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“Hell it is,” Flint said, perching on the arm of the couch after distributing the cups.“She’s an outsider.”
“But our insider isn’t doing us much good,” I argued.“Dr.Barnes is stumped.And his options for input are limited, because it’s not like he can include ‘shapeshifter’ as a comorbidity when he consults other doctors.”
“Shapeshifter,” Edie said softly.She was sitting beside me on the couch, her hands wrapped around her coffee cup like it was an anchor.“Do you think your illness is related to your…ability?”
“It’s hard to say,” Mom said.She sipped her herbal tea and looked longingly at the coffee.“We haven’t been able to pinpoint what is causing this.”
“And what is this, exactly?”
“Fatigue, weakness, general lack of energy.I feel like I’ve been thrown from a horse, most days,” she said.
Edie pushed her glasses up her nose.“Do you know what sort of tests your doctor has run?”
“I’ve got it all written down,” Dominic said, patting his pocket.“I can show you.”
“Hang on, I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”Mom said.“Jasper, I don’t appreciate being steamrolled like this.”
“It wasn’t like I planned this,” I said.“Edie came out here all on her own.”
“I wanted answers.”She looked around at all our faces, then back down at her cup.“I didn’t expect to get them so fast.”
“So, you just decided on the fly.You acted without consulting me,” my mother said.
“It wasn’t so much a decision as a reaction.”My head was still spinning from the kiss.My mother could clearly see it on my face, because her expression softened as she looked at Edie.Her eldest son had just found his mate.“I saw a solution.I made it happen.”
“Well, now you’ve chosen for everyone, haven’t you?”Flint said.“Including this doctor.Now that you fucking transformed in front of her, does she really have any choice?”
“I prefer for you to speaktome, rather thanaboutme.Even if you’re right,“ Edie said primly to Flint.She sat up straight.“Jasper, I don’t appreciate your assumption that I’ll just fall in line with this plan.I’m not prepared to take on the responsibility of being your mother’s doctor.I’m not qualified--”
I’d let my family sidetrack me.Edie was the one who needed to be convinced to stay.“There’s no one more qualified,” I said.“You’re a doctor, and you have your father’s research about shifters.I bet you’ve gone through most of it already, haven’t you?”
“Not in depth,” she said.“Besides, I’m only here a couple of days.”
“You can stay here until the end of the season on us.It’s fine,” I said, holding up my hands to stem the simultaneous protests from Mom and Flint.“I do the books, remember?It’s fine.It’s a small price to pay, really, for an expert opinion.”
Flint threw up his hands.“I thought we were supposed to be increasing revenue, not giving cabins away for free.”
“As if you give a damn about keeping us in the black.”
“Boys,” Dominic said mildly.
Flint subsided, seething.Stick to the plan, I reminded myself.“Edie, did you have any other concerns?”
“Uh, yeah,” she said.“It’s not ethical--”
“I don’t think ethics classes cover this kind of situation,” I said.I had anticipated her protests and prepared my arguments, and now I was dealing them out like cards.“Besides, what do they say about helping someone who desperately needs it?”
“Don’t guilt the girl, Jasper,” Mom said.“This isn’t her responsibility.Besides, I haven’t agreed.”
“But you will,” said Dominic said, sipping his coffee, “You’re too smart to let your pride keep you from seizing an opportunity.”
“Don’t manipulate me with flattery,” Mom said, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Fine, I’ll be blunt,” Dominic said.“If we don’t find out what is wrong with you, someone will challenge you for Alpha and you will lose.Anyone could take this from you—from us.Everything you’ve worked for could disappear overnight, and your family would be scattered.So don’t pretend that you’re annoyed at the boy for offering you the help you need.”
They stared at each other, the silence ringing in our ears.
Edie cleared her throat.“I think I need some time.You’re all a little ...overwhelming,” she said, looking at the bodies filling her cabin.Most of them had been strangers less than an hour ago.“I’ll be honest, this wasn’t what I had in mind.I just wanted to see this place for myself and get at look at you all from a distance.I wasn’t planning on getting intertwined.”
