Donal swallowed and forced a smile. “Perfect, Griz. You’re my favorite bone setting assistant.” The grizzly cahir was outrageously strong.
Tynan growled under his breath as his muscles spasmed.
Setting his palms over the injury, Donal eased the congestion, loosened the tight muscles.
Good. Time to work. Closing his eyes, Donal finished aligning the bones by feel—forcing himself to ignore the whine of pain from his littermate. A burst of power, fast, then slow, fixed the break, then the damaged tissue around it.
Slowly, he worked his way out, then sat back and pulled in a shaky breath. Tried for a light tone. “Not a bad break, really.”
“Oh. Well. Glad I didn’t put you to too much effort.” Tynan unfisted his hands. “By the Gods, I’d forgotten how much a busted bone can hurt when you fix it.”
How fucking much pain would it take to make his littermate say that? Donal felt as if a rope was wrapped around his chest. “Sorry, brawd.”
“Hey, no, feck, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s healed.” Tynan’s face was still pale, but he grinned. “Thank you.”
The words let Donal breathe again. And realize how much of a pain in the tail Tynan would be until he was back to normal.
“You’re healed, but weak.” Donal pointed a finger at his idiot littermate. “Sleep today and tomorrow. Take it easy for a week after. Lots of fluids.”
“Yeah, got it.” Tynan brightened when Margery carefully knelt beside him.
After taking his hand, she ventured a small smile at Donal. “I took care of the superficial wounds on Bonnie. But if you have more…power left, could you check Nia? She has a few scratches that will heal all right on their own. I went ahead and cleaned and dressed those. But the one down her neck will leave a scar. If you could…”
Her tentative look almost broke his heart. A shifter should never worry about asking for help from a healer. Especially for someone else.
“Of course, I will.” He smiled. “If I don’t have enough power right now, I’ll ask another female to give me some. There is no need for any shifter in our territory to have scars if I can get to them in time.
Despite the scar on her own face, she smiled in relief. She half-extended her free hand. “Could I offer you…”
Could she give him power? A totally selfless, generous offer.
His misjudgment of her made him feel lower than a dwarf’s ass. “I’m afraid not, Margery. Not without a bond—not unless we’d mated recently.”
She turned pink again, and how appealing was that?
He couldn’t resist running a finger down her cheek and stilled in surprise at the lake of power he sensed. She wasn’t a healer, but…
The Mother loved this shifter.
That evening, Margery was spending more time grumbling than reading her book. Reclined on her couch, she had her leg elevated on a pillow and ice on the swollen joint…but the damage had been done. Her ankle was totally, completely in revolt.
Tomorrow, she’d be lucky to walk across the room. How was she ever going to handle the breakfast and lunch shifts at the diner?
With a sigh, she drank her willow bark-and-peppermint tea. She’d manage. Somehow.
Because that was what she did.
Hey, look on the bright side. Everyone survived. The cubs, the mothers,
Tynan had too, despite how badly...
As her hand started to shake, she hastily set the cup down. He’d been so damaged, so bloody.
A rap on the door made her jump.
“Yes?” Through the front window, she could see Donal on her porch. “Hold on. I’m coming.” She swung her leg down, dislodging the ice pack.
His dark brows drew together. “Stay put, female. I’ll let myself in.”
The lock rattled; the door opened, and he sauntered across her living room with a werecat’s predatory grace.
“How did you get the door open?” Does healing include the power to unlock doors?
He smirked slightly and held up a ring of keys. “Leo gave me a key years ago. Just in case.”
“Oh.” Well, this probably wasn’t the time to demand he give the key back. But why was he here? In her house?
And why in the world did she feel a tremor of excitement at having him here? “Can I help you with something?”
“Bonnie’s mates brought over a big basket of fried chicken as a thank you for the rescue. Tynan figured you’d be hungry and wanted you to join us for supper and a movie.”
“Really?” Be with them both? Oh Goddess.
No, Margery. She wasn’t about to intrude in their evening even if she could get there. “Please, tell him thank you, but I, uh, I’m not hungry.”
“You, sweetling, are a lousy liar.” Donal eyed her before raking his hand through his long dark hair. “My fault. Let me try this again. Both Tynan and I want you to join us.”
When she shook her head, he went down on his haunches beside the couch. Close enough she could touch him. “I know I’ve been ruder than a starving badger, and I’m sorry for it.” His rich voice was smoother than warm honey. “Can you give me a chance to make things right?”
Mother of All, when he sounds like that, what female would say no?
She frowned, pulling her senses together before she blurted out an acceptance.
Still…he did look sorry, and she’d never been able to hold a grudge. “Of course.” Then she shook her head. “But I’m giving my ankle a chance to rest, so I can’t…”
“I can.” He scooped her off the couch and walked right out the door, turning long enough to catch the knob with a finger and close it behind them.
Howling hobgoblins, but he was strong. Her head spun at how easily he’d picked her up, at how very closely he held her. She was close enough to breathe in his fresh-washed scent. Clean and crisp, like after a spring rain.
She couldn’t let him just…carry…her. As he strode down the steps, she gripped his shirt. “Healer. Donal, this isn’t a good idea. I should—”
“Please, Margery, my littermate isn’t feeling well at all. Won’t you sacrifice an evening to help him out?”
Oh, no. Poor Tynan. He’d hate feeling weak. “Of course I can. It isn’t a problem at all.”
“Good. Lie still then.” The amused glint in the healer’s eyes said she’d been played by a master of manipulation.
Her eyes narrowed. “You are a total werecat.”
“Was that supposed to be an insult?” Chuckling, he thumped a boot on his front door. “Brawd, get the door for me.”
Margery squirmed. “Let me down. I can—”
The door opened…and there he was. All power and strength, and more masculine than any male she’d ever met. A day’s shadowing of beard covered the angular lines of his jaw making his smile even whiter.
Her heart sped up.
His eyebrows rose as he looked at her in Donal’s arms, then he grinned at his brother. “Donal, no. I wanted you to ask her to dinner—not drag her home like prey.”
“If my brother asks for a female, I’ll do whatever it takes to see he gets one.” Donal sighed most pitifully. “I’ll be fine, really. She didn’t claw me…much.”