I crossed the distance in three strides.“You look like shit.”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.His skin was clammy, and his breath came in shallow gasps that rattled in his chest.“Feel like it too.”His fingers trembled as he reached for another sack, but his grip faltered, the burlap sack falling to the ground.
I caught it and hefted it into the truck with more force than necessary.“When did this start?”
“Few days ago.”He leaned against the truck as he took in labored breaths.“Thought it was just a cold.”
I grabbed the next sack.The veins in his arms stood out too prominently, dark and snaking under his skin.Not a cold.Not allergies.Fuck.“You’re seeing Wu.”
Marshall’s laugh turned into another spasm.His shoulders shuddered violently as he braved another wretched coughing attack.“She’s got enough on her plate without—”
“Now.”I slammed the last sack into place and gripped his shoulder, steering him toward the clinic.His muscles burned under my palm, fever-hot.
He shook me off but didn’t resist, swaying slightly as he walked.“Since when do you play nursemaid?”
“Since you started sputtering like a busted tailpipe.”I kept pace beside him, close enough to catch him if he stumbled.“And if you collapse in front of the feed store, Boone, I’m not dragging your ass home.”
He chuckled, though it ended in a wheeze.“Wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing you, Your Highness.”
The scar burned hotter with every step.East wind.Poisoned water.
Sabrina’s silhouette appeared in the clinic doorway.She took one look at Marshall and held the door open wider.“Get him inside.”
Marshall tipped his hat at her with false cheer.“Evening, Doc.Hate to intrude.”
She cut him off with a pointed look at the sweat soaking his shirt.“Save the charm for when you’re not about to pass out.”
I lingered in the doorway as Sabrina began her examination.Her fingers were already on Marshall’s wrist, brow furrowed as she counted his pulse.Her gaze flicked to me, unreadable.“You staying?”
Marshall groaned, sinking onto the exam table.“He’s allergic to concern.”
“Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t scare the doc with your whining.”
Sabrina’s lips quirked as she reached for her stethoscope.“Too late for that.”
I stepped back, but didn’t leave, just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while she worked.My truck keys dug into my palm.Marshall’s rasping breaths filled the room, too loud, too wrong.
This wasn’t just one man.It was a warning.
And I’d be damned if I’d let this town burn on my watch.
Marshall’s labored breathing filled the small exam room, each inhale a battle against whatever was ravaging him from the inside.I’d known this man for a decade.Watched him wrestle bulls and survive a winter blizzard trapped in his truck.Nothing took Marshall Boone down.
Until now.
I studied Sabrina’s face as she worked, catching the way her lips pressed together in concentration.She knew.Without saying a word, she knew this wasn’t just a sick friend.This was the beginning of something worse.
The east wind carried more than just the scent of the mine tonight.It carried a threat of what was coming for all of us.
My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin.We had stumbled onto something dangerous, something that powerful people wanted kept secret.And in my experience, those kinds of secrets got people killed.
The phantom weight of responsibility settled across my shoulders.I’d chosen Angel Spring to escape my past.Now I would have to fight to protect its future.
Starting with the doctor who didn’t seem to understand she was walking into a war.
