Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 9

"Yeah, when I'm transformed I'm pure animal with all the little extras that come with that," she admitted.

Eyes fluttered over to her and the conversation never bounced back. She felt like a proverbial white elephant in the room - the subject of much interest, but not much use. What was silly about that was that, as far as she was concerned, she wasn't of much interest either.

I know Jason wanted me to be careful, but maybe I should just get this out the way now...

"Right. Let's just work through this now everyone," she half announced as she sat taller. Faces turned to her more fully, curious. "If you're gonna be my team, I figure there's no point hiding anything from you guys so I'll tell you what I can."

Devon shot her a questioning look and she answered it with one of confidence. She wanted to do this. Their ignorance of her was almost as maddening her own was of them.

"I've only been a skin walker for about three weeks, so I probably know about as much about myself as you do. Here's what I do know: Since I first transformed, I'm stronger - even in human form - but I don't have the other extra senses, like hearing and smell. I get a sort of residual of that stuff after I change back, but it only lasts a little while before I'm back to boring old human."

"Hey!" Luc shot at her.

She threw him a playful, apologetic look and he grinned.

"When I meet something I haven't encountered before, I know it's a creature because there's this sort of electrical charge that hums between us. I can feel that charge through clothing, but I can only absorb a creature through skin on skin contact. Luckily for you, the power's that be seemed to have figured that out already," she informed them as she picked up the gloves to show them.

She looked to Kalko for confirmation and he nodded.

"It was something that was suggested in the Bestiary," he informed them.

The what?

Sierra glanced back at him with curiosity, momentarily distracted from completing her little tirade.

"Is it always like it was in the rec room?" Anthony asked.

It took a moment for his words to register, whereupon she turned her attention to him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, does your touch always trigger a transformation in one of us?"

"Yeah, that's happened all three times I've touched someone. And yes, it's only been three times so far."

"Do you always knock your victims senseless like that too?" Adam asked, a bit of a smile twitching under his fascinated eyes.

"If I recall correctly, it was you who almost knocked me senseless when you just about threw me to the ground, Adam," she joked with a little chuckle and a grin.

No one seemed to appreciate the attempt at humour. Sierra was pretty sure that damned cricket was still chirping somewhere...

"I think so," she replied with brutal honesty. "You'll have to compare notes with Devon. For me, personally, it's excruciating bolts of pain followed by a blackout, so I'm really not all that sure what it's like for you guys - but the little I've seen didn't look too pleasant."

"Do you always blackout after an initial transition?" Kalko asked.

He leaned forward with interest and she could see that it was a tactical question for him. His mind was no doubt trying to organise the information as efficiently as possible.