Page 40 of Claim of Blood
Nathaniel eased Elias back into his arms, hands stroking down his arms in slow reassurance. The witch’s breathing evened by degrees.
“You were saying something about Leo’s condition when we walked in?” Adam asked.
“Oh—yes.” Elias’s voice cracked, then steadied. “Severely dehydrated. Through no fault of yours, I’m sure.” His hands fluttered, then pressed flat to the tablet. “He’ll need time to replenish what he’s lost. His blood’s regenerating faster than baseline human rates, which is... fascinating. But I’m not sure if that’s the claim or something unique to Leo. It warrants study.”
“You’ll study it,” Adam said simply.
Elias blinked. “But I’m a pediatrician.”
“Are you incapable of working with adults?”
“No,” Elias admitted softly. “Children are just easier.”
“You’ll do fine,” Nathaniel murmured, low and certain. The way Elias relaxed, letti compact frame slowly relaxing back into the Alpha’s arms. Nathaniel’s blue eyes flashed for a moment. The wolf just beneath the surface.
Adam noted it—and then dismissed it. That was Nathaniel’s concern.
He turned to Oren, who was frowning at the numbers still glowing on the scanner’s display, comparing them against something on his tablet.
“Find anything about the chip?” Adam asked.
“Standard tracking model,” Oren said, not glancing up. “Popular in hunting dogs. The foxhounds at the stables use something similar. Different manufacturer, but same structure.”
“How did you know to look for it?” Elias asked. His voice was calmer now, steadier—though Adam could still hear the rapid cadence of his heartbeat, the residual flutter of adrenaline. The way Elias leaned back slightly into Nathaniel’s hold said enough. He wasn’t struggling anymore.
Oren looked up, brow creasing slightly, as if surprised by the question. “The Nightly Herald covered it. That Coven in Turkey, ten, maybe eleven years ago?” His tone remained flat, clinical. “Their leader went insane. Implanted trackers in his entire coven. Chipped a pack of tiger shifters, too—kept them leashed. Said it was ‘for security.’”
The silence that followed felt heavy.
“The humanitarian response from the global supernatural community was... extensive,” Oren added.
Adam arched a brow. “Thank you, Oren, for being diligent where the rest of us have clearly been slacking in our reading.”
Lander returned with a duffel bag and a case containing four vials of clear liquid.
“Did you clean out our medical office?” Gaspard asked.
“Yes.” Lander set everything on the bed. “Medicine was never my area of study.”
Elias approached cautiously, sorting through the supplies. “At least it’s all sterile,” he muttered, apparently forgetting about supernatural hearing. He selected what he needed, then looked around uncertainly. “Are we doing it here?”
“This is hardly a battlefield, sweet stuff,” Nathaniel rumbled. “Something this shallow, infection risk is minimal. Deep breath.”
Adam sat on the opposite side of the bed, running his fingers through Leo’s hair. His hunter remained deeply unconscious,and Adam intended to keep him that way. He placed his hand on the back of Leo’s skull, pushing power into a command:Sleep. Stay asleep.
The surge of power rippled through the room, but no one commented.
Elias pulled on sterile gloves with practiced efficiency, swabbing the area between Leo’s shoulder blades where Oren indicated with antiseptic before carefully injecting the local anesthetic around the planned incision site. His movements were precise, professional, a stark contrast to his earlier nervous energy.
The first cut was clean and sure. “Nathaniel, I need light. The metal should reflect—” The Alpha was already adjusting the bedside lamp, tilting it to shine into the small incision that Elias held open with retractors. “There.” Using forceps, he carefully extracted the chip with delicate movements, placing it on a nearby towel. Oren collected it immediately.
“I need some of your blood,” Elias said to Adam. “To help seal the wound.”
Adam pricked his finger on a descended fang, letting several drops fall onto the incision edges. Combined with the push of Elias’s magic, the wound sealed cleanly.
The doctor sagged back against Nathaniel’s chest. Adam doubted it was magical exhaustion; more likely, it was the aftermath of an adrenaline surge. The Alpha’s arms came up to steady him, and this time, Elias didn’t protest.
“Can you hack it?” Adam asked Oren.
