I sat in the sun in front of the hut watching and waiting. The sun had just set when Paddy and Cassie walked out of the tree line. Her clothes were all torn so was Paddy's.
"I have some food for you."
I walked into the hut. They followed.
Cassie only nibbled. Paddy finished the loaf of bread and most of the cheese. It takes a lot of energy to shift that much.
Cassie sat dosing. I put all the food away and sat with Paddy. He had started a small fire in the pit. We snuggled into each other watching the fire and Cassie.
"She has started to lose her memory when she shifts." Paddy whispered.
"Is that a good thing?" I whispered back.
"Yes that means she is in her full 'hell'. Its faster than I thought it would be." He looked at me. "Quinn was the same. My siblings, on the other hand, took a while for that to start."
We kissed. "Is that why it took so long?"
"Yes but I bet your vampire blood is making it hit faster." He said this in between kisses.
I glanced at Cassie. She was gone. "Cassie!"
We both took off after her. I followed her scent. Paddy shifted to communicate with her. We ran around the village, along the river then back again. She had stopped in a small grove. I moved cautiously. Paddy was in front of me.
Just as he walked out of the grove. She pounced on me. Paddy roared in front of me. She had shifted in mid jump when she landed on top of me. There was no harm done.
"Kylie? Cassie?" She was purring on my back. Paddy lifted her off of me. I rolled out from beneath her.
"She is asleep." I said.
"Sleep hits just like the shifting. No control."
"Interesting."
Paddy picked her up and carried her back to the hut. "I do not know how many times I did this with Quinn. My siblings the same thing."
"How long do they normally sleep?"
"Almost a full day."
"How often?"
"Three to four days."
"Good that means you can rest too." He put her down on a bench and covered her with a blanket. He walked over to me. "Now where was I? Oh yes here." He started kissing me and we finished what we had started.
We sat outside watching the sunrise.
"How does this work with your sleep cycle?"
"Funny you should ask that. If I fall asleep for my cycle so does Cassie."
"How interesting."
"I noticed that back when Cory and Gen were going through theirs. Mom and Dad would go to sleep so would they."
"Good to know. At least you will sleep better."
