Page 35 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

Yep. My first words to Conall after our steamy phone sex session involved pus. Talk about a smooth operator.

Before I could recoup my revolting greeting, I spotted the swirl of silver discharge that’d come out with the mess. A knot formed in my gut, and my unsexy greeting to Conall didn’t seem to be such a big deal anymore.

Not if I had to follow it up with the news that one of his pack members was about to die.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I combedthrough Justin’s wolf hair with my fingers and studied his skin, alarm surging at the bluish tint.

The tempo of my heart increased as I reached for his snout. “I’m going to check out your gums. No biting.”

The wolf nodded its head, the move so oddly human it threw me for a second. Then, using the gloved hand that hadn’t been hit with any of the pus, I peeled up his lip. As I suspected, his gums held the same off-colored hue. “Did his skin appear blue-gray before he was shot?”

“No,” Sabine said. “Is he short on oxygen?”

I shook my head. “His vitals, save the fever, are solid.” Further inspection revealed a similar pigmentation issue with his claws. “Did he get worse after playing in the sun today?”

“Um, I’m not sure. Like I said, he just seemed so tired. Was I not supposed to let him go outside? I thought it’d be good for him.” With that statement, Sabine burst into tears, no more silently wiping them from her cheeks.

I glanced over her head at Conall, imploring him for help. This was why family wasn’t normally permitted in the exam room.

He nudged her toward the chair in the corner. “Go ahead and have a seat. Don’t worry. Justin’s in good hands.”

I appreciated the vote of confidence, but my stomach sank as I processed the diagnosis. The secondary infection would take flushing, diluted iodine, and antibiotics. If my suspicions about the blue skin proved true, well, argyria—or the discoloration that occurred when the body came into contact with excessive amounts of silver—didn’t have a cure. It wasn’t common in animals, but since I studied bizarre cases in my spare time like the nerd I was, I’d poured over a story about a guy who consumed enough colloidal silver to make him look like a life-size version of Papa Smurf.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I was all set to ignore it until Conall lifted his cell to signal the text had come from him.

Conall: What is it? Your face says it’s not good.

I did my best to shutter my expression so Sabine wouldn’t panic. A lightbulb pinged on in my brain, and I turned toward her. “Did you happen to keep the arrow you removed before I arrived?”

Utter bafflement crinkled her features, and then she gestured to the trash can. “I’m sure it’s still in there.”

“Mind playing fetch for me?” I asked Conall, and his imperious expression conveyed he’d make me pay for that later. “Oh, and use gloves.”

That shook Sabine out of her stupor. Her bewilderment morphed into anger, and I replayed my words in an attempt to figure out why. Was she offended on Conall’s behalf? “The gloves are for his own protection. The arrowhead might not be the only part that contains silver, and I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“It’s the casual way you speak to the alpha. Show some respect.”

I wanted to argue I had more pressing matters to attend to, but Sabine was distraught, and I didn’t have the time to discuss werewolf hierarchy.

Conall was either focused or playing Switzerland, so I began treating Justin’s abscess while “the alpha” dug the arrow from the trash. He tossed it on the counter, as if he couldn’t wait to get it away from him. Then he scowled at it, as if that’d teach it a lesson. “What else do you need?”

“If you could please grab an IV bag out of my kit, that’d be much appreciated.” His smirk as he fulfilled my request was less appreciated, but I let it slide because he appeared to be as concerned about Justin as Sabine.

Once I placed the IV, I turned to the woman who refused to leave, intending to convince her to do so anyway. “Would you be a dear and get me a mug filled with hot water so I can make a cup of tea?”

She muttered something about my priorities and me being a diva but exited the office.

As soon as the door had clicked into place behind her, Conall asked, “What is it?” At my pointed glance at the door, he added, “All the walls and doors in this building are reinforced. Keeps people from overhearing things they’re not supposed to.”

Good to know.“My theory is colloidal silver. Poisons work quickly, so if it were straight silver or wolfsbane, I doubt he would’ve survived this long. It takes quite a buildup of colloidal silver to turn the skin blue, but it’s more of a human condition, so I can’t be sure. It makes sense, though, since you also couldn’t shift when you had silver in your system. The IV will flush out as much?—”

The door opened, and Sabine extended a mug my way. “For your tea, Doctor.”

Talk about supernaturally fast.

I dropped a teabag into the water and nudged the steaming mug toward her. “It’s for you, actually. You appear to be a little dehydrated.” Small fib. She was as high strung as a cat after an impromptu baptism. Thanks to my special valerian and chamomile tea, she should be much calmer in a few minutes, especially since I’d made it a two-bag special. Which sounded dirty, but I digress. “Drink it all down, as quick as you can without scalding your tongue.”

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