“Good job, Mother,” Anthony praised.
“Thank you.” Her bright smile reminded Kat of Anthony’s. She pressed a hand to Rance’s forehead. Golden light shone between her fingers. Soon after, she snatched her hand back and tilted Rance’s body toward her.
“I wonder how he got burned,” Hallea mused. “The Sacred Grove has rune wards to prevent fire. He should’ve been safe.”
“There are many ways to get around runes,” Anthony reminded her. “And he might not have been at home when injured.”
“That’s true,” she agreed.
Kat stood on his tiptoes to look over Silver’s shoulder and gasped at the sight. Burns covered the dryad’s back in a ruinous line of destruction. His flesh bubbled crisply, and a good chunk of it had charred off, leaving a broad, oozing wound an inch wide and at least four inches long.
Kat bit his lip at the gruesome sight, trying not to cry in sympathy. That had to hurt. He ran through healing options in his head. He might not want to be the pack healer, but he wouldn’t leave an innocent child injured. “I have some burn salve in my bag,” he offered.
“Will it help with this?” Hallea pointed to the wound.
“It should. I made it when the guys thought that flamethrower tag sounded like a great idea. Luckily, it was a short-lived game.”
He saw Anthony mouth the words ‘flamethrower tag’ to Silver as they exchanged bewildered looks.
“I know. They’re idiots, but I still have some of the salve left over.” He picked up his bag from the floor and dug through it. “I should have my medical kit in here,” he muttered, searching for the white bag with the red cross. It was a habit to always carry it with him. Having emergency supplies saved more than one mountain lion. He idly wondered how they were coping without a healer on hand. Shaking his head, he brutally dismissed his worry. Their health stopped being his problem when they were willing to sacrifice him to the wizards.
Kat suspected Konnar, his previous Alpha, hadn’t understood how often his clan needed Kat’s help. When the next idiot required medical care, they would have to recruit outside the family. No one else had bothered to learn healing.
He finally latched onto the kit when he was about to wonder if he’d forgotten his medical supplies at his old house. Pulling it out, he ignored the looks the others gave his perfectly normal medical kit. He unzipped the sides and flipped it open.
“Wow.” Anthony’s surprised voice had Kat glancing over at him.
“What?”
“That’s probably the most complete first aid kit I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks.” Kat couldn’t help but smile proudly as he located the tin of burn cream. “Here you go.” He handed it over to Hallea. “Just a little bit across each burn. Apply it twice daily. I also have some light gauze to cover the wound.”
“Thank you.” She opened the tin and sniffed. “Lavender?”
“Yes.”
“Nice. I can usually make wounds disappear magically, but burns are tricky.” She tested the salve on two minor burns and smiled at the results. “This stuff is great.”
“Thank you. I always think that just because it’s medicinal, it doesn’t have to smell bad.”
“Will it scar?” Silver asked, a curious expression on his face.
“It shouldn’t, but everyone heals differently.” It wouldn’t leave scars on a shifter, but Kat had no experience with other species.
“Dr. Winslow is out of town until Friday, so any help you can give is appreciated,” Silver said. “Do we have anyone this kid can stay with? We need someone to watch him until he wakes up and tell us what happened.”
“Usually, I’d say Dare, but he and Steven are out of town until tomorrow.” Anthony folded his arms.
“I can!” Kat offered.
Anthony turned to him. “Are you sure? You just moved in, and I gave you a big job.”
“I can do it after. I have an extra room, and I don’t currently have any other duties. Besides, he probably won’t be unconscious much longer, right?” he asked Hallea, who nodded.
“Other than his burns, he’s magically depleted. I cured the minor lung damage from the smoke.” She handed back the tin. “If you could continue to apply the balm, there isn’t anything else to do until he wakes.”
“If you give me your number, I can call you when he gains consciousness.” Kat wanted to help this poor kid, and for once, he was able to assist. Besides, Silver and Anthony had full-time jobs and a pack to run, and it never hurts to be on the good side of the ones in charge.
