Doctor Wolf’s Human Nurse (Fated To The Wolf #9)

10. Sawyer

10

Sawyer

T hat was the most intense sex I’ve ever had with a woman. She made me feel things that I’ve never felt before. We didn’t do anything different. It was actually mild compared to a couple of my experiences, but damn.

Sawyer’s arms were wrapped around Abby, holding her close to him. She let out a contented little sigh. Her face was against his chest and her arm was slung over his waist.

He searched for something to say, but couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound cliched.

Finally, he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Great. Better than great. You?”

“Pretty terrific. I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

She moved so that she was leaning on one elbow, looking at him with her head in her hand. “Because you’re big or because I was a virgin?”

He couldn’t stop the slow grin that covered his face. “Well, maybe a little of both.”

“No, and no. My body adjusted to yours. As to the second, well, I did feel a little bite for just a second, but then it was all over and I just felt… well… good.”

“I was hoping for better than just ‘well good,’ especially since it was your first time. A woman’s first time is supposed to be memorable.”

“I can write about it in my journal when I get home so that I can remember it,” she teased. “Isn’t it the same with men? Don’t you remember your first time?”

Sawyer nodded. “I think with most men it’s a rite of passage. They get their man card after they get laid the first time.”

“Interesting. Is it signed by the women they were with, to verify that the deed happened and that they performed like a man? Then, do they get a hole punch every time after they have sex with a woman?”

Sawyer laughed. “That’s an interesting concept.” He got serious and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “You didn’t tell me you were a virgin.”

“I didn’t have my virgin card with me,” she quipped. “Does it really matter? I wanted you. I needed you. It felt right. Don’t worry, I’m not a teenage girl who will suddenly expect a ring and all that. We’re just two people who got naked and did a thing.”

He made a sound that was a cross between a cough and a laugh. “Did a thing?”

“You know, a thing?”

He simply shook his head.

“Should I go into the guest bedroom to sleep? I know some men have a funny thing about actually sleeping with the women after the deed is done.”

Sawyer ran his hand over his face and groaned. “You make it sound like a chore that someone had to accomplish. No, you can stay with me tonight and snuggle – after we clean up and change the sheets. Unless, of course, you want to sleep in the wet spot.”

“Ewww, no thanks. They never talk about the wet spot in romance books. I didn’t even think of that.”

Sawyer just shook his head as the two of them rolled out of bed.

Later on, as he held the sleeping Abby, he couldn’t help but think about how good she felt in his arms. He inhaled, her scent filling him, making him feel a euphoric sensation he had never before experienced. A warmth settled inside of his soul. Sawyer knew that legends said this was a sign of fated mates, but he wasn’t ready to go there.

I just hope this doesn’t hurt our work relationship or our friendship.

Finally, he managed to drift off to sleep. He slept very deep because the next thing he remembered was the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen. She was singing as she cracked open eggs into the pan.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Agh,” she screamed, throwing the eggshell into the air.

She turned around and lightly punched him in the arm. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I guess it’s a good thing for you that I’m a doctor.” He laughed.

“Hmmph.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove as he bent down to pick up the pieces of eggshell.

A few minutes later, she put two medium fried eggs, two pieces of toast, and four pieces of bacon in front of him along with a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee.

“Yum. A woman after my own heart.”

She just smiled as she cooked her eggs.

Abby wasn’t acting like a woman who had just woken up in his bed. She acted like nothing at all had happened between them the night before. He honestly didn’t know how to take that.

There was one awkward moment when he finished breakfast. He looked over at her and their eyes locked. A million things were said between them through the looks. Then, she blushed and finished her breakfast.

Sawyer stood. “You cooked so I’ll do dishes.”

He gathered their plates, glasses, and silverware and put them in the dishwasher. “All done.”

“Cheater face. I think you should wash them by hand.”

“Maybe, but we don’t have time. I assume you want to go back to your place and change clothes before we go into the office?”

“It would probably be a good idea.”

Her eyes lingered on his face for a second and he thought she was going to say something. Instead, she shook her head slightly, grabbed her purse and bag, and left.

Abby’s scent hung in the air, making his heart beat faster and his stomach do flip flops.

I have to stay away from her if I want to maintain my sanity.

Sawyer got to work before any patients arrived. He continued to study the slides from Erin and Jarred. Even though the virus didn’t have a host, it continued to multiply. He studied it intently. Unfortunately, it didn’t give him answers. Most viruses didn’t have a cure and only some had some kind of treatment that could help relieve some of the symptoms.

Midmorning, a mother and her two younglings came into the office.

“Good morning, Elsbeth. What seems to be the problem?”

We can’t shift, the mother said, telepathically. Yesterday, we could shift just fine, but this morning, none of us could. My mate, who’s in the waiting room, is okay.

“You can talk in front of Abby. She knows about shifters and is aware of this problem. Can you tell me what you guys did yesterday?”

“I took the kids to the park. We were riding our bikes. After a while, we started to feel sick. We hurt all over so we went home. This morning, we felt better, but we couldn’t shift,” Elsbeth said.

Not wanting to ask a leading question or plant any suggestions, Abby asked, “Did you encounter anyone or anything strange yesterday.”

“Yeah,” the little girl spoke up. “There was a couple walking beside the lake. I thought that the man looked familiar, but I couldn’t be sure. Anyway, they sprayed something when we went by. It smelled awful.”

“What kind of spray was it? Did they have a spray bottle, like this?” Sawyer pulled a round bottle with a trigger spray out of the cabinet.

“It looked more like my inhaler,” said the boy. “I remember because I thought that maybe the woman had asthma, too, before she pressed down on the canister and we got sprayed.”

“I’m going to take some blood. Meanwhile, I was wondering if you would describe the spray and everything you can remember about it. I want to share your descriptions with some colleagues who might be able to help if that’s okay,” Sawyer said.

They nodded.

Abby took the blood while Sawyer pulled his phone out and hit the record button.

Elsbeth started. “The first thing that hit me was that it had a sharp, astringent smell like witch hazel or rubbing alcohol. It had some kind of earthy undertone that stuck to the back of my throat and made me gag. My eyes started to water.”

“Yeah, it also smelled like those cough drops that Mom makes me take when I get a sore throat,” Raina said.

Sawyer looked at Elsbeth. “She’s talking about eucalyptus.”

“Yeah, that.”

Elsbeth looked at the ceiling like she was trying to remember. “There was also a hint of sage and or maybe wormwood.”

“It was disgusting,” Taylor said, pinching his nose. “It seemed like the smells came separately, not all combined together, but they hit us fast.”

Elsbeth nodded. “He’s right. It was a series of smells instead of a combined smell.”

“That’s interesting,” Sawyer said. “Can you remember anything else?”

“The smells weren’t pure. It wasn’t just sage. There was something else mixed in. I can’t describe it.” Elsbeth hung her head.

“It’s okay. You’re doing fine. Let me go look at your blood samples. I’ll be right back.”

Sawyer went into the lab and looked at the slides under the microscope. It didn’t take him long to spot what he was looking for. He sat back in the chair, groaned, and ran his fingers through his hair.

Abby had followed him. “It’s the virus, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

They went back into the examination room.

“It seems that there is some kind of virus going around that is affecting shifters. Right now, I don’t have a treatment for it or a cure. I’m hoping that my colleagues can help. Don’t worry, though, we’ll get this figured out.”

Sawyer hoped that he sounded more confident than he felt.

Elsbeth nodded glumly.

Taylor burst into tears. “I want to shift. I don’t like this.”

“I know, Son, and I’m sorry. There are a lot of people working on it.”

“But there’s no promises that you can fix it,” Raina said, sniffing back her tears.

“No, but we’ll sure try. I promise you that. I’ll call you as soon as we figure anything out,” Sawyer promised.

He walked down the hall with them and told Cindy that there wouldn’t be a charge for this visit.

Sawyer went into his office and called Beth. “We have three more cases of the shifters who’ve been sprayed with something. I had them describe it and they gave me permission to share it with you.”

“Savvy, Taryn, and I have been trying to figure out what it could possibly be. Hold on a second. We’re at Rory and Savvy’s place. Let me put you on speaker so we all can hear it.”

Sawyer played the recording for them.

Taryn spoke slowly. “I’ve had a thought – more like a feeling really. Is it possible that the people making the virus got ahold of shifter DNA?”

Sawyer’s mind immediately flashed to the missing younglings. “Yes.”

“What are you thinking?” Beth asked.

“My gut says that they are twisting the DNA with chemical and natural substances, altering it. Wormwood, sage, and eucalyptus are all known to disrupt magic. They could add a chemical to them that would disrupt the shifters’ cellular structure.”

Sawyer closed his eyes. “Great. How do we combat this?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure something out,” Beth said. “Let’s just hope that it doesn’t permanently alter the shifter’s DNA so that they can’t ever be cured.”

“We’ll work fast,” Savvy said. “Hopefully, this particular virus isn’t contagious.”

“How are you and Abby doing?” Taryn asked.

Sawyer’s heart caught in his throat. “Fine. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. I’ll talk to you later.”

Sawyer could hear the amusement in her voice.

Everyone said their goodbyes and hung up.

For a minute he thought about Taryn’s question and wondered what she knew. She was possibly the most powerful witch on the continent and knew things that no one else in the world did.

He shook his head. I’ve got more important things to worry about than what a witch thinks about Abby and me.

Sawyer shot off a text, letting Zac, Matthias, and Lucious know about the new cases. His heart twisted at the thought that they might not be able to find a cure.