Page 24 of Crave

“What's your name?”

“Eris.”

I opened the door and ran out to the parking spot in front of the clinic. Darius, the Wiley-Fletcher-Reid Omega, was standing beside an open car door. I could smell the blood from here. I turned my attention back to Eris. “Slow down, mate. Now, start from the beginning.” I looked at the girl. Her eyes were closed and her color was quite gray. “Where did she hit her head?”

I put a collar around her neck to support her spine, then I checked her over for signs of more injuries they may have missed. So far, I could only see the head wound, so that was good. We moved her gently onto the spinal board, but I was hopeful that nothing else was wrong. Striding quickly, I had Cooper, an Alpha from the Wiley-Fletcher-Reid Pack, move her onto my examination table, and I grabbed my portable X-ray machine. The thing was a godsend, really. Who knew I’d have to use it so often in a colony of supernaturals that should have superior healing?

I had to get the young Manix Alpha to wait in the other room because he was under foot and refused to leave the young shifter’s side. It was hard to work with someone growling softly in your ear.

Cooper left, but not before telling me about the incoming wildfire.Fuck.This was bad. I needed to get this kid patched up and offloaded to her parents so I could pack up the clinic for the worst case scenario.

Reading the X-ray, I sighed with relief. Nothing broken or doing what it shouldn’t do. She definitely had a doozy of a concussion, though.

She woke up while I was dressing the head wound. Her eyes met mine, then dropped to my fangs, and I saw panic flash in her eyes.

“Woah there, tiger. Get it? Because you’re a tiger.” I cleared my throat. “My name is Tanner—we met at your Packhouse, if you remember? You hit your head chasing goats, and now you have a concussion, but you’ll be right as rain.” She still seemed on edge, like a cornered wild animal. I raised my hands and moved away, being as non-confrontational as possible. “I’ll get Bonnie in here as soon as I can. If you could shift, it would help your healing.”

It was like she didn’t need any more encouragement, and turned into an almost fully grown tiger right there in the clinic examination room. She was massive—bigger than a normal tiger, that was for sure.

She turned to me and snarled, and I raised my hands again. “Not gonna lie, kiddo, I’ve already been eaten by one apex predator and I’m not looking to do it again. Bite wounds are a bitch.”

The door suddenly swung open, and Bonnie was there, panting softly. “Rosa, are you okay?”

She looked pale as well, and I wondered if she’d sprinted down the mountain from their Packhouse. The tiger in front of me let out a pitiful chuffing whine as she curled around Bonnie’s legs.

Bonnie stroked her fur soothingly. “It’s okay, beautiful girl.” Bonnie’s eyes shot to mine. “She’s okay, right?”

I nodded. “She had a pretty serious concussion, but hopefully the shift would have cleared up any lingering effects. Keep an eye on her anyway, and if she seems drowsier than usual, or has a headache or any shifts in behavior, bring her back.”

Bonnie frowned. “If there’s a back to come to,” she said softly.

“It’ll be okay. I was just about to start packing up the necessities.”

She sucked in a jagged breath, her scent stressed. “Do you need help?” When I shook my head, she sighed. “Anything you don’t think you’ll need urgently can be stored in the cells beneath the Legion building. It won’t be perfectly safe, but better than here if things go… pear-shaped.”

If the town burned to the ground. That was what she meant by pear-shaped.

“Mate, I’m Australian. If we know one thing, it’s that some things have to burn to grow. Like eucalyptus trees in a forest. Fire tears through and bursts open all the seedpods. Where there was one old tree, there's now hundreds of new seedlings just waiting for the right conditions to grow.”

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that an allegory?”

“An allegory? No, ma’am. I’m Irish Catholic.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “I know you’re messing with me right now.” She squeezed my arm. “We have to go, but be safe. This town needs you.”

I nodded my head solemnly, all my mirth gone. “I’ll be here for as long as I’m wanted.”

Bonnie disappeared, the tiger on her heels. I could hear her calling for the other little Manix Alpha who’d taken up post in my waiting room. “Let’s go, Eris. I’ll drop you back to your parents.”

A breath rushed out between my teeth as I stepped out onto the footpath in front of the little building. Tilting my head to the side I used my vampiric senses for more than just finding a good spot in someone's carotid artery. I let all the stimuli rush in, until it was almost painful, then filtered out what I didn’t need. Panicked voices. Cars and shouting. But beneath all that was the unmistakable whoosh and crackle of a raging fire. And the smoke threatened to choke me. The wind was shifting, and too soon there’d be nothing left of this town.

I’d never been more thankful for my vampiric speed as I sorted and packed everything into three categories. Firstly, the stuff that needed to be packed into a van so it could be evacuated—things like dressings, medicine and ointments, topical steroids, and the Doppler machine. The second pile was for things that were too big to come with us, but were expensive pieces of equipment. Not irreplaceable, but better if they were preserved. The third category stayed in the office and we all hoped for the best. I hefted an armful of the stuff that needed to go somewhere safer and ran over to the Legion building, not even asking for directions to the cells below. They’d been hewn directly into the stone, and were definitely the safest bet for rogue Manix. Very few things in the world could stop a frenzied Manix in their shifted form.

Seemed like I wasn’t the only person storing important things in this rocky tomb. Files and equipment—as well as half the armory—had made it down here.

An efficient-looking older Manix man was directing people around. “Ah, Doc Tanner. I thought you might be over sooner or later. I’ve left a corner for the clinic's equipment in cell four.” He smiled sadly at me. “I’ve never been more thankful for your help than at this moment. If we had to divert workers to help clear out the clinic so many other resources would be lost.”

I gave him an imaginary tip of my hat. “Glad to help. I’ve probably got six boxes and the X-ray machine to come. Everything else will have to be in your Moon Goddess’s hands.”

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