Chapter Eleven
Bre sat on a chair, gaze glued to where Tony pulled things from a cabinet.
She knew he had a needle. He’d explained exactly what he needed to do.
An IV of fluids that would help rid her body of the drugs she’d been subjected to over the years.
He said they’d take it in increments, giving her only what she could handle and no more.
She wanted to dive in, to flood her system and drive all the bad out, but even now, she trembled with fear as she watched.
“Doing okay?” Jonah asked as he took her free hand and linked their fingers together.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to hold the needle?” Tony asked as he rolled over a stool and sat, facing her.
“Why would I want to do that?”
“I want you to know you’re completely in control here. If you change your mind, we stop. No matter where we are in the process,” he promised.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he took her hand and held it so it was palm down.
“Taking a look.” He pulled a tray toward him then glanced at Drake who was in the room with them.
“Go ahead and bring over the IV stand.” He pointed to the bulging bag of liquid.
“This is what we’ll give you. Nothing bad in there.
You might feel a bit sick as it works its magic, but that’s because it’s pushing out all the nasty chemicals they gave you.
I want to give you this flush over the next few days.
See how you react. Adjust as needed. I can give you something for nausea if that becomes an issue.
Same if you experience any pain, though I don’t anticipate that.
Once we get out what we can, we’ll look at what remains and what I can do to counter it. Okay?”
She nodded, clutching Jonah’s hand tightly with the one Tony didn’t hold. Tony ran his fingers up and down her forearm, tapping then moving down to the back of her hand and moving his thumb over the skin there. He went back and forth, occasionally tapping again.
“You might have some more memories filter through once we’ve flushed some of the drugs out of your system. If you do, I’d like you to talk about them. It doesn’t have to be with me, but at least, talk to your mate.”
“Why is that important?” she asked, leaning her head on Jonah’s shoulder. There was something soothing about Tony’s movements. It helped her to relax.
“Dreams tend to be in the subconscious. Vocalizing them can move them to the conscious and trigger actual memories. It’s a great way to help process.”
“Ouch,” she muttered when she felt a pinch.
“Sorry. Hold still for me. Worst is over. Let me put on some tape, then we’ll get the fluids moving,” he said. “Drake.”
The other man moved in, and Bre glanced down to note the IV needle in the back of her hand. “It’s in. I barely felt it.”
“Good. That means I’m not losing my touch,” Tony joked, giving her a smile.
“It always hurt before. Needles equaled pain. Lots of it,” she muttered.
“That’s because they intended to hurt you, love,” Jonah said. “They get joy out of inflicting pain. The worse the better as far as they’re concerned.”
“Drake and I will always do everything we can to minimize any pain,” Tony assured her.
“Absolutely,” Drake agreed. “You’re all hooked up. It’ll take a few hours for this one to finish. You did a great job,” he told her.
She glanced up to watch the fluids drip down the tubing and into her arm. There was a brief sting that immediately turned to a cooling sensation. She wasn’t sure of exactly what Tony was giving her, but it was nothing like what she’d been given previously.
“Thank you,” she whispered to both of them. Hell, to all of them. Tony and Drake for being gentle with her. Jonah for staying with her, holding her hand, comforting and supporting her, for loving and accepting her.
“I’ve got to check on some patients at the clinic,” Drake said as he slid off his gloves and tossed them into the trash. “Call if you need me.”
He smiled at Bre, nodded at Jonah and Tony, then left.
“It burned,” she said after the door had closed once more. “When they forced things in my veins. There was always a burn. My blood would feel like it was on fire.”
“More than likely that was your animal DNA trying to protect you from what they were doing. I know you haven’t shifted, but your animal is strong.”
“How do you know that?”
“You were able to mark your mate.” Tony nodded toward the spot at the base of Jonah’s neck.
The one she continued to bite into when they made love.
It was an urge she couldn’t resist. “You’re also still alive.
Looking through some of the tests sent to Talbot for review…
” He shook his head. “Some wouldn’t have survived, Bre.
It’s a testament to both you and your animal that you did. ”
“I feel her like a warm glow in my chest. I didn’t always. There were times when they managed to put her to sleep.” She’d hated those days. Hated not feeling that warmth.
“They tested several drugs on you that were created with the sole purpose of separating you from your cat. From what I’ve deciphered, some worked better than others, but none of them lasted long term.”
“Do you think I’ll ever fully link with her? That I might shift?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll do everything we can to help.
Kenzie is one of the members of the pride.
She was part of the military group that fought with your brothers under Tah, the pride’s alpha.
She was part of something Talbot coined the gestational trials.
Her mother was captured when she was pregnant.
Kenzie was cut from her mother’s womb, splayed open, and altered physically.
She was never able to shift but had all her animal senses intact.
Her lion began emerging when she mated Gabriel.
He’s a liger shifter. She was caught again and injected with a drug.
As fate would have it, it’s one of the same they tested on you.
It shut down her animal again. Not fully.
Just enough she wasn’t able to shift. She gave birth recently to a healthy baby, and the shifter pregnancy hormones actually gave her a boost. She was recently able to shift for the first time in her life. ”
“Pregnancy hormones?” Bre asked, flicking her gaze toward Jonah. Would he want to have children with her?
“Not something I’d suggest for you just yet,” Tony warned. “Though, it’s not anything we can control. Nature decides when the time is right. But I’d like to get some of these lingering drugs out of your system first.”
“Will the fact I’ve mated help?” she asked.
Jonah and Tony shared a look.
“I don’t know,” Tony finally answered. Then he glanced at Jonah as if to say the ball was in his court.
“If I were completely human, then probably not,” Jonah said.
“Are you a shifter?” She inhaled. He had a unique scent to him, but she didn’t sense a shifter.
“Not exactly, but I’m not all human, either. I think Tony can explain it better than me,” Jonah told her.
“I know you’ve seen Aleksy. Huge guy. His animal is a black liger.
He was given a lifesaving blood transfusion when he was a baby that included giving him panther blood.
His body reacted in a different way. His liger DNA mixed with the panther sent him into a primal state.
He stays there, though being around his mate does give him a sense of calm.
Still, his animal is always at the surface.
He’s learned to navigate it well. In the early days, I took a lot of blood and ran tests, trying to see if there was a way I could help him.
I couldn’t change his primal state, but I was able to create something to enhance his already heightened healing ability.
From that, I was able to use his blood to create a serum that allows a human to receive a boost in senses, strength, and healing.
Think of it as a shot that allows them to have increased hearing, sense of smell, sight, and strength that isn’t quite at the level of a shifter but far exceeds an ordinary person. ”
“You give that to all your people?” she asked.
“No,” Jonah answered. “Currently, only alpha team and with their full awareness and consent. We know what we’re signing up for. So, while my blood won’t help the way Kenzie’s mate’s did, it could do something. We’ll have to see. I’m sure Tony’s dying to find out.”
Tony laughed. “Yes, but I won’t do anything you don’t agree to.”
“I appreciate that,” Bre said. “I don’t know how to trust. With Jonah, it was instinctual.”
“He’s your mate,” Tony agreed. “Your animal knows that and accepts it without reservation. The rest of us have to earn it.”
“I want to trust you,” she admitted.
“I’ll do everything I can to earn that,” Tony assured her.
“Now, why don’t I leave the two of you alone for a bit.
Relax. The chair reclines, so you can sleep if you want.
There’s a blanket. The TV remote is by Jonah.
I’ll come back and check on you in an hour.
If you need me before then, Jonah can reach me by pressing a button on his watch. It links direct to me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She’d been so untrusting and afraid of him, but she was starting to believe she didn’t need to be.
“We’ll get you healthy and strong and back in fighting shape,” he promised. “We’ll also work on getting your memories back.”
“I have to remember,” Bre told them. “The dream I had when Jonah called you to our room. My mother told me I had to remember. That they needed me to remember. I still don’t know who they are, but I want to remember.”
“Rest. Relax. One day at a time,” Tony ordered. He patted her shoulder then stood. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
She waited until Tony left then turned to Jonah. “Do you think you can fit in this chair with me?”
He laughed then eased her into his arms, being careful of her IV. He sat down and settled her on his lap. He snagged the blanket and spread it over them before reclining the chair. Next, he grabbed the remote. In moments, he had the lights dimmed and soft music playing.
“Let’s get some rest,” he said, dropping a kiss on her temple.
She snuggled into him, closed her eyes, and realized there was something inside her that hadn’t been there in a long time. Hope.