Page 115 of Healer's Call

“He has answers,” Eli says, shooting a warning glance at Maverick.

“I don’t care,” Mav growls. “Get him out of here.”

“Wait,” I say, stepping forward. Mav growls low, but I ignore it. “I need to talk to him.” I step forward, or at least I try to; but Mav blocks my path.

What are you doing, Mate?”His words come through our bond.

The wolf said I need to talk to him.Mav is silent, and I put my hand on his stomach.I need to do this.I meet his eyes.I know you’ll protect me.

That’s the second time you’ve said that to me.His eyes are intense as they bore into mine.

I cock my head to the side.Well, if I keep saying it enough, maybe you’ll finally start believing it.

I can tell the moment he caves.Stay close to me.

I give him a bright smile.Not a problem.He shakes his head and leans forward to give me a kiss before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into his side.

Cade takes that as a good sign. “Let’s move this meeting across the hall.” He kisses Amber and motions us out. Across the hall, we’re joined by Van and Carl. Eli and Cade both sit across from the redhead. Maverick and I sit further down the table, closer to the door. Mav takes my hand in his and puts it on his thigh. I feel the hard muscle there and wonder if this is going to be a bad idea. I am so not going to be able to concentrate.

The redhead leans forward, and everybody in the room tenses as his eyes lock with mine. “I’m sorry, Healer.” Mav makes a low sound of aggression, but I squeeze his hand. “I never intended to hurt you.”

“I accept your apology,” I tell him, and he looks somewhat relieved, though he still looks wary.

Smart man.There’s at least one male in here that wants to kill him and probably more. I take a breath and put my arms on the table. “I know the guys have already talked to you...”

He grunts, sending a dark look around the table; and I realize the error of my words. They probably did a lot more than talking, but I choose not to think about that right now. I forge ahead. “I need to know a few things.” The redhead gives me a hard look and crosses his hands over his chest. Mav stares him down, and I realize I need to take control of the situation before it spirals out of control. “You don’t have to talk to us if you don’t want to,” I tell him, earning me a look from the enforcers. “But then I can’t guarantee that I can heal the others that came with you,” I tell him with a shrug.

The redhead growls, and Mav leans forward, muscles bunching. I squeeze his hand again and wait out the redhead. He finally meets my eyes. “What do you want to know?”

Bingo. “First, what’s your name?”

"Jackson.”

“All right, Jackson. How were you taken by vampires? You obviously seem like a pretty strong guy.” I ignore Mav’s low growl.

The expression on Jackson’s face darkens. “They injected me with something before I even knew what was happening. It knocked me out cold. When I woke up, I was in the vampire facility and couldn’t call my wolf to me.”

“You were by yourself?” I can’t help but push him a little; we need these answers.

He gives me a dark look, but I hold my ground. “Yes.” He says no more, and I don’t push. I have a feeling that’s all we’re going to get about why he was alone.

I press on. “And you couldn’t feel your wolf?”

“I could, but the connection was weak.” He doesn’t offer any more than that, and I don’t pry.

“So, the serum they injected you with. You couldn’t shift. What else?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but it’s...dark. It makes us feel like we’re losing our humanity; or maybe that’s because we can’t connect with our wolves.”

Cade turns to me. “You think it’s...”

“Vampire power,” I say at the same time he does.

Jackson sits back in his chair. “Congratulations,” he says dryly. “I didn’t realize I was working with geniuses.”

Eli stands up, but a look from Cade makes him back down. He doesn’t sit, though. He moves to stand next to the wall. I ignore the snide remarks. “I’ve had vampire power in me, and I know what it’s like.”Thatcatches Jackson’s attention. “That’s how I knew how to heal you; I’ve healed others with vampire power.”

“Wolves?” he asks.

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