Heat Race - Tanya Chris Page 0,92

started the process by putting everything back in place—stitching up the gash on his temple, stabilizing his broken ribs, immobilizing his arm, and treating the myriad of cuts he’d been peppered with. Alice probably even knew how to deliver a baby. Elias didn’t have any business delivering babies, but would it hurt to learn how?

Up till now, he’d been researching how alphas and omegas were different from regular humans. Being special was romantic. But the truth was that hybrids and humans had become so thoroughly mixed together over the generations that they were nearly one species. Almost everyone had some wolf DNA, which was why his human parents had been able to produce an alpha, and almost no one—Jasper excepted—had enough wolf DNA to call themselves a wolf. It was only a question of how much wolf DNA a person had and how it asserted itself.

Society put labels on the various manifestations and acted as if those labels were important, but medicine was medicine. If someone needed to be stitched up or have their ribs bandaged, the process didn’t vary from alpha to omega to human. Hell, it probably worked the same on pigs.

The next time Elias was at the library, he grabbed a stack of books on basic first aid techniques, then went to the bulletin board where information on continuing education courses got posted.

Hopefully Jack Henry’s pregnancy would go smoothly, and hopefully all the fighting was behind them, but four men living on the outskirts of town were bound to get themselves in trouble on occasion. He would sign up for an EMT course and learn some techniques more practical than spoon-feeding his mates semen.

JASPER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The only way Jasper could be in a better mood this morning was if Saul was a little less beat up. He was healing quickly, but he still had one arm in a sling and a gash across his right temple—knitting but visible. He moved like an old man thanks to the broken ribs, but he never complained, which made it easy for Jasper to focus on all the good there was to appreciate in the day ahead of them as they drove toward Woodhaven.

The weather was so fine. Fall had settled in properly, unbearable heat fading to a pleasant warmth, and the sky had that autumn gleam to it—bright blue splattered with white clouds, stretching from east to west as they drove south toward the horizon without ever reaching it.

Since Saul only had one arm to work with, Jasper had borrowed a truck from the farm. He loved his bike, but it was nice being able to talk as they drove, nice being able to keep a hand on Saul’s thigh and feel the strength of his muscles through his jeans. He had a soft spot for Saul that went beyond his worth to the pack. Saul was his teddy bear, his security blanket. To think they’d almost lost him.

They’d come so close to losing everything. Jasper would never forgive himself for not being more instrumental in vanquishing their enemies, preferably before so much damage had been done, but their enemies had been vanquished now. The pack was settled, and the bond grew stronger every day. The four of them were going to do something big. Destiny awaited.

As good as Jasper was feeling, happy to be on the road with a rare day off and Saul at his side, Saul seemed less certain. His strong thigh twitched under Jasper’s hand like he had a bad case of restlessness.

“We don’t have to go if you’d rather not.”

“I want to,” Saul said. “Just…” He prodded at the slash across his temple.

“Afraid you’re not pretty enough for them? Don’t worry, you are.”

“I look like a brawler.”

“A little.”

It wasn’t in keeping with Saul’s true personality, but Jasper figured if Saul’s newfound relatives bothered to get to know him, they’d see past his tough guy exterior to his squishy insides fast enough. On the other hand, if they turned out to be anything like Otis, maybe it would be better if they got the wrong impression about his willingness to fight.

“It’s going to be great,” Jasper reassured him. He hoped he was right. Saul deserved to have people who loved him. He squeezed Saul’s thigh as he took the turn for Woodhaven. Half an hour later, they pulled into the center of a rural town about the size of Galvetta.

“Pretty,” Jasper said as they stood next to each other along the curb where he’d left the truck.

Saul’s gaze