Last Fae

Chapter 17 ~ Shift

"How bad is it?" Kellan called from the trees up ahead. I breathed a sigh, he hadn't abandoned me, he'd just gone into the shadows to shift back. I stared down at my ankle, it was already starting to swell the skin a vibrant red. Reaching down I ran my finger over the skin and hissed out a breath at the contact.

"It might be broken?" The statement came out as more of a question than anything. I had never broken anything before I had no idea how to tell. There was no bone poking from the skin, but even just trying to move my foot sent knives shooting up my leg.

"You need to shift." I shook my head, unsure if he could see me or not.

"No way. I told you I never want to do that again." I growled at him.

"It will heal whatever damage you've done to yourself. And you are going to have to shift at some point if you want this cure. The deal was you let me teach you, and you learn about your Wolf. You can't do that if you never shift again. I was happy to let it go before and let you work up to it. But there's no way we'll get anywhere if you can't even walk." No. No. No. No. No. I was nowhere near ready to let the Wolf escape its confines again.

I could still see Kat's terrified eyes bulging out at me as I tore her throat from her body. Still feel the gush of blood down my throat and across my face. No. I couldn't shift. Not yet. My stomach clenched at the thought. I stared at the ankle responsible for my turmoil and grabbed at the branch closest to me. I pulled on it until I was upright enough that I could reach a sturdier branch behind it. I pulled myself up to my feet and grinned once I was upright. The pain hit me a few seconds later and I slammed my hand into the nearest tree when the pain lanced through me.

"Shit," I screamed into the night, a string of other words following. Kellan ran out of the trees and lifted my arm over his shoulder to help keep me upright.

"What are you doing?" He reached down and pulled my legs out from under me, cradling me in his arms, "You can't walk on that." He snapped. I nodded my agreement with that, the pain was like a fire burning through my entire being and I'd barely put any weight on it at all. Walking was out of the question.

I rested my head on his bare chest feeling the itch of tears in the corner of my eyes. I was going to have to do it.

"I don't know how," I whispered, my fingers twirling around the soft white material of the sheet. "It's simple really. Just let go. You've spent so many years controlling it and pushing the Wolf down. Locking her up. All you need to do is let go. Let her out." He made it sound so simple. So easy. Just let go. I laughed through the tears at the absurdity of the concept.

Kellan placed me on the ground where I'd fallen started untying the knot in the sheet at my shoulder. I grabbed at his hands.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"If you don't undo it, it will just end up shredded like your clothes earlier. If you just untie it and lay it over yourself, I won't see anything and you can bring the sheet with you for when you shift back."

"Okay," I swatted his fingers aside and untied the knot myself. He took the hint and turned away and I realised for the first time that he was completely naked. I snapped my eyes back to the task at hand as soon as the realisation hit me and tugged at the sheet until it came loose. I draped it over my body and concentrated.