Page 32 of Hunter

“Like magick?” Hunter raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I just thought if it could heal skin that quickly…” She sighed.

“You asked for demon help?” he asked.

“No way,” she protested, her voice raised at the prospect. “But I did alter it. I used my blood.” Willa cringed, guilt settling in her gut. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Wolf blood doesn’t heal humans,” Hunter challenged. “Vampire blood can for minor things, but you know they’d never allow that shit to go viral.”

“I know. It’s my blood…I don’t want to get into it right now.” It’s different. “The bottom line is that it worked a little too well. It’s not like I showed or even told anyone. No one but my friend, Janet. I only told her about the plant. She worked at the University in New Orleans.”

“Wolf?”

“No. She’s human. I met her at a conference. We attended a stem cell seminar together. I think something happened to her. She wasn’t responding before I was kidnapped. Since I’ve been out of Hell, I haven’t tried to contact her. It doesn’t really matter because she didn’t have the formula I used.”

“You think she has something to do with the wolves attacking you?”

“I don’t really know. I don’t think so. But I do know that someone found out.”

“Is it possible she told a pharmaceutical company? There could be big money in it. You know they’re dippin’ their fingers into the Hell fountain. Look at the kind of shit they do to the humans. Some of it’s not so great. Many humans die because they can’t even afford half the shit they sell.”

“I don’t know. When I talked to Janet, she wasn’t all that impressed with what I told her. You know how scientists are. If you haven’t studied it, proven it, it doesn’t even exist. She didn’t have any samples.”

“Who else knows about this plant?” Hunter asked.

“Only one person from the village knew about the serum. Yoselin, my nurse. But there’s no way she’d tell anyone. My memory is fuzzy, but she died that night. Before they shoved me into the portal, she came running out of the house. Screaming that others had been killed. When she went to help me, they ripped her throat out.”

“You sure she’s the only person who knew?”

“I had no choice. I couldn’t let her die.”

“Who?”

“Fatima. She’s only five years old. Just the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen. She’d been out playing and fell onto a machete that’d been accidentally left in a field. The wound to her leg was severe. With the amount of blood loss…”

“You used the plant on her?”

“Yes,” she admitted. Her voice wavered as she continued. “But not just the plant extract. It wouldn’t have been enough to save her. I knew it wouldn’t be. You have to understand. She would have died.”

“What did you do?” Unlike vampires, wolves didn’t possess the ability to save humans. Although she’d denied asking demons for favors, he suspected she’d engaged in some sort of dark magick.

“I’d experimented.” Willa bit her lip and rolled to her side, still holding Hunter’s hand. “My blood.”

“Your blood? You’re not a vampire.”

“No. But I’m not like other wolves. I told you. My blood is special.”

“Willa. Wolves don’t heal humans. Sometimes we can help heal other wolves, but never humans.” Tainted. Viktor’s comments echoed in his mind, but he refused to believe she was demon.

Willa moved to sit up but didn’t release her hand. His arousal heightened as she placed her palm to his chest, gently guiding him onto his back. Hunter made no move to cover his nude body as she knelt next to him.

“Well, this has taken a turn for the better.” Hunter flashed her a sexy smile. “But wolves still don’t heal humans.”

“My blood is special.”

“You are special,” Hunter told her. He couldn’t deny the attraction to the creature he’d saved from Hell. His wolf urged him to take her, but he slammed down the instinct, focusing on her full lips as she spoke.

“I’m wolf. But my blood…it’s different. You can feel me.”