22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

B old

"Hmph," Jasmine snorts with a toss of her head. "Our first fight."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about what happened in the parking garage?" I pretend I don't know what she's mad about, but I have a pretty good idea.

Another indignant harrumph is followed by an exaggerated eye roll.

"I'm talking about this." She gestures at Courage and me.

"Courage! Watch it, bro. Take it easy." He usually takes more time when he sews me up, but I think he's in a hurry to get out of the crossfire. Jasmine's close to shooting lasers out of her eyes.

"Why couldn't you have taken Martinez up on her offer to get you to the hospital, Bold?" By her tone, I'm not sure whether she's more concerned than angry, or the other way around.

"Would it help if I told you it's not the wolven way?" At least I have the good sense to act sheepish, although this isn't the first time, nor will it be the last, that Courage has taken needle and thread to sew me up.

"Not the wolven way," Jazz repeats with as much disdain as she can cram into those four words.

"Look." I gesture Courage out of the way and thrust out my chest. "Have you ever seen neater stitches?"

"Okay. I'll give you that. Nice job, Courage, but what about antibiotics? Painkillers?"

"No wolven worth his salt would use a painkiller, and we're covered on the antibiotics. See?" I thrust my chin toward the medicine cabinet. When she walks closer to examine the meds, I flinch as I realize what she's going to see.

"For veterinarian use only!?!" She wheels on me, eyes blazing, then steps back and clamps her teeth shut. "The wolven way, huh?"

"Yep. Vet meds work like a charm."

Courage finishes the job.

"Neatest stitches in the pack, bro. You're a good male."

"I'm backing out of the room and letting you two sort this out."

"Wise move, Courage."

We're in the little med room near the bathroom on the main floor where there's often a steady stream of these patch jobs. Although Others are full of predator DNA, we get along pretty well for the most part. But it doesn't mean that testosterone doesn't get the better of people from time to time. That's when the Wolven Warriors are called in to break things up. Half the time, we're the ones who wind up needing stitches.

"You showed me the large Zone clinic, why…" She sighs and puts up her hand, palm facing me. "Okay, I get it. Not the wolven way, right?"

"Now you're getting the picture. We don't use the clinic unless it's far more serious than this."

"Lucky for you, I took several courses on cultural respect in grad school. I'll try to grin and bear it when you insist on doing something stupid ." She assumes a shocked expression, eyes wide as if in horror, then adds, "Oh, so sorry. Did I call your culture stupid? Far be it from me to cast aspersions on your decision to use vet products instead of proper pharmaceuticals."

"It's all made by the same manufacturers. Look it up."

Our mock fight comes to an abrupt end when our eyes lock. Half a second later, Jazz is in my arms, hugging me fiercely.

"When he slashed your chest, I thought he'd killed you. So much blood."

"And when he turned on you, Jazz, my world went up in flames."

We're both dancing around our proclamations of love back at the precinct. I wonder if she wants to take back what she said. Although she said the L word, did she mean it or was it said in the heat of the moment?

And then it's there, the flame in her eyes, the way her body melts against mine, the hint of arousal edging out the scent of her irritation and fear.

"I love you, Jazz. That's not going to change."

"Is my invalid wolven able to mount the stairs?"

How did she manage that? That tart mouth going from fighting to propositioning me in one second flat? At least I think it was a proposition.

"I can manage the stairs."

"I wonder if there's anything else you'd care to mount?"

Yep. Definitely a proposition.

"Did I mention wolven heal fast? I imagine I'll be ready for anything by the time we get to the third floor."

As soon as the door closes behind Jazz and me upon arriving at my apartment, Martinez calls—just my luck."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to check in."

We ease to the couch as Jazz puts the detective on speaker.

Jasmine eagerly asks, "Do you have news?"

"We've got a little time to sweat it out of him. He'll need some time and additional pressure before he turns on his boss."

Jasmine's hand tightens around mine as I ask, "So, what's our next move?"

" Your next move? Nothing. Our next move is to keep digging," Martinez says grimly. "You've done enough. Your trusty police department will take it from here. Everett Wright may be cunning, but he's not invincible. Thanks to you two, it's the first time we have any of his henchmen in custody. The man's got weaknesses, pressure points. We find those and we squeeze until he makes a mistake."

I pause, my mind racing with how I want to address this. As usual, my tactic is to go straight ahead, no tiptoeing.

"You've got two choices, Martinez." There's steel in my voice. "Keep us in the loop. Let me and the Wolven Warriors be part of this operation, or we'll forge ahead on our own. Standing back and watching? That's not an option."

"Did I mention that's one of the reasons I called? I knew you'd be stubborn as a bull about this."

"You got it wrong. The minotaur Others are bulls." I flash a grin full of fangs, then admit, "But, I admit, wolven can be stubborn, too." All levity fades from my voice as I insist, "I'm going to be part of this, detective."

Before she can argue, I forge ahead, "I'll be up and around by tomorrow—"

"Bold!" Jasmine sounds equal parts shocked and angry. I'm certain she doesn't want me risking life and limb so soon.

"I told you, wolven heal fast. All Others do." Without pausing for either of their approval, I continue. "If you get permission from your chief, my team and I can hit the streets. Deputize us so we can shake down informants. Someone else out there must have information on this corporation—old employees, someone with a grudge."

Absently, I rub Jazz's shoulder as though she and I have sat on this couch and snuggled like this for years. "Wolven may not carry guns, but we have our own methods of persuasion." I give a very convincing growl in a manner that leaves no doubt about our ability to tear a human limb from limb. "Maybe someone will flip on Wright if we apply the right… incentive."

Jasmine shoots me a worried look. "Please, Bold. You need to rest. That cut was deep. It needs to heal."

"I'll rest when Wright is behind bars," I snap, more harshly than I intend. Seeing the hurt flash across her face, I gentle my voice and tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "Sorry, love. I just can't sit idle while that bastard is out there. I need to keep you safe. It's personal now."

"I know. Just… be careful, okay? When you were hurt…" Her eyes fill with tears. I imagine she doesn't want to spill all her feelings in front of a stranger. It's only after Martinez hangs up that Jazz admits, "When you were hurt, it felt as though Scorpion slashed my own flesh. The pain of seeing you fall, injured, perhaps dying, was too much to bear. I can't go through that again."

"I'm sorry you had to see that. It must have terrified you."

She presses her forehead to mine in a wolven gesture of affection that makes my heart swell. Not for the first time, I marvel at how seamlessly she's embraced the customs of my kind, how wholly she's accepted and loved every part of me.

"I'll be careful," I promise. And I will be. Now, more than ever, I have something precious, something worth fighting for.