Page 15 of The Healer (The Blood of Legends #2)

Chapter Fifteen

A GOOD DAY

B etween dusting, mopping the floors, and chasing a disruptive Dane out the clinic, Ilona hurtled the rental along the road to Lover’s Point. Knowing it like the back of her hand might save lives, and if Jake said she needed to prepare herself, then she had to practice. She fishtailed the SUV onto the road, skidding to a halt on the graveled tarmac.

Aiden skipped down the steps at Mo’s and headed toward Cozy Cromwell’s.

Ilona lowered the window. “Morning, Mr. First-Aid.” She blew her hair out of her face, aware she must look a fright in her dust-covered clothing.

“Hey, Doc.” He shoved his hands deep into his jeans acting like the freezing wind was but a gentle spring breeze. “How ya feeling?” He bit his lip and looked away.

She switched off the engine and leaped out, darting around the hood to tug his hand out of his pocket to squeeze it. “Aiden, come on, it was an accident. I don’t blame you. We all thought Edison was unconscious.” His hand was oven hot. She shivered as its warmth penetrated her glove.

“I’m sorry, Doc. If I’d only reacted faster…” He sighed, releasing her fingers to rub up and down her biceps. “Rhys chewed me a new one, and he was right. You’re human, and your reflexes aren’t as fast as ours.”

“Rhys did what?” She gasped. The nerve of the man.

“He’s trying to ensure you stay alive, Doc.”

She paused, assessing her actions to and from the clinic, or along the road to Lover’s Point. “I wasn’t aware I was in danger.”

“Like you said last night, if you’re injured, we’re doomed.”

“Doomed?” She chuckled. “You could call Rebel or drive a doctor over from Glenfell.” She hugged him as she said, “I don’t blame you, Aiden.” Stepping back, she ruffled his hair as she would do if she had a brother. “Where you off to? Need a lift?”

“Visiting Rhys at Cozy Cromwell’s.”

Rhys… She’d like to visit him too, maybe sit on his lap, let him loop his muscled arm around her, brush his beard across her chin, press her lips to his lush ones. She cleared her throat. “Want me to drop you off on the way to the clinic?”

“I’m good, thanks, Doc. Come by Tuesdays for a beer tonight, on me.”

“I’ll text you if I do, but it might be late. I don’t want to treat brawlers nor fend off desperate men looking for a partner for the night.” She laughed. “Not that a burning STD requires emergency treatment.”

With a wave, she climbed into the rental. The truth was, she wasn’t in the mood to sip beer and doubted she would be. As she stood there, her muscles throbbed at the abuse she had put them through cleaning the clinic. When Amos returned, she would give him a piece of her mind. Who left a medical facility in such a state? Sure, shifters didn’t suffer from human diseases, or so they claimed, but hygiene should matter. What if the next patient was human?

Shaking her head, she parked in the nearest spot to the clinic, hoping to reduce the wind’s chances of sneaking into her clothing. Harriet waited in the reception area, humming an indiscernible tune. On the chair beside her sat a basket.

“I brought lunch.” She leaped up when Ilona opened and shut the front door with swift movements. The clinic was toasty warm.

Ilona slipped out of her jacket and hang it on the hooks provided. “You shouldn’t have, Harriet.” Her stomach gurgled on cue. “I’m grateful, though.”

“It’s nothing much. Just a roast chicken with Dijon mustard and peppers on rye, a slice of chocolate cake, and a flask of my vanilla bean coffee.”

“Nothing much?” Ilona grinned. “It sounds heavenly.”

She scooped up the basket and gestured to a door leading off the reception area. After discovering Amos’s office during her search this morning, she’d tackled it first, wiping the bookshelves and all the medical books he had collected over the years. A stack of papers sat on the corner of the desk, which she would sort through tomorrow.

The mahogany desk gleamed after the polish she gave it, and the Persian rug no longer had a layer of dust on it. The window faced the side of Harriet’s house and behind it where the snow-covered fields met the forest stretching to the horizon.

“Did you bring enough for two?” Ilona set the basket centerstage of the desk and flipped it open. Delicious aromas teased her nose, mingling with the crisp spine scent of the polisher.

“Just coffee.” Harriet beamed. “I needed a break too.”

“I don’t know how you do it, cooking so much and managing a bed and breakfast.”

She shrugged. “I have someone who helps in the kitchen. Since Dane moved in, I don’t feel alone. Although, a little quiet time is never a bad thing.”

Ilona plated the sandwiches, then grabbed a coffee mug for a refill, pouring coffee into the lid for Harriet. Biting into the sandwich, she groaned. “I didn’t know I was so hungry.”

Harriet laughed. “I thought as much. I can’t stay long. With two men to feed, I need to ensure the portions are sufficient, and I have a cake waiting for a little love. I finished packing your things after I laundered a few of your items. I hope you don’t mind. Dane delivered a bag or two of groceries to your new home. He wanted to warm the house so it would be ready for you when you finished for the day.”

Tears pressed behind Ilona’s eyes. She struggled to swallow the bite of sandwich past the lump in her throat. None of her neighbors in Fenneg had been this thoughtful. Hell, she couldn’t pick them out in a line-up. Dane and Harriet’s unexpected kindness squeezed Ilona’s chest like a vise.

“Thank you.” It wasn’t enough to convey how she felt, but it was all she could think to say.

“When you come by to fetch your bag, please take a plate of food with you. You’re too thin, my girl.” Harriet sipped coffee with grace as if she took tea with a queen. “You know, you’re the talk of the town.”

“I assumed as much. What with Edison and the two boys this morning—”

“That did liven up conversations at Mo’s, along with Rhys carrying you like a knight would a damsel-in-distress.” Harriet laughed, but her smile faded. “The talk is about the Devereaux part of Mona’s name, Ilona.”

“What?” Ilona frowned. “Well, that’s odd.” She flicked a dismissive hand. “Who’s asking?”

“Rhys,” Harriet answered.

Ilona’s heartrate spiked. Not that she could say if it was from alarm, or just from hearing his name. Though, she sure as hell hoped it was the former. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Harriet nodded. “What are your plans for the rest of the day? More cleaning?”

“I’m afraid so.” Ilona scanned the office, shoving the last bite into her mouth. “And a few more trips to Lover’s Point.”

Harriet rose, splaying her fingers on the desk to brace herself. “Then I’ll be off. I’ll have Dane or Rhys deliver your luggage to your house. In case you work late, or I miss seeing you tonight, come for coffee sometime.”

Ilona escorted the older woman to the front door. “Will do, and thanks again, Harriet. You’ve made this trip special for me.”

Harriet’s smile was sweet, yet her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “You’re a darling, Ilona.”

“Don’t overwhelm me with flattery. It will go straight to my head.” She gripped the handle, snapped the door shut, and sighed. Harriet meandered along the salted walkway in nothing but a cashmere cardigan for warmth.

With a shake of her head, Ilona faced the next section to clean—the reception area. But only after her cake. Grinning, she hurried to the office, slid into the still-warm chair, and flicked a finger through the dark chocolate icing sugar.

She closed her eyes, relishing the sweet, smoky taste before taking a huge bite of the cake. The clinic had been dirty for who knew how long. Half an hour longer wouldn’t matter when there was cake to devour.

That was how Dane found her, bent over a slice of cake like a crack addict, with icing on her nose, and a steaming cup of coffee beside her.

“I’m not sharing,” she mumbled while sucking on a thumb.

“Come between a woman and chocolate—are you insane? I like my face the way it is, thank you. Harriet has me doing another run to your house. Need anything?”

He was such a great bear of a man with the sweetest of hearts. Ilona put the spoon down with which she butchered the slice of cake and pushed herself out of her chair.

She spread her arms wide. “Gimme a hug, you bear.”

Dane threw out his hands to hold her back. “Um, no, not with chocolate all over you.”

“What? When I offer a hug, you run? That’s not very mayoral of you.” She grinned, but it faded. “You have my thanks for making the house occupiable.”

“Gotta keep the new doc happy. Just doing my mayoral duty.” He winked, wiped her nose, then sauntered out.

She was tempted to watch him leave, but there was cake. Dane was right. Chocolate came first, always.

She’d call him later about a little trip to Edison’s.

Fighting a slight case of despondency at finding himself alone at breakfast, Rhys strolled alongside Aiden, trying not to breathe too deeply. The feminine scent clinging to his jacket and Aiden’s had his pacing bear in an uproar. Rhys would have preferred Lona to return his jacket personally, but she had asked Harriet. He gritted his teeth, trying to force his tense muscles to relax. With each lashing wind, he caught the familiar scents of lavender and antiseptic.

“Who hugged you?” Unable to stay the question meant he was unable to look away from Aiden’s matching gaze. He dreaded the answer, with the vicious bite of jealousy lashing his chest.

“Doc.” Aiden grinned. “She didn’t want me to feel guilty about last night.”

Rhys pursed his lips. Last night, when Lona had been plastered against him, when she had filled his arms and relied on him to care for her. That last night? He forced one foot in front of the other, lest he spun on his heels and hurried to Cromwell’s. No, she was at the clinic.

He tilted his head and ended up eyeing the brown building uphill from Harriet’s. The urge to visit, to speak to Lona, to tease a smile to her pinched lips and to touch her, halted his footsteps.

“When are you thinking of going home?” Aiden’s question snapped Rhys out of his madness.

He shrugged, falling into step alongside him again. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s early afternoon, but I need a beer or a shot of whisky.” Aiden pointed to Tuesday’s.

So did Rhys, because how to woo Ilona was beyond him. No matter what approach he thought of, either he or his bear dismissed it. He slid onto the stool after hanging up his jacket and thrummed his fingers on the clean wooden counter.

Two regulars argued to one side, and desperate for the distraction, Rhys narrowed his hearing.

“She’s mean,” the old cougar said. “Today, she arrived on my doorstep and jabbed me.”

“You have mange, you old cat.” The wolf chuckled. “You’re lucky she cared after last night’s fiasco.”

“Now, Jillie, I said I was sorry.” The cougar growled. “But no, my apology meant nothing. She had Dane pin me to the ground like a common criminal. I had snow up my nose.” His cheeks flushed a ruddy red. “It was damn near embarrassing.”

Rhys shot a glance at the clock above Aiden’s head. Perhaps another run before nighttime? His bear rumbled with eagerness—a feeling Rhys was happy to share. What was Lona doing now? Had she made headway at the clinic? Fuck, he should just succumb to the urge and pop in for a visit.

“She’s our doctor now that Amos’s chasing tail,” Jillie said.

Rhys’s attention snapped onto the older shifter. They were talking about Lona. “What do you think of the new doc?”

Jillie sipped her wine spritzer. “I have to admit, I like the way she treated Edison after what he did. Takes a true healer. And that she hasn’t gone soft on Dane is impressive.” She chuckled. “I’m starting to like her, but if you think she’ll give you the time of day, even after last night’s heroism, I don’t know. She takes after her grandmother, that’s for sure.”

Rhys clenched his jaw as his bear went berserk, roaring demands he couldn’t obey. He didn’t need advice from strangers on how to seduce a woman. Well, he did, but no one needed to know that. “I’m not planning on mating the woman,” he bellowed, then lowered his voice when the bar stilled. A pissed-off alpha tended to raise hackles. “I’d like to find out if she’s family of Callie and Valerie.” His eye twitched at that blatant lie. Right.

“Oh, then sure. She might be.” Jillie shrugged. “I have a vague recollection of Mona being from this side of the country. Might even harken from Inner City.”

His heart danced then settled into a tribal rhythm. Lona was a Devereaux, but how diluted was the connection? Callie had the right blood but was the wrong woman. Perhaps Ilona with the right blood could be the right woman? A woman he could mate.

“Doc said she’d text if she planned to pop by.” Aiden grinned, interrupting Rhys’s thoughts. “It’ll be late if she does stop for a beer. She said something about brawls petering out with most having found a willing partner for the night.”

With his bear excited, Rhys agreed to wait. Minutes turned into hours, and she didn’t show. Tossing notes onto the counter, he saluted Aiden, then left. In his SUV, Rhys gripped his steering wheel hard enough to bend it. The metal groaned, forcing him to release it. He needed to run, to rid himself and his bear of this restlessness.

His irrational behavior irritated him, making his teeth itch. How desperate was he to see the woman? What, like letting her know he only liked the idea of her because she might have Callie’s blood flowing through her veins? Yeah, that would go down well.

He drove to Cozy Cromwell’s and parked his SUV in front. Icy snow buffeted his body as he stripped off his clothing, flinging the items onto the seat before shutting the door. It was too late for a naked man jogging around Harriet’s house to arouse suspicion. Most would assume he was taking his beast for a run. A minute later, he galumphed through the forest. His heavy tread shook snow off the lower branches and trembled the hardened earth beneath him. His bear rumbled in joy when the wind ruffled their fur.

He had missed this. The moon was almost full, promising an entertaining few days in Coedwig. Perhaps he should corner Ilona under the guise of seeking information on her lineage. He sucked in a breath, wishing her scent filled his lungs. Tomorrow, he would have Noah trace the connection. With that decision made, Rhys gave his bear full rein, again.