Chapter 61 : A Visit From the Doctor
Mila's lips were soft and plush, like a feather pillow. Her warm mouth pressed against mine, sending tingles through
my face, my lips stinging pleasantly. I slipped my tongue between her lips, opening her up.
My tongue rolled over hers, tasting her sweet, freshness, like a splash of water in the desert or the sweet nectar
from a honeysuckle.
Mila moaned lightly and started to kiss me back. She leaned closer and I slipped an arm around her waist, pulling
her against me.
Her body formed to mine; her lips moved hungrily against my mouth. I felt the quickness of her breathing as her
breasts rose and fell against me.
The few times we'd been intimate, one or both of us had been mildly intoxicated. There was some kind of mind-
altering substance involved… even if it was heavy emotions making us feel a strong need for comfort.
This time… there was nothing but the pure desire to be closer to her.
I put my other arm around her, encouraged by her positive, eager response to my kiss. She was so soft and pliable
in my arms and she looped her arms around my neck, sliding against me. I hooked my hands under the hem of her
shirt and started pulling it up, my fingertips brushing against her back.
Mila trembled and gasped.
My ears perked up as I heard heavy footsteps approaching. They were getting closer to the tent. I knew I should
have pulled away from Mila but I wasn't ready to. My body ached pleasantly with the need to feel her against me.
Everyone else could wait. All I cared about right now was feeling her body against mine and tasting her sweet,
delicious lips.
I ran my hands up and down her sides, causing her to shiver and cling to me tighter. A small gasp escaped her lips
and my pants tightened pleasantly.
“Eh-hem,"
Mila squeaked and pulled away from me. I grinned at her bright red cheeks as she stood from the cot.
Lee stood at the doorway of the tent. I nodded to him and he just stood there, frozen.
“I'll umm… be outside," Mila said. She giggled nervously and scurried out of the tent.
Lee's eyes trailed after Mila and then snapped back to me. “Did you call me here just to watch you make out?"
I smirked and chuckled.
Lee rolled his eyes. “Be honest with me, Soren, did you get wounded because of her?"
I studied Lee for a moment. It hadn't made sense to me why he had been wary of her when I first met her. Now, I
knew that he'd recognized her from the start, and it was her pack's past that worried him.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“You're wary of her because she was Kaleb and Jessica Hathaway's daughter?" I asked.
Lee grunted and stared at me.
“You know who she is now… then you should understand how dangerous it is to be with Mila," he told me.
“I'm not sure I'd call it dangerous," I said, sighing.
“Seriously? Previously, people were coming after her secretly, more covertly. They didn't want others to know and
to draw attention to themselves. Now, everyone knows about her and they are openly looking for her! They are all
waiting for her to get the artifact to snatch her and the power," he explained.
“I'm aware of that, so what?"
“That girl is surrounded by chaos! It is only going to get worse from here on out. You've spent years building our
base and we were finally able to settle down. Getting involved with this girl could ruin that… Why would you want
that?" he asked, crossing his arms.
“Um… Lee-"
He held a hand up. “Let me finish. What's even crazier is that some crazy ass bastard is claiming to have an artifact
that will control all other artifacts. That f*****g liar is going to set the entire world on fire, just like fourteen years
ago!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. “Lee, Lee, that f*****g liar is me."
Lee stared at me, jaw dropped open.
“Are you f*****g losing your mind!?" he shouted.
I gave him a look and he quickly covered his mouth. For a moment, we sat in silence and I let the truth of what I
said wash over Lee.
“I'm the one that spread the news of the artifact. I wanted to muddy the waters," I told him.
“Why?" Lee asked. “Because of her?"
“Because the world is at risk of bursting into flames again and I want to keep the waters as muddy as possible so
the flames can't burn through. The more packs I've got running in circles, the less likely they are to implode," I
explained.
“Ahh…" Lee shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“You should know by now that I always have a plan, despite how crazy it seems," I said.
Lee nodded. “It's not my place, Boss, but I hope you know what you're doing."
“I do," I assured with a nod. “I did this out of necessity. That's all you need to know."
Lee fumed for a few more minutes. He raised his arms and let them instantly drop to his sides. For a while, he
looked around the tent, like he couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he grabbed his medical bag.
“So… are you here to treat me or scold me?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. “Can you tell me what's happening to
my wounds?"
Lee moved to my leg. He pulled the fresh bandage that Mila had wrapped off and studied the wounds. His lips
turned down in the same frown that Mila wore every time she checked it.
“Someone treated this?" he asked.
“Yes. I was given an herbal poultice that stopped the bleeding," I confirmed.
“What were your other symptoms?" he asked, snapping open his medical kit. He put gloves on and poked at the
wound.
The skin wasn't tender anymore but the cuts were still sensitive.
“It made me weak, feverish, and lethargic. Initially, the wound wouldn't stop bleeding. The poultice sucked the
poison out and the bleeding stopped but that was where the good news stopped," I explained quickly.
“It is a good thing you received treatment when you did. Otherwise, it would have taken more than the nine lives of
a cat to save you," Lee said. His tone was joking but I could tell he was serious.
“You're exaggerating. It can't be that bad," I said.
“Hmph. I'm not," he assured, shaking his head.
“Lee, how are things going with you?" I asked, feeling the need to check in with him while he checked over my
wound.
Lee sighed and shook his head. He wouldn't look me in the face, just focused on his work.
“When I got there, it was too late. I missed him again…"
“Next time," I said.
“Hmm…"
Lee wasn't listening to me. Something in his tone worried me.
“What?" I asked.
“These cuts are… interesting. Who treated your injuries?
The tent flap opened as if on queue, and Ashley, Payne, Mila, and Eros walked in. Suddenly, it became very crowded
and tight in the tent. The temperature rose with all the body heat and I felt like I was being suffocated suddenly.
“I treated the wound, why?" Eros asked, grinning warmly.
I was still trying to figure that guy out. He seemed warm and friendly, but Mila was right, I needed to be cautious of
him.
Lee looked at Eros and then back at me. I nodded in confirmation that Eros was the one who treated me.
Lee scoffed and crossed his arms. “I don't know what you used to treat him, but it wasn't the right remedy." His
voice was matter of fact and firm, like he was offering a lesson of wisdom.
“But it stopped the bleeding," Eros said, his smile fading slightly.
“It did stop the bleeding but it counteracted his natural healing process. The wounds haven't been able to heal," Lee
pointed out.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEros gave a sheepish smile. “Well, I am just a healer in training. It is a good thing you arrived so you could show me
the error in my ways. I'm sorry that I made a mistake…"
He looked around apologetically. Eros's lips twitched and I wasn't sure if he was trying to smile or trying not to smile.
“I'm sorry Soren," he added.
I looked him over and determined that he wasn't showing signs of nervousness. He didn't appear to be worried, like
he'd been caught in a nefarious plan. Either, he really was sorry and feeling guilty or he was a very, very good
actor.
For the time being, I swallowed my suspicions.
“Lee, thank you. What can you do for me?" I asked.
“I've got an ointment that can kickstart your natural healing abilities. It will be slower than normal but it will heal just
fine," Lee explained.
He started digging around in his bag for the ointment.
“Mila, where do we go from here? Where is our next stop?" I asked her.
She glanced at Eros and gave me a strange look. I held her gaze. There was a reason I asked the question in front
of Eros. I wanted to watch his every reaction.
Mila frowned at me and didn't answer right away.
I nodded subtly to her, encouraging her to answer honestly.
“Carno pack," she said, as vaguely and non-descript as possible.
I looked back at Eros. He didn't seem to care what Mila was saying, and I wasn't even sure he was listening.
Lee slathered the ointment on my leg and rebandaged my wounds.
I hissed at the sting of the ointment. It cooled quickly and I could feel it sinking into the wounds. All the tiny needle
pricks felt instant relief from the pain and discomfort I didn't even realize I was feeling.
“Thank you again, Lee," I said.
“You still have some healing to do," Lee warned me.
“And I will rest today and tonight. Tomorrow, we should see some improvement and we can continue on our
journey," I suggested.
“Sounds good," Ashley agreed. She headed out of the tent. Eros and Payne left shortly after.
I lay back on the pillows and sighed, settling down for another nap. Having an injury was a good excuse to catch up
on sleep.
Opening one eye, I saw Lee and Mila still standing by the tent door.
“Is there something I can help you with?" Lee asked as he packed up his medical bag.
She waited until he headed out of the tent and she followed him closely. I strained my ears to listen to them.
“Dr. Lee, do you have a minute?" she asked him.