Shit.
Were we in danger?
I looked at Dax, but he was staring down the alpha male. Neither of them said anything, and my stomach clenched as the men stared lasers at each other.
The alpha female stood up, grabbing a briefcase of supplies that she had apparently brought in with her. I had been hidden behind Dax, so I didn’t really see much when they were at the door.
“I’ll need quite a bit of blood, so you’ll likely be tired after this,” the alpha female explained quickly, as she set the briefcase down on the couch and opened it up. “You’ll heal and recover from the blood loss quickly though; a twenty-minute nap should be more than enough time to get you back in top shape.”
I bit my lip.
As far as I knew, werewolves healed almost instantly; how much blood was she taking from me if it was going to be twenty minutes to recover from it?
Dax’s arm tightened around me, and he pulled me closer, hugging me against his chest. “There’s not a fucking chance you need that much blood.”
The main alpha’s eyes narrowed, and I got the feeling that shit was going to hit the fan if I didn’t speak up. So I blurted, “It’s fine, I’ll be fine.”
Dax shot me a warning look, but the main alpha gave me an approving one I didn’t much like.
To stop a fight though, I’d speak out again in a heartbeat.
Dax seemed like he was a second away from hauling ass out of his seat and throwing a punch at the main alpha, so I slipped up onto his lap before I gave the lady my arm. She cleaned the area, and I bit my lip, turning to focus on Dax as I took his hand and squeezed it hard.
He held on to me tightly as the needle slipped into my arm, and his forehead met the side of my head as I started to get a bit queasy.
Getting my blood drawn had never agreed with my stomach.
When I started to get dizzy, the woman finally paused, and wrapped a bandage around my arm. Then, she stepped over to the other one.
“Need a minute,” I wheezed.
“Here.” The alpha female handed me a packet of cookies and a bottle of apple juice from inside her briefcase.
The gesture surprised me. “Thanks.”
She dipped her head.
Maybe these people weren’t complete bastards after all.
When I’d downed the cookies and the apple juice, she started again on my other arm. I very nearly passed out that time, but Dax’s hands were on my hips, nudging me and massaging and reminding me that I was fine.
He didn’t sound happy about it, but I appreciated it anyway.
When she was finally done, I leaned my back against Dax’s chest, my head flopping backward to rest against his shoulder. His arms wrapped possessively around my front, holding me securely against him.
The witchy dude strolled over, and said, “The magic will feel foreign, like your wolf does. Don’t fight it; let it wash over you. I’m only checking how the curse is embedded in you and whether or not your body is still fighting it.”
Well shit, that didn’t sound good.
What if I was still fighting it?
I knew werewolfism was a curse, but one that the witches couldn’t remove now that it had been settled in for so long or something. Lizzy and I had never been taught the details, considering what all had gone down so soon after Lizzy met SD. I was pretty sure Elliot was filling her in on all the shit we didn’t know, but she and I hadn’t seen each other nearly as much as we used to now that we lived separately and she was mated.
“Okay.” I nodded weakly.
Dax’s arms tightened around me.
I was pretty sure if the witch dude asked him to let go, we would have a problem.
But luckily, the witch guy kept his mouth shut about the way Dax was holding me. His eyes closed, and I watched closely for any sign of magic sparkles or anything.
Nope, nothing.
An uncomfortable feeling did slide through me, though—and I felt it the moment the magic slipped into my mind. It didn’t press against my body, like my wolf did when she was breaking free, but it was uncomfortable and felt wrong.
The witch guy kept his eyes closed, and mumbled words I didn’t understand to himself as the magic continued to roll through me.
Dax’s arms only grew tighter as he continued.
A few more moments passed, and then my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I passed out.