She reached out over to one enormous paw, and it twitched under her fingers, as if Col knew it was her.
She looked up at the crunch on the gravel where Billy Bob’s body—or what remained of Billy Bob — had been. Miller had arrived, and he nodded at Lily. He was throwing a tarp over Billy Bob’s remains. Good. Lily guessed that he would do the same for Jordy’s, and she fought down the gorge in her throat.
The silver wolf had been moved closer to Col, and Merek was now kneeling in between the two wolves. He looked at Lily. “You must needs move away for now, so that I may draw upon theWar Packto aid healing for these twoWaryeors.”
Lily instantly withdrew her hand from Col’s fur, and scrambled to get back to the children, who were mercifully still unconscious and breathing. She gathered them up against her shaking body, her eyes still frantic and on Col.
Tybalt’s voice rang out.
“Do it.”
Merek stretched out his arms over the two wolves and closed his eyes. Tybalt and Barric circled, keeping watch to avoid any other surprises. She remembered Col telling her about Merek being best able to channel healing energy from the others, and directing it where needed. And from where Lily sat, huddled with the two kids, she could feel the spread of a warming glow, as if there were a bonfire where Merek was.
Despite the summer heat, this glow felt comforting, soothing.
Healing.
The two kids beneath her arms stirred, and Lily heard gentle snores from each. She was certain that they would recover. The healing energy that was emanating from Merek was affecting the three of them too.
Now it was about Col and Aylwyn, and if that healing energy would be enough for them. She didn’t know how many times Aylwyn had been shot, but Col was already severely wounded before he took that bullet in the chest at close proximity.
In human form, which she remembered was more vulnerable than their wolf form. She kissed the tops of Brady’s and Clover’s heads, praying that Col and Aylwyn would open their eyes any second, jump to their feet and be as they were before the events of this afternoon. Was it too greedy to ask? She would ask anyway. She prayed even harder.
She’d do whatever it took. She was in love with him, something that she realized, and accepted, earlier when she thought she might never see him again.
But was it too late?
A movement caught her eye. It was Merek, lowering his arms, rising to his feet. The two wolves looked as if they were peacefully sleeping on the ground, their chests rising and falling with steady breaths.
Miller stood beside Tybalt, and together with Barric they all waited to hear what Merek would say.
Merek looked at her, but said for all to hear, “In their wolf forms, the healing is apace. It may take overnight, but bothWaryeorsshall be fit to fight whence the sun rises once more.”
“Thank God!” Lily exclaimed, her body limp with relief.
He would be fine! And whatever happened between them — they’d deal with that in the morning. But he would recover, and right this minute, that was all she wanted.
Barric then burst out laughing. “Good timing, Simon. You have arrived just in time to clean up the blood.”
Merek smirked. “Trouble finding parking?”
But the bespectacled man didn’t answer, shuffling like one drunk into Lily’s view. He dropped his hand from his chest, and Lily screamed.
There, in the center of his grey tee shirt was a red splotch, spreading fast.
Simon’s eyes rolled up, and he dropped to the ground in front of Lily.
