The Spirit Walker (BOOK ONE): The Ripple

Chapter Thirty-Six: Trouble

I scramble backwards into my pillows, pulling the sheets up to cover myself, and scream.

Calum and Arran are rolling on the ground, snapping and snarling, Calum's eyes still black, his canines extended, his member still rigid with want. A gray haired wolf with yellow eyes leaps onto my bed, standing between me and the fighting men with its hackles raised.

"Get a hold of yourself, Calum!" Arran shouts, wrapping his forearm around Calum's neck in a chokehold. Calum growls and shakes Arran off, his eyes locked on me. As soon as he is free of Arran's grip, he lurches forward- all hulking height and powerful muscles- beautiful and terrifying.

Arran lunches after him, catching Calum around his ankles. Calum kicks his legs, struggling to free himself.

"What the fuck is happening?" I whisper in horror, staring at this man I had almost welcomed between my thighs- now a creature more beast than man.

"You're going to kill her, Calum!"

Calum growls- the sound one that shouldn't be capable of coming from a human throat. He boxes Arran's temple, and then scrambles forward as the pain makes Arran lose his grip. The wolf in front of me snaps and growls, it's powerful muscles bunching in anticipation.

Arran shakes off the hit and lunges again, wrapping his arms around Calum's middle and tackling him to the ground. Calum snarls, writhing to free himself, his eyes never leaving my body.

This is not my Calum.

This is a monster.

Calum swings at Arran's head, and Arran takes the blow as he grapples higher, wrapping his arms around Calum's throat and slipping behind him. Calum howls and arches, struggling to reach behind him and pummel Arran in his frenzy.

Arran ducks down so that his head is behind Calum's neck, just out of reach, and tightens his hold.

"Snap out of it!" Arran grunts, and Calum flails.

"He's turning blue!" I cry out, as Calum's movements grow more and more uncoordinated, as his eyes start to roll back into his head.

"Yeah, that's the plan," Arran grits out.

As soon as Calum slumps into deadweight, Arran releases him with a low curse. His eyes cut to me, dark and furious and hostile.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He explodes once he has checked to make sure Calum is still breathing.

"I-"

"You feel a fraction of what he feels, since you haven't fully shifted. Keeping control of this is your responsibility!"

I flinch away from Arran's rage, my gaze zeroed in on Calum's slumped figure. "I... I... it just happened. We tried to stop it, but..."

"Of all the stupid..." Arran roars out his frustration and punches the wall. "Do you have any idea what you've done? We're sailing into the lion's den and he's..."

The wolf on the bed shakes and twists and contorts, and a moment later Ness is naked on all fours, rolling her shoulders. The look she tosses my way is full of fury, and I shrink into myself.

"We need to cancel The Tour," she says, lithely sliding off the bed and stepping over to check on Calum's prone form.

"We can't, Ness. Doing that would expose his weakness to the entire world. Drummond might take the opportunity to make a move, and the Iroquois will strike. We're fucked."

I swallow hard, my eyes tracking Ness' every movement.

"Is he okay?" I ask, and wither under Ness' responding glare.