22. Phil #2
Before I could offer that I was capable of doing that now and didn’t need help, Sedrick pushed away from the counter, went to the bathroom, and retrieved the cleaner, ointment, and fresh bandages. He nodded toward the couch and said, “Sit.”
I didn’t think about saying no. There was something in the way Sedrick said it, something that spoke to more than simply cleaning my wounds. It was as if this was necessary, that taking care of me was important on a level I didn’t understand.
Sedrick sat on the coffee table and guided my leg, planting my foot beside his hip.
He pushed up my loose, pink cotton pants.
My skin warmed. Sedrick’s movements were filled with tension, but he kept them gentle.
I still couldn’t believe he’d brought my pixie clothes instead of the t-shirts and jeans.
I’d spoken with Peaches several times, and all he’d said was that the choice had been Sedrick’s.
“These are looking good,” Sedrick said after he’d unwrapped the bandage from my right ankle. “The skin is mending. There’s still more bruising than I’d like.” Sedrick frowned.
“It’ll be gone within a week,” I reassured. “Pixies don’t heal as quickly as some species, but we do okay.”
Sedrick offered a lazy grin. “Of that, I’m exceedingly grateful.” Sedrick washed the wounds and skin and applied the ointment the healer had given him. He then re-bandaged the area. “At this rate, we’ll probably be able to do away with the bandages tomorrow.”
I agreed and allowed Sedrick to care for the other leg the same way.
Sedrick’s movements were methodical, and the more time passed, the more his body relaxed.
Just as I’d thought, caring for me soothed something deep inside him.
Maybe it was an alpha werewolf thing. Sedrick had said something about needing to care for others they considered part of their pack.
Sedrick had implied that Dillon viewed me as pack, but it was wishful thinking that Sedrick did too.
Sedrick’s touch prickled my skin and sent gooseflesh the length of my arms and legs.
My cock plumped, and I worried he’d be able to scent my arousal.
But I didn’t think Sedrick was getting the same feeling.
His motions were measured and full of care.
I let the moments pass, gritting my teeth and trying to fill my mind with unpleasant images that would curb my libido.
When he was on my last arm, Sedrick’s jaw tensed, and I was afraid he’d figured me out, that he was offended by my aroused state. When he told me what was on his mind, I wished it had been as simple as my embarrassed attraction.
“Titan Gladstone told me something interesting.” The avarice in Sedrick’s tone made me think that whatever Mr. Gladstone had said hadn’t been interesting in the amused fascination kind of way.
I bit my bottom lip and asked, “Is that what made you tense up out there? Dillon thought you were about to shift.”
Sedrick barked out a crass laugh. “Dillon’s got good instincts. A decade or two younger, I wouldn’t have been able to hold my shift back.”
Sedrick finished the last bandage and sat back before leaning his elbows on his knees. “There was a reason the gnomes were so numerous and aggressive.” Sedrick gritted his teeth so hard I was afraid he’d crack them.
I waited Sedrick out, quietly sitting where he’d placed me. That seemed important, to remain where Sedrick wanted me, where he thought I was safe.
“Passion weed.” Sedrick finally continued, the words laced with disgust. “Do you know what that is?”
I thought I’d heard of it, something Peaches had mentioned once. “Maybe, but I’m not sure how it’s important now.”
Sedrick grunted, his head hung low. Sedrick had thick hair, and I leaned forward and ran a hand through it, easing it away from his face. Instead of pulling away, Sedrick leaned into the touch and let loose a heavy sigh.
“Thanks, Phil.” The words were so soft I barely heard them.
Sedrick grabbed my hand and squeezed my fingers before he turned my hand over, exposing my wrist, and inhaled deeply.
He stayed like that for a few seconds, nose pressed into the pulse of my wrist. Finally, he pulled away but didn’t let go of my hand.
“Passion weed is a plant that has little effect on most species. Kind of like catmint is to felines. Canines couldn’t care less about it, but cats are different. ”
I nodded in understanding. “Kind of like pixie dust gives ogres a high but makes other species sneeze.”
Sedrick grinned. “Exactly like that. Passion weed is the gnome equivalent. It increases their sex drive and makes them more territorial and aggressive.”
“Oh, I . . . and that was growing in the garden?” That would explain a lot. Why there were more gnomes than usual and why they’d come all the way up to the house. It would also go a long way to explain why they’d risked bodily harm to cross the thorn barrier Peaches had made.
Sedrick growled and pulled away. He abruptly stood and paced the room, rolling his shoulders. Claws sprang from the tips of his fingers, and he gripped those fingers tightly into fists. I wasn’t sure how he kept from cutting his flesh.
“Sedrick?” I wasn’t sure what to do, how to calm him. Just a few minutes ago, he’d seemed better.
“It wasn’t growing in the garden, Phil.” The words were little more than a garbled growl.
I remained where I was, sitting on the couch Sedrick had directed me to. I tried to think of something to say, but it didn’t make sense. “But I thought—”
“The passion weed wasn’t fresh. It was dried, like you do with herbs, and thrown into the garden.
Passion weed needs warmer temperatures than what we generally have here in Virginia.
It grows in the tropics. Gnomes are problematic here, but in Mexico and Central America, they are downright invasive.
So much so that when passion weed is found, it’s rooted out or burned. ”
“Then how . . .” My mind tumbled through that bit of information. The fact it didn’t grow naturally around this area was probably why I only had a passing knowledge, a vague memory, of hearing the name before.
“ How indeed.” Sedrick turned, the brunt of his amber eyes boring into me. Sedrick’s wolf was riding him hard, begging to be let free. Sedrick growled low and bitter.
I swallowed hard, not out of fear of Sedrick but of the implications.
“Someone put it there? Someone intentionally doped your gnomes? But why? Why on earth would someone do that? It’s dangerous, and with Dillon and Ruthie here, they could have been hurt.
” I was outraged that someone would be that careless with Dillon’s and Ruthie’s lives.
My wings fluttered frantically, and I ignored the twinge of pain from the wing that was still healing.
Pixie dust filled the room in a pink haze.
“ Who is the million-dollar question, Phil. Who do you think would stoop so low as to do something like that?”
My wings stuttered to a stop. “But . . . they’re his grandchildren. He wouldn’t . . . I mean, would he really place their lives in jeopardy like that?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past Arie Belview.
” Sedrick paced again. “He knew I’d do anything, pay any price, to rid the house of the gnomes.
Maybe he thought it would bankrupt me, that I wouldn’t be able to afford a good fairy lawyer.
Maybe he plans on using it in the custody hearing.
Dangerous, aggressive gnomes in your backyard don’t make for a safe environment, even where were children are concerned. ”
Placing my head in my hands, I rubbed my forehead. A headache twinged at my temples. “Is there any way to prove it was him?”
Sedrick made a noise between a growl and a grunt.
“Of course not. Besides, most likely, it wasn’t him directly.
I’m sure he used an intermediary. I haven’t been out to the backyard frequently enough to know if there was an odd scent or not.
” Sedrick’s garbled growl turned into a whine.
His muscles flexed wildly beneath his clothes.
“Sedrick,” I kept my voice calm and even, “let it loose. Stop fighting your wolf.”
Sedrick dropped his head and gripped the fireplace mantle, leaving claw marks in the old wood. “Phil, you don’t—”
“I do. It’s a part of you and needs to be let out. You won’t hurt me, and I don’t mind. The children are asleep, and it’s just you and me. Let your wolf out. Let him see that we’re all safe.”
Sedrick stripped faster than anyone I’d seen. His shirt ripped, but he managed to keep his jeans intact. It wasn’t sexy. Sedrick wasn’t doing a strip tease for me. Sedrick’s human body morphed into a large wolf as soon as he was sans clothes. Its shoulders nearly reached the mantle.
Sedrick shook out his glossy, deep brown coat.
The color was so dark it was almost black.
Sedrick’s brown eyes glowed amber. Lips pulled back, gleaming white teeth caught in the firelight.
I stayed still and remained as nonthreatening as possible.
Sedrick paced toward me, nose out and sniffing wildly. He caught my scent and recognized me.
Every ounce of aggression leaked from Sedrick’s posture.
Leaping across the room, he nuzzled my chest and neck, snuffling and pulling my scent deeper into his lungs.
My heart raced, but I managed to remain calm and let the wolf check me out.
When it was satisfied, Sedrick’s large frame dropped to the floor, curling up in front of the couch, head nestled on his front paws.
Taking the cue, I followed suit, only I stayed on the couch. Shuffling its length, I stretched out on my belly, allowing my wings more room. Sedrick didn’t seem to mind that one of them draped over the edge of the couch and tickled his fur.
Night settled in, and we stayed like that. In his wolf form, Sedrick guarded me as I slept more soundly than I had in a very long time.