This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,35
story you’ve heard about him, triple its brutality, and you might come close to a true assessment of his capacity for violence.”
I frown, confused. “Then why does Iyana think he saved her?”
“Because he did.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Without asking anything in return?”
Helen’s gray eyes rise to mine. “Tessa, you won’t understand Tristan’s ability to perceive and neutralize threats—or his unrelenting determination to protect his pack—until you see it for yourself.”
Is she trying to tell me that Tristan considers all of these women to be part of his pack? For starters, they aren’t all wolf shifters. Secondly, Iyana made it sound like he didn’t even know them before he saved them.
Which leaves me even more confused than I was before.
Helen clears her throat and draws her wand again without further elaborating on her statement. “I need to do what I can to help you heal now, Tessa. I’m going to try traditional human medicine this time. Strong pain killers, along with muscle relaxants and sedatives to help you sleep. I’ll connect you to an IV drip so we can get the medicine directly into your bloodstream for maximum effect. You’ll need to stay in this room for the next few days so I can monitor you.”
She isn’t really asking me. Not that I would object at this point. I want to escape from this nightmare—this whole mess—and wake up stronger.
After placing her wand firmly on top of the nearest cabinet, Helen busies herself opening drawers and retrieving medical apparatuses.
She’s just finished attaching a cannula to the back of my hand when she suddenly jolts, her gaze becomes distant, and a deep crease forms in her forehead, as if she’s sensing a disturbance from afar.
“What is it?” I ask.
“We have a visitor. It’s nothing to worry about.” She presses her hand to my shoulder in a comforting gesture, the contact much lighter than when she touched me before. She doesn’t elaborate on the identity of the visitor as she continues to work.
By the time the door opens, Helen has attached an intravenous drip to me and given me a dose of morphine that is making me feel a little too happy.
It’s not a bad thing since the sight of Jace would otherwise make my blood boil. In the artificial lights, I’m struck by just how tall and muscular he is, his honey blond hair slicked back, deep green eyes casting across the room and taking everything in, including my current weakened state.
“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon, Jace,” Helen says, without looking up. “It’s only been one night.”
Jace steps into the room uninvited but stops far enough away from me that I don’t feel threatened. Not immediately anyway.
“I won’t stay long,” he says. “Tristan wants to know how Tessa’s doing.” His voice is low, soft, calmer than I remember. He stands in the center of the space between me and the door, a military pose with his hands held behind his back, chin up, head held back.
His calmness only serves to rile me. “You can tell Tristan that his property is doing just fine.”
“That’s clearly untrue.” Jace focuses briefly on the drip bag attached to the IV stand before his keen gaze passes over my bruised face down to the ice that Helen is packing around my ribs. A crease appears in the center of his forehead. “Why does Tessa need human medicine?”
Helen takes a measured breath as she finishes positioning the final ice pack against my left hip. “We hit a snag. She isn’t healing. My spells have no effect on her.”
If this news startles Jace, he doesn’t show it. “What about her pain levels?”
I glare at him, wanting to drag some kind of reaction out of him. “I’m feeling plenty of pain, thank you.” I upset one of the ice packs when I point at the side of my chest. “I’m pretty sure this bruised rib right here is thanks to Tristan’s caveman antics. Feel free to pass on my gratitude to him.”
“He won’t be happy to hear it,” Jace replies. He turns to Helen, tilting his head slightly and releasing his hands from behind his back. “I’ll return on Friday to see how Tessa’s doing.”
That’s five days away. Five days of freedom from male shifters.
Helen gives Jace a nod, after which he heads to the door.
Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he asks, “How is Ella today?”
Helen takes a deep breath. When she replies, her speech sounds careful. “Much better than yesterday.”