For the Good of All (Law of the Lycans Book 7) (36 page)

“Christina, sweetheart, are you okay?”

“Mmm…”

That answer didn’t satisfy, apparently, for another question was asked. “Can you hear me?”

Of course she could, but he likely wanted a real answer. She forced her eyes open. Stone’s face hovered over her, lines of strain bracketing his features. Too stern.

She rolled her head from side to side. “You’re forgetting the rules.”

“The rules?” He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. His touch warmed her heart, chasing away any lingering shadows. “What rules?”

“No looking serious on my shift.”

The corner of his mouth curled upward. The look in his eyes softened. “Sorry. I’ll try to remember that.”

“You’d better, or I’ll hex you.”

He outright laughed. “Well if you snag me with a fishing hook again, at least I’m in the right place.”

“Hmm? What place?” She didn’t know what he was referring to.

“You’re in a medical clinic. You had an operation to remove the bullet from your leg.”

“Oh.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

She thought for a moment then nodded. “The children. Are they safe?”

“Yeah, they’re back in the States with their grandparents.”

“Good.” A slow smile spread over her face. “Elijah.”

“Yes?”

“You told me your name is Elijah. Finding out your first name was one of my goals.”

He chuckled. “Well now you can check that off your list.”

“Yep.” She closed her eyes.

“Tired?”

“A bit, but don’t go.”

“I won’t.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek and exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I left you behind. I said I’d come back for you once the pups were in the chopper.”

“You’re here now.” She nuzzled her face against his hand. “That’s what matters.”

“I wasn’t here when you needed me.”

She opened her eyes, saw the self-condemnation on his face. “You did what you had to do, what I asked you to do. I’m alive. And you saved me by giving me your blood. I remember that. You thought I was vampire.” She tried to make him smile but it didn’t work.

He pressed his lips tightly together and looked away. “No. I didn’t save you. My blood wasn’t enough.”

Another voice spoke, a man came into her range of vision. “What he’s trying to say is that you needed another infusion. You now have wolf and jaguar blood in you.”

She blinked, not knowing who this person was or what he was talking about. “Who are you?”

“Esteban. This is my territory. I found you near death under a bush.” He sniffed. “Chivalry dictated I give you some of my blood to help keep you alive.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know how she felt about a complete stranger drizzling his blood down her throat but when in doubt, simply use your manners. That was her motto. “Thank you. It was very kind of you to share.”

Esteban inclined his head regally. Stone clenched her hand tighter and she shot him a questioning look. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“So…” She frowned wondering if there was any magical significance to what had happened. “I guess having both a wolf and a jaguar sharing their blood with you must be rather rare.”

Esteban shrugged. “There’s no particular significance except that your scent is now incredibly confusing. Anyone tracking you will wonder if you are a jaguar, a wolf or a witch.”

“Oh.” She licked her lips. “Um…I suppose that might come in handy.”

The man folded his arms, looking bored. “Are we done here, Stone? You still haven’t kept your half of the bargain.”

A growl rumbled from Stone’s throat. “I’m done when I say I’m done.”

“Fine.” The man rolled his eyes. “I’m going to get something to eat. I might as well inspect the dining area while I’m here. Meet me there as soon as you’re done with the witch.”

Once the man was gone, Tina questioned Stone. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why are you squeezing my hand so hard?”

“Am I? Sorry.” He loosened his grip and massaged her hand.

“So what’s the problem?”

He hesitated before answering. “I don’t like knowing he gave his blood to you. It smacks of a certain intimacy.”

“I wasn’t even conscious when it happened. I didn’t even know it happened until this very moment.”

“I know. I’m not blaming you. This is my problem. It’s just that the damned cat drives me crazy.”

Understanding dawned and she grinned at the implications. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“What?” The expression on his face made her laugh.

“It’s an old children’s saying.”

“Ah, like the water spout and the little spider.”

“You remember me singing that?”

“I remember everything about you, Christina.” He reached out and traced her features; her brow, her cheekbone, her nose, her mouth. The soft touch sent shivers through her.

She pressed a kiss to his finger as it rested on her lips. “I’ve missed that.”

“My finger?”

“And other parts of you.”

“Hussy.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. “I suspect it will be a while before you’re ready to show me how much you’ve missed various parts of me.”

“Who’s my doctor? Did he tell you how long I’ll be here?”

“There’s no doctor here, at least not a certified one. Sister Bernita removed the bullet from your leg. She takes care of most of the medical problems in the area.”

“Oh.” Tina cautiously levered herself up and Stone quickly assisted, arranging the pillows to support her before taking her hand again. “Is she here? I’d like to know what she thinks my prognosis is.”

“Given that you’ve had two infusions of shifter blood, I’d suspect you’re going to heal pretty quickly now that the bullet is out of your leg.”

“Will that make her suspicious?”

“She already thinks I’m a fast healer so who knows? There’s not much we can do to hide the fact.”

“If need be, you could take me away before she starts to put two and two together.”

“We’ll see.” He took a lock of her hair and twined it around his finger, then watched it uncurl.

She studied Stone’s face taking in his strong jaw and cheekbones. He looked tired, haggard even. His hair was longer now than when they’d met. Not much but it didn’t take long for a military cut to look shaggy. But the grey of his eyes seemed softer when he looked at her, warmer than when they’d first met.

He sighed. “Esteban was correct. I have unfinished business to attend to.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Elijah Stone.” She gave him a warning look but he shook his head.

“That won’t work with me, though I do like hearing you say my name.”

A pointed cough interrupted their conversation.

“Mr. Stone, it’s nice to see you again.”

He turned and greeted the woman that stood at the end of the bed. “Sister Bernita.”

“And my newest patient is obviously an acquaintance of yours.” She stared pointedly at their joined hands before shifting her gaze back to Stone’s face. “The guards reported you were almost pounding down the gates this morning.”

“This is Christina. The woman I told you about.”

“The one you thought was dead.”

Tina chimed in. “From what I’ve heard, I might very well have been dead right now if it weren’t for you removing the bullet from my leg. Thank you, Sister.”

“I did what I could.” Sister Bernita inclined her head.

“We’re both very grateful.” Stone stood up. “I need to talk to Esteban. Do you know where he might be?”

“He’s in the dining hall.” Sister Bernita frowned. “I didn’t know he was a friend of yours.”

“A recent acquaintance.” Stone hedged. “We have a small business deal to discuss.”

“You don’t strike me as a business man.” Sister Bernita raised her brow.

“There are many kinds of business.” Stone stroked a finger along Tina’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Be careful.”

The two women watched Stone leave then Sister Bernita turned to Christina. “I came to check on my handiwork. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Pretty good. My leg hurts and I feel weak but otherwise okay.”

“Pain and weakness are to be expected after what you’ve been through.”

“Was it a difficult surgery?”

“Each brings its own unique circumstances.” She eased the dressing off the wound. “Did you know that when a person is shot, the hot bullet is actually self-sterilizing? Any infection usually comes from bacteria on bits of debris, such as the victim’s clothing, that are carried into the wound.”

Christina raised her brows. “I can honestly say I didn’t know that.”

Sister Bernita glanced up from her work. “I read that just before I started working on you. I’m not a trained physician but circumstances have had me attempting things I never believed I could do. Setting bones, delivering babies...removing bullets.”

“I’m impressed. And you do this all by yourself?” Tina looked around the room noting there was only a young girl doing some cleaning at the far side of the room.

“I have some local people who assist. They help with cooking and cleaning, teaching the children, guarding us.” She shrugged. “But no matter how many help, there’s always more to be done.” She paused and seemed to be weighing her words. “When Mr. Stone appeared I wondered if he was the answer to my prayers. A strong man such as himself would be of great assistance around here.”

“I…” Tina wasn’t sure how to respond.

Sister gave a soft smile, her voice tinged with regret. “Never fear. I’m not about to steal him away from you. I can see now his heart is taken, that his destiny is elsewhere.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need.” The nun reached for a fresh bandage. “I’m an opportunistic woman and sometimes I want too much. Greed is a sin and I should just be thankful for the missionary group that has befriended us recently.”

“A missionary group?” Tina twitched the covers back over her leg.

“The Brothers of Virtue. Brother Dan and Sister Denise have been helping us for several months now, delivering food, clothing and medicine. The children are much stronger and healthier now than ever before.”

“There are some really good people in the world, aren’t there?”

Sister Bernita nodded. “I’ve sent a letter of thanks to their head office in the States but, as yet, no one has replied.” She stood up. “I’ll have Anna bring you some breakfast.”

“Thanks, I’m famished.”

Tina watched the woman leave. Sister Bernita didn’t exactly fit her mental image of a nun. In fact she—

The room dimmed suddenly and a vision came to her. Sister was surrounded by children, all of them clinging to her, crying and fearful. Hands kept reaching for the youngsters, hands that appeared out of murky darkness, pulling at the children’s arms, tugging on their legs. Sister Bernita kept pulling the children back, shouting at unseen persons to leave them alone. There were the sounds of explosions and the children screamed. The wind picked up, whirling dust into the air and the very ground began to shake…

With a jolt, the vision disappeared. Tina slumped feeling exhausted, light-headed. Her hands were fisted, her nails dug into her palms. Shakily, she leaned back in bed and wrapped the thin sheet around herself, inexplicably chilled despite the already rising temperatures.

She’d never had a vision affect her like that before.

Chapter 17

Stone found Esteban pacing the length of the dining hall. There were no children about, breakfast having finished, though sounds emanating from the backroom indicated someone was putting away pots and pans.

“I said I wanted to see you straight away. That usually doesn’t mean you can arrive in your own time.”

Stone arched a brow but didn’t bother to try to placate the man. Instead he got right to business. “Dante escaped yesterday. Any idea where we should look now?”

“We? Don’t you mean
you
? I upheld my part of the bargain. Your half is still unfulfilled.”

Stone didn’t even try to hide the fact that he’d rolled his eyes. “Whatever. This is your territory. Dante’s been here for a while so you must have some sense of his patterns of movement. Do you have any idea of where he might have gone?”

“He’s been known to visit Mendoza.”

“That’s where I first saw him.” Stone thought for a minute. “If there was supposed to be a sale yesterday, and if Mendoza was somehow involved, Dante would have had a meeting planned for today to give the guy his cut.”

Esteban nodded. “I suppose it’s worth a try to return there.”

“And what about the other one. Any idea where she might be?” ‘The other one’. That’s what she was to him now. Nothing else.