I wasn’t exactly sure how to goabout the treatment though. This animal was huge—as big as amastiff if not bigger. It seemed quiet enough now, sitting there onthe kitchen floor with its hurt paw held stiffly out in front ofit. But what would happen when I tried to remove the trap?
I took a deepbreath. I’m a vampire,I reminded myself. I’ll heal if it injures me. Of course, that didn’t mean having my face torn offby an angry, hurt wolf wouldn’t hurt like hell, but I could dealwith it. I had dealt with worse pain in the past sixyears.
Speaking of pain, I cast a quicklook at the blistered skin of my hands, arms and legs. My hair hadmostly shielded my face but it was going to take a little while forthe marks of the sun to fade from my body. Victor’s blood washelping some though—already the blisters were going down, fading toangry red marks that didn’t feel nearly as bad as they looked. In aday or two my skin would probably be as pale and smooth as it hadbeen before I had ventured out into the dawn’s early light.
The wolf whined softly and I felta stab of guilt. Here I was worried about a few blisters when thispoor animal was in excruciating pain. I had to get that trap offits leg and I had to do it fast—before the sun outside forced me tosleep.
I wished briefly for theinstruments and materials I’d had back at veterinary college. WhatI really needed was a syringe full of Lidocaine to numb the pawbefore I tried to remove the trap. But there was nothing like thathere—I would have to do my best and hope the wolf understood.
“Hey, sweetboy,” I said soothingly. “I need to take that nasty mean trap offyour leg. I’ll try not to hurt you but I’m afraid it won’t be easy.Can you be a good wolf and let me try?”
The wolf cockedits head to one side as though it was trying hard to understandme. Was it Victor in there? If so, he might not appreciate theway I was baby-talking him. But I couldn’t help myself—this was howI dealt with all my animal patients. Or had, anyway, back before Iwas turned.
“I need to seeyour paw now, boy. Can you let me do that?” I took a slow stepforward and held out my hand, as though I was asking the wolf to“shake.”
The wolf looked at me a long timefrom its golden eyes and then, slowly, extended the hurt paw.
“Good boy,” Isaid soothingly. “Who’s the sweetest, best boy? Everything is goingto be all right, fella. You’ll see.”
Slowly, trying not to startle him,I got a grip on the cruel silver trap. There was somethingmalicious about it—something evil that gave me a shiver when Itouched it. God, I hadn’t even known anyone still made thesehorrible things. What sick bastard would have put one out wheresome poor, wild animal would step in it and probably lose a leg ora paw? I had gotten the impression that Victor owned all the landaround his house—so who was putting traps out on his property?
Well, that was a question forwhenever my new husband came home. Unless he was sitting right herein front of me, in which case, I really hoped he didn’t chew myface off when I released the trap.
I searched for some kind ofrelease mechanism but the silver metal was slick with blood and Iwasn’t having any luck. Plus, I was getting worried about thecirculation to the paw. How deeply had the trap sunk into thewolf’s flesh? Were any of the bones broken? Outside, I could feelthe sun climbing in the sky, weighing heavily on me. I needed toget the damn trap off and fast.
There was only one thing to do—Iwould simply have to try and pull it apart. I was certain Icouldn’t have done it back when I was human but as a vampire, Imight have a chance.
Gripping the two sides of the trapas firmly as I could, I looked at the wolf.
“Okay, sweetboy,” I told him. “Here goes. I’m going to try and set you free.Please don’t bite me if it hurts.” Then I pulled, using a long,slow, steady motion I hoped would release the silver jaws smoothlyand with as little pain as possible.
At first I didn’t think the trapwould come loose—it was really gripped tight around the wolf’sleg—probably some of the silver teeth were buried in bone. But Iwasn’t about to give up. I increased the pressure steadily untilfinally it sprang loose.
Several things happened at once.The wolf jumped backward with a howl of pain, just as the jawsparted. Its paw yanked free and the blood-slick trap slipped andsprang out of my hands almost like a live thing. For a moment Ithought it was going to snap shut on my arm and again I had thefeeling that it was evil—that there was actual malicious intentbehind those bloody silver teeth. I pulled my hand back just intime, though—sometimes vampire speed comes in handy—and itclattered harmlessly to the floor, its jaws snapping shut on emptyair.
I had an impulse to kick it awaybut I didn’t want to do that with bare feet. Instead, I grabbed thebroom from behind the kitchen door and pushed it into the cornerwhere it would hopefully be out of harm's way. Then I looked at thewolf, which was licking its hurt paw.
“I still need toexamine you,” I told him, using my softest voice. “We need to getthat cleaned up and bandaged. Can you come with me?”
It didn’t object when I cameforward and put my hand on its ruff, though it did whine a littlewhen I tried to coax it out of the kitchen.
“What boy? Whatis it?” I asked as it gazed up at me with those liquid gold eyes.“What do you want?” Then
