Chapter 19
Cody wasn’t paying attention to his brother as Colton made out with his mate.
The sharp tang of cum hit his nostrils and he snorted in disgust. Not on the plane too!
It was bad enough in the Jeep but here? Cody swore to himself he would never behave this way if he ever found his mate.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? His recent trip to Seattle was great—lots of fun and sex—but afterwards he felt hollow.
That feeling was compounded daily every time he saw Jackson and Steel together.
Now one of the ‘Cocky C’s’ was mated so they were down to two.
Humph! Might as well be one. Carson was so deep into Dire Enterprises he might as well be mated.
Cody’s feeling of loneliness swelled, especially since his dream was so out of reach.
Sighing, he closed his eyes, hoping to grab a nap so he could forget his problems for a while.
~/~/~/~/~
Ducking his head into Jackson’s study, Carson asked, “Hey, are you coming? Zane said they already landed.”
“Yeah, go ahead. I’m coming.” Jackson looked down at his baby belly, sighed, stood, and then proceeded to waddle down the hall to the front door.
Steel would be surprised at his girth, because in the few days since he left for Mexico, their pup had put on a growth spurt.
Jackson was continuously hungry and at this rate, they’d have a 30 pound pup.
He was eager to see Colton just to make sure he was okay, even though Steel and Cody assured him he was.
But he had a hard time believing it after Dr. Luna described Colton’s injuries as “near death.” Giving permission for Ian to bite him sounded more like a “Hail Mary pass” than any expectation it would work.
I’ll believe it when I see it. If he had his way, none of his brothers would ever go anywhere again.
Yeah, right. Jackson knew his brothers wouldn’t agree with him.
And I don’t blame them. Nope, my brothers have the right to live their dreams. Steel better figure out a better way to protect them.
I’m not going through this shit again. Seeing Oracle and Maximus entering the great room, Jackson joined them on the way to greet everyone.
“Hi sweetie, you look great. How is my grandpup?” Oracle asked.
By this time, Jackson was huffing. “Fine, but I can’t believe I have another month to go.
I didn’t believe Colton when he told me how big I’d get.
And don’t even get me started on the amount of food I’m eating.
Poor Dakota, I’ll have to figure someway to pay him back for his work on keeping this pup fed. ”
“You don’t owe me anything, bro. This is my nephew you’re talking about who I’m feeding. So chillax,” Dakota said as he walked past them on the way to greet his brothers.
Jackson grinned at the man who filled the doorway.
He felt the pup’s heartbeat double time as he reacted to his other daddy’s presence.
For the first time since his mate left he was calm, deeply inhaling Steel’s unique scent.
Then before he waddled another step, his mate was in front of him, scooping him up in his arms and burying his face in Jackson’s neck.
His hands found Steel’s hair and pulled his mate’s face to his for a kiss.
All the love possessed by the two of them was conveyed in endless kisses.
Jackson only broke the connection when there was a collective clearing of throats.
Swiveling his head, Jackson’s eyes landed on Colton. He pushed against Steel’s chest, “Put me down, babe.” When he was standing on his feet, he held out his arms. “Welcome home, Colton. Am I ever glad to see you.”
Colton took his brother’s hands and looked at his baby belly. “Holy shit! What the hell are you feeding my nephew?” He pulled Jackson into a hug, trying to avoid the pup’s belly bump.
“Don’t I know it! You never told me I’d be this big. Colton, I’m waddling. ME! WADDLING! And I have another month to go. How big am I going to get?”
Laughing, Colton answered, “I think Oracle will have to answer that question. But seriously bro, how are you? Any problems?”
“Not now. But you better never pull another stunt like this. I don’t think I could take it.”
“No, that we can agree on. I’ve had enough adventure for a while. Thanks for sending the cavalry.”
Jackson saw Ian standing close to Colton. “Ian, welcome to the Blackwood Pack. And we owe you a big debt of gratitude…our brother’s life,” he said, taking one of Ian’s hands and pulling him into a side hug.
“Thanks.”
“Hey Jackson, if you really want to thank my mate, then how about letting me claim him properly. We can talk later.”
“Right. Ian’s on the first floor, so all of your stuff has already been moved there. We can get together tomorrow.”
Oracle spoke up, “Colton, may I have a word with you first?”
Colton looked at Ian who nodded and said, “I need a shower, so go ahead.”
Pulling Ian to him, Colton devoured his mouth with his tongue before slowly backing up and giving his pouty bottom lip a small nip. “Be there shortly.”
Colton watched Ian walk away before turning to Oracle. “Can we speak in private?” He had a pretty good idea what Oracle was going to talk about and the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to know.
After they were seated in Oracle’s sitting room, Colton waited for her to speak, trying to control wanton thoughts of his mate.
“Congratulations on your mating, Colton. I am quite fond of Ian and he has the same passion for medicine as you.”
“Thank you. If you don’t mind, could we get down to the reason why I’m here.”
“Of course. Do you remember anything while you were unconscious?”
“Are your referring to the angel who healed me?”
“Yes. Do you have any questions about the gift you received?”
“Yes. I’ll get to that in a minute. But, please understand this is the first and the last time I’ll speak about what happened to me.
My mate thinks he’s responsible for saving me and I won’t deprive him of that happiness.
Do you promise to keep this conversation confidential?
Telling no one…not even your husband, Steel or Jackson? ”
“If that is your wish, I promise. But may I ask why?”
“My mate feels so proud he saved me. But if he knew he wasn’t responsible, it would hurt him and I refuse to allow anything or anyone to inflict pain on him.”
“Fair enough. What are your questions about your gift?”
“How does my power work? As I understand it, I touch someone I want to help and think of the angel, is that correct?”
“Essentially, yes. The Fates gave you this gift because you have demonstrated purity of heart when you minister to those suffering, no matter who they are.”
“What did the angel mean when he said, ‘Use this gift to compliment your ability’? And this wasn’t the only time someone referred to my ‘ability’.”
“You are a natural healer.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you remember a patient called Miguel?”
Colton thought about the patients he met in Mexico. “He’s a Mexican Wolf shifter who was attacked. He was in the hospital because he had silver in his blood.”
“Did you examine him?”
“Yes.”
“How did you conduct the examination?”
“As I normally do. Why?”
“Before you examined Miguel, he could not shift because silver was still in his blood stream. You laid your hands on him, rubbing and caressing him while humming.”
“Yeah, I don’t remember the humming but I put my hands on his body. So what?”
“Colton, a natural healer can help any shifter who has a non-life-threatening injury without using drugs or other medical intervention. You are one. The Shaman knew this before your first birthday.”
“I don’t believe you. My father would’ve told me, or at least, my mother would’ve said something.”
“No, your father decreed everyone was forbidden to tell you including your mother and Jackson.”
“Jackson knew? Did all my brothers know what a freak I am?”
“A freak? Why do you consider yourself a freak?”
“How many natural healers are there in the world?”
“Not many, but just because they are rare does not make them freaks. Do you think Jackson is a freak? He is one of a kind.”
“No, no, no. I’m sorry. I misspoke. But why wasn’t I told? I feel like some kind of dirty little secret.”
“According to Jackson, after the Shaman told your parents, your mother insisted on secrecy. She knew your life would be in danger if word got out about your ability. Other than the Shaman and your parents, Jackson was the only person who was told and he honored your mother’s wishes until Ian arrived…
and it was discovered he was your mate.”
“But how did Pablo find out? When I was tied up, he told me about the auction and the big money bids that would be offered for me because of who I was.”
“Dr. Luna suspected what you were and it was confirmed when you healed Miguel. Pablo heard Slate and Dr. Luna talking about it afterwards.”
“So, who knows about my ability here?”
“Cody, Carson, Dakota and Zane.”
“What was said about me on the auction site? Did it give my name? Identify me as a natural healer?”
“Jackson can fill in those details. Why are you concerned about the auction?”
“I’m mated now and if I’m in danger then so is my mate. I’m trying to determine what the risks are.”
“I understand. I recommend you talk to Jackson and Steel about those concerns. What other questions do you have about your gift?”
“Am I an Alpha/Omega hybrid like Jackson?”
“No, you are not.”
“What is the extent of my power?”
“Archangel Raphael is the angel of healing. His presence is demonstrated by a tingling in the body and a bright green light. He will only appear after the gods have decided to answer someone’s prayer given in the name of a gravely sick or injured shifter.”