Page 19 of Witchblood

“Sun and earth are healing,” I argued. If I went back inside would I ever be free again?

“And both will still be there tomorrow.” Liam swept up our basket full of plants. “Didn’t you promise to show my daughter how to make lavender lemonade?”

There was no way he’d been close enough to hear that. I frowned trying to sort through how he knew that. Except that Toby had been sitting in my lap the whole time and all wolves could technically have a mental link to their alpha. Which meant that Liam knew where Toby was the entire time and had not worried one bit about the safety of his daughter or myself. Did he not see Toby as a threat? All wolves were a threat, even the kindest ones, in wolf form. Their baser natures took over. Or did he just see me as that powerful? He couldn’t have just been testing me, could he? Not with his daughter’s life on the line. I didn’t think Liam was flippant about anything. He just came across as too smart for that. And he didn’t know me well enough to know if I could or even would, help Toby. I frowned up at him, more confused than I’d been when I woke up in his house the first time. He rewarded me with a faint smile. Infuriating man.

Korissa stood and chattered with him about the plants and all the facts I’d shared with her. She was very excited to learn about alchemy and began telling him all about the television show which had become popular in Japan some years back before finally making its way to American anime nerds. Liam nodded at his daughter, waiting, listening and ever attentive. No one else tried to get close and even Carl backed away.

“Will you come inside?” Liam asked me again, no strings or guilt in his tone. Just a request. “We will be preparing dinner, and I’d like to check your wound.”

I could do diplomacy, at least until I was healed. “If someone will help me up, sure.” My leg throbbed and I feared if I put any pressure on it the wound would start gushing again. Too much tension from unexpected wolf visits. Toby got to his feet and nudged me, like I was supposed to use him as some giant wolf-shaped cane. Liam offered me a hand, and after some maneuvering to keep the pressure off the injured leg, I was able to take it and pull myself up enough to lean on the wolf.

“Thanks, Toby,” I told the wolf, then nodded at Liam. “I appreciate the hand.” When I took a step toward the house, Toby clung to my side. I sighed. Somehow I suspected he wasn’t going to be slinking off to wherever he came. It happened sometimes. Especially with the damaged wolves.Apahad always had to drag them away. After a handful of incidences, the more troubled of the pack suddenly just stopped coming my way.Apawas rarely subtle about anything.

Carl stepped forward again like he planned to drag Toby away, but Liam raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s on your head then,” Carl grumbled and turned to stalk away.

Liam didn’t look perturbed. He handed the overfull basket off to Dylan and offered me his arm. “Perhaps you’ll let me help you back inside and allow me to look at that leg of yours.”

“It’s fine,” I grumbled but took his arm to help keep the weight off it. It ached. I suspected that was because whatever pain killers I’d been given were wearing off. I had enough lemon balm to make a great salve so long as he had some coconut oil in the house. Now if only I had some white willow bark it would be perfect.

“You’re bleeding,” Liam whispered, words barely more than a breeze against my ear as we watched Dylan and Korissa disappear ahead of us into the house. “I can smell it.”

I didn’t feel like I’d reopened the wound, but Toby was pressed hard to that side of my hip. Liam stopped and stepped in front of me. He glanced down at Toby who couldn’t meet his eyes and instead looked at the ground. It wasn’t that Liam actually did anything, it was just instinct, but it made me feel protective of Toby. I put a hand in his fur to comfort him.

“I like that you protect my daughter and my wolves. Those are good instincts. I wish you had better instincts of self-preservation.” He pushed Toby away from my hip to reveal a wet spot in the fabric of my sweatpants. The dark stain couldn’t have been anything other than blood. I’d been so lost in the lavender I hadn’t even smelled my own blood. “I think you broke a stitch or two.”

“Great.” I hated the idea of stitching myself back together, and disliked even more the idea of owing him for another visit from their healing witch. “I have enough herbs to make a salve.”

“Will that salve stop the bleeding? Reknit torn muscle?”

“Not exactly.” I’d need a few other things and some good time in contact with the earth to use some of that alchemy. He didn’t need to know the details. There was a faster way, an exchange of energy, but I’d only ever used it twice before and the last time nearly drained a vampire of hislifeto heal. Hugo would have come after me by now if I didn’t suspect he was still healing. Vampires didn’t have a lot of life to give since they weren’t really alive. But I justified what I did to him by the fact that he held me captive for weeks, enthralled by memories of happier times as he fed on me. Heartless bastard deserved what I did to him.

In one fluid motion Liam lifted me again, careful of my hip and stalked toward the house. Toby whined but followed behind.

“I can walk.”

Liam just grunted. Up the stairs and back into my room we went. He set me on the bed. Toby tried to follow us into the room but Liam shooed him out and closed the door.

“I promised to show Korissa how to make lemonade,” I reminded Liam.

He vanished into the bathroom for a minute and returned with a first aid kit. He set it down on the bed and didn’t even ask before pulling my pants down to view the mess of blood, stitches and flesh. I winced. It looked bad. Liam was unfazed as he efficiently cleaned around the stitches with a few alcohol swabs, blotting away the mess and poking at the stitches, which were strained, not torn. He still looked unhappy about them. “Don’t your healing charms work for this?” He asked and waved at my tattooed arm.

How did he know? Had his witch told him? I decided to play dumb. “What healing charms?” Not a lie, since he could tell if I lied, more of an if I have them, point them out,sort of comment. But I was a master at evasion.

“I could pull the stitches out and re-sew it. Only you’d be awake this time.” He was totally calling my bluff.

“I’m fine. I’ll stay off the leg.”

“You’ll rest and stay here then,” he insisted and pulled the covers back on the bed.

“I’ll rest and stay here,” I promised not giving a specific as to how long. It was all in the details.

He stared at me a moment longer. “I should fix the stitches.”

“No thanks.”

“You are not immune to infection. Not like we are.” He glanced at my tattooed arm again seeming to hesitate. Then he knelt before me. “I thought for a while that you were pretending not to know me and was willing to allow for the deception if that was what you felt you needed as my pack is unfamiliar to you. But you really don’t remember me, and that’s all right. You were traumatized that night. Hurt and afraid. I remember, and I know you can heal this.”