Page 57 of War Games

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

HEATH

Fury and fear pounded through him as he watched Dirk and Niko wrapping Jacky’s legs, which had suddenly started bleeding. Carey had texted him to let him know as he was finishing up his interviews with the human employees of Kick Shot. By the time he’d gotten to the house, one of her legs was broken.

“There’s more blood,” he said softly, battling to keep control of himself. “There’s more.”

“Underneath her. I think her back,” Dirk said, finishing the wrappings on her broken leg, moving with care and precision. He put it down slowly and looked at his father.

Heath could only wait. The moment he had entered the room, Niko had told him to stay back, not needing another pair of hands getting in the way when he and Dirk worked well together.

Niko lifted her shoulder carefully and nodded.

“Yeah, there are puncture wounds in her back now,” Niko said, the words dry and rough like gravel. “We’ll need to roll her. Wrap the sheet around her waist.”

“Can I help now?” Heath was shaking with the need to help her.

“No. I think you need to tell me what the humans were saying when we interrupted you,” Niko said, looking over Jacky’s body.

There was a territorial battle now as Heath felt the itch of annoyance at the werecat keeping him from the woman who owned his heart. He was going to stop caring that Niko was her brother quickly if Niko forgot how to share. He felt his lip rise and couldn’t stop the snarl that left him.

“Did you leave Landon with the other werewolves?” Dirk asked, ignoring the growl.

“Yes. Do you two want to go hang out with them, or will I be able to help the woman I plan to marry?” he snapped.

Niko snarled at him, leaning farther over Jacky.

“Threaten my son and I’ll gut you, wolf,” the older werecat promised.

“You two can’t treat injuries on her back without me.”

“Then get Carey back in here, and she can help us. You are not in the right headspace to be helping anyone injured right now. Go deal with your traitors and get back when that’s over.” Niko rose up. “Or I’ll throw you out.”

“I live here.”

“It’s Jacky’s house.” Niko raised his chin with that defiant expression Heath had seen on hundreds of faces. “If I need to get rid of you to make sure Jacky gets the help she needs, then I will. You need to step back. Subira won’t tolerate this sort of shit, Everson. Get a handle on it.”

“We need a real healer,” Dirk whispered, already rolling Jacky over. She was nude, the dress and everything else with it now discarded. Heath wished he could cover her, but while he was mad at the male werecat, he wasn’t going to kick her family out of the house, not really. He needed one thing to be gratefulfor, and that thing was going to be that her family were the ones handling her in such a vulnerable state.

And in her own bed. I can be grateful for that, too…

He tried to find those things to be grateful for as he watched Dirk finish rolling her, exposing the large punctures in her back. Niko started cleaning them out, sighing.

“Nothing vital was hit… by whatever is doing all of this,” he said, shaking his head with the same dismay they all felt.

“We need a real healer, Alpha,” Dirk repeated, looking at him for something. “Or better equipment and supplies. Our first aid kit can do a lot, but the sun hasn’t even gone down yet. Subira won’t be here until the morning because she has to fly in. Once she’s here, I’ll be able to get to work on other things, hopefully. I can’t do this and investigate the pack at the same time.”

Heath kept staring at Jacky’s body, the holes in her back and the blood trying to seep through her bandaged legs. The previous injuries had been minor. The scrapes on her hands and elbow, the bruise showing up on her cheek… those had been small.

This proved these injuries could be fatal. He’d seen what the injuries had looked like.

Something bit her. Something sank its claws into her… but not here. She’s been protected here the entire time…

“Find whatever you need to keep helping her,” Heath finally said to Dirk. “You don’t need to worry about the pack yet. She’s the priority for you. I’ll handle the pack however I need to.” He turned around, knowing he needed to get out of the room, or he would never find out who did this to her. It didn’t matter that he was the real target, that it was supposed to be him in that state. The reality was it was her, and heads were going to roll.

“Thank you, Alpha,” Dirk said as Heath closed the door behind him.

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