Red chuckled. “No, but it helps to have an excuse sometimes. I guess you’re not the type of alpha that has trouble making his desires known.”
“When I see something beautiful, I have no trouble remarking on it,” I said honestly. “Whether it’s a piece of art, a scene in nature, or a person. But if it bothers you, I can cut back on the compliments.”
Red looked a little surprised, then his expression changed into something I couldn’t quite read. “That’s okay, I don’t mind,” he smiled.
“You sure?” The last thing I wanted to do was upset him.
Red smiled at me now. “Positive. Now instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself. You have a lot of healing to do.”
He was right about that. I attempted to lift my arm with a grimace, but the pain jolting up to my shoulder was too much to handle. I eased it back down and sighed. I hadn’t initially been in so much pain, but apparently that was just an appetizer for the things to come. As the days went by, it gradually worsened. Why’d the healing process have to be so annoying?
“When I get out of here, the first thing I’m going to do is fly straight up at the sun. But not too close,” I said with a wink to Red.
But he didn’t seem to share my humour. “You’re already thinking about that, huh?”
“Of course.” I puffed up my chest as much as possible, given that my entire body was sore. “It’s hard to keep any bird shifter down, but especially me. I can’t stand being in one place for too long.”
Red was staring at me with that unreadable expression again. “I see. Well then, let’s do all we can to get you better, shall we? Excuse me for a second.”
He slipped out of the alcove and I was left alone with the smelly bundle of herbs. As he left, I wondered if I’d said something wrong. He didn’t seem too happy with the thought of me leaving. Was he already attached to me? If it was any other person, that might’ve freaked me out, but for some reason I didn’t mind if it was him. He was a really cute guy, not to mention kind and compassionate. And with a man as handsome as me, it was easy to see why he might want me to stick around.
But I didn’t want to jerk him around either. I wasn’t that much of an asshole. As soon as he came back, I’d have to talk to him about my plans. I needed to soar the skies, to explore, to meet people. I’d only just earned my freedom and I had no intention of losing it so soon. As nice as he was, I had no intention of making this place my final landing.
Even if Red did make my heart pound a little faster when I looked at him.
To my relief, he returned a few moments later with another person. He was a young man with black hair and yellow eyes. Unlike Red, I could instantly tell he was an omega. But that wasn’t the most striking part about him. That went to the fact that there was a baby in his arms.
My heart melted instantly. My number one weakness.
“Orpheus, this is my friend Remington,” Red said. “He’s one of the pack members who went to the doctor. He’s gonna help you a little, if you’re okay with that.”
“Course. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.”
Remington kneeled beside me and picked up the herb bundle. Or he tried to when his baby giggled and snatched it out of his grip, and started waving it around like a toy. I started laughing and didn’t even care about the pain this time.
“Zak!” Remington gently pried the bundle from his baby’s hands. “Not a toy for little wolf sharks.”
I raised an eyebrow. That was the second mention of sharks around here. I snuck a glance at Red, who smiled and nodded. Guess he really wasn’t making it up after all.
“He’s part shark?” I asked.
“Yes, my alpha mate is a shark, but Zak can only shift into wolf form like I can. If you want to get technical about it, he is part water spirit.”
“Okay, now you’re screwing with me.”
Red laughed out loud. He was obviously enjoying my culture shock.
Remington raised the bundle of herbs and asked, “Do you want to learn about the whole damn family or do you want to heal first?”
I grinned. “Healing, please.”
Red sat cross-legged and scooted over to watch as Remington produced a heavy rock and began making a strong-smelling poultice with the herbs. Little Zak blew raspberries and frowned.
“Smells yucky, doesn’t it?” I asked him.
He replied by letting out a loud cry of complaint, then giggled. I laughed alongside him. I already liked Zak a lot. The kid had an attitude.
“I think he likes you,” Red said, smiling.
