Fated Healing [Kindred of Arcadia 5] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (17 page)

locked up until Mikhail can come into town. I am appointing him my heir, as my mate will leave this world

before me.” Gabriel’s voice was cold and lifeless. He looked to his most trusted guard.

“I want you to find the witch who did this. Finding her and making her life a living hell will be this

coven’s sole purpose for existing.” Gabriel stared across the room as if not looking at anything. Baptista,

weeping, bowed to his prince before straightening.

“I will also follow my mate.” Bran looked at Caleb. “I am so sorry, my brother. You have to stay behind.

You have the twins to raise. Riley will help you lead the pack,” Bran turned his face away, unable to look at

Caleb.

“No! No! You both cannot leave me. I’m not that strong!” Caleb buried his face in Bran’s neck and both

men wept, clinging to each other.

“I will not send Kate and our unborn child into the unknown alone. I will be there with them, and when

your time is over on this earth, we will guide you,” Bran said brokenly.

“We just found each other. He’ll be so scared, Liam,” Kent whispered. Liam looked, his face wet.

“I promised we would always be together. We will follow him and our child. Who knows? Maybe the

powers that be will be kind and we will get to stay with our crazy, misfit lions as well.” Liam gave a wobbly

smile. Kent nodded and simply lay his head on Liam’s shoulder.

“I would like that.”

“Doc, you’re telling me, I have to watch my ma, my mate and unborn child die?” Aleks asked, his

hands shaking. Benedict grabbed his brother’s hand and held on tight.

“I know that you don’t want to hear this right now, there is nothing I can do for Ma. I’m sorry. But there

is a slight chance I can save Rebecca, if…” Claybourne faltered as if he couldn’t speak.

“What, Doc?” Aleks asked.

“I would have to abort your son. He’s the one infected, not Rebecca,” Claybourne whispered. Every

man turned to stare at Aleks.

“No man should ever have to make a choice like this,” Aleks said, sobbing, pounding the table in

impotent rage.

“The end of Arkadia, brought down by one of her own citizens because of his narrow-minded hate.

Whoever gets to the hereafter first, get that son of a bitch!” Liam said angrily.

“If you gentlemen will excuse us?” He stepped close to his mate and lifted him out of the chair. Felix

buried his face in his chest.

“We’ll call you when something changes.” Bran’s voice was devoid of any emotion. Claybourne nodded

and left the room. He found a dark, unused classroom and stepped inside. He sat in the adult sized teacher’s

chair and held Fenix close. “They’re serious aren’t they? We’re going to lose them all?” Felix wiped his

eyes. Claybourne just nodded and tucked Felix’s head under his chin. Felix reveled in each moment that he

passed with his mate, desperately wanting each second last forever. He didn’t want to say goodbye.

“I don’t want to die,” Felix whispered and Claybourne’s arms tightened around him.

“You won’t be alone, I will be right there with you. When I know that the others have passed painlessly

and peacefully I will follow.”

I’m scared.”

“Don’t be, my love, it’s just the next step that we will take together.”

“Hold me?”

You never have to ask.”

* * * *

Felix soaked up the warmth from his mate’s body and Claybourne sighed.

“I can’t believe that medicine failed me. All my life science has been an infallible constant, but it

deserted me when I needed it most. Felix sniffled. He felt like he didn’t have any tears left.

“It’s too bad there isn’t a drug that speeds up a shifter’s metabolism.” Felix yawned. Claybourne was

mid-nod when he froze.

“Baby, what did you say?” Claybourne pulled away and turned Felix to face him.

“Too bad there isn’t a medicine that…” Felix started. Claybourne shook his head.

“You didn’t say medicine, you said drug. Oh god! It may just work. The spell will counterbalance its

normal side effects. There wouldn’t be any addiction. Oh my god! Baby, you are a genius!” Claybourne

stood, lifted Felix, and raced back to the office where the leaders still sat making final arrangements. He

placed Felix in a chair. Felix watched on, confused.

“You lost me,” Felix said.

“It was before you got here.” Claybourne turned to Gabriel.

“There is one thing that will put a shifter into a hyper, almost manic state. One thing,” Claybourne said.

Gabriel’s eyes widened.

“I was wrong, you aren’t a sardonic asshole, Doctor. You’re a sardonic, genius asshole, Doctor.” Gabriel

stood quickly and reached for his cell phone. Seconds later he was telling Roman to get all the vampires in

the school’s small gym.

“To the non-geniuses in the room, please explain!” Caleb yelled.

“Gentlemen, you will have to put your suicide plans on hold. My mate has given me a brilliant idea that

may just save us all.” Claybourne turned back to Gabriel who was hanging up his phone.

“Aleks, let’s go and try to save your ma,” Claybourne said. Aleks looked at him with such desperate

hope that Felix prayed that his mate was right.

Chapter 11

“Pa, I need your permission to try this treatment on Ma. I don’t know if it will work, if it doesn’t it may

be the thing that kills her, but this sir, is our Hail Mary,” Claybourne explained. Pa nodded.

“Do it. She only has minutes left. Her spirit is fading,” he said, wiping his eyes.

Claybourne turned to Gabriel, who stood with the vampires.

“I need a donor,” he said. Around them, the shifter leaders gasped.

“You are a fucking genius, Doc!” Bran exclaimed.

“To give blood is very sacred to a vampire, and for me to donate moreso, as I am the Prince of my

people. I am willing to donate to three people and three alone. Roman will organize the others. Please take

my blood for Ma, Rebecca, and Felix,” the prince said. Claybourne nodded, acknowledging the honor.

“Thank you, Prince Gabriel,” Pa whispered.

“That woman has made me feel welcome. She sees me as a son and treats me the same as she would

any of her boys, despite the fact I am old enough to be her ancestor. I treasure that. Rebecca also looks at

me and sees just Gabriel. I could do no less for someone whom both I and my mate love dearly,” Gabriel

explained. Aleks simply walked up and caught him in a bear hug.

“Aleks, move to one side. Let me get some blood from our benevolent donor,” Claybourne said. Felix’s

brain was still stuck on the fact that the prince of all vampires would be willing to donate to him, a nobody.

“Why me?” he asked. He had to know why. Gabriel simply stared at Felix until he was sure he was

going to melt into the floor.

“Because if this works, young hybrid, then you would have saved us all. You never gave up. Not once. I

will gladly take on a son such as you,” the prince said gently.

“Y’all gotta stop saying stuff like that, I’m dehydrated enough without crying buckets!” Felix

complained, wiping his eyes.

“Okay, I am taking Gabriel’s blood and mixing it with the epinephrine and steroids and see what we

get,” said Claybourne. He looked at Pa one last time. The man straightened and nodded.

“She would want to be the one you test on. In case it didn’t work. That’s just how she is,” Pa said.

Taking a deep breath, Claybourne injected the syringe into Ma’s IV and stepped back.

“Please work. If anyone out there is listening, please work.” Felix heard his mate pray. After thirty

seconds and no reaction, Felix felt the stirrings of fear, when suddenly Ma’s heart rate monitor started to go

wild.

“Gavin, get the tube out of her. Remove the IVs, she’s going to shift!” Claybourne yelled excitedly.

Gavin rushed forward from where he had been standing with his brothers. They barely had enough time to

remove all of the tubes when Ma’s body shivered and shifted. Seconds later they were staring at a four-

hundred-pound brown bear.

“Yes! Yes! Oh god, yes!” Benedict yelled, jumping around and throwing his arms in the air. Soon

everyone was yelling for joy.

“Wheel her into the gym so we can keep an eye on her. We have some people to shift,” Claybourne said,

his mind going to the other patients they had waiting for him.

Patient after patient shifted until soon the gym was filled with rows and rows of different animals lying

on hospital beds. A large portion of them were lions, as Liam’s pride was the hardest hit, but there were

also raccoons, wolves, foxes, and some that Felix couldn’t even name.

“It looks like Wild Kingdom in here,” Riley joked. Felix nodded. Claybourne, Gavin, and the medically

trained vampires were working the room, from the most critical patient to the least critical.

“Come on, it looks like they are about to treat my Alpha, I want to hear what they’re saying.” Riley

helped Felix across the gym.

“The decision is yours, Bran, you as well Liam. I have no idea what the effects will be on your unborn

children,” Claybourne explained.

“Do it. But Caleb and I have a request. Can we choose the vampire?” Bran asked. Claybourne shrugged

and turned to Gabriel.

“Considering there is a child involved and you are leaders of your groups that can be arranged. Who

would you like to donate?” Gabriel asked, sounding curious. Bran looked at Caleb who nodded.

“We’d like Baptista, if he’s willing. He is strong and patient. It is our hope that he will also act as

guardian to this little one, considering the bond that it may create,” Caleb explained. Gabriel looked to

Baptista.

“I am not requiring anyone over one hundred years old to donate, you know that the older we get the

more potent our blood is. You’re one of my first children, the choice is yours.” Gabriel stepped back.

Baptista looked poleaxed.

“I’d be honored to help look after this little one,” Baptista said, sniffing. Felix grinned. The man was

such a softie.

Claybourne wheeled Sebastian and Kate so they were side by side. He turned to Liam and Kent. Liam

looked at Kent who nodded, smiling.

“We’d like to request David or Daniel. Between Sebastian, Felix, and my lions, I think my child will

need someone who is crazy enough to keep up with them. If they are willing,” Liam said. Daniel and David

bounced forward smiling, tears of joy in their eyes.

“We are up for that challenge,” they said, offering their arms to Claybourne. Quickly Claybourne mixed

the blood and medicines and filled each syringe.

“Okay, Kate first.” Claybourne injected the wolf Alpha and stepped back as Bran, Caleb, and Riley

stepped forward. Kate’s body bowed and thrashed. Seconds later she shuddered and a white wolf lay

gasping on the bed.

“Doc, the baby!” Bran exclaimed. Claybourne stepped forward with his stethoscope and listened

intently to Kate’s belly. His face broke out in a smile.

“Congratulations, you’re having twins. Again!” He smiled at the stunned fathers. To everyone’s surprise

Baptista’s eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fainted. Roman began to laugh so hard he had to

wipe his eyes. Even Gabriel had a faint smile on his lips.

“That poor man cannot seem to get away from twins!” Roman hooted.

“Okay, now time for Sebastian.” Claybourne looked up and met Felix’s eyes. Without wasting another

second, he injected the syringe and stepped back again. Liam stood on one side as Kent stood on the other.

Sebastian’s head turned from side to side before his body almost shimmered. Felix smiled. He had an idea

what was about to happen.

Sebastian’s body was transitioning through animals the way a corporate executive would flick through

PowerPoint slides. One right after another.

“Okay, ostrich is new. Has he been watching Animal Planet again? I told him he wasn’t allowed to

watch that anymore,” Liam said, then yelped when a fifteen-foot python appeared on the bed. After three

minutes of changing, Sebastian finally settled into the tiny cat form everyone in town was familiar with.

Liam and Kent exhaled.

“Doc? The baby?” they asked together. Claybourne listened in, looking more like a vet that a human

doctor. He looked up, smiling.

“One healthy baby,” he confirmed. Kent sagged against the bed before Liam pulled his lover over for a

passionate kiss.

Claybourne immediately went to Ashby next. He looked at the prince.

“Doesn’t being mated to you negate the effects of your blood in Ashby?” Claybourne asked. Gabriel

nodded, frowning fiercely.

“My Prince, I know that you wish Mikhail were here to perform this honor, but he is out serving you in

tracking down the drug ring. I freely offer up my blood so that Prince Ashby will live,” Roman said,

stepping forward nervously. Gabriel looked at one of his oldest friends.

“It would make me very happy to know that your blood saved my mate.” Gabriel inclined his head.

Roman bowed then straightened, wiping away his tears. He took a wobbly step forward. He had to clear his