Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,18

late for us as well. Two of us showed them to the hallway thinking there were guards in the conference room, except you had called them off.”

I waved it off. “Thanks for explaining, but I figured it was a schedule thing. More importantly than him seeing me in lingerie—are your people okay?” They all winced, grief thick in Geoff’s eyes, and I nodded. “Take me to them. Now.”

“It’s beyond a healing rune,” Geoff explained, thanking me for wanting to help.

“I know, you guys wouldn’t be so upset then.”

“When did you learn healing magic?” Claudia asked, not hiding her shock.

“It was made a priority, given all the threats,” I vaguely answered. Professor White had taught me a few things since I was always being targeted, but more than that, we learned my healing rune wasn’t the normal one.

It had fairy magic behind it, so I was the next level they could need. Claudia probably surmised that, as her posture went stiff, but I ignored that and went for the door.

They quickly led me to the infirmary the Alpha compound had, and what we walked into had my eyes burning with tears. At least a dozen wolves were fighting for their lives, howling in pain as people tried to help.

I rushed to the nearest one and quickly drew all sorts of everything on him to make it look like I was doing something more than focusing my magic with a basic rune. I stopped faster than I would have liked, but there were more, and he was out of critical condition.

“I need food, and fast,” I called over my shoulder. “That asshole pushed back lunch, and I was doing training this morning.”

“Get her whatever we can, fast,” Geoff ordered.

“Here!” one of the guards called, tossing me a few protein bars before racing out of the infirmary.

I scarfed them down as I pulled the next wolf out of critical condition and moved onto the next one. By the fifth one, I was really down on the tank, relief filling me when that guard came back with a few sandwiches, bottles of pop, and bags of chips to start. I kept going, ungraciously stuffing my face in a way that left a mess of crumbs I didn’t think anyone would mind.

Since there was a fuck ton of blood on the cots and floor—just everywhere. The moment I was done, I planned on asking who the fuck had done this, and going for their blood.

“They’re no longer critical,” I whispered when I was done, heavily leaning against the nearest wall. “Who—” I gasped as strong arms hugged me, knowing it was Geoff and not fighting.

Not that I had the strength to right then.

“Thank you,” he rasped. “Thank you for saving those of my pack and two of my nephews, Tamsin.”

That explained why he was so upset. I patted his arm, and then ended up leaning against him. “You let me go and I’m going to fall. Sorry, I need more fuel and a break, and I can finish healing them.”

“You’ve done more than enough, young one,” the last wolf I’d healed said with a cough. “We were dead and you saved us. We are in your debt.”

“I didn’t have anything on the schedule at the moment,” I teased, several people snorting. “Who did this?”

“We were ambushed by Underground,” he answered. “The job was an escort of magical goods. They knew we were coming but luckily, we got there early, and the goods secured before they started attacking. They could have just run, but once the goods were out of their reach, one of their people tossed some sort of magical grenade weapon at us. It was as if hundreds of knives stabbed us at once. Our wolves—”

“Save your strength and heal,” I cut in, hating how pained it sounded for him to talk. “I’m glad that stuff was safe, but your lives aren’t worth things.”

“It wasn’t just charms and trinkets,” Geoff muttered as he changed his hold on me and picked me up. He carried me over to an empty cot and sat me down. “It was serious power, and detrimental if it had gotten in their hands.”

I opened my mouth to bitch about them not just transferring it by portal, but then closed it, remembering something Calloway had warned me about once; some of the items in her shop were not able to travel by portal, or the magic would be stripped away. Okay, that made more sense… And made me feel like I