Page 4 of The Devil on my Chest

“We don’t mention that personage in this house.” Ra groaned. “Annabelle read a story about the tooth fairy and now wakes up with a fake tooth next to her head on the pillow every morning. She comes running out, holding up the tooth, demanding her two dollars. Now, her brothers want some too. I caught Michael with a pair of pliers just yesterday and when I asked him what he was going to do with them, he said he was going to take out one of Annabelle’s teeth because he wanted money as well. I’ve had to ban them from my workshop.”

“Thank you, guys.” Mal chuckled. “I guess I needed a reminder that normal life is still going on. I’m truly grateful. As for telling others…” He hesitated, looking at Rocky’s handsome face. “Yes,” he said firmly. “Yes. Arrowtown was built on helping others and right now, Rocky needs all the help he can get.”

“So do you, my brother from another mother,” Ra said gently. “We just want Rocky to be well and for you two to come home. In the meantime, ask the doctor you have there about curses. We want to know the nuts and bolts of what curses are, how they’re administered, and how they work. I’ll get our doc on it, too. But are they like a virus that needs a trigger to erupt, or did Rocky get his sweet tooth the moment he was infected? How long can they last? How can something like this be broken? The more information we all have, the more we can help.”

“You’re right. I’ll ask.” Mal glanced at the time. “He’ll be in soon. He…he’s got concerns about keeping Rocky sedated long term. Ra, they might have to put him in a cage.”

To his surprise, Ra said, “That could be a good thing if the doctor can get him to shift first. Rocky’s wolf knows and trusts you, andyou’ll be with him, I know you will. Also, the wolf spirit won’t have the sugar addiction that’s driving Rocky crazy. By forcing his shift, Rocky’s wolf spirit can keep his human half safe and sane. I know it would be hard for you, but just think about it, all right?”

“I’ll talk to Doctor Nelson.” Mal sighed. “I can’t even remember the last time Rocky shifted into his wolf form, but it will be in my journals somewhere.”

“If you need anything, just call,” Ra said. “You’re not alone. You have a found family and a whole town behind you. Er…is there somewhere you can protect your head for a minute? Seth’s got your journals and is ready to send them to you. His aim isn’t that good.”

“That’s not true.” Mal heard as his journals suddenly started falling out of the ceiling in a series of thuds as they fell to the floor.

There was a moment’s silence, and then Seth said, “Mal, are you all right? Did they get there?”

“That was your best drop yet, Seth.” Mal bent over and picked up one of the books from the floor. “They landed in a perfect fairy ring around my chair. Thank you.”

“You take care,” Ra said. “Remember we are just a call or text away, anytime of the day or night.”

“Thank you.” Mal disconnected the call and put his phone away. Reaching over, he took Rocky’s hand, feeling the man’s wolf stir. “You just have to hang in there. Our pack is helping all they can,” he whispered. “You just have to keep going. I love you.”

A wolf whimper fell from Rocky’s lips and for a moment Mal thought he would shift. But the pull of the sedative would be too strong, and after waiting a few moments, Mal picked up therest of his journals. Finding the year relating to when Simon got abducted, he started to read.

Chapter Three

Mal kept reading his journals through the afternoon. At one point two men came in with a message from Doctor Nelson saying they were moving them both to a private room where they would be more comfortable. Mal had the use of a private bathroom, a coffee machine, and another recliner plus a table. He found a playlist on his phone, keeping the sound low so as not to disturb anyone else who might be around, and tried to relax.

Reading back over the entries he made, Mal noticed just about every page had something about Rocky on it – some fun, some sad, some cases where Mal had wondered if Rocky had left his brain on the pillow that morning. Anytime he found something funny, he would read it out loud to Rocky, chuckling as if they were sharing a joke. Mal had no idea if Rocky could hear him, but he’d read somewhere that unconscious people, or those in a coma, seemed to react to stimuli around them, and he was happy to talk himself hoarse if it did any good.

It was getting dark when Doctor Nelson came in, carrying a clipboard and dragging a chair close to Mal and the bed. “Did they feed you? Do you need anything?”

“I had a lovely meal about an hour ago, thank you.” Mal nodded. “Do you send an account for all this at the end of the…treatment, or?”

“Please don’t worry about it,” Doctor Nelson said quickly. “This entire facility is financed with grants. There are people who consider my work important.” He shrugged, clearly embarrassed at having admitted it. “Rocky’s case is extremely unusual so as long as neither of you worry about me writing a case study, completely anonymous of course, once the treatment is successful, any expenses are covered by those grants.”

“I appreciate it, thank you.” Mal indicated his journal. “My friends in Arrowtown think that the only time Rocky could’ve come into contact with a curse was during those times he would disappear for a few hours in an evening. They don’t believe he was actually having sex as I had feared, but none of my friends – who we’ve traveled with for years before settling in Arrowtown – none of them believe he was aroused by anyone but me.”

“Which would indicate a mate connection – something that was only partially formed, perhaps. What about you? Did you hook up with anyone at all since meeting Rocky?”

Mal shook his head. “I’m omega. It’s not something I share readily, although Rocky knew, obviously.” He sighed. “I didn’t think we had any secrets and yet clearly I was wrong about that. But anyway, yeah, I have never felt that urge and even went to Doctor Farriday, wondering if something was wrong with me at one point.

“He said that it was normal for wolves like me to not react to anyone unless they were my mate. So you see…” He indicated the bed. “I love Rocky. I don’t believe I could ever love anyone else as deeply as I care for him. I can appreciate his looks, because I’m not blind, and the way he treats me makes me feel really warm and safe inside, but that’s not arousing. So we can’t be mates.”

Pulling his pen out of his shirt pocket, Doctor Nelson tapped it on his bottom lip. “You could also be on the spectrum – asexual, pansexual, or demisexual for example. From studies conducted in this facility when that occurs, your body’s reaction to a mate would be muted – although arousal would develop over time, after you’d been claimed. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You met Rocky when you were in your early twenties?”

Mal appreciated the doctor’s discretion. “Yes. I was twenty-three, twenty-four, something like that.”

“And you believed Rocky was about eighteen or nineteen?”

“I thought so. As I said, he was at that gangly stage alphas go through before they start to bulk up, which Rocky did…” Mal had to think back. “I believe it was about three years later, which would fit with the guess. I did ask Rocky his age once, wanting to know when his birthday was, and he told me to pick a date for him, because he had no idea.”

“How long had Rocky been on the streets when you met? Do you know? Did he ever tell you anything about his life before you?”

“No, although I got the impression it had been for a long time.” Mal felt the frustration stemming from how much he didn’t know. “I did ask him – two or three times back in the early days. But I remember the last time I asked, he took my face in his hands and said, ‘Mal, nothing that came before is important. Neither one of us can change the past. The only thing that matters is me and you going forward’. I believed in him. I still do.”

Mal’s frustration must’ve leaked through his tone. “You’re not letting me down, Mal. You’re not letting Rocky down either. I have to ask these things, but I’d rather you told me you didn’t know than tried to make something up.”

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