Page 65 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

There were no more arguments after that, and we piled back into the truck. It smelled a lot better in the front than it did in the back among the compost. Technically, we were stealing valuable planting matter, but considering everything else I’d done, that was fairly low on our list of offenses.

It was too bad we couldn’t take the truck all the way to Ven’s. The compost would be a terrific boon to her garden. Perhaps we could arrange to transport it somehow with our next vehicle.

For miles, none of us said anything. While I had to admit a chunk of it was definitely from the awkwardness between Ven and me, it wasn’t the sole reason. We were all exhausted. When I glanced at Ricky, I could see he was deep in thought.

It perplexed me that his memories hadn’t been stripped away—not because I wanted him to go through what I’d gone through, but because it made the understanding of his transition to humanity a little shakier. He would have different struggles than I did, which meant I would be a little less apt at helping him.

I’d have to do my best no matter what happened. The most important thing was that he was safe and sound.

“Are you okay?” I asked after a while. I was asking Ricky, of course, who took several moments to come back to me.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I… I’m good, I think. There’s, uh, a lot I’ve got to sort through in my head right now.”

I chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

“Pardon me for interrupting yet again,” America said from the front seat. “But I’ve got to ask you guys a question.”

“By all means, ask away,” I said. We owed her for helping us out. I wasn’t sure exactly how instrumental she’d been in the escape plan, but if Ven trusted her, then I did.

“So, I was cut off from pretty much my entire coyote clan, but some of us shifters who worked for the brothers—if you could call it working—heard whispers of a wolf pack that managed to take down two of those psychopaths. I gotta admit, when I saw you fighting, I really hoped it was you.” She glanced at us through the rear-view mirror, and I saw a myriad of expressions flash through her dark eyes. She and Ven looked so similar. Not quite sisterly, but cousins, and they both definitely emoted so much through their gaze. “Was it? Or did I just get caught up in a myth and y’all were just here to save your friend?”

“It’s not a myth. Before all of this happened, we killed two of the brothers who were kidnapping magic folk from all over the state. We didn’t know who they were related to or that there were seven of them until it was too late.”

And what a mistake that had been.

She scoffed. “Yeah, not a lot around here were aware that Katarina Vensyclov’s brood had moved in until they started making trouble, and by then it was too late. They’d already gotten their hooks into everything.”

I hadn’t heard that name in ages, and it sent shockwaves rippling through my mind. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten the name of the matriarch. Sure, while she had never bothered us, and some people weren’t even certain she was in America, she was still the root of all the troubles of my pack. It was hard not to resent that. Surely if she was a good person, her seven sons wouldn’t have turned into such monsters.

“Just so you know,” America continued, “you’re not the only one who has a bone to pick with the brothers. I know of a lot of people outside of my family and clan who are tired of those bastards chipping away at our communities.”

Oh? While I knew we had two allies who had helped us take down the brothers in our original fight, I didn’t know anyone beyond that. I also didn’t know if any of those who helped us were still alive, or if they had been cursed.

If they were, then I would need to start looking for them once I found the rest of my pack. It would be much harder considering I wasn’t as close with them, but I owed them that much for helping us in our time of need. Besides, in my relatively short time of being alpha, I had wanted to change things. Wanted shifter groups to look at each other less as rivals and more as equally important parts of the magical ecosystem.

“How tired?”

“Tired enough to throw down if the opportunity presented itself.”

I admired the bite in America’s voice and understood that bitterness right down to my core. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what the road ahead of us held, but I was glad it didn’t necessarily mean we were going it alone. “That is good to know.”

“Of course. Granted, I’d like to settle in with my folks a bit before I go answering any war calls, but if you drop a line, I’ll make sure to answer.”

I nodded, and the conversation faded after that. It was a positive note for sure, as was having Ricky sleeping against my side, but neither of those things made me forget that I was in the doghouse with Ven.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, but I hoped we could talk things out once we had safely returned to her home.

All in good time.

22

VANESSA

“Go ahead and drink this for me, would you? It’ll help coat your stomach and intestines,” I said, handing a steaming mug to Ricky.

He was bundled up and lying on my couch.

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