Peder clutched the child closer to his chest and scooted out from between them. He passed behind Lailanie and gave Susan what she could only call a what-the-fuck-are-you-doing look.
Diplomacy was not one of Susan’s character flaws. When she spoke, she was to the point. She left the fancy words to her managers or, in some cases, her lawyers. People could never guess what she was thinking, so why let them?
“Are you a healer?” Lailanie glared at her.
“Not exactly. I understand things differently, though, and might be able to help.” If she started talking about little creatures they couldn’t see called microscopic organisms that made people sick, who knew how they’d react? Maybe burn her at the stake. Also, the amount of knowledge she divulged could affect their society and their future. Where did she draw the line?
The policy she’d drawn up with Technocon and her assistants, if DOUG ever worked, included a no-interference clause. They would use the technology to study societies, not change them. When the military took over, this policy was one of the reasons she’d destroyed her life’s work. Yet here she sat, breaking her own rules. She’d designed them as a scientist though, not someone desperate to survive in a new world. This was home now, and her idealism didn’t fit.
“If you’re not a trained healer, then stay away from my fam—” Lailanie’s murderous stare slid from Susan and locked on something behind her.
She twisted around—not something, but someone.
Sorin.
Dirt-smudged and sweaty, he led a small band of males to a dark corner of the cavern where they lifted two cloth-shrouded bodies.
Susan became lightheaded and released the breath she’d been holding.
Grim-faced, Sorin carried the smaller corpse by himself and marched out of the cavern without even a glance in her direction.
Bowing her head over the cool pot of water, Lailanie remained silent as Peder gestured at Susan to join him.
Without a second thought, she jumped at the offer. She wouldn’t make any headway with Lailanie. That shifter had hated her before they’d met, and Susan didn’t fool herself into thinking her personality would win the female over.
Lailanie refused her help but it wouldn’t stop Susan. She’d dealt with bigger obstacles than a sharp-clawed werewolf. Sort of. She swallowed around a lump in her throat.
Racing to Peder, Susan took measure of the situation. Everyone not ill, aside from Lailanie, gathered and left the cavern. “Where are we going?”
She and Peder followed the others before he whispered, “To bury our dead. An older couple, they always loved taking care of the pups while the hunters left the den.” His voice cracked. “Marta always had an encouraging word for me, especially when Sorin’s father was the pack alpha.” If Peder bowed his head any farther, he’d dig his chin into his chest.
Susan laced her fingers into Peder’s. “I’m sorry.” Coming from a small family, no one close to her had died. Her grandparents, parents and friends all still lived so she’d never really experienced grief. Not the way Peder sounded or the way Sorin looked.
They left the den by the gates and followed a trail ascending the hill to a moonlit glade. The pack surrounded open, unmarked graves.
Sorin knelt by a hole in the ground as he gingerly placed a kiss on Marta’s cold, pale forehead. “This is for all the sweets you snuck me from the kitchen and the kisses you gave my many scrapes.” He settled her at the bottom of the grave with the aide of another shifter and took the time to tuck her in properly before attending the male’s body and repeating the kiss. “This is for standing between me and my father that time the beating went too far.”
That time… which meant there’d been many. The violence in this world would kill Susan. She knew it.
And Sorin. The notion of some awful father hurting him as a child—it—it boiled her blood. She wanted to find a big stick and beat the bastard.
Surrounded by his pack, Sorin still appeared alone, isolated. No one touched or comforted him like they did each other. Hell, she held Peder’s hand and had only known him a day. These were his people, his family—someone should hug him.
After Sorin placed the body in the grave, others paid their respects with whispered words. These were good people they buried today.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears.
Their alpha receded from the gathering. Shoulders hunched, he observed each person as if it would be the last time he’d see any of them.
Heartsick, Susan marched over and threw her arms around his waist and hugged him close. No different than riding his back, except he wasn’t in feral form and smelled of hard work. She stepped back, stunned by the sudden tingles running through her arms.
Blinking, he stared at her. He hadn’t hugged her back and only looked confused by her bumbling human attempt at comfort.
She ran her hands over her arms to soothe her tingling nerves, trying to forget how solid he felt. “Can we talk?”
He nodded and led her along the path to the den.
Alone with him, she found her words fleeting. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“They were old and it was their time. I’m just glad they went together.” Sorin stared ahead, watching the forest.
“Umm, yeah. There are a few changes I’d like to make when taking care of the sick. I spoke with Lailanie.”
“What changes are needed?” He spoke with a hollow voice.
“To stop the spread of disease, we’ll start with handwashing with soap while taking care of the sick.”
“We’re not a wealthy pack, and soap is an expensive commodity to barter for.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “How does that help?”
“The illness can spread by getting it on your hands. Washing with soap kills it.” Soap was hard to come by?
“If it’s that important, maybe we can do some trade. A few pelts are cured. I can send someone with them to a vampire outpost. They should be worth a little soap. Anything else?”
Trade, bartering—these concepts were so foreign to Susan she didn’t even know how to respond. “Lailanie explained that shifters heal better when they’re close?”
“Pack energy.”
“Fine, but those who aren’t ill shouldn’t be in that bed. We should also narrow down who is helping with the sick to lessen the spread.”
Sorin nodded but appeared dazed.
“Hey.” She took his huge hand in hers. His pain transcended what she could comprehend. Hugs wouldn’t make him any better but a cure for his pack would.
He dragged his gaze across the trees. “How many more will I lose?”
Chapter Sixteen
Benic snapped his horse’s reins as soon as he was out of the shifter forest and continued on his journey home. If only he could run the distance to the castle instead of riding an inferior beast. Vampires were built for speed, not endurance.
He’d lost interest in studying blood years ago but the appearance of the blue light and Susan had rekindled the passion. Benic touched the vial of her blood in his pocket to reassure himself it was still present. Ahote had almost crushed it while handling him in the tunnels. What a stroke of bad luck to come across those two.
He had just regained consciousness not long before, outside his secret exit, when they found him in the maze. Only his quick wits kept Kele from finding out the whole truth. That one was too smart for her own good.
She had to be suspicious of the events leading to Sorin and Susan’s escape. Why else question him? He’d given her all truthful answers though. Omitting information was the only lie a shifter couldn’t detect.