Heart's Desire

Chapter 3 - Monty

A muffled shout and a thump jolt me awake, and I bolt up from where I'd been sleeping on the couch.

For a heartbeat, I don't remember why I'm here, and not in my big, comfortable bed. Then I remember and stumble through the dark to my room.

Flicking on the light, I blink blearily and see my bed is empty and my 'guest' is gone. Then a slight sound draws my attention, and I find him huddled in the corner between my dresser and the wall, wrapped in a tangled blanket.

He's shaking so hard I hear his teeth chatter.

"Kit?" I cross the room in a few steps and kneel at his side. "What happened?"

He stares, but doesn't answer. His eyes are wide, wild, and have a glazed, unfocused look — like he's not really seeing me.

Struck by a thought, I reach to feel his brow, but he startles and cringes away, curling in on himself with a low whine.

"Hey, it's alright," I say, as soothingly as I can, like I'm talking to a small, frightened animal. "I won't hurt you. I'm Monty, remember? You're safe here."

He gives no sign he understands, but when I reach for him again, he lets me touch his forehead and the side of his face.

As I'd thought, he's burning up.

"You got a bad fever, Kit," I say softly, rubbing a hand over his bony, bare shoulders. "We gotta get you cool. I'm gonna help you, okay?"

He shivers violently, but offers no resistance as I scoop him up — blankets and all — and carry him back to bed.

I check the makeshift bandages I'd taped over his injuries, but see no sign of fresh bleeding. Then I sit beside him on the edge of the bed, rubbing my face as I try to clear the sleep from my brain and think of what to do.

Human medicine doesn't work well on Wolves, and our blood is different enough we can't risk going to a hospital. Wolves like me and Dane wouldn't need to anyway, usually, but slow healers like my brother Noah — and Kit, apparently — have to rely on 'alternative medicine.'

Fortunately, Dane's Pack is unusual in that not all its members are Wolves. Noah's mate is a man with a dragon's soul who can heal by touch, and Chloe — while not actually Pack — is a Shifter with a lot of knowledge of herbal remedies.

It's nearly three in the morning, though, and I don't want to bother either of them for anything less than a genuine emergency.

So instead I send a text to Dane, Chloe, and Ambrose asking them all to come as soon as they can, first thing in the morning, and then I get a bowl of water and some washcloths, and spend the rest of the night trying to keep Kit cool and comfortable.

He moans and mumbles, drifting in and out of consciousness, and I can feel the heat coming off his skin. By the time dawn breaks, his breath is shallow and ragged, his pulse flutters at the base of his throat, and he hasn't been conscious in a while. I'm relieved when, at last, I hear the rumble of engines and the crunch of gravel outside.

I answer the door, rubbing grit from my sleep-deprived eyes, and greet Dane, Noah, Chloe, and Ambrose at the door.

Ambrose, the dragon's son, is Noah's mate. He's tall, pale, and noble-looking, with long wavy red-brown hair, a Scottish accent, and an attitude that makes him seem like an arrogant ass until you get to know him.

He greets me with his usual sardonic smile and lifted brows, seemingly as amused as ever by my height (he'd burst out laughing the first time Noah introduced me as his brother).

Noah himself greets me with an expression of relief.

"Hey Monty, you okay?" he asks, checking me over with a quick glance.