“How is she?” I ask as I step inside.
“She’s still sleeping, but her wounds have healed. She reacted very well to my treatments,” he reports. “Better than most humans, honestly. She doesn’t have marks from where she was bitten. Not even a scar.”
“Really?” Hayden asks, looking at the ones on his skin. “Mine are healing, but I can still see them if I look closely.”
“You’re a centuries old wolf. Your skin has seen plenty of battles, and some of your scars have scars.” Morgan shrugs, leading us down the hallway. “She still has the resilience of youth, for a few more decades at least.”
“Centuries?” My eyebrows shoot up with surprise. I turn to look at Hayden, really look at him. He doesn’t look a day over thirty. “I knew you had been around for a while based on some of the things you’ve told me, but I didn’t realize it had beenthatlong.”
“Yes, my pack has suffered for a long time,” he says. “But that’s over now, thanks to you.”
“Are you still going to be this hot when I’m an old grandma?” I ask curiously.
“I don’t know,” he sighs. “One bridge at a time, Ansley.”
We step into Morgan’s infirmary, and the current bridge is on a table in front of us. Daisy. She looks so peaceful, like she’s enjoying the best sleep she’s ever had. Morgan has cleaned her up, in addition to treating her wounds. He even put a nice pink ribbon in her blonde hair. She willnotlike that.
“This will only take a moment. She’ll be a little groggy when she wakes up,” Morgan says, placing his hand on her head.
Morgan’s hand glows orange, the light getting brighter and brighter until it fades to nothing. He takes a step back, and for a few agonizing seconds, nothing happens. I start to get worried, squeezing Hayden’s hand.
Then Daisy’s eyes flutter open. I walk closer to the table, then freeze. My stomach drops. Something’s wrong.
Daisy’s eyes are supposed to be blue. The same bright, indigo blue I’ve known since we were kids. The blue I’d recognize anywhere, even in a crowd. I know those eyes better than I know my own. But the ones staring up at the ceiling right now aren’t blue. They’regreen.
“Ansley!” Daisy chirps, hopping out of bed and bouncing on her toes. “I was just having an awesome dream about you!” A brow rises, then she looks around, noticing Morgan and Hayden. “Wait, who the hell are you guys? Where the fuck am I?”
She looks like Daisy, sounds like Daisy. She still has the same mannerisms I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. I’m not sure why her eyes are different, but she’s still my best friend. I’m just glad she’s alive.
“Um, how much do you remember?” I ask cautiously.
“I went on a date with Xander last night, and uh, it was going well. He’s so freaking hot!” Daisy says excitedly, then the excitement fades, her brows knit, and she touches her neck. “Wait, I think he bit me. And not in a good way…”
“That wasn’t last night,” I say, moving closer to Daisy and taking her hand. “He kidnapped you and held you captive. You’ve been in a coma for three days.”
“What?” Daisy’s new green eyes flicker with concern, then she squeezes my hand. “Is Caddo okay!? Please tell me you fed him!”
Her eyes may be off, but she’s exactly the same. That alleviates some of my concern, but I still can’t help the worried knot in my stomach.
“Caddo’s fine,” I say. “He’s with your mom. She’s taking good care of him.”
“He’s going to be so freaking mad at me. I never got to the store to buy more cat food!” Daisy groans, then she looks around again. “Are you guys the cops? This doesn’t look like a hospital.”
“Right, this is Morgan,” I sigh, gesturing to the Witch Doctor. “He’s the one who treated you.”
“And him?” Daisy asks, looking Hayden over, a grin spreading across her face. “Hello, handsome.”
“His name is Hayden,” I say, a twinge of jealousy creeping in, which is a strange feeling for me. “Um, he’s with me. We rescued you.”
“We?” Daisy tilts her head slightly.
“There’s a lot to explain,” I explain. “But for now, you’re safe. Your injuries weren’t severe, but you did need a blood transfusion. Thank goodness I’m O negative, right?”
“I always said you’d be the one I came to if I ever needed blood,” Daisy says, looking herself over. “Um, if I needed a transfusion, where are the cuts? That asshole better not have raped me. I… I guess I’d be able to tell.”
“No sign of that,” Morgan says. “That’s not what he was after.”
“Great, I bet he robbed me then,” Daisy mutters. “Don’t suppose you found my phone or my purse?”
