Running into a winged lion shifter was never in Mitch's plans. But Bluebird Valley Preserve has more surprises in store, including wildlife and shifters, most of whom Mitch never knew existed. As a caracal shifter, Mitch is used to oddities. The chaos, he can handle. Calix, the saber-toothed cat, is what knocks him off balance.<br><br>Calix is a vet and a physician. Great in theory ... except he can only diagnose, not heal. Still grieving, he vows to protect his heart from another crushing blow. Then, he saves a caracal shifter from the flood waters. When he sees Mitch, he struggles with leaving the past behind and making a future for himself which includes Mitch.<br><br>Raging waters and mudslides threaten, leaving the whole preserve at risk. Mitch puts his life on the line to rescue Calix. But, it's Calix's heart Mitch finds the most challenging and worthwhile to win.

Mitch

“Not bad.” Calix’s voice carried a hint of satisfaction. “Looks like blisters had formed and ruptured, but it’s clean.” He flipped Mitch’s hand over to check the back. “No signs of infection. If we can prevent that, it should heal just fine. Probably will leave a bit of scarring, but shouldn’t hamper the usage at all.” After grabbing a dampened cloth, he tenderly washed the area.


Mitch sucked in air as sharp, shooting pains radiated from the site. The small dosage of pain medication Calix gave him earlier helped except for during this situation. He didn’t think anything, not even morphine, would take all the pain away from this. Not that he could have any. Shifters reacted differently to drugs. Besides, Calix told him with a concussion, pain meds were handled very carefully—the less the better.


Calix paused and looked at him. “I’m sorry.”


Chapter 58