Bones jumped onto the stage with a sharp thud, and I growled in annoyance.
“Sorry.” He reached into his bag to pull out a device to look into her ears.
“This is an otoscope. It will help me see properly into her ears.” He addressed me and not my mate.
Bones was wise to do so since she was the one in distress, and I would not let any male touch her unless I gave permission.
I nodded, growling in annoyance as she pulled back her hair for him to look inside. He hummed, gently tugging her ear to get a good look on either side.
“Journey, did your ears hurt before today?” Bones asked.
She shook my head. “No, it started when we came to the church. The noise was extremely loud. Just talking to you, I feel like you’re yelling at me.”
Sizzle stepped forward. “Yeah, she even heard me whisper under my breath. I swear I said it so low I barely heard myself say it.”
Journey groaned, her face turning red.
“What did he say?” I asked.
Journey shook her head. “No, don’t make me say it.”
My head snapped up to Sizzle, who paled instantly. He was backing away from us, but Locke grabbed his arm to keep him close.
“What did you say that my mate heard? You obviously upset her?” I hissed.
Sizzle cleared his throat, rubbing his forehead. “I swear, I didn’t mean for her to hear it. I was just telling her I was giving you guys the upstairs apartment to make your home bigger. Then… I whispered, ‘so I don’t have to hear you both fucking.’”
My arm shot out so fast, I punched Sizzle in his pretty little face. He groaned, his head falling backward as his back landed on the floor. The fall wasn’t far enough since he was on his knees on the stage, but it would have to do for now.
“Don’t speak to my mate that way, you piece of shit,” I snapped.
Sizzle didn’t respond. He was knocked out cold.
“Grim?” Journey tugged on my vest. “It’s okay. He was trying to be funny.”
I shook my head.
Bones clicked off the light of his device and put it back in his bag. “Anyway, it sounds like you had an ear infection, and the pressure became too great and your ear drum popped. Some human adults don’t feel them until it’s too late. Antibiotics usually cure it, but you must have been too busy to notice the pressure in your ears. You’ve had a stressful and physical week.”
Journey groaned and thumped her head on my chest.
“Little human, you are around a bunch of shifters. We talk about mating so casually. You will just have to get used to it.” Bones patted her shoulder. “I’ll call in some antibiotics. Her hearing was sensitive before because the eardrum was stretched. It will be tender for a few days but heal just fine on its own. I do suggest we get her in to see a human doctor. There are some things I could be missing.”
“That will be difficult. We don’t know many human doctors in the community,” Locke mentioned. “Would a witch do?”
Bones bobbed his head back and forth. “I think she needs to be more thoroughly looked at, considering her past. Grim won’t let me near her to do a pap smear or test for any other diseases that might hurt her.”
My heart grew heavy. I could feel Journey’s sadness through the bond as she laid still in my arms.
Bones practiced medicine for shifters but had studied human anatomy since Journey had stumbled upon us. I still didn’t want a male touching my mate, no matter how much he was devoted to the club.
“I want to get tested,” Journey peeped. “Make sure I’m okay. I didn’t even feel this earache coming, and I want to make sure I won’t get sick later, just in case…”
“You have nothing else that makes you sick. I would have smelled it on you,” I growled. “Wolves can smell cancer, diseases, drops in blood sugar, knowing if someone is hungry. I would know if you were sick since my smell has returned.” My wolf grumbled in agreement.
Our sense of smell since mating had become even stronger now that we were bonded. I was sure that she had no diseases.
“Oh, like some of those specially trained dogs?” Journey quipped.
