Margery’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t claw you at all!”
“You should see my chest and arms, brawd. All bloody.”
“Lying cat.” Tynan chuckled. “She doesn’t scratch. She’s a wolf.”
“Ah. Oops.” Donal walked in and set her in the center of the couch. He lifted her legs onto the rectangular leather ottoman before smirking at his brother. “I had to carry her. She messed up her ankle, remember?”
“How did I forget that?” Tynan sat beside her and took her hand in his big warm one. “How bad?” he asked Donal.
“I intend to find out.” Donal took a seat on the ottoman beside her legs. Pushing up her jeans, he laid his hands over her ankle and visibly winced. “For fuck’s sake, there’s a mess.”
She gave him a good frown. “That was not even close to an appropriate comment from a healer.”
Tynan chuckled. “He’s never been into a healer’s traditional conduct or attire. Made our dam furious.”
That’s right. Tynan had mentioned their mother was a healer.
Donal scowled at her ankle, then her. “The bones were shattered and weren’t set correctly. You can feel the bumps of misalignment. A couple pieces haven’t stabilized. The cartilage isn’t happy either. It’s a wonder you can walk at all.”
“Mother’s breasts, do you talk to all your patients like this?”
Intent on her ankle, he didn’t even notice her shock. She had a feeling he wouldn’t have cared even if he had noticed.
Tynan squeezed her hand. “He believes in honesty, although, admittedly, his manner could use some work.”
“No kidding.” Her laugh died when Donal looked up, his frown dark. “What?”
“It’s not going to get better.”
“Since it’s been this way for years, I rather figured that.”
He blinked as if surprised at her answer, then rubbed his jaw. “Sorry. A lot of shifters refuse to see a problem. I should have known you wouldn’t be one of them.”
“Can you help her at all?” Tynan asked the question she hadn’t been able to speak.
“Right now, I can improve the circulation and reduce some of the swelling and pain. But that’s only a temporary fix.” Without waiting for a response, the healer bent his head and did just that.
Tingling and warmth radiated from a point deep in her ankle. It wasn’t quite pain, but an uncomfortable gnawing she couldn’t scratch.
At her disgruntled frown, Donal blinked. “What?”
“Why didn’t I get stardust?”
With one smile, his severe austerity transformed into a very masculine charm.
And took her breath away.
“Sorry, sweetling. I should have warned you. It only feels like stardust with superficial injuries. Bone-deep healing isn’t pleasant.”
Didn’t that just figure? She pouted. “I was looking forward to stardust.”
Tynan laughed. “We’re of the same mind.”
Oh, ow. He’d had a big nasty healing today. “Now that I know what it feels like, I can’t believe you didn’t bite his hand off when he fixed your leg.”
“I’ve been tempted a time or two.”
Donal muttered something rude under his breath, but a smile curved his lips.
Rotating her ankle, Margery beamed. “It almost doesn’t hurt at all. I’d forgotten what that felt like.”
The healer’s smile disappeared completely.
When Tynan made a rumbling sound, she stared at him. “Are you growling?”
“You’re in constant pain because of those scum-sucking weasels. I’d like to go back and kill them again.”
He’d killed during the rescue. This male who was a protector to his bone. One who believed in the laws. She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her body speak her gratitude in the way of wolves.
And, oh, she wouldn’t mind showing her gratitude in other ways, too. Would he want that? He…he liked her.
“What about a permanent fix?” Tynan asked his brother.
“So.” Donal kept his palm on her ankle, the warmth reassuring. “There’s only one way to fix this permanently—but it’s not pleasant.”
Tynan’s wince indicated the healer’s idea of “not pleasant” was probably torture from a patient’s point of view. “Let’s hear it.”
“The bones would have to be rebroken—basically shattered. At that point, I could cut the ankle open, reassemble the jigsaw puzzle, encourage extra bone tissue to fill in the gaps, and fuse it all back together the way it should be.”
A shudder ran through her. Shifters didn’t get sedatives. The pain would be horrendous.
Tynan tensed. “She’d not have to be awake for that, would she?”
“That’s the catch.” Donal’s gaze met hers. “You’d have to be asleep for the breaking and reassembling. No one could hold still with that much pain.”
However, there was a reason that shifters weren’t sedated. “I’d trawsfur to wolf the minute I started to rouse.”
“Exactly. You’d panic, attack anyone in the room, and mess up all my work.” He sounded more displeased about getting his work ruined than the thought of being attacked.
“Then there’s no way it’ll happen.” Her momentary hope burst like a pin-pricked balloon.
“Just one—and only because you’re a wolf. Because your animal will submit to your leaders. If someday, you come to trust your pack alpha and betas enough that they can keep you calm, then it can be done.”
Trust the alpha and beta? She didn’t really know Shay and Zeb, and the wolf inside her didn’t trust them—not enough. After what she’d been through, well, the level of trust needed might never happen. She blew out a breath. “Got it. If I get to that point, I’ll let you know.”
Acceptance—and respect—was in his nod.
Tynan frowned. “Shay is a good—"
“Trust comes or it doesn’t,” Donal said.
“By the Gods, I wanted an easy fix.” With a disgusted sigh, Tynan tucked an arm around her and pulled her closer. “Guess easy isn’t in the works.”
Her smile came easier than she thought it would. “Easy is over-rated. I’m alive to feel my ankle hurting. That’s a win in my mind.”
“So it is.” Donal rose and picked up a stack of DVDs. “After much argument, Tynan and I agreed we would enjoy seeing any of these.”
Tynan’s low chuckle was a relief. He’d moved on. “Donal prefers fantasy and science fiction or animated. I like horror, action, or mystery. We both like historicals.”
“It’s a wonder you two don’t kill each other.” After a moment’s consideration, she lifted one—Heather had said something about eye-candy. “How about this one? 300?”
“You got it.” Donal went to start the movie.
“I’ll get the chicken.” Tynan gave her a squeeze.
Margery leaned forward. “What can I—”
“You can stay put.”
She sat back at the snap in the healer’s words.
He turned a dark look on his brother. “As can you. For tonight, I’ll be the house brownie. Do not get used to it.”