Page 92 of Blade's Battle
“I doubt it. He’s very protective of her.”
“You all are.”
“Tess has been through a lot. As have you. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Anna—”
“Anna? That’s very formal all of a sudden,” she said as she leaned against him. “I prefer to do proper testing, but that means going into Boulder and meeting with a lab animal supply company to ensure the right strain and quantity of mice, not to mention all the—”
“No, you’re not going anywhere near cameras. The WSSO doesn’t know where you are, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
There were at least a half dozen shifters at Drake’s pack that all lost their ability to shift, like Tess, but she doubted Blade would let her go anywhere near Drake’s territory. She shuddered at the prospect of seeing the alpha again.
Blade ran a finger over her lips, distracting her. “So deep in thought, Angel.”
His excitement was contagious, serving as a natural pick-me-up that beat any caffeinated beverage. “I have to test it on a shifter who’s lived through the virus. That means going back to Drake’s—”
“Absolutely not,” he said with a resounding growl. “You’re not going anywhere near him.”
“That leaves Tess. Or a shifter from Liam’s pack, if any of the infected shifters there survived.”
Blade’s excitement waned. “Damien will find someone. He’ll probably contact Liam first. If that doesn’t work, he might send a message to Drake with the offer. I’m sure Drake would rather have his shifters at full strength, especially after losing so many to the virus, even if it means risking their lives to accomplish that. Can you pack up what you need to treat whoever it is?”
“Yes, but—”
“We’ll take it back to our territory and let Damien arrange the rest. I suppose we’ll have to say Alex came up with the treatment, and then have Pryce administer it, assuming it’s something you can teach him to do. We don’t want Drake knowing you’re behind it, or that you’re anywhere near our pack. And we can’t run the risk of Drake finding this place, not if you want to do future research here.”
“He’ll figure it out. He’s smart, Blade. Twisted, but smart. Don’t underestimate him. I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble. I shouldn’t go back.”
“Damien’s expecting you to come back at some point, with or without a fix. He’s prepared to deal with Drake if he has to. You’re part of our pack, Anna.”
“He told you that?” Her voice betrayed her surprise and her hope that what he was saying was true. She’d been so alone since Kurt died, even before that actually, when she was taking care of him. A few cousins had come to say their goodbyes, back when Kurt was still strong enough to hold a conversation. In the end, it was just her and Kurt. His pack couldn’t take watching him waste away. To think that Blade’s pack wanted to watch over her despite the risk to them was overwhelming.
“I can’t be pack. We haven’t blood-bonded.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve seen how he and Tess, hell, how everyone watches over you, especially when I lost control to my wolf. They’ve already accepted you.”
She shook her head. “It’s not the same as being bonded or related by blood.”
He cupped her chin and guided her eyes up to face him squarely. “I understand that you’re not ready to blood-bond, but now you’re making excuses, fighting the idea of belonging to the pack. You can’t keep pushing everyone away. People get hurt and die. It’s part of life. But pushing everyone away, denying yourself the chance to love again. . . That’s no way to live.”
Was she doing that?
Blade sat down on the middle step and pulled her onto his lap. “Did I tell you how I came to be a part of Damien’s pack?”
She was still trying to sort through the implication of what he had said, but she pushed it all aside, to focus on him. “Callen was gravely injured, and you brought him to his pack. But that’s different, Blade. You earned a place. You saved one of their own and you’re a scout. You have so much to offer them.”
“As do you. Never think otherwise.”
“But I’m—”
“Yes, human. I know. They know. And it doesn’t matter. At first, it did, to me at least, but please don’t hold that against them. Not everyone hates humans.”
“You were saying something about Callen.”
“When Damien invited me to become part of the pack, my ability to accept him and his pack on face value was non-existent. What I saw was an alpha who’d invited me to stay without knowing anything about me except that I had saved Callen and carried him fifty miles back to his pack. I didn’t see why he or any other pack would want me, so I left.”
“I didn’t know you had left.” Anna hooked her arm around his neck. His hand was on her calf, practically searing her skin with his heat. She snuggled closer. Who needed a space heater when she had a cozy heating blanket wrapped around her?
Blade ran his hand up and down her back. He was the best medicine for the chills wracking her body.
