Chapter 2

• Calum straightened from where he leaned as his mate started toward him. “I apologize in advance.”
• Konner looked around, “for?”
• “My lovely mate is going to grill you on information about your kind, for medical reasons.”
• “I’ve heard she’s an apt healer.” Konner didn’t know why she’d need information on his though, he wasn’t intending on getting injured.
• Calum chuckled, “apt doesn’t describe the speed she absorbs information and data.” He held out his hand as she reached them.
• “Robbie is doing so much better.” Shaelan smiled up at him, “he may be able to try a shift later this week.”
• Calum lifted their hands and kissed hers, “for which you’ll want to be present.”
• She smiled up at him, “of course.”
• Shaelan was a lovely woman, peace seemed to ooze from her every pore. Konner had been on the team that was called to her clan to clean up the—insane shit that had been happening. He’d heard the stories and still didn’t see this woman in front of him taking down the corrupt false Alpha.
• He stood up, needing to feel respectful toward her. “How is your mother doing?”
• She gave him a surprised look, “she is less frantic now.” She smiled, “the clan is doing great though, seems tv and microwaves made everyone happy.”
• He couldn’t help the smile that formed, “modern technology is a wonder.”
• “It is.” She lifted the tablet in her hand. “A whole library in the palm of my hand.” Her smile was big.
• Calum sighed, then motioned to the steps Konner had been sitting on, “you might as well get comfortable, she no doubt has endless questions.”
• Shaelan gave the side-eyed look, “I need to know things in advance to be the most helpful.”
• “I know.” Calum kissed her hand again and released it.
• Konner elected to stand for the time being. “I’ll try to help.”
• “The Alliance doesn’t have a great deal on your kind, it’s Konner, right?” She looked down at the tablet then back to him.
• He nodded. “There’s a good reason why they don’t, by the time they started collecting health information and data on my clan, there wasn’t many of us left.”
• The compassion on her face was clear as day. “I know. I’m sorry.”
• He could feel the emotion coming from her and it was genuine. He only inclined his head, not wanting to get into that part regarding his clan.
• “I just need to know how to better help, so next time when we...”
• Konner jerked his head to look at her, “next time?”
• “Oh,” she looked to her mate, “I thought you knew.”
• Calum swore softly, “shit has been so out of sorts since they breached the system.” He swore again, “I thought Devin had contacted you.”
• Konner did sit down now before his legs gave out beneath him. They’d found one of his clan? “Where?” He looked from her to Calum.
• “The last house we breached before we had to go off the grid for a week.”
• “She was in very poor health.” Shaelan said quietly, “Deacon found her lying in the bathtub...”
• Konner looked down at his hands until he could mask his emotions. She. They’d found a female.
• “Every bone in her body was basically visible, I-I...”
• The emotions pouring off her had him snap out of his grief, he looked back up at her. “Bathwater, city water, wouldn’t have sustained her.” He told her quietly.
• “I started an IV drip, trying to rehydrate her, but I’m afraid it didn’t do much.”
• Konner blew out a breath, trying to steady his emotions before he spoke. “A regular saline solution is a mere band-aid, a temporary fix.”
• Shaelan nodded, the emotion no longer on her face, now she had a clinical expression and one that said she needed more information. “Is there something I need to have on hand to help immediately?” She held the tablet up, her hand hovering.
• “The saline, if no freshwater source is close at hand will stall further deterioration, eating a protein bar and other snacks the teams carry won’t do much.” Reaching into the pocket of his shirt, he pulled out one of the packets he always carried and held it out to her.
• She took it and flipped it over, reading the ingredients.
• “It’s dehydrated kelp and seaweed,” he lifted his hand toward it, “and other plants that have the properties we require.” He watched her tuck it into the hand that held the tablet and start typing onto it. “Mixing it with distilled water will restore some strength.”
• Shaelan nodded, “how much can they have at once?”
• “As many as needed, it’s our form of a protein bar.” He shrugged a shoulder, “my clan drinks it as you would water on a daily basis.”
• She nodded again and kept typing, then paused and looked at the packet again. “Where do I get this?”
• Konner held out his hand for the tablet, “may I?”
• “Oh, yes,” she handed it to him, he looked down at it and didn’t bother to read the information she’d typed, he knew the number by heart and typed it onto her screen before holding the tablet out to her again, “call there, tell them it’s for Konner Flores and they will ship whatever you need without question.”
• Shaelan glanced at her mate, and then turned, “oh,” she stopped, “cuts, abrasions?” She made a face, “and young ones, are they treated the same?”
• “Distilled water poured over it—it needs to be distilled so it’s chemical-free, or lake water if it’s handy, same for our eyes,” he glanced at Calum, “if they’re dry.” He pointed to the package she clutched in her hand, “a paste with that if it’s bad.” He was happy she wanted the information but knew the chances of coming across any of his own for her to need it were next to never, especially children. “Our young ones are no different than any other child,” he shrugged, “they’re able to swim when they’re born, but don’t go through the change until they’re around ten.” He motioned to his eye, “the only way to tell is the silver ring around their pupil, it expands underwater to absorb reflections beneath the surface.” When she leaned closer, he lowered his head so she could see his eyes. “Was there anything else you needed to know?”
• “No. Thank you. I need to call Rayne, we need distilled water,” she looked at the packet and started walking, “a case of this Biotrien, all teams need it on hand...” she kept walking, talking to herself.