly run around the car and get in. It’s an uncomfortable fit for my long legs.
As Maya starts the car, she demands, “What happened? She was just out on a routine surveillance. How did things go this wrong?”
“She was attacked,” I say shortly. “We don’t have time to waste. Why are you taking her to another location when you can just heal her here?”
Maya gives me a sharp look. “All my equipment is in my bag, which is at her house. I’m going to have to stitch her up.”
“Stitch her?” I frown. “Just heal her.”
“It’s not that simple. I’ve left a message for her healer. Since he’s not available, she’s going to have to make do with me.”
“You’re a human. What can you possibly do to help her?” Suddenly, I realize I may have made a mistake. I should have taken her to Healer Pat at the hotel.
“I deal with injuries like this regularly!” Maya says fiercely. “Believe me, I’m more than capable of helping Leanna. And who even are you? Why were you with her?”
“That’s none of your business. If you can’t get in touch with her healer, then I need to contact mine.”
The woman hands me her phone. “Call him.”
I stare at the contraption. “How?”
“What do you mean how?” She glares at me. “Dial his number and give him a call!”
“I—” I’m beginning to feel a little humbled now. “I don’t know his number.”
She stares at me for a brief second. “You—” She’s about to say something nasty. I can see it on her face. But her expression flickers for a second. “Who are you?”
“Is that important?”
She brings the car to a screeching halt. “You’re not from here, are you?” Fear floods her face now. “No. How did I not see it before? You look just like him.”
My jaw tightens, something tingling in my brain. “Like whom?”
She refuses to answer. “Get out of my car.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not leaving Leanna alone with you. I don’t trust you with her.”
“And I’m not taking you to her home,” she retorts harshly. “You’re Cedric, aren’t you?”
So, this human is aware of who I am. Leanna must have told her about me. “If you know who I am, then you know how easily I can kill you,” I snarl at her. “Start driving. I’m not going to have Leanna die because of your carelessness!”
“I’m not bringing you to her house.” Maya grips the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white.
I’m not about to waste any more time. Unsheathing my claws, I press the tips of them against her neck. “Drive.”
- Writer
