Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
ZANDER
I caught Reid before he hit the ground. His eyelashes fanned over pale cheeks and he didn’t stir as I carried him to the bed.
The scent of burning flesh filled my nostrils and I scanned his body, bile searing the back of my throat when I realized the cuffs had burned him. The skin around them was red and inflamed.
Oh, Gods.
I’d put those on him.
It was my fault he was hurt. I hadn’t known this would happen, but it was clear he’d been afraid of them and I’d slapped them on regardless, more concerned about the rest of us than about his well-being.
What the hell kind of mate was I?
I touched the cuffs and carefully eased them off each wrist, revealing angry, weeping sores beneath. My gut twisted and I breathed through my mouth.
If I had to smell the damage I’d done to him, I’d puke.
“Is he okay?” Milo asked worriedly.
“He needs medical attention. Momma, can you call Dr. Black?” I arranged Reid so that he’d be more comfortable. “He needs to be healed.”
Fuck, Reid wasn’t a shifter. He didn’t have shifter healing. His wrists might scar from this.
I’d never forgive myself if he was forced to endure a permanent sign that I’d let him down. Every time he looked at them, the scars would serve as a reminder that I hadn’t protected him as a mate should.
I gazed intently at Reid’s face as Momma stepped away. His eyes were still closed and he showed no signs of waking. I had to assume his magic had surged within him because he’d been upset and that was what had caused the cuffs to react so badly.
I’d heard that untrained warlocks could be dangerous because their magic responded instinctively to their emotions, but they were usually taught to manage it soon after their magic manifested. Had that not been the case with Reid, or had the stress of everything he’d endured overcome his training?
“He’s not waking up,” Milo said, echoing my own concern. “Why isn’t he waking up?”
Dad appeared in the doorway and a growl tore from my throat. My eyes changed as my bear surfaced and fur rippled over my skin.
“Stay back,” I rasped.
He held out his hands, placating. “I’m not going to hurt him. I just want to help.”
I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t handle any other alphas around my mate right now, not even Dad. “Can you get a drink for him? He might be thirsty when he wakes.”
Because he would wake. I wouldn’t accept any other option. We’d only just met. I wasn’t about to lose him.
“Be right back.”
Something else occurred to me. Or rather, someone.
The baby.
Could this have endangered them?
Terror gripped me but I shook it off. I refused to allow anything to happen to this baby. They would be fine and so would Reid.
“Zander.” Dad was in the doorway again. “I have a glass of water and Dr. Black is here. Can he come in?”
“Yes,” I ground out, even though my bear wanted to keep all alphas away from our mate and cradle him until all was well again. Reid needed medical attention, which meant I had to get over my misplaced possessive bullshit. “Milo, can you stay?”
Having another omega present might help soothe my ragged emotions.
“Of course.” He scooted around Reid so that he was squished between my mate and the wall, out of the way of everyone else.
Dr. Black edged past Dad, taking the glass of water from him. He padded slowly into the room, giving me time to adjust to his presence. He was large and took up a lot of space, but he was doing his best to seem nonthreatening and that helped, as did Milo’s calming presence.
“What happened?” he asked, setting the glass of water on the nightstand and keeping a distance of a few feet from my mate.
“Reid panicked about something. I think he felt threatened.” Although I wasn’t sure why. “My best guess is that his magic tried to protect him but it couldn’t because of the cuffs, and when they reacted to his magic, they burned him and he passed out.”
Dr. Black leaned toward Reid. “May I move closer?”
“Yes.” I backed up, giving him access to Reid, but I didn’t leave my mate. I didn’t think I could let him go even if I wanted to.
Milo didn’t move either. He took Reid’s limp hand, providing silent support.
“Those are nasty wounds,” Dr. Black said as he took one of Reid’s wrists and carefully examined the damage. “I have a healing salve from Li that will speed recovery, but it will still take time.”
“Will it scar?” I asked roughly.
“Most likely. Unless you mate him and he’s able to access your internal healing magic. I’m not certain precisely how warlock-shifter mating bonds work.”
I grimaced. I certainly wasn’t about to suggest that option to Reid. I didn’t want him to scar, but it would be worse to push him to do something he was absolutely terrified of.
Dr. Black smoothed his hand over Reid’s forehead. “He’s drained. Exhausted. I have a tonic that will wake him, but I want to bandage his wrists first.”
“What about the baby?”
“Baby?” Dr. Black sniffed and one of his eyebrows flew up. “He’s pregnant?”
“By that piece of trash.”
The doctor ran his hand over Reid’s abdomen and closed his eyes, his forehead furrowing as he concentrated. “As far as I can tell, the baby is unaffected. Its heartbeat is regular and I can’t sense anything out of the ordinary.”
“Thank the Gods,” Milo breathed.
“I’ll want to do a full assessment of the pregnancy in a week or two to be certain,” he continued, “but I doubt there’s anything to worry about.
The baby possesses its own magic, which likely protected it.
In fact, it’s possible that the baby’s magic hid its presence from me while he was at the clinic. ”
“It’s a warlock?” I asked, unable to help myself. I wanted to know everything about the tiny life-form inside Reid.
“And a shifter.” Dr. Black smiled. “It’s possible to be both, although it’s rare. This baby will be quite powerful. Now, let me put the salve on.”
He left the room and returned a moment later with a small case. He opened it, withdrew a glass jar filled with translucent white salve, and dipped his finger in. He dabbed the salve onto Reid’s left wrist and then his right. When Reid whimpered, a growl tore through me.
“Be careful with that,” I hissed.
“My apologies.” He continued applying the salve, his touch even softer than before. When he finished, he wrapped a bandage around each wrist and taped them in place, then he pulled a small glass vial from the case, twisted the top off it, and held it to Reid’s lips.
As soon as he emptied the liquid into Reid’s mouth, Reid bolted upright, his eyes wide. He flinched away from Dr. Black and shuffled until his back hit the wall beside Milo. He was huddled in the corner farthest from everyone else. He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
“I didn’t mean to,” he whispered, ducking his head as if expecting a blow. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”
Gods, did he really think we’d punish him?
The breath left me in a whoosh as I remembered that we had hurt him. Inadvertently, but still.
“It’s okay,” Milo murmured, staying close but not touching him. “You’re okay.”
Reid made himself even smaller and a wave of nausea rolled through me. I hated seeing him like this. It was so much better when he was prickly. At least then I didn’t have to witness my mate brought so low.
“It was an accident,” he said.
I dropped to my knees on the floor, hoping the subservient position would help him feel safe. “We know. You were scared.”
I didn’t understand why, but I’d do everything in my power to stop him from ever feeling such terror again.
His eyes were wild, the whites showing. “Did I hurt anyone?”
“No. We’re all unharmed.”
His hands went to his stomach. “What about my baby?”
“They’re okay,” Dr. Black assured him.
A shaky breath rattled between his lips and some of the tension eased from his body.
“No one was hurt,” he said as if he was reassuring himself. “Thank the Gods. I swear, I didn’t mean to.”
Behind me, Momma’s breath caught on a sob.
“No one blames you.” I clenched my fists, desperate to tug him into my arms even though I knew that laying a finger on him would only make this worse.
Dad backed out of the room, his footsteps retreating alongside Momma’s.
“Would you like me to leave?” Milo asked, glancing at the door uncertainly.
“No!” Reid grasped his shirt. “Please don’t go.”
My heart throbbed, threatening to tear itself in two. I was glad that Milo being here helped reassure him but hated that he’d been taught to fear alphas so strongly.
“All right.” Milo settled beside him, adjusting his position to get more comfortable with his pregnant belly. “I’ll stay right here.”
“Thank you.” Reid rocked back and forth then looked down at his wrists. “What happened?”
“The cuffs burned you. I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “Please don’t call my parents.”
Shit. I didn’t know what to say here. I wanted to assure him that no one would do anything he didn’t want, but if he was letting shame or guilt keep him from his family then I didn’t want to encourage that.
“Personally, I think your family would be grateful to hear you’re alive. We don’t need to ask them to come for you, but wouldn’t it be nice to let them know that they don’t have to worry? I’m sure they’ve been concerned for you.”
Reid’s teeth sank into his lower lip. “Please don’t. They aren’t… I mean, my family…” He trailed off helplessly. “Please just don’t go looking for my family.”
My gut twisted as his words sank in. “If you say no, then we’ll respect that.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, barely audible. “Do I have to put the cuffs back on?”
“No!” The exclamation burst from me instinctively. I meant it though. I didn’t know how we’d make sure he didn’t pose a threat to anyone else, but I refused to allow my mate to be hurt like that again.
“I agree.” Dr. Black sat back on his heels. He’d been so quiet I’d almost forgotten he was there. “As I’ve already told Zander, your baby seems to be functioning normally, but it would be ideal if we could avoid putting any extra stress on your body.”
“I won’t attack anyone.” Reid lifted his head slightly and grimaced. “Not intentionally, anyway.”
“We know you won’t,” Milo assured him, narrowing his eyes at Dr. Black and me as if daring us to disagree.
“I actually have an idea where that’s concerned,” Dr. Black said. “I’ve been doing some research because I knew the cuffs weren’t a long-term solution. Have you ever heard of an honesty oath?”
Reid frowned. “No. What’s that?”
Dr. Black cleared his throat. “It’s a reasonably basic spell.” He turned to me. “How much do you know about warlock magic?”
“Not a lot,” I admitted. That would have to change now that I had Reid in my life.
“Would you like a basic rundown?”
“Yes, please.”
He nodded. “Okay, then. So, every warlock possesses a certain amount of inherent magic inside them. Some have a lot. Others have so little it’s barely perceptible. The types of magic they can do vary depending on how much magic they have access to.”
“Okay, I’m with you so far.”
Reid also seemed to be listening closely, which interested me. Surely he knew all of this.
“All warlocks, even those with hardly any magic, can draw and use magic circles—although the weaker warlocks will often invite stronger ones to bolster their efforts. Magic circles are complex, and minor differences in the symbols used can create massive differences in the outcome or intention of the circle.”
“So, people have to be careful with them?” Milo asked. “In case they get them wrong?”
“Exactly. Warlocks can study for years or even decades to master them. Many of the more dedicated practitioners are those with less inherent magic because the use of complex magic circles can even the playing field against less knowledgeable but more powerful warlocks, at least to a certain extent.”
At this, Reid made a sound of distress, but when I glanced at him, he was looking down, his lips pressed firmly together.
Dr. Black also cast a concerned glance at Reid but went on.
“Most warlocks can also use basic spells such as the honesty oath. These are generally verbal and sometimes include physical components. Then there are larger spells, such as large-scale warding, battle magic, or long-range seeking spells. Only those with more inherent magic can do them.”
“I’ve seen seeking magic used before.” Although not often. The Paranormal Bureau of Investigation, or PBI, employed many warlocks who specialized in tracking spells.
Dr. Black inclined his head in acknowledgement. “The most powerful warlocks—those with the largest reservoir of internal magic—can use magic intuitively. They can direct energy and the magical forces of the universe without the need for circles or spells. Isn’t that right, Reid?”
“Sure,” Reid agreed, but the way he’d blanked his features made me wary. I got the impression that this conversation made him uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help but wonder where he fell on this warlock power hierarchy.
“Anyway, back to the oath.” Dr. Black smiled.
“As I said, it falls under the umbrella of basic spells. Essentially, a warlock uses their power to bind themself to an oath. Whatever the oath, the power ensures that it’s fulfilled.
So, say, if Reid promises under oath not to harm any resident of Grizzly Ridge, he’s bound to keep that promise because of the backlash from the spell. ”
“What kind of backlash?” I didn’t like the idea of putting him at further risk.
“It depends on the oath, but often the warlock will state up front what the consequences will be and they have to go into it with an honest mind. If they have bad intentions, the magic senses that and won’t bind the contract.”
I hesitated. “Let’s talk this over with Dad and Momma.”
It was a good idea, but it had complications. We’d have to ensure the consequences of breaking the oath were severe enough to stop Reid from doing so while also not risking his life.