03-Strength of the Mate (24 page)

“I’ll patch the wound here,” Marchesi said from right behind Adam. “As soon as I’m done, we’ll take him back to the base hospital so the vet can finish treating him.”

A veterinarian? That was ridiculous. “He needs to shift so a medical doctor can make sure he’s okay,” Adam said. Why weren’t they getting this?

“That’s what will happen, once we’re sure the bones are all stable,” Marchesi replied.

Adam clutched the body armor to his chest as he watched Dawson and Paul set Jason down. Reaching the tailgate, they turned so Paul could lean back against it. He crouched, setting down Jason’s hind paws. He stepped out of the way. Dawson took a step backward, lowering the front half of Jason’s body.

Marchesi immediately moved in, starting back to work on Jason’s wounded shoulder. Dawson appeared in front of Adam, his broad chest blocking Adam’s view of Jason. He took the body armor from Adam, handing it off to Paul.

Adam let go of the vest reluctantly. He tried to look past Dawson so he could get a glimpse of Jason.

“Come on,” Dawson said in a low voice. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”

“No!” Adam dug his heels into the dirt. “Jason’s hurt. I gotta stay with him.”

“Doc Marchesi is taking good care of him.” Dawson pushed gently but insistently, at Adam’s shoulder and chest. “Let’s go over here so I can debrief you about the incident.”

Adam tried to shrug off Dawson’s hands. “I don’t need to be debriefed. Jason needs me. I gotta stay with him. I gotta make sure he’ll be okay.”

The world spun as Dawson gripped Adam’s shoulders, turning him away from the sight of Jase’s bloody body. Adam tried to turn back. Dawson’s rough, strong hands were suddenly cradling Adam’s head. Each time he tried to turn back, Dawson resisted. He forced Adam to keep his gaze locked on Dawson’s.

“Hey, hey, come on, Jason’s fine.” Dawson’s voice was calm. His tone was encouraging. He wanted Adam to follow him. It was important to him that Adam follow. “Talk to me, Adam. Why are you so worried about Jason? His wound isn’t serious.”

Dawson walked backward, leading Adam farther away from Jason. Adam was trapped by Dawson’s gaze, not that he wanted to look away. Reluctantly, Adam followed. He dragged his feet, still. He needed to get back to Jase.

“Jason was shot,” Adam said. Dawson had to understand. He needed Dawson to understand. “He’s bleeding. I can’t leave him. He needs help. Jason needs me.” His voice rose higher as he pleaded with Dawson. Panic made his heart race, his stomach burn.

They reached the rear of the Humvee parked just behind the medical truck. Dawson stopped walking, but he held on to Adam. He kept Adam’s face cradled between his palms. “Jason’s already stopped bleeding. Once they’re sure his leg is stable, he’ll shift. It’ll be just like it never happened.”

Dawson wasn’t listening. Adam lifted his hands, gripping Dawson’s wrists. He struggled against Dawson’s strength, desperate to get to Jase. “He’s not okay! He’s not,” Adam insisted. “I can’t leave him. He needs me. I have to stay with Jase.” Adam looked directly into Dawson’s worried eyes, willing him to understand. “Jase needs me!”

“Jase? Jason needs you?” Dawson drew his brows together in confusion. “Why do you have to stay with Jason? Adam? Who are we really talking about? Who’s Jase?”

Jase. Hearing his brother’s nickname on Dawson’s lips was like a dash of cold water. Adam’s mouth hung open as he gasped for breath. He didn’t know what to say. He had no idea how to explain it to Dawson, without sounding insane.

His mind filled with the image of Jase, lying on the floor; unmoving, silent, his chest drenched in blood. He struggled to replace that painful memory of Jason, unharmed, watching Adam with his laughing wolf-eyes. It didn’t work. Adam squeezed his eyes shut, but he could still see his brother’s blood-soaked body.

Dawson’s thumbs skimmed lightly over Adam’s cheekbones. The motion was soothing. “Hey, Adam. Talk to me, Adam. Tell me what’s going on with you. Let me help you.” Dawson’s voice was still gentle. He tried to coax and calm Adam.

Keeping his grip on Dawson’s wrists, Adam dug his fingers into the skin. He struggled to focus on the sounds around them, remembering he was in Iraq. Adam released a shaky breath. Maybe if he concentrated on the feel of Dawson’s skin against his palms, he wouldn’t feel lost.

“Jason is going to be okay,” Dawson said, just above a whisper. “Trust me on that. Do you believe me? Can you trust me?”

Adam frowned at the worry in Dawson’s voice. His throat tightened and he swallowed hard against it. He breathed heavily through parted lips. Dawson’s thumbs brushed rhythmically over Adam’s cheekbones. It was so soothing.

“Adam, look at me,” Dawson demanded. A hint of panic colored his voice. “Come on, I need you to look at me. Tell me what’s going on so I can help you.”

Adam took a deep breath. He caught a hint of Dawson’s spicy scent, mingled with sweat. He didn’t need to open his eyes to clearly see Dawson’s lavender eyes, his dusky skin, and his full, sensual mouth. Dawson held on to Adam. He said everything was okay, so Adam could believe that it was.

Taking another deep breath, Adam opened his eyes. “Are you sure there’s not something wrong with Jason that Doc can’t see?” he asked.

Dawson nodded slowly. His eyes were intense as he studied Adam intently. “Werewolves are very sturdy. We heal up very fast. Jason’s awake and alert, and he can sit and stand under his own power.”

“There’s a lot of blood on his fur.” Not to mention all the blood on the seat of the tractor.

“But he stopped bleeding pretty quickly,” said Dawson. “And the bullet didn’t hit anything vital.”

“He’s not all alone is he?” Adam couldn’t shake the sense that Jason would die, unless someone was with him, always watching over him.

Dawson furrowed his brow. “How do you mean? He’s being treated. The medical personnel will keep a close eye on him, until he’s cleared for duty, again. They’ll leave him alone so he can sleep, things like that. Is that what you mean?”

Now that Adam was calming down, Jason’s injury didn’t seem all that bad. As soon as he said the words out loud, Adam realized how ridiculous he sounded. “I must sound like I’m fucking crazy.”

Dawson shook his head. “I appreciate how worried you are for one of my wolves. I’m grateful that you would fight to make sure one of my pack members was taken care of. It means a lot to me.”

Adam knew his surprise showed on his face. Dawson leaned down, resting his forehead against Adam’s.

“If this ever happens again, I promise, I’ll try not to over-react.” Adam wanted to tilt his face so Dawson would kiss him.

“Are you ready to tell me what this is all about?” asked Dawson.

Adam pulled back, averting his gaze from Dawson’s. “Not yet.” He trusted Dawson, but after today, Adam’s memories of Jase were just too raw.

“When you’re ready, then,” Dawson replied. “Are you okay to drive your rig back to Camp Fallujah?”

Adam straightened his spine. “I’m fine. I can do this. I don’t have anyone to ride with me, though.”

“I’ll ride with you,” Dawson declared.

Adam started to recoil, but Dawson held on to him. “No. It’s not safe,” he insisted.

“I’m a Marine in a combat zone.”

“Not where I have to watch.”

Dawson didn’t reply for several moments. “All other werewolves are infantry, they have jobs within the convoy. I’m operations. No one else is available.”

Adam closed his eyes, shaking his head to stop the onslaught of images. Images of Dawson with Jason’s injury. “I can ride alone.”

“And risk you getting captured if an ambush succeeds? No way.”

Adam frowned. He looked closely at Dawson, seeing his genuine worry. Adam had never thought he was in danger of anything worse than another gunshot wound. Reluctantly, he nodded his agreement.

Dawson pressed a kiss to Adam’s forehead, leaving him aching for more. He let Dawson lead him back to the truck where Doc Marchesi was making Jason comfortable. The sight of one of his drivers sitting on the tailgate, shirtless, blood seeping through bandages, sent Adam into a tailspin of guilt. He’d been so occupied with Jason, Adam had abandoned his duty to his own wounded driver.

Paul turned toward them as they approached. “Doc’s gonna take the two patients back to the base hospital. The second corpsman will ride in the center of the convoy, instead of the rear.”

“Perfect,” replied Dawson. “I’ll take the corporal’s place in Madison’s truck.”

“Understood.”

Adam cleared his throat. “How’re you hangin’ in there?” he asked his driver.

“It hurts like hell, but it doesn’t seem all that bad,” he replied. “I doubt it’s enough to get me sent home, even. Which is good, because I need the money.”

Adam forced a smile. “I hear that. I’m impressed at the way you kept driving.”

“When your werewolf got shot, I expected everything to go to hell,” replied the driver. “They tell us that things get worse when we panic, but you stayed totally calm. And here we are, everybody’s gonna make it back today.”

Adam shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Impressive driving, man. Glad you’re gonna be okay. You let me know if you need anything.”

“Please don’t tell my wife,” the driver said, grinning sheepishly. “She’s worried enough as it is. The paycheck is keeping her quiet, but if she gets wind of the fact I got even a little banged up, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Several Marines within earshot chuckled. Adam suspected they were all married. “Don’t take too many risks,” he replied. “In the end, it’s just money. We’d all take having our loved ones with us over a fat paycheck.”

“Yes, sir.”

Adam turned his attention to where Jason lay on his side on the bedroll in the rear of the gun truck. He looked relaxed and comfortable. His upper leg was bandaged; an I.V. was attached to his other paw.

“He’s going to be fine, isn’t he?” Adam asked. Now that he was calm, he realized Jason’s injury wasn’t as bad as he’d first thought.

“He’ll be back to normal in just a couple of days,” Doc replied, jumping down out of the truck. “I’m telling you, Madison, you’re lucky. Werewolves are sturdy so this will hardly slow him down. But if that round had missed him, it could have hit you in the armpit. Your vest doesn’t cover you there. For you, for any human, that could be fatal.”

From the corner of Adam’s eye, he saw Dawson’s head whip around in surprise. Adam knew Dawson just had his worry validated. He couldn’t meet Dawson’s eyes because he knew what that worry felt like.

“All things considered, everybody’s been lucky today,” Dawson said. “Looks like that sneaky werefox was right. Pisses me off to admit that, too.”

Paul snorted. “They’re just about done swapping out the trailers. You should get ready.”

Dawson squeezed Adam’s shoulder. “I’ll meet you at your rig.”

Adam was finally alone as he inspected the connections of his new trailer. His hands still trembled, despite knowing Jason was fine. Adam replayed his own actions during the convoy attack. He’d driven exactly how they’d trained him to, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was responsible for Jason getting shot.

He grabbed his Kevlar and climbed up into the cab. The yard crew had kept the engine running when they’d swapped his trailer. Adam fastened the chin strap of his Kevlar, wondering if Dawson had changed his mind.

A huge, brindle wolf sprang up into the passenger seat beside him, wearing body armor that looked brand new. The wolf’s eyes were violet colored. He was larger than Jason, and overflowed the seat. Dawson’s tail curled down off the seat to lay on the floor between them. He sat awkwardly, smiling at Adam as he panted.

Adam burst into laughter at the absurdity. “You know you make an even bigger target than Jason did, don’t you?” he asked. “You don’t even fit in the seat. How are you going to get comfortable?”

Dawson made several soft yipping sounds, then turned to look out the passenger window. Adam chuckled.

As the Marines geared up for the return journey, Adam conducted his driver roll call. Minutes later, the Marines advised them it was time to move out. Adam put the truck in gear and took his place in the convoy.

Adam liked having Dawson in the cab with him, but he couldn’t see his side mirror. Dawson’s wolf was so huge, he blocked out the entire passenger window.

“You know your fat head is in my way, don’t you?”

Dawson turned to look at Adam, his eyes narrowed. His only answer was a sneeze.

Adam chuckled.

With all the empty tanker trailers, the drive back to Camp Fallujah went much faster. Adam caught the sound of small arms fire in the distance. He tensed, gradually relaxing when it didn’t get any closer. Dawson was constantly alert, scanning the landscape, his ears forward.

They crossed back inside the wire and rolled through the gate of Camp Fallujah without incident. After all, why ambush an empty convoy? There was no gain.

Adam parked in line at the truck yard and shut down the engine. Their doors were opened. Dawson leaped out of the cab and disappeared. Adam stripped off his Kevlar. He signed off on all the paperwork that was handed to him. No one seemed to notice that his signature was shaky. Adam was finished, and still there was no sign of Dawson. He grabbed his duffle bag and headed for his hooch.

Adam needed to get to the hospital to see how Jason was doing. He reminded himself he needed to check on his injured driver, too. They were out of danger, so it was time for him to get his shit together. No one had died. Nothing that happened had been his fault.

Adam jumped when someone knocked on his door. He scrubbed his hands over his face. Letting his public façade slide back into place, Adam opened the door to find Paul standing outside. He wore his sunglasses, so Adam couldn’t get a clear read on him.

“I’m headed to the hospital to check on Jason,” said Paul. “Figured you’d wanna come with.”

Adam looked around for Dawson.

“The ambush and Jason’s injury have everyone all jacked up on adrenaline,” Paul said when he saw Adam glancing around. “It’ll be a while before the wolves can shift back.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“No reason to be sorry,” Paul replied. “This is normal. Dawson knows exactly how to handle things. In fact, you keeping calm after Jason was hit kept things from getting worse.”