Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant, #1)

by Ilona Andrews

A dog’s job was to put itself between the threat and the human. The two dogs with the harvesters did their job. Hugh and the shapeshifters had found the first dead hound at the edge of the woods. The second was here. Now it was up to human Dogs to settle the score. “Heartbeat,” Sharif whispered. Hugh reached out with his magic. The dog was a mess, torn and bitten, but a faint, barely-there heartbeat shivered in his chest. Hugh concentrated. This would be complicated. He knitted the organs together, repairing the tissue, sealing the blood vessels, mending the flesh like it was fabric, muscles, fascia, and skin. The two Dogs by his side waited quietly. Finally, he finished. The dog raised his head, turned in the brush, and crawled toward them. Sharif scooped the hundred and twenty-pound hound up like he was a puppy. The dog licked his face. “Blood loss,” Hugh said. “He won’t be walking for a bit.” “I’ll carry him,” Sharif said. His eyes shone, catching the light. “We’re only a mile in. Take him back and catch up,” Hugh told him.

:)