Page 43 of The Protector’s Heart

“What?”

He inhaled slowly and found that he could breathe easier. The poultice was doing its job, and the feeling of being eaten alive was slowly easing.

“You’re my mate, not my girlfriend.”

She rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder with the wet cloth. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Thanks, baby.”

She laughed for real this time, and then the tears slipped down her cheeks as she started to cry. Even though his wounds weren’t entirely healed yet, he pulled her onto the hospital bed and cradled her as close as he could. She didn’t say what was bothering her, but he could guess it was a culmination of all the events of the last few days, compounded with her happiness at being free.

Eventually she stopped crying and tilted her face up to him, her eyes shining brightly and her cheeks flushed. She lifted herself from him slowly, her eyes darkening. He could hear her heart beating fast. Her gaze drifted to his mouth, and she made a soft, almost growling sound before she kissed him. Possessiveness stole through him with the taste of her and the feel of her over him, and he rolled her underneath him and snarled at the small bite of pain in his side as he still wasn’t entirely healed.

Not that he cared. The pain was forgotten as he kissed her again and slid his hand under her top. Her skin was silky and warm, and he inched his way up her side until he felt the satin of her bra.

“For fuck’s sake, Malachi, you’re still healing,” Doc grumbled from the doorway.

Malachi growled as he lifted from Nila’s tempting mouth. “Go. Away.”

“No. No one has sex in my house but me, and especially not in one of the patient rooms.”

Nila grinned at him. “Later,” she mouthed.

“No, not later. You’re sleeping at my house tonight and nobody is having sex there, either.” Acksel said.

Malachi grinned as Nila whispered, “How did he hear that?”

“I guessed,” Acksel said with a snort.

Doc said, “If you’re done molesting each other, I’d like to check out the poultice and get you two the heck out of here.”

Malachi rolled onto his back. Nila slipped from the bed but stayed by his side, holding his hand tightly as Doc removed the poultice. It had been a yellowish-green color to start with, but now it was nearly entirely black. Doc said it was what happened as it healed. The herbs and minerals it was made from were bespelled with magic from his brother-in-law, Noah, who was a natural healer.

“That potion was a real potion, wasn’t it?” Nila asked.

“Yes. Our people don’t normally need a lot of medical attention, but there are times when having some magical healing items are beneficial.” Doc gave her a look as if he were sizing her up. “Are you interested in a job?”

“Excuse me?” Nila asked, her mouth falling open in surprise.

“I could use an assistant. The female who lives next door to me could watch your son while you’re here. You wouldn’t have to work every day, only when I have appointments with pregnant females or any emergencies that crop up during the daytime, although I have to admit that my filing system could use some serious updating, too. I’d pay you fairly, but you’d have more time with your son, if you’d be interested.”

Malachi couldn’t believe that Doc was offering Nila a job, but he liked the idea.

She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “Can I think about it?”

“Of course.”

Doc cleaned the residue of the poultice off Malachi’s skin and checked the area with a portable ultrasound machine. Doc talked to Nila about the healing poultice and potion and Malachi watched her as they spoke. She seemed fascinated with what she called the “holistic” aspects of the magical concoctions, and Doc offered to bring Noah to the clinic someday to meet her so she could talk to him. Malachi didn’t know Noah very well. As a supernaturally gifted human, he wasn’t part of the pack and didn’t live in Wilde Creek, but he was Doc’s brother-in-law, and that meant he was family.

“As long as Malachi’s with me,” Nila said, at the offer to meet with Noah.

Doc chuckled in a knowing way. “She’s got your number already.”

Malachi smiled and shrugged. He didn’t mind that she could guess he would want to be there when she met with another unmated male. After a few more minutes, Doc declared him fit to leave.

“Next time you go to a fight, try not to let the other guy get any hits in,” Doc said, his face alight with amusement.

“I’ll remember that. Thanks, Doc.”

---