Bear Necessities by Dana Marie Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

was amazing she’d
lingered as long as she had.
    He
owed Julian for giving him the opportunity to say goodbye.
    Just
as Bunny opened his mouth to thank the other Bear, the strangest thing
happened. Julian took a deep breath, focused, and his hair turned pure white.
    And
then the real healing began.
    Julian
mended the broken bones, repaired the severed blood vessels, healed the damage
to her skull. The fluid pouring into her cranial cavity was causing pressure
her fragile brain wouldn’t be able to tolerate. Julian drained it off
efficiently and moved on to the next wound. Bunny could tell there was
something wrong there, in the soft tissues of her brain, but he didn’t possess
the knowledge to figure out what it was. He was pulled along in Julian’s wake,
helpless to do anything but watch and marvel.
    Bunny
was stunned at the strength the other Bear possessed. Julian poured his energy
into Chloe, revitalized flagging organs and sped the beat of her heart once all
of the blood vessels had been properly repaired. He left enough outer damage
that the paramedics would not be too suspicious of what had happened here this
night.
    He
wouldn’t have much time when he was done. Bunny could sense the fatigue that
pulled at the other Bear, trying to make him sloppy in his healing, but Julian
pushed through. His healing remained precise, catching even the tiniest details
of the internal damage Chloe had suffered. Bunny offered his strength, letting
Julian pull on him to complete what Bunny knew was impossible. It wouldn’t be
enough to keep the Bear on his feet more than five minutes, ten tops when they
were done, but he would survive, thanks to the strength Bunny lent him. Bunny
knew that Julian’s selfless act would have ended his life. The man had to have
known it before he even started.
    Bunny
owed him, big time.
    Another
source of energy poured into him. Alien, feminine, it wrapped around him,
scented by wild forests and the feel of soft paws on leaves. The howl of a
wolf, barely heard, the pull of the moon on a four-limbed body told him whose
energy filled him. Savage strength held in check by a heart too big for its
frame coursed through him, leaving him dizzy and so aroused he almost lost the
spiraling tendrils of the healing path. Tabby lent them her strength, using the
bare beginnings of their mate bond to channel her energy through Bunny to
Julian and ultimately to Chloe.
    That
added strength allowed him to help Julian finish healing Chloe. Julian pulled
back and released his hold on Bunny, his hair turning dark once more. Bunny
watched the white fade from Julian’s hair until not a pearly strand was left.
Julian was visibly shaking, deep dark circles under his eyes, but when he
lifted his face, his expression was serene. “I’ve done all I can, and it wasn’t
enough.”
    And
then he collapsed like a broken puppet. Bunny barely stopped his head from
cracking on the street.
    “Shit.”
The blond doctor was suddenly there, concern in every line of his body. “I was
afraid of this.”
    “What’s
this? He’s exhausted, isn’t he?” Both men turned and stared at Tabby. “I mean,
I felt him…pulling on me, but it was weak. Like he was already tiring.”
    Dr.
Howard nodded. “Exactly.” He bent over Chloe, leaving Julian to Tabby and
Bunny. Bunny checked Julian’s vitals with his own healing power and smiled.
He’d settled into a deep sleep and would probably be starving when he woke up,
but he was going to be fine. He smiled at Tabby when she arranged Julian’s legs
more comfortably on her lap. “Damn, Bear. Not bad. She’ll make it to the
hospital.” Bunny turned from Tabby to find Doc Howard smiling. “I need to have
a long talk with him when he wakes up. We could use someone like him.” Dr.
Howard stood and motioned to the paramedics. Out of the corner of his eye, he
saw the horror that flashed across Tabby’s face and wondered at it. Could it
have anything to do with the way Julian had collapsed