Chapter 35
Ana sat, curled into a tight ball under the fleece blanket in the overstuffed chair in the corner. Yawning, she blinked and rubbed her eyes, hoping to clear the full of gravel feel that only sleep would cure. That wasn’t happening anytime soon. Scrubbing her face, she pulled the hair back from her face and did a quick visual check on her patient, holding her own breath until she saw the slow and steady rise and fall of the hyena’s chest. She couldn’t believe that he’d made it, not with the amount of blood that he’d lost, but slowly his vitals were edging closer to normal and once he woke, if he woke, she’d know if the prosthetic foot that she’d designed would work. She let herself get lost in the details as she watched Koen sleep.
A strangled scream gurgled limply in her throat when something landed on her shoulder. Her head swung around slowly, her brain lagging behind the motion and making her dizzy when it caught up. Her brow creased with confusion at the oversized, white steaming mug that brushed the tip of her nose. Her nose twitched as the rich and nutty aroma slithered inside and made her tired, tense muscles relax in a sigh. She willed her hands to reach for the cup of not so groggy, as her eyes rolled up to the blonde djinn that towered over her, making her head roll back so far that her neck creaked and ached. “Thanks,” she groaned when he squatted down to her level, rubbing the back of her neck and raised the mug to her lips, sipping as she met his clear sapphire eyes. “He’s doing better. I’d feel better if we could take him back to the clinic.”
“Not going to happen, Doc.” Balden’s deep voice rolled over her, the combo of humor and malice making her brow arch as she blew over the dark liquid.
“As long as we’re being reasonable and shit.” Ana snorted and cupped the warm mug in her palms, refusing to drop his gaze or be intimidated. Not as easy as it sounded. The djinn was freaking huge and she’d seen the nasty mojo he could do when they needed to knock the wounded hyena out. “I’d love a sample of that toxin you use, or is that still a big hell no, Big Guy?” She nodded at his snort. “Thought so. What?” She asked when he continued to stare at her, but said nothing, making her feel like a tasty piece of veal.
“Do you really think it will work?”
“The foot?”
He nodded.
Ana dropped her eyes and rubbed her face, before once again meeting his cold blue gaze. “Honest answer?” She stared back at him until his head bobbed in a nod. “I don’t know. A lot depends on him.” She nodded toward the sleeping canine in the bed. “If he’s strong enough and wants it to work…” Her voice trailed off.
“You should sleep. Reese will be back soon, and I’ll watch him.” Balden’s huge palm patted her shoulder before he stood and walked across the room to lean against the wall and watch his friend sleep. His worry and exhaustion were etched in the djinn’s face.
“So, should you.” She sipped her coffee, feeling its heat flow down her throat and warm her stomach, watching him and the way his eyes softened when they fell on the hyena. One side of her mouth curled up in a soft smile. Reese’s unit was a dysfunctional group of beings that shouldn’t work, but there was no doubting that they were family, maybe closer. “But you won’t.”
Balden shook his head no, his eyes never leaving the bed. “Not until he’s up.”
“Me either.” She grinned and shrugged when he shot her a surprised look that finally became a smile.
Her patient was getting restless, more so after Reese had visited and whispered threats of shaving him and maybe wearing his pelt as a coat if he didn't get with the program and wake the hell up. Ana watched the canine twist in the sheets, whimpering softly. Her eyes drifted to the iDock beside the bed that glared the time at her with angry digital numbers. Almost nine a.m. but she wasn't sure which day it was. Scrubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands, she yawned and glanced at the muted monitor that showed the slow and steady spikes of his heart beat. She couldn't believe that he was stable.
Thank the gods for a well-placed full moon and the way it boosted a shifter's magic. Hell, the happy Djinn juice that Balden kept hitting him with didn't hurt either. This was the best case of the worst case scenario for a shifter that had been forced to chew off his own foot to escape a trap. Balden hovered over the bed, pulling off one of his soft leather gloves that prevented him from dosing, or overdosing, someone that he accidentally touched.
"Don't." Her voice sounded like it was full of grit and came from inside an empty barrel.
His brow shot up, a combination of question and implied threat.
"He has to wake up eventually, or what was the point of saving his life?"
The giant blonde's brows slammed down over his sapphire eyes. He obviously didn't like it. "Do you even care that he's more likely to finish the job, than not? You don't know him."
"I care." She shifted closer to the bed and reached out to run her fingers through the hyena's coat. "But don't you think that's his choice to make?"
"No." Balden's voice was as cold as his glare.
The side of Ana's mouth quirked up in a small smile as she wondered, not for the first time, if these two males had more going on than just a friendship. She didn't ask. It fell firmly under the heading of none of her business. "I didn't say you had to like it, Big Guy, but he can't recover if he never wakes up. You and I both know it's true."
Balden's hand hovered over the unconscious male indecisively. His face softened and instead of pushing his fingers through the fur to the skin, he pushed it through is tightly cropped blonde hair. "Fine, Doc. But if he offs himself, I'm putting that all on you." His growl promised a slow death as he pulled the glove back on and dropped his hands to his hips to stare at her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No good deed goes unpunished. Got it." She joked, knowing full well that this male was a stone-cold killer and meant every syllable. She didn't flinch away from his glare. This wasn't her first rodeo or time she'd been threatened for doing her job. A louder whine from the bed broke the stare down that they'd been locked in. Relief and dread flooded Ana's body in a stomach churning cocktail as the canine opened his honey brown eyes and lifted his head. Ana forced a smile onto her face and pulled her hands away from his muzzle. She'd been bitten by him more than once since she'd been here and given the choice, she would prefer to not do it again.
"Don't shift." She spoke softly but firmly. "You're still healing." The brown eyes crawled from her to the blonde.
Balden's guard dropped just long enough for a maelstrom of emotions to slide over his features. Worry, love, pain, regret and more. Just as quickly as it showed, it was gone. "Welcome back, Pain in The Ass."
The canine growled and snorted before turning his gaze back to Ana. 'What have you done to me?' The mindlink's tone was strait up accusation.
"I saved your flea bitten hide and if you have the back bone for it, I'm going to see you walk again." Ana’s eyes glowed with determination.