A hospital? Her brief glimpse of it gave the impression that it wasn’t like any hospital she’d ever seen. The area outside seemed rural, lots of trees. No parking lot filled with cars, no activity.
Strange. But all of that was swept away when, inside, she was rolled into a small, sterile room and a pretty woman—doctor?—with long, curly brunette hair smiled down at her.
“Miss Bradford? Just relax. We’re going to take care of you, and you’ll feel better soon. I promise.” She patted Daria’s arm. “Do you understand?”
She nodded. Or thought she did. Then the good drugs must’ve kicked in, and she knew nothing else for a very long while.
The Huey landed and Ryon jumped out, watching helplessly as the medical team whisked Daria out of the transport. He jogged after them as they rushed the gurney through the double doors, down the hallway to the infirmary, and into one of the trauma rooms. There, however, he was blocked by Noah, who placed one palm on Ryon’s chest.
“Sorry, man. You have to stay out here,” he said firmly, not without sympathy. “Better yet, head back to the waiting area.”
“But—”
“No buts. We’ll let you know how she’s doing soon.”
The nurse wasn’t going to be budged. Worse, Ryon was holding the man up from doing his job. With a sigh, he gave in. “All right. But let me know the second you can tell me how she’s doing.”
“You bet. Don’t worry, okay?” With an encouraging smile, the nurse disappeared.
“Dammit!” Raking a hand through his hair, he made his way back to the waiting room. Frustrated, he paced like a caged animal for several minutes, until Aric showed up, Rowan with him.
“You’ve gotta settle down or you’re gonna give yourself a stroke,” the red wolf observed. “Sit.”
“I can’t. She’s back there, suffering, and there’s not a goddamned thing I can do about it!”
Rowan stepped in front of him, clasped his shoulders, and tried to soothe him. “Daria isn’t feeling any pain right now. She’s in good hands, and she’s going to get better fast, thanks to your bonding.”
“She’s not hurting
“One step at a time. You don’t have to get into that right away.”
“Yes, I do. If I let it slide, even just until she’s better, it’ll be the same as lying. What if she hates me for it?” The possibility had him breaking out into a cold sweat. His wolf would go insane, taking the man right along with him.
Taking his hand, Rowan pulled him over to sit in a chair and took a seat beside him. “She might be scared or upset, at first. Don’t let that eat at you. There’s nothing you could’ve done differently under the circumstances except allow her to die, and then you would have been next. Once she understands that, everything will be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.” If she rejected him, the consequences he’d suffer didn’t bear thinking about further.
A couple of hours passed. His Pack brothers came and went, checking on him and asking for word about his mate. At the moment he was alone. Tired from his constant pacing, he slumped into a chair again and stared out the window, contemplating this turn of events.
Why did he care so much about Daria? On both a primal and intellectual level, he knew what she was to him. Unlike Jax and Aric when they’d met their mates, right from the start there had been no question in his mind, or his wolf’s, that Daria was his mate. His wolf’s reaction, the beast’s attraction to her, was like a blow upside the head with a tire iron. His beast wanted to claim her, mark her with his scent. And much more. But the
Odd that he’d met her twice already—just not in person. On both occasions she’d reached out to him across miles. Had she somehow sensed their bond, causing her to act?
“Ryon?”
Pushing to his feet, he saw Melina Mallory coming toward him. The doctor’s short cap of dark hair was growing out, almost touching her collar, and framed her elfin face in a flattering way. It softened her features, made her more approachable. The rare warm smile hovering on her lips boded well, and he just about fell over in relief before she could speak. In typical fashion, the no-nonsense doc got right to the point.
“Daria is lucky to be alive. She sustained a broken arm, a broken rib, various cuts and bruises, and serious internal bleeding, which is what almost killed her. That said, she’s doing well.”
He gave a humorless laugh. “Doesn’t sound so good to me.”
“I’ll be honest. If it hadn’t been for the mating bite, her story would’ve ended in that ravine. But you reached her in time, did what had to be done, and that’s what matters. She has no serious head injury and her other wounds are healing faster than I’ve ever seen on a human,” she mused.
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s quite extraordinary.” Melina gazed at Ryon thoughtfully. “I’ve seen shifters heal rapidly plenty of times. It’s just part of your abilities. However, this is the first time we’ve been able to observe the same healing property at work in a newly mated human. I would love to know whether the bite is only capable of mending one’s fated mate, or if it would work on any human.”
“Well, it’s not like we can go around chomping down on random injured humans in order to find out.” A thought struck him. “When our SEAL team was attacked in Afghanistan six years ago by those rogue wolf shifters, we were human. Those of us who survived healed fast, and became shifters. Our Psy gifts were enhanced by the change, too. But none of those ugly bastards were our mates.”
“Good point. So it would seem that one doesn’t have to be a shifter’s mate to benefit from the bite.” She paused. “Maybe a human just has to possess a Psy ability.”
Ryon considered this, and nodded. “That could be the connection. Maybe that’s why we survived the attack when so many others didn’t.”
“Or it could be simply a thing between mates. Anyway, it’s certainly a theory worth more study.”
“This is all fascinating, but—”
“I know, you want to see Daria. Impatient, aren’t you?” She graced him with a full-fledged smile. “Noah’s putting her into a room now, second one on the left. He’ll come and get you when he’s done.”
“Thanks, Melina,” he said with feeling. “For everything.”
“Don’t thank me. You’re the one who’s got your work cut out for you these next few weeks and months, getting her settled in. Helping her accept a whole new reality. I don’t envy you that task.”
Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she turned and walked briskly away. In less than five minutes, Noah was there.
“You can see her now.” With a sympathetic smile, the nurse left.
Somehow, walking into her room was the hardest thing he’d ever done. For a long moment he stood inside the door and studied the slender, battered woman on the bed.
She was lying on her back, lashes like black lace on her high cheekbones. Her arms were on top of the covers, the right one in a cast and sling resting on her stomach, and he noted the scratches on the left arm weren’t quite as angry and raw in appearance as they should be. Her color was much improved, and he noticed for the first time that her skin was a rich bronze, whether from being outdoors a lot or from her heritage, he could only guess. Maybe a bit of both.
As he moved closer and took a seat beside the bed, he was relieved to see that her breathing was deep and even. She seemed to be at peace.
He worried about how long that would last.
For several long moments, he contemplated Melina’s parting words, that she didn’t envy him the task ahead. Daria might forgive him, but getting there probably would not be a joyride.
Despite his relief at seeing her already healing, the first hint of trepidation seeped through like black sludge.
Daria had to forgive him. Had to. The alternative was unthinkable.
