Chapter 47
When Aiden came across the image of Jamie being strapped to a surgical table, he thought for sure his mate would lose it and kill Terris. Jamie was so proud that Aiden was able to quickly set his anger aside and continue with their mission. It was imperative they both focus on what they could do instead of ruminating over what already happened. Sometimes, though, it was really hard. As he flipped through the folders in the second drawer of the cabinet, his chest tightened. It was as if he knew he’d find something really bad.
“Just keep moving forward. We need to help our friends,” his wolf said.
“Hey,” Aiden said.
“Yeah?”
“Did you find anything?”
“Nothing we haven’t seen yet. You?”
“No. More notes on patients, but nothing on wolf shifters. I’m seeing a lot of information on humans with cat shifter heritage that were unable to shift. Also, some smaller mammals, like badgers, fox, even raccoons.”
“Raccoon shifters, huh? I’ve never heard of that,” Jamie said.
“Me neither.”
Jamie finished another folder and shoved it back into the cabinet. He pulled a new one out, flipped it open, and gasped.
He was lying on a surgical gurney, his chest bare, his lower half covered with a blue surgical drape. There was a breathing tube sticking out of his mouth. His eyes were taped shut. There was a figure in surgical scrubs standing behind his head, probably an anesthesiologist. Another person dressed in scrubs was standing to one side of him, holding a bunch of wires and electrodes. Oh God! What did they do to him? He had no surgical scars that he knew of. Where were they putting those wires?
“What’s that?” Aiden was now standing next to him.
Jamie showed him the photo. “I don’t remember any of that.”
Aiden’s jaw tensed, but then he screwed up his face as if concentrating.
“What?” Jamie asked.
“Look. There’s someone watching the procedure,” Aiden said.
“What? Where?”
Aiden pointed to a fuzzy part of the picture. “There. See how the walls are all shiny silver? Look in the reflection of the wall. You see the gray hair? Looks like a tall man wearing a dark suit. That looks like—”
“Your dad!”
Immediately after Jamie spoke the words, the image disappeared from Aiden’s hand with a poof!
“What the hell?” Aiden asked.
Jamie turned to the next photo in the folder. It was a wider-shot image of Jamie on the operating room table. The reflection was there, too. Jamie pointed. “There! He’s in that one, too.”
Poof! The picture vanished from the folder.
Poof! The entire folder vanished.
Poof! The cabinet disappeared into thin air. Jamie and Aiden jumped back.
Poof! Poof! Poof! The three other cabinets disappeared from the room.
“This is what happened with that hyena shifter who died. It’s like his memories were being erased. Now it’s happening again,” Jamie said.
“What can we do?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t kn—”
“Guys, something’s happening,” Mac’s voice interrupted.
“Something’s happening in here, too. His memories are being wiped,” Jamie said.
“Leo’s vitals have gone crazy. He’s in distress. You need to get out now!”
“Take my hand,” Jamie said to Aiden.
Aiden placed his hand in Jamie’s. Jamie closed his eyes and extracted them from Terris’s mind.
Jamie blinked and saw that he was sitting on the sofa with Aiden on his left. Aiden was rubbing his eyes. Mac was trying to stabilize Terris. He was now lying on the other sofa, and she was kneeling on the floor next to him. One hand was on his forehead, and the other was on his chest. Warm orange light flowed from her hand to his body.
“Whoa, that was so wild,” Aiden said. “Does it always seem so real? Like you really feel like you’re in some office?”
“Yeah, for the most part. Sometimes it’s easier to get into someone’s mind than other times.”
Mac groaned and leaned away from Terris.
“Are you alright?” Jamie asked.
She rubbed her temple and grabbed her stethoscope. “Yeah, I think I have him stabilized. I just want to take some vitals.”
While Mac examined Terris, Jamie moved closer to Aiden. Aiden lifted his arm and tucked Jamie against his body. He leaned his head close to Jamie’s ear. “You know you’re amazing, right?”
Jamie scoffed. “So says the actual phoenix shifter.” He snuggled into Aiden and watched in silence as Mac worked. Minutes later, she stood and stretched at the waist.
“What do you need us to do?” Aiden asked.
Mac picked up a blanket from the back of the sofa and covered Terris with it. “Nothing.” She sat in the chair that Deacon had earlier vacated. “I’ve done all I can. His vitals are strong. We won’t know if he’s had any significant memory loss until he wakes up.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs. “So, are you guys going to tell me what you saw in there?”