Page 13 of Wounded Mate
“Don’t try to help them,” says Rizpah to Bela. “Stay limp. Relax your muscles and let them bear your weight.”
I get a glimpse of the wound. Angry. Red. But smaller. Sewn together at the edges and packed with a honey poultice to aid healing.
Rizpah winds a clean cloth around his torso. His stomach and sides are skin, like a human, but his spine is totally hidden by the furry pelt of a wolf. I could stare at him for hours. His beauty is wholly unique. I didn’t meet Andras when he came through, the other werewolf without an entirely human form. Was he like this too? Part man, part animal? Surely, he couldn’t be as stunning as my Bela.
My Bela.I shake myself out of it. He isn’t mine, at least not yet, and the last thing he needs is me ogling him while he’s hurting.
Rizpah finishes and gestures for Leonas and Jeno to stay put. “One moment. He needs to drink before he sleeps.” She heads to the boiling water and ladles a portion into a mug.
“You want us to put him in your room?” asks Leonas.
“Yes,” I answer without thinking. Where else would he go? Of course he must stay in my room.
“I volunteer Jeno to carry him there.” Leonas curls his lips to a half smile. “You’re welcome. In the meantime, I have a bone to pick with Mantis Pack.”
Jeno shoots his lover a warning glower. “Not by yourself, you don’t.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll be even better at sundown when I come with you.”
Leonas rolls his eyes but doesn’t protest.
Bela is shaking his head weekly. “Trespassing. My fault.”
“Let me take care of it from here, wolf.” A rumbling growl adds a ferocity to Leonas’s voice that’s not usually present. “They’re my problem now. Not yours.”
“It’s not worth it,” says Bela, breaking my heart.
I shift closer to him. “Let Leonas decide what’s worth fighting for while you rest and recover.” If it were up to me, we’d slaughter the wolves who did this.
The earthy aroma of willow bark wafts into the air as Rizpah joins us, steaming mug in hand. “Drink. This will help with the pain and to sleep.”
She lifts the cup to his lips.
He takes a small sip and grimaces.
She tuts. “It’s bitter but good for you. Go on. Drink up.”
He does as she says, which makes me feel better. I want him to be able to rest comfortably so he can heal. When he’s done, Rizpah fills another mug and presses it into my hand. “If he wakes, have him drink a second helping. I’ll bring some food by in a few hours after he’s had a chance to sleep.”
“Thank you.”
Leonas nudges Jeno. “Go on. You’re the strongest of us.”
Jeno scoops Bela into his arms as if he weighs no more than a feather. Though Jeno’s gentle, Bela’s face scrunches in pain. If only I could bear it for him instead.
“You can stay here and help me clean this mess,” Rizpah says to Leonas.
I follow Jeno and Bela up the stairs and to my room, where I open the door for them and immediately panic because it’s so messy in here. Not that Bela is in any condition to judge my levelof tidiness, but the tornado of clothes I yanked out of my drawer earlier are strewn everywhere.
I set the mug down and scurry around, picking up after myself and clearing a place for Bela on my bed. I spot a certaintoyand kick that under the bed before anyone can see it. Otherwise, my room is relatively in order.
It’s not a large space but it’s big enough for me. The bed is pushed into the corner because I like the two walls on perpendicular sides. My plush feathered mattress is covered in quilts, soft blankets, and far more pillows than any one person could possibly need.
I shove them to one side so Bela has a flat spot, and Jeno lays him down gently with enough room for me if I sleep close.
But I can take the floor. Plenty of blankets for that. And my thick Turkish carpet is soft enough to sleep on. No need to disturb Bela.
