Figure of Speech (Halle Shifters) (10 page)

Julian opened his mouth, then closed it with a frown. “You know what? I’m not. It seems there’s more going on here than any of us thought, so I can’t say for sure. All I know is
I’ve
never heard of it.”

“Yet something else we need to look into.”

Julian nodded thoughtfully. “I agree. Add in the link Chloe and I share and you’ve got one hell of an unusual situation. Also, she can contact the spirit world in a way other shifters can’t, enabling her to talk to Fox the way I talk to Bear.”

“So I can’t talk to, say, Wolf?” And didn’t he feel odd even thinking about contacting some sort of shifter guardian spirit?

“Nope. Only Kermode can, or those who attempt to become Kermode through a changing or mating bite. Even then, the Bear doesn’t get the ability to speak to the spirits forever.”

“Wait.” Jim held up his hand, confused. “So when you turned Cyn, she was able to talk to Bear, but she can’t now.”

“Correct.”

“But Chloe can talk to Fox.” He wasn’t sure this made sense to him.

“Yes. One of the things she can do is spirit walk, so we’ve been working on making sure that she’s safe when she does so.”

“And that doesn’t seem odd to you at all?”

“I thought it was our link that allows it. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“What else does your link allow?”

“She can also talk to me in my head.” Julian stared him right in the eye. “She saved my life when Cyn was hurt. If Chloe hadn’t snapped me out of the healing spiral I would have died healing my mate.”

“Then explain to me the white fur.” Jim leaned his elbows on the table, his juice forgotten. “She was a red Fox before the accident. You healed her, and suddenly she’s a white Fox with the ability to contact the spirits.”

Julian blinked. “Yes,” he drawled.

“And you have a mind link, why?”

“To wake her from her coma, I had to travel into the spirit world and pull her back from death.”

Jim shivered. “Okay. So that’s how she got her link to the spirit world, but…why did her fur change color?”

Julian shook his head, frowning. “I have no idea.”

“Has this sort of thing happened before?” Because the mystery of Chloe’s fur might be why the Senate was so interested in his mate.

“I’m not certain. I don’t think it has. I know my leader, Tai Buchere, hasn’t heard anything about it. If anyone would know it would be him, but when I asked about it he was as mystified as we are.”

“Could the Senate know something we don’t?” Jim found himself staring at Chloe again, surrounded by Hunters and family. “If they’re after her because of the unusual fur change that at least gives us a half-assed reason they might want to study her.”

Julian cursed softly. “That does make a twisted sort of sense. But Francois’s orders were to bring her in dead or alive. How can they study her ability to access Fox if she’s dead?”

“Good question.” Jim picked up his juice and downed half of it in one gulp. “Maybe I’m on the wrong track, then. Maybe it has something to do with someone else in her family. Didn’t Francois say that he has orders to bring in Tabby as well?”

“So why not Glory or Cyn? If they’re after those two, why wouldn’t they want them as well? What’s different about both Tabby and Chloe?”

Julian eyed the people in the other room before leaning forward, speaking softly. “Gabe told Alex that there have been mysterious deaths among shifters who happen to be crossbreeds.”

“Like Chloe?”

Julian nodded. “And Tabby’s child.”

“Then there has to be a reason why.” Jim tapped his fingers on the bottle. “We need answers before one of the girls is seriously hurt.”

“We’ll need the help of the Hunters for that. Gabe, Ryan and Barney are on our side.”

“Maybe we can get Francois as well. I’m not sure he liked being lied to.”

Julian began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Maybe I should call some Coyotes for a visit, that’s all.”

Jim tilted his head. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Coyotes can sense lies.”

Oh. “Like Bears heal, Wolves have their Pack strength and Foxes hide their scent? That would come in handy.” If Francois was lying to them, a Coyote would be able to ferret that out in a heartbeat.

“The only way to trip up a Coyote is if the person they’re speaking to believes what they’re saying is the truth.”

“So if Francois is agreeing with us simply to get close to Chloe…” Jim grinned. “I like it.”

“I’ll give my friend a call. Maybe he’ll send his Omega for a little visit.”

And Jim knew enough about shifters now to know that an Omega could sense emotions. While the majority of Omegas could only sense the emotional well-being of their Pack or Pride mates, some Omegas were strong enough that, with some effort, they were able to sense the emotions of those who did not belong.

“We’ll need to let Max know a Coyote will be in his territory.” Julian grimaced. “I can’t wait to explain all of this to him.”

“Tell Emma.” Jim smirked. “Then
she
can tell Max.”

Julian grinned. “You’re evil. I like that about you.”

Chapter Ten

“Car.” The therapist pointed to her lips. “Ca-ca-ca-car.”

Chloe watched the way the woman’s lips moved and tried her best to imitate it, but her brain just couldn’t make the connection. “Bar.”

“Relax and try again. Ca-ca-ca-car. Car.”

Chloe frowned and licked her lips. “Ca-ar.”

“Good!” The therapist smiled. “Much better. Now, what do you put in the car?”

“Gas.” It sounded like a very stupid question, but the therapist wasn’t checking her intelligence. They both knew she could understand what was being said. She just didn’t speak what she wanted to say. Even in her own mind the words she spoke
sounded
correct, but weren’t. It was why she was still in speech therapy after almost a year.

“Excellent.” The therapist smiled, letting her know she’d spoken correctly. “Now. I want you to tell me where you would go in a car.”

“The breach.”

“Beach.”

Chloe made an exasperated face. So close, yet so far away. “B-each.”

“Good! Now, make sentences for me. Tell me how you’d get to the beach.”

“We get into the car and put on our treat belts.”

“Seat belts. Ss-ss-seat.” The therapist exaggerated her lip movements, hissing the
s
sounds out like a snake.

“Seat?” When the therapist nodded, Chloe grinned. “Seat belts and start the car.”

“All right. What next?”

“We start the car and put it in clive.”

The therapist blinked. “That would hurt.”

Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Drive, sweetie, not Clive. Clive might sue you if you put your car up his bum.”

Chloe giggled, the vision of some poor schlub named Clive having a VW Beetle-butt just too much for her.

“All right. Let’s start again.”

Chloe got her giggles under control and spoke slowly, focusing on the therapist’s lips. “We start the car and put it in drive.”

“And what directions do you use?”

Chloe described how to get to the beach, correcting herself when the therapist pointed out where she’d gone wrong. When she was done, she had a mild headache, but that was to be expected. She was attempting to retrain the language centers of her brain, but she hadn’t seen much improvement in the last few months.

“You’re doing well.” The therapist went through her notes. “You’ve improved a great deal since I first saw you.” She tapped the paperwork, lining it up together neatly before putting it in Chloe’s folder. “I don’t think you’re going to get much better, however. We need to discuss how you wish to proceed.”

Chloe grimaced. She’d been expecting this topic to come up sometime soon. “I know the insurance only covers one beer of—”

“Year. Y-y-year.”

“Y-ear. Of therapy.” She sat back, thinking. “Do you see my condition improving burger, or should I call this good?”

“I think, with continued therapy, you can improve slightly, but you’re always going to have problems. At this point, it is truly up to you, but you’d have to pay out of pocket and there are no guarantees you will get any better than you are now.” The therapist stared at her for a few moments before sighing. “Do you want my honest opinion?”

Chloe nodded.

“As much as I hate to say this, and as much as you’ve improved, I think you should take what you’ve got and run with it. The last two or three months I haven’t seen anything that would make me think you’ll get back to where you were pre-accident.”

Chloe tried to clench her left hand and failed. “I see.”

“I’m sorry. I can teach someone else some of the techniques we’ve been using, if you like. You can continue the lessons on your own with a partner. At this point it’s more a matter of exercising your brain, making the paths we’ve established stronger.”

“Tank you.” Chloe stood and held out her hand. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” The therapist’s face was filled with sympathy. “I wish I had better news for you.”

“It whiz what it is.” Chloe shrugged. “What are you gonna do?”

The therapist laughed. “I wish you the best, Chloe.”

“You too, Brenda.” Chloe picked up her purse and followed the therapist out of the tiny office, waving good-bye as she made her way into the reception area.

Chloe still had physical therapy and her sessions with both Sarah, the Halle Pride Omega, and Julian to get through this week, but for today she was done. She decided to head to Jim’s veterinary practice to say hello to everyone, but mostly to see her mate and let him know she’d been released from speech therapy.

Gods, her
mate
. Chloe shivered in delight. She’d finally claimed her man, and damn if she wasn’t thrilled about it. She could hardly wait to see him again, despite the fact that he’d left her bed at o’dark hundred to get to work, kissing her sweetly before departing for the day. They’d promised to see each other later that week, mostly because of Jim’s work hours and Spencer’s doctor’s appointments, but Chloe just couldn’t wait that long.

But first, she had to check in. She hopped into her car and dialed, turning the air conditioner up. It was damn hot today, and even in her tank top and shorts she was sweating like crazy. “Hey, dig brother.”

“Chloe, any trouble?”

She smiled. She knew what he was talking about. All of her relatives were on alert now, keeping an eye on her. The fact that she’d gone to the therapist alone was only because they all had to work, and she’d promised on pain of major guilting to call when she got there and when she left. “I’m done with speech therapy. She fez I’m as good as I’m going to get.”

“Damn.” Ryan sighed. “Are you on your way here?”

Here
was Cynful Tattoos, where Ryan was watching over his mate, Glory, while doing his own work in the break room. “Nope. I thought I’d drive over and visit Jim at the vet’s office, then head to the tattoo parlor. I want Tabby to work some more on my kitsune.”

“Call me when you get there.”

“And when I’m on my way. I promise, gig bro.”

She hung up after a brief good-bye and drove the short distance to Woods Veterinary Clinic, making a brief call to let Ryan know she’d arrived. She made her way inside, waving cheerfully at the vet tech manning the front desk. “Hey, Phil!”

The vet tech at the front desk grinned. Phil held the position Chloe had hoped to hold while she got her degree. “Chloe!”

They hugged each other over the counter amidst the sounds of barking, meowing and chirping. “Cow’s it going?”

“Good, you?” She crossed her eyes and blew a raspberry, making Phil laugh. “You here to see the doc?” She nodded, and he shot a guilty look toward the back offices. “I’m sorry, but I think he’s back there with his girlfriend.”

Chloe’s blood ran cold.

Girlfriend.

“You could come back later, maybe?”

Girlfriend?

“How about I buy you some lunch.” Phil stood, as if to come around the counter. “It’s almost time for my break anyway.”

Girlfriend?

Oh, hell to the no. Chloe snarled and darted past Phil toward the examination rooms, sniffing out her dog of a mate.

“Chloe!” She heard Phil coming after her, but there was no stopping her. She would find Jim, rip off his testicles and stuff them in a drawer for safekeeping. “Don’t go back there, you’ll get my ass fired!”

She could barely hear Phil over the rage boiling in her veins. How dare Jim tell Chloe he was too busy to see her, yet bring his freakin’
girlfriend
over for a visit?

Chloe finally found her mate. She threw open the examination room door to find Jim leaning over a labradoodle puppy that was whimpering in distress. Across the table from him was the woman Chloe had seen the night she’d gone to dinner with Ryan and Glory. The blonde’s hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, her startled gaze a brilliant blue. Her tight jeans and low-cut tank top displayed her ample assets.

The blonde scowled. “Who are you?”

Chloe was so pissed she could barely speak.

“That’s my fiancée, Irene. You’ll be seeing a lot of her.” Jim grinned at Chloe as if nothing was wrong. “Chloe Williams, meet Dr. Irene Boone.”

“Oh.” The scowl immediately left Irene’s face to be replaced with a friendly smile. “Hello, Chloe. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.

Chloe stared at it for a moment before taking it. While she still wanted to take a chunk out of the blonde, Jim introducing Chloe as his fiancée had gone a long way to soothing her Fox’s possessive streak. “Nice to beat you too.”

Behind her, poor Phil choked on a laugh. “Need anything, Doc?”

“Who’s manning the front desk?” Jim tilted his head, looking confused.

“Oh crap.” Phil took off, leaving Chloe alone with Dr. Irene Boone and Jim.

“This is the lady who’s taking over for my retired partner.” Jim smiled at Irene, and once more Chloe wanted to bite someone. She was still deciding which one of them when Jim continued. “What do you think of having her and her girlfriend over for dinner?”

Chloe blinked.

Girlfriend?

She opened her mouth, aware her face was once more turning beet red. “M’kay.”

Jim was obviously trying not to laugh. He must have known what was going through her head, because he winked at her. “Good. I think you and Valerie would get along like a house on fire.”

“My girl has a thing for redheads. She has a huge crush on
Dr. Who
’s Karen Gillan.” Irene laughed. “I swear, if I have to sit through that dinosaurs on a spaceship episode one more time…” She shook her head. “Anyway, we were thinking maybe this weekend we could all get together.”

Chloe nodded, embarrassed beyond belief. At least Jim didn’t seem upset by her behavior, busting in on them like a jealous idiot. “Sounds good.”

“Chloe? Could you come here for a moment?” Jim lifted one hand from the wiggly puppy and gestured toward Chloe. “Tell me what you feel.”

He took her hand and pressed her fingers gently on the puppy’s abdomen. The puppy reacted, trying to move away from the press of her hand.

Chloe frowned, concentrating as she palpated the puppy’s tummy. “Shh, it’s okay.” She pushed again, feeling along the pup’s stomach. “Too hold for roundworm. Diarrhea or vomiting?”

“Vomiting.”

“X-rays?”

“Haven’t done any yet. You’re thinking he swallowed something.”

Chloe nodded, ignoring the way Irene watched her work. “I can feel something.”

Jim nodded. “And this is why I still want you working here.” He glanced at Irene. “Let’s get this pup in for some pictures, hmm?”

Chloe took her hand away from the puppy, but didn’t let go of Jim just yet. “Rescue pup?”

“Sort of. He was found on the side of the road by Carla. She took him here, cleaned him up, and noticed he was having problems. We’re fixing him up and seeing if we can place him for adoption.”

“Me.” She petted the pup, who licked her hand almost desperately. She smiled as the puppy began to wag its tail.

“You sure?” Jim’s indulgent tone told her he wasn’t going to fight her too hard on this. She was pretty sure the vet didn’t currently have a dog or cat of his own. Most people who worked with animals had their own personal pets, and the clinic had one or two cats that lived onsite as well, but she hadn’t scented any animals on her mate other than the ones in the clinic.

“Mm-hmm.” She picked the pup up carefully, giggling as it licked her face.

“All right, Chloe. Take him back to X-ray.”

Chloe nodded and carried her newfound fur baby out of the exam room, happy as could be. Her mate did
not
have a girlfriend, and Chloe had a new puppy.

Life couldn’t get any better.

Irene watched Chloe go, humming softly under her breath. “Does she have her two-year degree?”

Jim was watching Chloe go as well. He hated to admit it, but he was probably watching for the same reason Irene was. “Yes, and stop looking at my woman’s ass.”

Irene laughed, the sound rich and low. “Valerie isn’t the only one with a thing for redheads.” She picked up the puppy’s chart, flipping through it lazily. “Seriously, though. You say she worked here as a vet assistant for a couple of years, right?”

“Up until her assault, yes.”

Irene followed him out of the exam room and down to his office, now their shared office. “And she’s familiar with the routine here and all of the equipment, so that’s a bonus.”

“You think we should get her certified as a tech?” Jim settled in his chair with a sigh. “God, my back hurts.”

“Perks of the job.” Irene sat across from him, wincing as she stretched. “She knows what she’s doing, and her communication skills aren’t
that
bad. We can compensate for her hand by having someone else assist in surgeries and keep her running X-rays, ultrasounds and labs.”

Jim loved the idea of having Chloe work with him now that they were mated. “It’s up to her, but I don’t see why it can’t work.”

“She’ll never be a full vet, but she can be one hell of a tech.” Irene winked. “Plus, she’ll pretty the place up.”

“I’m worried she won’t be able to get board certified because of her speech issues.” Jim sat back, trying to stretch the soreness from his shoulders. “And we’ll have to make sure the courses she’s taken will get her the degree she’ll need or see if she needs to take more classes.”

“Something we can talk about later. Maybe over dinner.” Irene stood. “So, you take your fiancée to lunch, I’ll deal with the puppy.”

“You sure?” But Jim was already standing, taking off his lab coat.

Irene laughed again. “Get outta here.” She wagged her finger at him. “But I expect you to do the same when Val pops in.”

“Deal.” Jim hurried toward the X-ray room, where Chloe was finishing up with the puppy. “Hey, you.”

She smiled. “Hey back.” She picked up the puppy, who continued to lavish Chloe with love and kisses. “Good boy.”

“Have you thought of a name?” Jim took the pup, smiling as it turned its affections on to him. It really was the sweetest little pup. No wonder his mate had fallen for it already.

“George.”

Jim laughed, totally getting why she’d picked the name. It seemed his mate was as big a Bugs Bunny fan as he was. “And I will hug him, and pet him—”