I folded the cover back so she could get to the sutures. “Not all witches are evil. The dark witches are, but the white witches are very peaceful.”
“She didn’t look or feel peaceful to me. We were all rather shocked someone like her was helping you.”
I barely felt anything as she removed the sutures. I asked if there was any way to track the number that had just called my room and Anira shook her head. “Sorry, the switchboard has no computer backup. However, you are in a cellphone-safe zone if you would like to use your own phone.”
After she checked my vitals, Anira fished my phone out of my jacket pocket. I stared at the scratched screen, ridiculously hoping Brenna would call. Even if she had managed to find this number, why would she call after what Tessa had done?
The phone came alive in my hand. Without thinking, I answered it. “Breanna?”
The familiar laugh of my best friend, Tristyn Ziccardi, came through loud and clear. “Sorry, buddy, it’s just me. I heard about a motorcycle wreck on the mountain road. You okay?”
I spent the next hour trying desperately to remember the details. What I remembered most was Breanna. Incredible amber eyes, beautiful auburn hair, the gentleness of her fingers along my face. She was an angel.
“How’s your mom?” Tristyn asked.
“She’s doing all right. Tired, but all right.”
“And your dad?”
“Humph, don’t ask.”
“How much did he yell?”
“Only a little. I’ll hear it tomorrow when I leave the hospital. He expects me to stay with them for a few days.”
“That’s a good idea, Luc. If you don’t really remember what happened, there could be a lot more going on than you know.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll call you when I get back home.”
“All right. I’ll do some checking and see what I can find about this witch you met.”
Sleeping with broken ribs and a broken leg was almost impossible. Anira tried her magic but my werewolf blood would have none of it. My body was healing itself and with that healing came pain.
Somehow I had to find Breanna. My wolf always bristled when anyone, werewolf or not, came near, but he craved her. We both did. I wanted to smell that intoxicating blend of strawberries and honey so uniquely Breanna.
She had been gentle and my wolf listened to her. Hell, he didn’t listen to me most of the time. For her, my wolf had settled.
I slid off the side of the bed and limped toward the adjoining bathroom. My ribs and leg were mending. My head still thumped, but now it felt like it was a small car rather than a train that hit me.
A soft rap at the door preceded a tentative, “Lucas?”
Vinnie Petrazzini’s blond head appeared around the corner. The subordinate wolf had stayed at my door all night. “A vamp came by last night asking about you.” Vinnie stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his khaki pants.
“A vampire?”
Vinnie stared at the floor. “Dark hair, French accent, wearing camouflage.”
That didn’t sound like any vampires I knew. “Did he give his name or leave a number?”
Vinnie shook his head and chewed his bottom lip. My wolf stirred at the scent of apprehension.
“He asked if you were all right, if your injuries had been attended, and if you remembered what happened.”
I waited for him to continue but Vinnie was fascinated with the linoleum. “And what did you say to him?”
“Um, I told him you were doing well, your injuries were healing and you didn’t really remember what happened.” Vinnie looked around, shifting his weight foot to foot. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
My wolf hated his meekness. “It’s all right,” I mumbled, limping toward the bathroom.
Vinnie slipped out the door without another word. He was the lowest ranking wolf in the pack and the only one my wolf didn’t want to kill just for breathing. A part of me wanted to be nice to Vinnie but nobody treated a subordinate wolf with respect and if I did, it would only confuse him.
Chapter 3
Breanna
“I cannot believe you asked me to do that,” Lieutenant Christopher LeCavalier fumed as he paced outside my cell. His eyes sparkled as he spun to face me. The fluorescent lights gave his coal black hair an eerie glow.
“I needed to know he was all right.” The telephone call I had placed to the hospital before reporting to the brig at Camp Ederle had not gone well. A woman answered and promptly slammed the receiver in my ear. Bitch.
“You could have called the front desk.” The vampire’s thick French-Canadian accent made his irritated words sound angrier than he was.
“Yeah, I’m sure it was a terrible experience since you love elf girls in nurses’ uniforms.”
Chris sneered at me. “Will I need to go check on him later tonight to be sure he is tucked in properly?”
“Check on whom?” Simon asked, stepping onto the long narrow hall and glancing in my direction.
“Chris went to the hospital to check on Lucas.”
Two blond eyebrows shot up. “Lucas?” he asked, drawing out the name.
“Yeah, you know, the wolf the Malandanti were after.” I flopped onto the pitiful cot. A spider skittered from his hiding place beneath the mattress.
Simon glared at me.
“What? I tried to call but didn’t get much info so Chris stopped by.”
“That wolf is dangerous. That pack is dangerous. Stay away from him and that’s an order, Sergeant.” Simon pointed a finger at Chris. “And you should have known better than to fall for this.”
Chris lowered his eyes and I stormed to the front of the cell. “I just wanted to know Lucas was all right. Is that a bad thing?”
Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Had you asked, I would have given you a full report regarding the injured werewolf.”
Oops. “You checked on him?”
Simon looked insulted. “I phoned the hospital. If you would bother to check, you would see I had indeed left two messages for you.”
I was dog shit on a boot heel. “Is he okay?”
Simon walked to the front of the cell. “The doctors said your tourniquet saved his life. He would have bled to death had you not intervened.”
There was a “but” sure to follow.
“But you disobeyed my orders to not engage. You went after the Malandanti without permission or backup.”
“They were going to kill him, Sime. I had to engage.”
He shook his head. “You chose to engage.”
I stomped my foot. “Yeah, to save Lucas. They were going to sacrifice him for some stupid ritual.”
“But you chose to ignore my order and handle things yourself, did you not?”
My breath was the only sound in the room. “Yes, sir.”
Simon looked over his shoulder. “Lieutenant LeCavalier, you may go.”
Chris tossed a sympathetic shrug my way before slipping down the hall. Simon reached for the keys and unlocked the brig door. I moved to the far corner and sat quietly on