Page 27 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

As soon as we were unloaded and back on solid ground, I turned to Conall, ready to explain that I had a few demands of my own if we were going to continue doing...whatever this was.

But then a man with umber skin and shorn dark hair rushed toward us. If it weren’t for the stern expression, he’d be at home on the cover ofGQmagazine. Guadalupe Falls wasn’t only a hotbed for paranormal activity, it appeared to be the hub for outrageously ripped and sexy dudes.

“There’s been another...” The guy eyed me. “Incident. We need to go.” He took a step toward the parking lot, and Conall caught his shoulder and then jerked his head to indicate the tiny alley between two booths.

Then he placed his hand on my lower back and propelled me toward the narrow space as well. Apparently, I was going along for another ride—although from the sounds of it, this wouldn’t be nearly as fun. “Mikal, Kerrigan is the vet who dug out the bullets after I was shot. You can speak freely in front of her.”

Mikal nodded and said, “It’s Justin. While he was out in wolf form, someone shot him with a bow and arrow. Silver tipped. Barely missed his heart and lungs. But he’s not healing, which means?—”

“We could use a doctor,” Conall finished for him, his gaze moving to me. “My emergency medical bag’s in the trunk of my car.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My gore-coveredclothes were definitely ruined, leaving me looking like I belonged on the set of a horror movie, but my main concern was the amount of blood the wolf I’d operated on had lost. Whoever yanked out the arrow hadn’t been careful about it. Hazards of accelerated healing, I supposed. Evidently, minimizing muscle and tissue damage weren’t a priority for anyone who healed in a day or two.

The woman who’d assisted me washed up alongside me, the soap bubbles forming an oddly beautiful, pink foam cloud in the sink. Sabine had been holding a bloodied rag against the wound when I first arrived on the scene. She made an excellent vet technician, quick to follow directions and perform the tasks with precision, but I could tell I’d stepped on her toes by taking charge.

I got it. My operating room, my rules. Although this tiny medical office didn’t allow much space to move around—it was more like an operating cubicle.

After drying her hands, Sabine walked over to the wolf and ran a hand along the matted russet fur. “Now that you’re allstitched up, you’ll be okay. Why don’t you shift and see if that kickstarts the healing?”

The wolf whimpered, his back paw raising to itch at his injury site, and I nudged his leg back down, same as last time. “Should I fashion him a cone?”

Good thing Sabine didn’t have laser vision, or I would’ve been reduced to a smoldering heap of ash. “Put a cone on my brother, and you’ll need a doctor of your own.”

Ah, it’s her brother.The ferocity with which she protected him with suddenly made more sense. Although I got the feeling the werewolves were a tight-knit group, which was also why I hadn’t asked how they were sure it was Justin and not, say, an actual wolf.

“Come on, Justin,” Sabine nudged him. “Shift already.”

A high-pitched whine accompanied his twitchy movements, and Sabine patted his side and asked, “Do the drugs make it harder for him to shift? Or is it the injury that’s blocking his abilities?”

Being brand spanking new to the whole werewolf thing, I hadn’t honed my Dr. Doolittle skills. I mean, I chatted with my clients on the regular, but they’d never spoken in return. At least not in English, anyway. “He sounds more frustrated than pained.”

The door opened, and Conall strode into the room. While the guy always emanated a menacing vibe, his smirk and smart-assness usually softened it. Without either of those things present and accounted for, I understood why someone’s first instinct might involve avoiding him at all costs. Judging from the stress on his features and the dirt streaking his arms and face, his past hour had been as hectic as mine. “How is he?”

I licked my lips, in dire need of a glass of water. “I managed to?—”

“We stopped the—” Sabine grimaced and then gestured to me. “Sorry. You go ahead.”

I explained how I’d repaired the organs and muscles and gave my assessment: everything went as smoothly as possible, but he’d lost a lot of blood and needed rest.

Worry radiated off Sabine as she continued to fuss over her brother. “I don’t think he can shift.”

At the questioning look Conall aimed my way, I shrugged. “Um, I have no idea how to tell something like that. Thisismy first rodeo.”

More tension crept into the line of his shoulders as he ran a hand over his hair, and I reached out and squeezed his other hand. Sabine frowned at the contact, so I let my arm drop to my side.

“Guess there’s one way to find out.” Conall crouched next to the hospital bed and locked eyes with the wolf. “As your alpha, I command you to shift. Right. Now.”

The creature trembled, and I watched, transfixed, so I wouldn’t miss a second of the transformation. Since Conall had gone human while my back was turned, I hadn’t seen the in-between, and my medical curiosity got the best of me.

But then blood dripped from the wolf’s nose and his limbs gave out.

“Fuck.” Conall turned, punched a hole in the wall, and then charged out of the room. Sabine dragged a chair next to the bed to console her brother, but not before casting me a dirty look, I was fairly sure I didn’t deserve.

I darted into the hallway and checked right, toward the entrance of the big building that sat in the middle of the community. Nothing, so I checked to the left and barely caught sight of Conall’s backside as he rounded the corner.

I raced after him, cursing his longer legs and speediness.

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