Page 44 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

"I know, but if we can get me past this too hurt and weak to eat or think part, I think I can more easily handle the healing on my own." I said.

She nodded. "Good. Do you want to know the extent of your injuries?"

"Why not? We have a while until the food gets here and you shift me."

"It's really not a long list but some of them are a bit severe. You've fractured the radius in both arms. You're lucky though and they aren't misaligned, they'll heal fine without any added pain."

"I knew when I decided to break loose that I was risking breaking my wrists." I felt Devon's arms tense around me.

She nodded, continuing. "You have a couple of cracked ribs and some bruising on your side and back from that asshole's boots and hitting the pavement.

The most obvious of all your injuries are these bruises on your wrists, they go all the way to the bone and they're probably going to take at least a few days to heal.

The cuts and scrapes should heal pretty quickly once you shift and have eaten, the strangest part is that you haven't metabolized all of the tranquilizer yet.

There's still some of it in your system, which I'm sure only makes things worse. "

"It certainly doesn't help." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"I'll go check on the food, you rest some more, I'll come back when it's time for you to shift"

"Do we have any more of those shakes?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'll bring you one." She stood and went for the drink, returning only a few seconds later, shaking the small can before giving it to me. "Here you are." She gave me the drink and left again, pulling the door nearly closed on her way out.

I held the can so Devon could open it. He popped the top and I slowly drank the thick liquid, so hungry I didn't even notice the taste I don't usually care for.

I handed the empty can to Devon and leaned back against him, thankful for the energy I was siphoning from him, but feeling guilty about it at the same time.

I've always been more than a little independent, and not being able to even open a can on my own now, rankled more than a little.

I dozed while I waited, conserving as much energy as I could. I lost track of time and before I knew it, Alexis knocked softly on the door and pushed it open.

"You ready to shift?" She asked cheerfully.

"I guess so." I pushed away from Devon until I sat under my own power.

"Do you want to take your clothes off first?"

"Nah. I'm gonna throw them out anyway, why waste energy taking them off?"

"All right If you're ready, we can do this."

I nodded.

She held out her hands, keeping them a few inches above my skin and I soon felt the tingling all over my skin that meant the shift was coming.

Muscles and bones shifted and popped beneath my skin and it was all I could do not to cry out with the unexpected pain of it.

Shifting didn't usually hurt like this. After a few seconds the shifting and stinging stopped, Alexis let her hands fall to her sides and looked down at me.

"Are you all right?"

Ouch! I thought in her direction.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes it hurts more to be shifted, especially when you're as weak as you are right now. It's like your wolf fights the change, sort of. And I'm sure the broken and cracked bones didn't help." She explained, giving me a couple of minutes to rest before she shifted me again.

I felt the bed shift and turned to find Devon climbing out of the bed.

What's up? I sent to him.

"You're gonna need to get dressed before you can eat so I thought I'd get you some clothes."

Thanks. I turned back to Alexis Let's get it done, I'm hungry.

"That's good." She laughed. "You ready?" I nodded my head as she once again held her hands toward me.

The shift didn't hurt as bad this time, I don't know if I was more healed, or just more prepared for it. It seemed like only an instant had passed when the tingling faded again.

"All right." Alexis let her hands drop to her sides. "Get dressed and come eat. I'll take another look at you after you've had some food." She went into the main room closing the door behind her.

Devon laid clothes on the bed beside me and helped me get dressed. Even without a shower I felt better with clean clothes on, less weak and wounded but I was starving and eager to get something to eat.

I went into the main room of the suite, and the smell of food made my stomach rumble and growl.

"That's not pizza I smell," I inhaled again. "or not only pizza."

"No, it's not." Caden said. "Your preferred pizza doesn't have enough protein to support the healing or the shifting, so I called room service and ordered a couple of steaks too."

The scent of the steaks made my mouth water. "Good thinking. Can I have one of those first?"

"You can have them both. You need to give your body the energy to heal."

I nodded and made my way to the large table in the dining area, sitting I planned to rest a moment before serving myself. I hated the weakness that had taken over my body.

"You don't have to do that." I said when Devon slid a plate in front of me. "I was going to rest just a minute and then get it."

"No need." He lifted the silver cover off the plate revealing a medium sized steak, baked potato and a side of broccoli that looked only slightly over cooked.

He put a set of silverware beside the plate, and started opening pizza boxes looking for his.

Alexis brought a stack of paper plates to the table and gave one to Devon.

I cut into the steak in front of me and started eating, groaning in appreciation when the first bite hit my tongue. In just seconds I'd devoured the entire steak and sat looking down at the plate in front of me wishing there were more.

"Nickie?" Devon asked, his voice loud, as if he'd had to raise it to get my attention.

I looked up to find everyone sitting at the table eating, somehow in my focus on the steak I'd missed that everyone else was eating too.

"Do you want the other steak or are you gonna eat that stuff first?" He asked.

I looked down at my plate, not finding what was left very appetizing, there wasn't anything wrong with it, it just wasn't what my body wanted and needed.

"The other steak sounds great." I looked back up at Devon with a vague smile as I pushed the plate with the vegetables to one side.

He slid another covered plate across the table, bringing it to a stop in front of me. He lifted the cover off and set it on top of the other.

I dug into the fresh steak with the same enthusiasm, but slightly less single mindedness. Caden, Alexis and Devon continued their discussion.

"Ridges said they'd let us know if they find anything.

My vote is that we stay put for a couple of days, let her heal, then we continue with our original plan.

We have to wait a few days anyway to let Reese decide if he wants to try this.

While he makes up his mind, we see if Ridges can find whoever hired those thugs to kidnap Nickie. " Alexis said.

"I still want to find them now." Devon argued.

"Are you willing to leave her to do it?" Caden asked, his voice calm and dispassionate.

Devon shook his head. "No. As much as I want to make them pay for what they've done, I can't do that."

I realized that they'd been talking for a while and I just hadn't registered it. I spoke up, changing the subject.

"You said Morgan found that I leach strength from Devon. Is that all the two of you found?"

"Not exactly." She said reluctantly.

"What else did you find?" Devon asked.

"That's the thing, it's hard to explain. I don't know what it is, but the way your system functions changes when Devon touches you. I've never encountered it before, either had Morgan."

"So, what now?" I wanted to know.

"Now we continue to feed you and let you rest, heal." She said simply.

"No, about what you found." I said.

"Oh," Alexis said. "now nothing. Whatever it is, it's not hurting you so we don't do anything."

"I'd like to know what it is but if you say so." I popped the last bite of the second steak into my mouth. I pushed the plate off to the side and with my mouth still full I pointed to the last pizza box, the one no one was eating from.

Devon picked up a paper plate and opened the box. "One slice or two?"

I held up a single finger and he put a slice of pizza on the plate before handing it to me.

"Thanks." I said after swallowing the mouthful.

We chatted about anything but what had happened that morning while we finished eating.

When we'd finished Devon helped me take a shower, then he put me back to bed, laying down beside me. He turned on the screen that had been disguised as a painting hanging on the wall at the foot of the bed . He found an old movie to distract us while we let my body work on healing.