The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three) (21 page)

Malachi slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t worry about Isaiah, sweetheart. What happened was an
accident, and you can’t be held accountable for that. Regardless,
I’m here to keep you and Jack safe.”

She mulled over his words as they drove back
to Wilde Creek. Since he’d told her he wanted her to drive directly
to Acksel’s house, she wasn’t surprised when he took her there.
They must have been expecting them, because a handful of males were
standing on the sidewalk.

Malachi got out, came around to her side and
opened the door. As he helped her and Jack out of the vehicle, he
said over his shoulder, “Has Sam apprised you of what’s going
on?”

A male she didn’t recognize said, “Yes, we’re
on it. Patrols have been stepped up around town.”

“Good. Thanks, Robert. I’m going to get my
mate inside; it’s been a hell of a night.”

Another male said, “Let us know if you need
anything. Adam and Jeremiah are inside to help.”

Malachi held her against him as they walked
up the now-familiar sidewalk leading to Acksel and Brynn’s home.
Jack was awake but silent; her normally talkative son was either
too traumatized or too tired to talk. She hugged him a little
closer.

Jeremiah opened the door and Malachi ushered
her in, following close behind as the door was shut and locked.

Brynn and Mia stood a few steps away from
them, both looking concerned, and it took only a second for Malachi
to step away and the girls to surround her and Jack.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Mia said,
sniffling.

“Are you hurt? Doc is here,” Brynn said.

She felt Malachi’s hand on her back and he
said, “Yes, she needs to see Doc and so does Jack.”

Doc appeared out of the kitchen and joined
them as Brynn and Mia moved out of the way but still stayed close.
He took one look at Nila and Jack and said, “Let’s go in the spare
bedroom and see what we’re dealing with.”

Malachi led her to the bedroom they’d stayed
in before, and she squinted at the brightness of the overhead light
when Doc flipped the switch. Malachi grabbed a towel from the
bathroom and laid it on the bed. She laid Jack down on it,
stripping him so Doc could look him over. For the first time since
he’d been taken, she got a good look at her son. His fingers were
still claw-tipped, and when he opened his mouth and yawned, she
could see his fangs.

“I thought I was imagining things,” she said
as she rubbed Jack’s shoulder and smiled down at him.

Malachi said, “I’ve never seen anything like
it. Doc?”

Doc didn’t answer for several minutes as he
checked Jack over, testing his limbs and checking him for injuries.
After listening to his heart, Doc laid the stethoscope over his
neck and gripped the ends, exhaling deeply.

“Physically, he’s fine. There’s some minor
bruising on his arms and chest, probably from being grabbed or held
while he struggled. He wasn’t fed, though; I can hear his stomach
grumbling.”

Nila lifted him from the bed and he snuggled
into her, resting his head on her shoulder. “Mama,” he cooed,
fisting her hair.

“Hey little man,” she said, relief twining
through her.

“And the claws and fangs?” Malachi asked.

Doc sat down on the edge of the bed and
rubbed his temple. “I have to tell you that I’m stumped. Wolf
shifters, even full blooded ones, don’t shift until their teens.
Partially shifting is very unusual for wolves, even close to the
time they’re ready to shift. Occasionally in a time of high stress,
a teenager might partially shift, but not a baby.”

She lifted one of Jack’s hands and looked at
the dark claws. They looked like tiny, curved needles.

“Is he stuck like this?” she asked.

“What happened before he partially
shifted?”

Nila looked at Malachi and he moved closer,
lending her his strength. She told them what happened, starting
with getting Jack away from Maura, Tanner’s attack, and Jack’s
sudden shifting.

“I think he took off one of Tanner’s fingers,
but I…I don’t want to think he actually ate it.”

Doc’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “That’s
probably unlikely considering how small Jack is. You’d have noticed
him chewing on a finger. It most likely dropped away during the
struggle. I think what we have here is a case of high stress
causing the partial shift. Jack was already traumatized from being
taken and kept away from you for several hours. Then he sees you
being hurt and someone trying to take you away. He might be a baby,
but babies can be intuitive about danger, especially shifter
children. He’s enough of a wolf that he was able to summon the
ability to protect you.”

She repeated herself. “Is he stuck like
this?”

Doc smiled gently. “I doubt it. After you get
him cleaned up and he eats a good meal and gets a good night’s
sleep, I expect he’ll wake up perfectly normal.”

“Is this something we’re going to need to
worry about in the future, like him getting worked up and partially
shifting?” Malachi asked.

“I don’t know. I want to say no, because I
think this was an extraordinary circumstance, but the truth is I’ve
never known such a young child to grow claws and fangs. I would
suggest being cautious in the future, and as he grows older to make
sure you teach him how to handle himself in stressful
situations.”

She lifted Jack into her arms and carried him
into the bathroom. Malachi drew a bath while Nila tried not to look
at herself in the mirror. She was certain she looked like she’d
been to hell and back. As she knelt next to the tub and settled
Jack into the water, she realized there was a bottle of baby soap
on the edge of the tub and a washcloth decorated with yellow ducks
was folded next to it.

“These are Jack’s,” she said as she dunked
the washcloth in the water and opened the bottle.

“Adam took Mia to the house and she packed an
overnight bag for the three of us.”

She fought the tears that stung her eyes at
the sweet gesture. Malachi’s family and pack treated her and Jack
like they were one of them. She soaped Jack’s skin, noticing that
the bruises were fading quickly.

“He’ll shift when he’s older, won’t he? He’s
more wolf than human,” she said as Jack grabbed a small cup from
her hand and dumped the water over his head, babbling as it rinsed
off the soap.

“Most likely,” Malachi answered.

When he was clean, she pulled the plug to
drain the water and lifted him from the tub. Malachi wrapped a
towel around him, patting his skin gently. Within a few minutes, he
was dressed in footy pajamas and hugging his favorite stuffed
wolf.

Malachi picked Jack up and turned away
slightly when she reached for him. “It’s your turn,
sweetheart.”

“Turn?”

“To get checked out. I know I appear to be
calm, but seeing your injuries and the blood on your skin, knowing
what you went through without me — I need you to get fixed up and
cleaned up. Now.”

She looked down at herself. Washing Jack had
cleaned some of the blood from her hands, but Malachi’s reminder of
her injuries suddenly made everything hurt.

“Ouch.” She looked at the gouges in the top
of her hand.

Malachi snorted and said to Jack, “How about
some dinner, big guy?”

“Carrot?”

“I’m right here, buddy.”

She smiled as he carried her son out of the
bathroom and then looked at Doc, who was watching her with a
serious expression. “I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to your
son, so why don’t you grab a quick shower and then I’ll examine
you.”

She nodded and he slipped out of the
bathroom, shutting the door. She stripped and turned to face the
mirror. Her eyes widened as she took in the injuries to her body.
She was glad that Malachi wasn’t there to see her right now, he’d
probably flip out. As it was, she felt like she was just hanging on
by a thread.

One thing at a time,
she reminded
herself.

She gave herself a once-over. There were
bruises around her waist from where Tanner had grabbed her. Her
wrists were raw and red from the rope. She had light bruises up and
down her legs and arms. The worst damage seemed to be her hand,
where Tanner had curled his claws into her flesh.

Inhaling slowly and deeply, she let out the
breath and met her own eyes in the mirror. She’d survived. No
matter what scars she retained, they were badges of honor now. Jack
was safe now because of her actions and Malachi and the pack
members who had come to their aid.

She showered, using Jack’s soap because it
was mild and wouldn’t irritate her wounds, and then she dried
herself off carefully, once more cataloging her injuries so she
could tell Doc everything.

A large duffel was on the counter, and she
found her clothes on top and dressed in a pair of soft lounge pants
and a tank top. She slipped socks on her feet and grabbed a sweater
to cover up with after Doc examined her.

After he finished examining her, he bandaged
her hand and wrists and put his supplies away. He gave her a silver
mesh ball that dangled from a thin chain with a hook on the end.
She could smell herbs, and looked at it curiously.

“It’s a tea ball, an infuser. It’s filled
with healing herbs that have been magically enhanced. Boil two cups
of water and steep the herbs in it for three minutes, then remove
it. Give Jack one quarter cup of the cooled tea and drink the rest
yourself. For Jack it’s more of a calmative than for healing, but
it will promote a restful sleep for you both and help your body’s
natural healing ability to work even better.”

She didn’t have to ask Doc if it was safe for
Jack, because she knew he’d never give anything to her or her son
that would harm them. “Thank you, Doc.”

He smiled, and she walked out of the bedroom
with him. She found Jack on Malachi’s lap in the kitchen. Malachi
was feeding him cut-up chicken nuggets from a large plate that also
contained cheese cubes, halved grapes, and carrot coins.

“Mama,” Jack said, grinning around a mouthful
of chicken.

“Hi, baby.” She bent and kissed his
forehead.

“What’s the diagnosis, Doc?” Malachi asked.
He was smiling, but his words were serious.

“She should wear the bandages until tomorrow,
and if they’re healed over, which they should be, then she can
remove them. Ibuprofen for pain, and it wouldn’t hurt if someone
let her rest tomorrow and kept an eye on Jack.”

Mia and Brynn both said, “I’ll do it.”

They laughed and agreed to watch him while
she took it easy. Adam took the infuser from her, and Nila watched
him go to the stove and turn a burner on under a teapot as he
listened to Doc’s instructions for the tea.

Adam was handsome — tall and muscular with
dark hair and piercing blue eyes, the color of faded denim. As he
turned from the stove to open a nearby cabinet, she noticed he had
a scar on his neck that traveled up his jaw and curled over his
cheek. She’d seen enough injuries as a nursing assistant to
recognize a burn scar when she saw one, and her heart went out to
him. He’d clearly been burned severely, and if he was scarred then
it must mean that he was young when it happened and hadn’t been
able to shift to help heal himself. Although she could admit she
didn’t really know that much about wolves and their physiology.

“I’ll check in tomorrow evening,” Doc said,
and Brynn walked him to the door, speaking quietly.

“Sit, sweetheart,” Malachi said, pushing a
nearby chair out with his foot.

The tea kettle whistled and as she looked at
Malachi while he fed her son in his alpha’s kitchen, and the only
thing she could think of was that she’d finally found a place she
could call home. It wasn’t about the walls or the roof or the
furnishings, it was about the people. She’d found a home with
Malachi and his pack, and she didn’t ever want to be anywhere
else.

Chapter 15

Malachi waited for Nila to fall asleep on the
guest bed before he slipped away and shut the door. She and Jack
had passed out after drinking Doc’s special tea, and although she’d
walked into the bedroom while he carried Jack, she hadn’t stayed
awake very long. Jack slept soundly in the playpen next to the bed,
and Nila had curled up next to Malachi. She stayed awake long
enough to bare her soul to him, crying softly and breaking his
heart a thousand times as she struggled with the guilt over her
actions. When she’d told him everything, she seemed to relax.
Whether it was from the tea or from her heartfelt confession, he
didn’t know, but he was glad she finally found some peace.

He walked out to the family room and found
Acksel and the other pack members who had joined him in getting
Jack back. He paused next to the couch, too damn overwhelmed by the
events of the evening to really say much of anything, but he did
manage a heartfelt, “Thanks.”

Acksel was letting Brynn fuss over his
injuries, although Malachi didn’t think he’d been hurt too much. He
glanced at everyone and noticed that none of his friends had been
gravely injured. He was thankful for small miracles.

Malachi sat down on the couch next to Mia and
said, “Is there anything I need to know?”

Adam and Jeremiah brought the kitchen chairs
into the family room and everyone sat down. They left and returned
with beer and a tray of roast beef sandwiches.

“Thanks guys,” Brynn said as she reached for
two sandwiches, giving one to Acksel.

Malachi twisted the top off a beer and took a
long drink. Acksel watched Brynn devour the sandwich, shaking his
head with an amused grin. Turning serious, he said, “Isaiah showed
up after the fight was over. He said he didn’t know what Damien was
planning to do and didn’t condone it. He ordered his people back to
their homes, and then he seemed to realize that Damien wasn’t
there. Ren showed up with the body and took the blame.”