Highland Shapeshifter (4 page)

“One can hope,” Gabe said. “He going to be all right?”

Lenore shrugged with one shoulder while checking the shifter’s pulse. It still ran fast, assuming shapeshifter’s hearts pumped at a similar rate to a human’s. She frowned. “They gave him a high dosage. He just needs to work it out of his system and I’ll know more.”

“Well, can’t you…you know?”

Her teeth pulled across her bottom lip. “Heal him?”

“Well?”

The thought had occurred to her. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not exactly an injury or illness. Can you get me some lukewarm water and washrags?”

“Sure.” Gabe’s bare feet padded across the tile. She heard cupboards opening and the faucet turn on.

The light from the hallway cast a soft glow over them. The shifter looked vulnerable and young in his sleep again. How did he do that? Go from youthfulness to dripping with masculinity just by opening his eyes? Dark lashes formed feathery half-moons on his perspiring skin. An urge to help him swelled low in her belly.

Gabe brought in a bowl of water, a couple of towels and several wash cloths. He sat on the other side of the unconscious man, one leg bent on the bed. “So what do we do?”

“Keep him cool. Hydrate him whenever he wakes.” She reached over him and took a soaked cloth and began cooling down the guy’s arm. “And we can’t let him shift. No matter what.”

Gabe’s gaze snapped up. “Thought the drugs kept that from happening.” He dropped another cloth into the water to soak it.

Lenore trailed her cloth down the shifter’s nose. He had a nice nose. “They usually do, but earlier, he started to shift anyway. It shouldn’t have been possible.” She reached across the guy’s chest and latched onto Gabe’s wrist. “He’s strong. Even with the drugs, he would have gone into a transformation.”

“And that’s bad.”

Lenore chuffed. “Not if you want a drugged-out dragon breathing fire in your bed.” Or worse, dissipating to nothing. Panic forced her lungs to squeeze. She could barely breathe. She didn’t know this guy, but the thought of him fading away to nothing disturbed her on a base level she didn’t understand.

“Really?” Gabe’s head canted. His eyes gleamed. “Dragon? He could do that?”

Lenore smiled. “I don’t know. Probably.” The general public didn’t realize it, but dragons were real, a few still existed. Most slumbered in their ancient holes deep within the earth.

“Think he’d, after he’s back to himself of course, think he’d mind…”

“What? Putting on a show for you?”

“Well, yeah.” He dribbled water onto the shifter’s flat stomach. “That’d be awesome.”

Some things never changed. “You’re on your own with that. I’m not asking him.”

Gabe smiled indulgently. “You don’t think I will?”

“Oh, I know you will. So good luck with that. Hope he doesn’t take offense.”

Water splashed as he swirled his cloth back into the bowl. “You know no one can resist when I ask nicely.”

She certainly hadn’t been able to.

Yeah, if anyone knew how to coax his way into getting what he wanted, it was Gabe. Just ask the other two girls he was dating while they were together. The louse. They’d never agreed to be exclusive. Gabe claimed she’d been the longest most serious relationship he’d endured. Endured. Hell of a way to put it. And he’d been charming and reasonable when he said it. He almost made her feel like her way of thinking had been skewed.
 

He graced her with his patented you-know-you-adore-me grin. “So right now shifting is bad. How will we know if he tries?”

“He’ll start to glow. If he does, we have to snap him out of it fast. Quit smiling, this is serious.”

“I know, but babe, the entire time we were together, you never did anything like this for me. It’s not even my birthday and you brought me a shapeshifter.”

“I did not bring him here for you. I needed help.”

“And you thought of me first.”

She wanted to be mad, but it was true. For all Gabe’s faults, she knew she could trust him. With this anyway. “Yes. I thought of you.” Her throat tightened. He was an idiot, a flirt and completely untrustworthy as a boyfriend, but he would also give the shirt off his back for anyone in need. “Gabe, thank you for this. Really.”

His eyes softened and he leaned over the shapeshifter and kissed her. “Darlin’, I’ll always be there for you.”

“Ugh. I know, which makes you so irritatingly difficult to hate.”

He pulled back, eyes dancing. “Then quit trying. You know I’ll take you back anytime.”

She snorted. “Me and anyone else who catches your attention.”

He spread his arms wide. “Love’s a beautiful thing. Should be spread around.”

“The same is said about manure.”

“Ouch.”

She leaned closer. “Never going to happen.”

“Until the day you realize you can’t go on without me.” His teeth gleamed in the low light.

“Gabe, you are such an—“

The shifter moaned. Every muscle in his body tightened and started jerking.

“Shifting?” Gabe pressed the man back down.

“Seizure.” Lenore’s heart rammed up her throat.

“Can you help him?”

Her head snapped up. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She was going to give it her best shot. Her mouth was bone-dry. “This is going to get bad.”

~~~

It did get bad.

The poor guy curled in on himself so tight every tendon in his neck and arms stood out white. The bed sheets were wet with sweat and water, his dark hair plastered to his face while his jaw clenched so hard, Lenore worried he’d bite his tongue. His body was bowed so hard, he seemed to be all sharp angles, jutting bone, and bulging veins over tight dry skin.

Gabe stayed with them the entire time, a steady presence while she held the shifter’s forehead and whispered soothing nonsense about movies or the upcoming playoffs he’d miss if he didn’t hang on. She didn’t even know his name. You go through something like this with someone, and you should know their name.

When his eyes suddenly rolled back in his head and his body jack-knifed into a particularly strong seizure, Lenore couldn’t let this go on.

Though scared of getting lost to it, she plunged her palm against his clammy chest and forced her essence into him. She wasn’t the strongest of healers, but she’d do what she could, if anything.

Dazzling light engulfed her, more vibrant and rich and alive than any essence she’d ever touched. Fluctuating blues and emerald greens.

He was beautiful.

The magic of his shapeshifting abilities was exquisitely pure, untouched by the darkness of the world.

How was that possible?

Were all shapeshifters like this?

No
, the thought came unbidden. It’s him alone, his soul.

He was honey and spice, protective warmth and intrinsic light chasing shadows. He was playful happiness and devoted worshipful younger brother. Those he loved, he loved deeply with a patience and strength as vast as the world.

She wanted to weep.

Wanted to pour everything that she was into his being and stay right there, tucked within him. She’d never experienced anything like it.

There was no way she’d ever let his soul fade out of this world. No way.

The seizures trembled around her, rough, jerky instable lightning stabs.

Bearing down, Lenore pushed her magic further into his body, gliding her healing across enflamed bone and muscle tissue, like kneading fingers. She had to get this right. Mucking around in someone’s body, knitting bone or flesh, or popping blood vessels was a delicate thing. Too much pressure or not enough and a healer could do more harm than good. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured, just suffering through withdrawals. Withdrawals that were tearing his muscles apart and searing through his overtaxed nerves. Pain flared through him as intangible streaks of brutal red jabs.

She found the tanglewort flooding through his veins and began gently drawing it out, coaxing it to filter out his pores, while at the same time she slipped her own essence around the nerve cells that were sending out pain signals to his brain. Yeah, she was a supercharged endorphin enhancer. Better than morphine. She felt the immediate response from him as he shivered beneath her inner ministrations and finally unclenched. The shaking abated. His essence flared around her, flashing brighter and pulling her magic within his own, folding her in safe.

Who was supposed to be helping who?

She could easily melt right into him and be content forever.

Whoa. Dangerous thought. Better get a handle on her own endorphins.

She had to pull back, get out, right the freak now.

She forcefully untangled herself and dragged her magic away, though the desire to remain, just curl up and be, nearly overwhelmed her.

She didn’t like it one bit.

Lenore pulled harder…and with a gurgling sputtering plop, came back to herself, half-curled over the guy, lungs heaving for air. It was like stumbling out of a sauna into the rain.

Gabe held her by the shoulders, keeping her from falling all the way onto the shifter.

“You okay?”

She looked up at him through strands of wet hair. The colors of the paint on his walls began seeping back in. He seemed genuinely concerned, as though her well-being was as important to him as the healing process he loved to witness. She’d only used it on him in small short bursts before, like easing headaches or muscle aches.

One side of his lips quirked up. “That was incredible. Did you know the air shimmers around you when you do that?”

“No.” She frowned. News to her. “I’m usually a little too occupied to notice. Shimmers?” She’d never seen Charity shimmer. Or her grandma. She looked down at the shapeshifter. It could have been an effect from healing him.

“Yeah. Like looking through the exhaust behind a jet engine.” His fingers skimmed her again. “It was sexy.”

And he’s back.

“It work?” Gabe eyed the man between them. “He went all limp all of a sudden. He going to be okay?”

“Yes.” That came out on a swell of determination. He had to be all right. She wouldn’t let someone with his force of spirit not be okay.

Gabe leaned back, his gaze far too perceptive.

She looked away, dropping a hand to the shifter’s forehead and again that spark of—something—trilled between them. Sticking her finger in a light socket would be less electrical. Ignoring it, she tried to sound professional. “I don’t know. I think he’ll be fine. I was able to help his muscles relax and in turn, hopefully lower his blood pressure. It’s up to him now to ride out the drug’s withdrawal.”

Gabe nodded. “How ‘bout that cup of tea now?”

“Gosh, yes.” She wasn’t about to move off that bed. Her arms felt like jelly.
   

Gabe stood and padded across the floor, pausing in the doorway to give her another once over. She must look as wrecked as her bones felt. Warmth flushed inside her belly at the thought of Gabe making tea for her, at the thought that he still kept tea in his cupboards since his beverage of choice had always been cola or beer.