A Mate Beyond Their Reach (3 page)

What he saw on the slab horrified him. The disease consuming the wolf seemed like some sort of mix between rabies, the Ebola virus, and something else entirely different. Panic coursed through him. To have a new strain combining two of the deadliest diseases known to man in his own home made him weak in the knees.

He picked up his cell phone and dialed Dan’s number. His friend’s sleepy voice answered him after a few rings. Without giving his friend a chance to even speak, Drew said, “Go, wake George up, I don’t care. You need to have your blood tested.” He took a deep breath and forced himself to say the next words. “And Paulie, too.”

Dan sounded completely alert now. “Jesus, Drew, what’s wrong?

Is it the wolf?”

“I’ll say it is,” Drew answered. “Tell him to bring any antivirals he has and any inhibitors of coagulation.” Even as he spoke, he knew it would be useless. The wolf’s condition was clearly beyond any treatment they could come up with. How long had the animal been on the river bank? The river water might not even be potable. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Drew, are you there, man?” Dan said at the other side of the connection.

“Yup. Look, get George to check you and Paulie for rabies and give you a vaccine, just in case. I know it sucks, but it’s necessary.

After that, I need you to take care of Paulie for a few days.”

“But why?” Dan asked.

Drew tried to find an answer for that question. “The wolf is carrying something like I’ve never seen before. Looks like a new form of rabies.”

“But neither of us have been bitten, so we should be fine if we just kill it now,” Dan replied.

Drew felt relieved at the calm with which Dan took the news, but Dan was no pathologist, and he hadn’t seen the nightmare on the microscope slab. Mentioning Ebola would just make his friend panic, though. He didn’t like the idea of killing the wolf, however. After all, from a strictly medical point of view, they needed the animal to understand the disease. Never mind that Drew’s entire being screamed to focus on saving the sick beast.

“No,” he said. “We need to know if this can be treated. This wolf was bitten by another animal, so we could have other points of infection out there.” Before they knew it, they might end up with an epidemic on their hands.

“This is more than just rabies, isn’t it?” Dan said glumly. When Drew didn’t reply, Dan continued, “I’ll go talk to George.”

In the background, he could hear Paulie asking Dan what was going on. “Pass the phone to Paulie,” he told his friend.

A second later, his son’s voice came through the connection.

“What’s wrong with the wolf, Dad? Why do we have to see George?”

“Son, listen up. You’re a big boy now. The wolf has a disease, and we might have caught it. You’re going to George to make sure that doesn’t happen. Don’t talk to anyone about this and listen to Dan.”

“What about you?” Paulie’s voice trembled as he spoke.

Drew stole a look at the wolf, and he knew that even if his responsibilities as a doctor didn’t require it, he still couldn’t have left the animal. “I’m still needed here. Don’t worry about me.”

“But Dad—”

Drew interrupted his son before Paulie could say anything else.

“Hey, remember who you’re talking to.”

Paulie laughed at their little inside joke. “Yes, yes, Doctor Andrew Michael Blunt. Famous for his struggles for human health in Africa, Latin America, and Australia. Yes, we know.” His tone changed from slight amusement back to open concern. “Be careful, Dad.”

“I will.”

After the short good-bye, Drew snapped his cell phone closed and focused on his patient once again. In the morning, he’d contact the CDC in Denver. Until then, he couldn’t hope to find any one of his former colleagues. Drew joined the occasional expedition when his aid was required, but in general, he didn’t keep in touch with them.

They contacted him if they needed his expertise. Drew never once expected to require their aid.

Until then, Drew needed to rely on himself alone. With a bit of luck and a lot of divine aid, he might be able to make a breakthrough.

Sighing, he prepared himself for a long night.

As he watched over the wolf, Drew petted the sick animal and whispered, “I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry for everything.”

To his surprise, the wolf let out a low whine. Perhaps not all was lost, after all.

* * * *

Trent awoke to the sound of raised voices. “I have no idea how things are done where you come from, Mr. Blunt,” someone said, “but around these parts, we generally kill animals that can harm others.”

“I can understand your point, Mr. Farret,” Drew’s voice came in reply, “but if the wolf is a source of infection, we need him to figure out a cure.”

“There is no cure for rabies,” the other man shot back.

Trent cursed to himself when Drew didn’t answer. He distantly recalled his mate watching over him, hydrating his feverish body, soothing his hurts. He remembered Drew’s gentle voice, coaxing him out of the darkness. But at the same time, he realized Drew must have taken samples of his blood. That wasn’t good, not good at all, especially for Drew.

“I’m not letting you kill him,” Drew said at last.

Drew’s determination might have been for purely objective reasons, but it still warmed Trent inside. In that moment, he realized something else. The pain had diminished considerably. Trent had seen lots of his fellow hunters suffer from injuries such as his and never recover. How much time passed since his attack?

He experimented shifting and his body melted into his human form with ease. The lingering aches vanished, leaving behind a slight weakness. Amazing.

Trent jumped off the examination bed and headed toward the source of the voices. He caught sight of a little, bald man glaring at Drew, with Drew giving him a cool look back.

Any lingering doubt he might have experienced about Drew being his mate dissipated into thin air. His injuries hadn’t allowed Trent to appreciate Drew’s looks before, but now, he took everything in with greed. Drew’s blond hair and blue eyes seemed almost angelic, but his stance and body held the clear authority of a man in his prime. He guessed him to be in his mid thirties, perhaps younger, perfect for Trent’s taste. A severe, but fashionable haircut complimented his strong chin and full lips. He wore a doctor’s robe, and Trent experienced a brief fantasy of fucking Drew in it.

He was so lost in his admiration of Drew he missed the final exchange between his mate and the other man. At last, Baldie stalked away, leaving just Drew and Dan in the room. “Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten George here in the first place,” Dan said.

“Maybe,” Drew said. “But I couldn’t have treated the wolf without the stuff he brought.”

“What did you give him anyway? He seemed better earlier.”

“His state did improve,” Drew answered. “I figured the key to be in the additional substance that bound the two strains together. Rabies and Ebola both kill quickly, and we don’t have the means to fight them off. But if we attack this other virus and separate the genomic material into different nucleotides…”

Dan lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, please don’t get into that sort of thing with me. So did you register any result?”

Drew retrieved some papers from a desk. “Not in analyzing the third substance, but with some effort, I managed to help the wolf. The active substance I extracted from the human antivirals helped, a very odd thing. I’d almost think a human infected with rabies bit our wolf, but that’s impossible. Also, the virus seemed to have some sort of an allergic reaction to silver, but it might’ve been something it borrowed from the wolf.”

“Wow, you figured out all that in just one night?” Dan asked, sounding awed.

Trent suppressed a sound of surprise. It couldn’t be. The feral virus wouldn’t be so easily decomposed, especially not by a human scientist. Drew just laughed, and Trent noticed heavy circles around his eyes. “I’ve barely scratched the surface of the issue. I’m just glad we could stabilize the wolf’s condition, but from there to an actual cure, we’ve got a long way to go. I can’t do much here with just a microscope at my disposal.”

“You think cases of human infection will appear, then?” Dan asked.

“I’m sure of it,” Drew answered. “This sort of thing doesn’t just die out with one case. The water doesn’t seem to be affected, but we won’t know for sure until we get the CDC on this.”

“So you’re calling them then?”

“I already have,” Drew replied. “They said they’d send a specialist as soon as they can.”

At Drew’s words, Trent began to panic. The shit would hit the fan, fast. Human higher-ups knew about the existence of the ferals and received consistent payment to make sure they kept their mouths shut.

Unfortunately, Trent didn’t know what would happen to Drew once word came out of his discoveries.

Not to mention that Trent’s presence here would draw any remaining feral in Tennington to Drew. Fuck, fuck, fuck. They needed to get out of here. No matter what, he had to keep his mate safe. Perhaps Trent couldn’t understand how their bond even came into existence. They’d deal with it later, once Trent ensured he could keep Drew out of harm’s way.

Without allowing himself the chance to change his mind, Trent stalked inside the room. “That wasn’t very smart,” he said, surprised at his own calm voice.

Drew promptly dropped the papers, while Dan turned toward Trent and with a surprisingly quick motion, retrieved his gun. Trent arched a brow at the human. “Now, that’s not very welcoming.”

Drew stared at him, gaping. Trent didn’t fault his mate for being surprised. Having a naked man pop out of the blue in his clinic must have shocked Drew beyond speech. Beyond that shock, however, Drew saw a shadow of arousal. As their gazes met, Drew licked his lips, most likely an unconscious gesture. In spite of the injuries he’d suffered just the day before, Trent found himself hardening, his mate’s gaze on him too arousing to resist.

Unfortunately, Dan’s voice broke the moment. “Excuse me if I don’t welcome some naked guy who burst inside a doctor’s office,”

he sneered.

Drew seemed to shake out of his trance. “Who in the world are you, and how did you get in here? Are you injured?”

Trent couldn’t help a small smile. He was beginning to think Drew really did have a heart that held far too much kindness. “I’m fine now. You saved my life.”

Drew blinked at him. “This must be some mistake. It’s true I’ve treated many people, but I think I’d remember you.”

“Don’t talk to him, man,” Dan piped in. “Clearly, some nutjob decided it would be fun to walk around in the buff. Well, newsflash, buddy. Around these parts, we call that indecent exposure. Now come quietly and maybe you’ll manage to get away with just a fine.”

Trent snorted. “I don’t have time for this. Listen. You’re in danger.”

“In danger?” Drew seemed to be recovering his calm. “I suppose you could say that, but a pathologist and a law enforcement officer are always in danger.”

“The virus you’re studying isn’t something your CDC friends will want released to the general public,” Trent continued. “It’s far too dangerous and there is too much at stake.”

“And how would you know anything about that?” Dan snarled.

“Don’t listen to him, Drew. He’s clearly a psycho.”

Drew ignored his friend, still staring at Trent. “Are you saying the virus is a known biological weapon?”

“Something like that,” Trent replied with a sigh. “It only transmits through the bite of a carrier, though, so there’s nothing wrong with the water.”

Drew frowned at this. “I appreciate you telling us this, but you can understand why we’re skeptical. I think maybe you should go with Dan. The people at the CDC will know what to do.”

Trent couldn’t say his mate’s words surprised him. After all, Drew was a doctor and accustomed to things that made logical sense. He needed an explanation, but Trent didn’t have time for any.

Just as he thought this, Trent sensed a presence approach. It felt familiar, dark, and Trent remembered the moment he’d last been in contact with it perfectly. How could he not? The entire episode had been just the night before. Even if Trent had taken out Jaws, his friends in the car still remained a danger, and apparently, they’d found Trent.

“Get down!”

He lunged toward the two humans and pushed them down a second before a shower of bullets swept through the room. Any other time, he’d have very much enjoyed feeling Drew’s heat against him.

In the current circumstances, he forced himself to keep a cool head.

He waited until the hail of deadly projectiles stopped and then got off his mate and snuck up to the shattered windows. Through the dim light of the dawn, he spotted two ferals, a woman and a man, reloading their weapons.

Trent didn’t have much time. He jumped forward, shifting as he did so. This threat needed to be eliminated at all costs. The desire to keep his mate safe gave him renewed strength. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t manage to reach the ferals before his enemies prepared their weapons once again. However, he did take them by surprise, and this element gave him the ability to dodge their bullets. This time, he was ready. This time, he wouldn’t allow them to shoot him down.

The man went down first, Trent’s weight sending him crashing to the ground. He turned into his wolf form, trying to dislodge Trent, but his maneuver just managed to make him more vulnerable to Trent’s attack. Carefully avoiding the feral’s fangs, Trent tore into the other wolf’s throat savagely. He took just one second to do so, then jumped back. Just in time, too, because an instant later, bullets showered over the first feral. Intending to hit Trent, the woman killed her companion instead. She cursed, dropped her gun, and shifted as well, obviously intending to flee. Ferals couldn’t hope to win against experienced hunters, not in a fair fight. Spirit wolves kept a strong hold on their inner beast, and this control allowed them to channel an energy ferals couldn’t reach.

She didn’t make it far. Trent had no qualms in taking down a feral, even if she did belong to the fairer sex. She represented just as much a danger as any man.