The beeping sound of the machines brought her back to consciousness. Joanie shifted, annoyed at the scratchiness of the sheets and batted at an errant strand of hair that had fallen in her face. Her body hurt. The scent of bleach assaulted her nose and the pain in her foot still throbbed, a steady prickly feeling that seemed to lurk just beneath her skin.

Something was off. She felt around for Schubert’s familiar warmth and found him missing. Her body slick with sweat, she groaned as her head swam from the slight movement.

She’d heard voices earlier. It made it hard to sleep when they kept coming in and out of the room. The prick of a needle in her arm, the pressure from hands moving her into a bed. It was all a blur.

Wait.

Beeping.

Scratchy sheets and that weird chemical smell…

Joanie’s eyes popped open and grew wider. Everything was a blah shade of faded white and dingy beige that might have been something not the color of used putty once upon a time. Maybe. The only color in the room was the powder blue curtain that hung from the track in the ceiling between her bed and the one next door.

Someone was there and by the sound of it, they were sleeping. The snores got louder and tapered off, only to resume once more. Shifting beneath the sheets she grimaced at the discomfort thrumming through her body.

A nurse bustled in and, upon seeing her awake, smiled.

“Good. You’re up.” Her badge read “Nina Barticolva” and she reminded Joanie of one of the Gibson girls the way her cheeks turned round when she smiled.

Joanie tried to sit but the IV in her arm yanked her back into a supine position. “Ouch.” The sudden movement made her tired, her head still woozy from whatever happened to bring her here.

Why couldn’t she remember?

She was out on a rescue mission with Tim… then it all faded to nothing and, when she tried to bring it back, her head hurt.

“Woo,” Nina winced. “I wouldn’t do that just yet. We’re about to move you, but the doctor wants to have a look at you first.”

“Um. Okay.” Her head swam.

“I want to get your vitals.” The nurse put the stethoscope into her ears and placed the cold end of it on Joanie’s chest. Giving her a nod, she removed the device and looped it around her neck. Pulling a small device from her pocket, she clipped it on Joanie’s finger. It squeezed over the end of the digit and Joanie watched the small screen as numbers raced across it.

“What’s that?”

“I need your body temperature,” Nina replied with a smile.

“Oh.” Joanie’s head was pounding and her skin felt hot all over. “Why are you moving me…” she started to ask, but the words faded away as she caught sight of the doctor.

A man in green scrubs came through the door, his presence taking the air from the room. Joanie gasped, his piercing eyes meeting hers. The prickling feeling plaguing her ramped up, leaving her hyper aware of the male as he approached.

Her nose itched and she sneezed, a funny itching sensation covering her skin.

His chiseled features were strong and his dark eyes held oceans of blue, like a tempest in a storm. A strand or two of his dark hair fell down over his forehead and he absently ran his fingers through it to put it to rights. His muscular frame flexed beneath the scrubs and for a moment she wondered if he would mind if she reached out and touched him.

“You must be Joanie. Hi. I’m Dr. Buchanan.” His full lips turned up in a smile.

A burst of heat slammed into her gut and she moaned aloud. An internal image of a female wolf reared her head, taking notice of the doctor in a big way. She was separate from Joanie, but connected to her at the same time, their desires co-mingling.

Mortified, she clapped her free hand to her mouth and lowered her head.

Want.

What the hell was that?

“How are you feeling today?” As if he hadn’t heard, Dr. Buchanan reached out and picked up her free hand, turning it over. He placed his fingers against the inside of her wrist and felt for a pulse.

“Fine.” Her voice was breathless and a posse of butterflies had taken up residence in the pit of her stomach. The heat from his fingers sank into her skin and she sighed as he released her hand, the place where he touched tingling.

Except she wasn’t. Not really. Why else would she be thinking about jerking him toward her by the stethoscope and seeing if his lips tasted as good as they looked.

Maybe she hit her head and that’s why she couldn’t remember what happened to bring her here.

“Are the others ready?”

“Yes. I loaded them into the back of your SUV myself. The engine’s running. Milo’s watching them right now but you need to hurry.” Nina pulled a wheelchair away from the wall.

The doctor thanked her with a nod, his eyes locked on Joanie. “It's not safe.”

“Did you talk with Administration? Do they know you're leaving ahead of schedule?” Nina slung a small bag of what appeared to be medical supplies along the back of the wheelchair.

Dr. Buchanan nodded absently as he unraveled his stethoscope and bent down to listen to Joanie’s chest. “Sooner rather than later, I think.”

Nina appeared relieved. “Do you need anything else?”

Dr. Buchanan met her gaze.

“I’m concerned Clare won’t be stable enough to make the trip. David’s fine, but his mother… I have to get them home. They need pack around them now and, by the looks of this one, so will she.” The doctor straightened, his eyes focusing in on Joanie. “You’re looking much better than when you arrived. But we need to get you and the woman who bit you someplace safe.”

“What?”

Safe? Weren’t hospitals safe? Unless she caught something here? But why move her? It didn’t make sense.

“Is that what’s wrong with me? Did I get a staph infection?” Her skin felt so damned hot.

A rumbling laugh that morphed into a cough slipped from Dr. Buchanan’s mouth. “No, but this isn’t the safest place for you right now. For yourself and others it is imperative that I get you to a secure environment where you can adapt to your new circumstances without harm.”

“Oh. You mean like physical therapy?”

But why in the world would she need that if she’d just bumped her head? He said something about another woman. Had they been in an accident?

“Yes,” he replied not looking into her eyes. “Something like that.” A flush had crept over his face and she longed to touch him.

Joanie wriggled her nose and leaned into him, his scent alluring. He smelled of pine trees and the outdoors and for a moment, she lost herself in the images that slid through her mind.

A large house in the middle of nowhere. Family. Friends. Community.

Safe.

Pack.

His body meeting hers in an embrace as old as time. His hard length meeting her slick softness as waves of passion enveloped them. The howling of wolves filled her mind as their passion exploded into a feeling of permanence. Of home.

When she tore herself away, he met her eyes, a shocked expression flashing over his features. They had just shared a connection but she shut it down, severing it as soon as it emerged.

What the hell?

God, but his eyes were sexy.

Warmth pooled low in her belly, desire for the man in front of her derailing her already addled senses. Joanie blinked and tried to get a grip.

She’d just had a sex fantasy about her doctor and he was standing inches away from her.

Maybe she had fallen on her head. Hard.

She glanced away but as she did so, she caught the erection tenting Dr. Buchanan’s trousers before he shifted his white coat to shield it from view.

Well now…

Maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by their close proximity. She didn’t go around sleeping with strange men, however, doctor or not.

But judging by the sizable protrusion, she could climb that bad boy and roost for awhile.

That would be some great physical therapy as far as she was concerned.

Trying to be serious, Joanie cleared her throat.

“And will you be, um, accompanying me for this physical therapy?” Joanie said slowly. All fantasies aside, she wasn’t going anywhere. Not until someone told her what the hell was going on. She watched enough true crime shows. People didn’t get taken out of hospital beds and loaded into SUV’s in the middle of the night without something very wrong going on.

At least, she thought it was night.

She eyed the cup on the bedside table. Did they put something in the water?

“Come on. We have to go.”

“No.” She shrank against the pillows, trying to make it as difficult as possible. God… where was the call button? She frantically searched the wall and tried to reach it. She struggled against them and Nina grabbed hold of her arm.

“Come on, Joanie. Cooperate, please. The man who came after you has friends. We need to get you and the others to safety before he comes looking for you.”

Man who came after me?

Why couldn’t she remember?

“No.”

“Get out of the bed, or the nurse and I will do it for you.” Dr. Buchanan considered her, eyes blazing with challenge.

He was such an arrogant bastard. So why did she want to pull him on top of her and fuck him until they both couldn’t walk?

Gah. She was losing her marbles. One by one. Gone.

“I'm not going anywhere.”

There. She said it again.

“Nina, get the sedative.”

Shit.

“My cat,” she shook her head, tensing her body against whatever they were scheming. “You can’t leave him to starve.”

“You don’t think your home is the first place they’ll look?” Dr. Buchanan frowned.

“They? What are you talking about,” she practically wailed.

It was all muddled in her head. The fever raging through her body, and the reality that had been her normal, lay in shreds all around her. She had to get home to Schubert. That was all that mattered.

“Nina.”

The nurse nodded and reached for something on the counter behind her. They had it ready. It didn’t matter if she was willing to go or not, they were going to drug her.

Double shit.

She tore the IV from her arm, a stab of pain sliding through her. Jerking free from the surprised doctor, she broke free from his grasp and made a break for it.

“Stop right there.” His imperious voice slid over her like ice, but she backed away from the bed, her legs wobbling like day old gelatin. “If you do anything to put yourself or the others in danger, I will have no choice but to put you over my knee and spank you.”

She wanted to listen to him. Everything inside of her called out for her to submit but she fought it, staring him in the eyes as she intentionally defied him.

Joanie swallowed.

“Fine.” He marched forward and grabbed her wrist.

Faster than she would have thought the nurse could move, she was at her side. The cold scent of alcohol met her nose and a cold brush of something wet slid across her arm.

“Stop it.” Tears leaked from her eyes as the throbbing sensation in her body became even more intense. Her skin hurt. Joanie tried to pull her arm away but Nina held her fast. The sting of the needle jabbing into her flesh made her wince.

“There.”

“Schubert…” she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks. If they took her, she would find a way to escape. Her legs crumpled beneath her and she found herself scooped up against Dr. Buchanan’s chest.

The wolf inside her gave her a lopsided grin and she turned her back on her, preferring to be mad rather than listen to the happy dance of the critter inside her head.

He was hard, and as he gathered her against him and draped her over his lap on the bed, Joanie moaned, her sex sopping with need. The hospital gown had parted, leaving her naked backside visible for the both the doctor and the nurse to see.

“Really, doc?”

“She needs to learn her lesson. Her stubborn behavior is going to cost her her health.”

“What, so you’re going to go around and paddle all the patients that don’t heed your overbearing medical dictates?” Nina snarked at him.

The doctor’s hand slid down her back and rested on her backside. That, combined with whatever drug the nurse had given her, made Joanie want to snuggle in and put her head right in his crotch.

“This doesn’t concern you, Nina.”

“Like hell it doesn’t. She’s under my care as much as she is under yours. But I’m not the one with my hand on a patient’s bare ass.”

He raised his hand and connected with her ass. The stroke was light, but it was enough to bring a moan to Joanie’s lips.

Man, she’d always wanted to be in one of those spanking novels. If she’d known the drugs they were going to give her would let her have these fantasies she would have held out her arm as soon as she got here.

“If I be good, can you just fuck me now? You have the biggest cock…”

Nina started to laugh. “Oh. You’ve done it now. Get her in the chair, Mr. Dominant. You need to keep your playtime at Ventures and leave my highly susceptible patients alone.”

The nurse moved the curtain, checking to be sure the other patient occupying the room was asleep. Nina turned back to consider them both.

“You’re playing with fire. Be careful, Royce.”

The doctor sniffed, his jaw clenched together. “You should know.”

“I do.” Nina’s voice was soft. “And I don’t want you to get burned.”

“Then help me get her out of here.”

“I will, but on one condition. If you’re going to choose a mate, be careful where you do it. All you need is the boys from upstairs looking into this, and you’ve got more trouble than you’d want in a thousand lifetimes.”

“Jerk… Forgot my cat…” Joanie’s voice slurred, the anger sliding through her as Dr. Buchanan settled her into the chair. He was going to fuck her, dammit. Cheated again. Only one swat and no cock. She felt herself fade as the chair began to roll and for the second time that day she slipped out of consciousness and let the welcoming arms of oblivion claim her.

***

 

“What is she crying about?”

“Her cat,” Nina responded. “If you take her you’re going to have to go pick it up at her apartment.”

“Jesus. Mary, Mother of God. I have to get them out of here, not go poking around her place for some stupid cat.”

He was mortified by his reaction to the woman and the overwhelming urge to mate with her right then and there. If Nina hadn’t been there, he would have.

His wolf was on a thin tether and it was taking all he had in him not to listen.

Nina gave him a withering look.

Fuck.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Nina gave him a snarky look. “I’m not going anywhere. Someone has to stay here and keep things running while you’re gone.” Carefully securing Joanie in the wheelchair, they hurried toward one of the secret side entrances. It would be less likely that one of the Hexen operatives would be watching there, but he couldn’t be sure.

Royce hurried through the hall, the woman in front of him occupying his thoughts. When he touched her, his world had narrowed down to the pair of hazel eyes looking back into his and the surge of heat thrumming through his veins. The sweet swell of her ass under his fingertips wasn’t helping matters either.

God, he’d wanted to go lower and sample the sweet scent of arousal wafting up from her sex. He could have sworn she felt it too judging by the way her pupils dilated and her sharp intake of breath. What should have been a swat and release had turned into something else. Something dangerous for him, and for her.

Was this what Brand had been talking about?

She’d been pissed as hell and fought him despite the need he saw pooling in her eyes.

How utterly refreshing.

Royce’s wolf stirred. The beast was far too close to the surface. His protective instincts as a doctor were strong, but staring at the woman in front of them, the need to keep her from any further harm slammed into him like a ton of bricks.

Mine.

Mate.

Ours.

His wolf growled, making his desires known. He wanted the female and would brook no refusal on Royce’s part. Not that he had any to give. His first thought was to get her to safety, then he would deal with this new development, whatever it was.

Mate.

His wolf growled at him, irritated at his human’s lack of comprehension.

“Give it a rest, buddy. We have to get her safe first.”

Nina looked back at him. “Talking to yourself, boss?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm. Good. Just be sure not to call me if you start answering back.”

How little she understood about shifters. Whole fucking conversations happened inside his head.

Nina led the way to his SUV parked at the ambulance entrance.

“Go on. Get out of here. And don’t be too much of an asshole when she wakes up. Try not to maul her either.”

“Ha ha.” He loaded an unconscious Joanie into the vehicle, stretching her body out across the back seat. The hospital gown rode up her thighs and Royce forced himself to look away, his cock throbbing for a closing look.

He was in deep, deep trouble here. He opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel.

Nina opened the door to the passenger side, chucking his bag and another item that looked suspiciously like a purse onto the seat. “The pup should be fine. The mother though—she’s going to need some time. Here is the address and Joanie’s personal items.”

Royce grumbled, not saying anything, his temper and nerves frayed around the edges. He took the paper and started the engine, taking in the sparsely populated parking lot and the darkness beyond.

Was Hexen already watching? He couldn’t be sure, and he didn’t have time to wait around to find out. Clare needed to be placed in a secure environment and tended with care. The less time she spent in the back of an SUV the better.

David hadn’t made a peep either and that told him something in and of itself. They were injured and exhausted. When he got them back to pack headquarters it would take some doing to get them well again. Good thing the Alpha’s wife made it her business to get into everyone else’s.

Turning over the engine, he met Nina’s eyes. “Keep in touch.”

She nodded, turned on her heel and headed back into the sliding doors of the ER.