Hooked

Chapter Eighteen: Shifter

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, N.L.PETIT 2014.

Chapter Eighteen: Shifter

I first heard the noises just before midnight. They were foreign and somewhat frightening, and I couldn't even begin to imagine what caused the strange screeching noises outside my window. It took all of my willpower to resist the moon's temptation. I wanted to go outside and relish in the falling snow, but it was far too risky for anything like that here. But since I knew I would shift no matter what, I tried to comfort myself by running a bath and waiting until the last possible moment before I had to change for the night.

I leaned against the counter top in the private bathroom attached to my bedroom, watching the water fall from the faucet. The sound was the only noise, besides the ones outside, and it was somewhat daunting to know that my mate slept not far from my bedroom. Internally, I fought with myself. I considered showing him, but the idea was so uncertain and had so many awful possibilities that I couldn't even bear thinking about it for more than a few seconds. I knew what Will had done had altered my outlook on my mermaid side -- I also knew that my thoughts were twisted when it came to anyone finding out. It was a psychological feat I wasn't sure I could overcome, but I didn't want to have to regret anything when it came to Adrian.

I turned the knob above the faucet, and the water became still. I looked outside, seeing the moon rising higher, and knew that I'd shift against my will if I didn't get into the bathtub soon. Shifting on dry ground always hurt more: The rough dryness of my scales scratched my body, and I felt dehydrated in only minutes. I hated that feeling and had no intention of experiencing it again.

I placed my clothes on the counter and had nearly stepped into the water when a rough howl reverberated through the house. Some of the water splashed onto the ground, and I jumped up onto the counter to avoid it as I listened to the animal calling outside. The splitting sound didn't seem like a normal wolf at all. In fact, it sounded much larger, much stronger, and much closer than any creature I had heard of.

The black wolf from Chalance flashed in my mind, but I shook my head. Now was not the time to think about an animal I would never see again.

Curiosity piqued, I peered out the window. I still had fifteen minutes before the moon would rise fully. I couldn't stop myself from leaping over the puddle of water and exiting through the window, not bothering with a jacket. The cold wouldn't bother me anyway.

The two story drop to the ground was simple, and I landed silently in my leather boots. I could hear movement beyond the treeline, and the white snow betrayed the tracks of an incredibly large animal as it led into the forest. I unthinkingly followed, feeling something akin to the moon's effects taking root in my mind and leading me through the densely packed ice. Silver light trespassed through the trees as I entered the woods, and aside from the constant noise from before, I couldn't hear a thing. My breath fogged the air in front of me as I continued walking, but I didn't stop, even as my mind registered that I only had ten minutes left. I was entranced.

"Sophie?"

I turned around so quickly I nearly fell into the snow. Adrian stood barely ten feet away with a stoic expression, hardly able to believe I was out in this weather. All he wore was a pair of blue sweatpants, which immediately triggered in my mind that it was far too cold for him out here.

"You shouldn't be out here without a jacket," he said, and I recalled that I only wore a thin, long-sleeved shirt and stretch pants.

"Shouldn't you take your own advice, Adrian?" I asked, looking at his bare chest pointedly. My nerves were beginning to show as I realized I barely had enough time to return to my room.

"It's too cold for you to be out here. You have to get back to the house, Sophie."

I suddenly felt that there was another reason he did not want me to be out here, but my priority was to get inside and into the water before I shifted on the spot. I turned and began my treck through the snow, running faster than I should have with him watching. I figured speed was easier to explain than a silver tail.

I had barely closed the front door behind me when I saw Adrian walk into a large shed far behind the house. He disappeared inside and did not emerge immediately, and I didn't stay to see him exit. I sped up the stairs, almost flying in my haste to lock my bedroom door. As soon as it was closed behind me, I fell forward with a scream as my body began to shift without my permission.

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

An twenty minutes later, I lay completely still on the floor, trying not to move. The pain of the dry change was excruciating. I couldn't feel anything below my waist, which may have been a blessing, but everything above it rubbed together uncomfortably as I breathed. My black pants lay shredded on top of the dull scales. The usually vibrant color of my tail appeared sallow and unwelcome against the clean carpet of the bedroom.

The water would soothe my dehydrated skin, but getting to it proved to be a challenge I hadn't anticipated. Dragging myself there as delicately as I could was no easy task, and I often stopped, wondering if it was worth it to just lie still until morning came. By the time I had made it there, I was exhausted. My arms shook as I lowered myself into the water and took a deep breath, leaning my head back against the wall surrounding the bath. It was almost lukewarm by now, but I didn't mind. With the pain diminishing, I let myself think about what I'd seen tonight.

It truly didn't make sense for Adrian to be outside tonight. Any supernatural creature -- including, I was sure, whatever breed my mate was -- knew that the full moon was the worst possible time to venture out at night, much less alone. I felt frustration take over as I realized I was confined to this room until after two in the morning.

Thanfully -- very thankfully -- mer did not have to endure their shift the entire night of the full moon. On average, the forced change only lasted two to three hours, which was much less than most species' shifts when controlled by the moon. From what I recalled, faeries had the worst, followed very closely by most of the Were breeds, and the list dwindled down to mer and vampires, who waited the least amount of time, though often suffered the most.

I leaned my head back against the porcelain tub, closing my eyes with a sigh. Two hours left.

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

When I woke at 2:45 that night, it was still pitch black outside. Hesitantly, I lifted my tail out of the water and watched the now healthy scales shimmer as they caught the bathroom light. It was a good sign.

Maneuvering my body onto the side of the bathtub, I moved my tail onto the towels I had laid out earlier last night. I immediately began to feel the relief of my legs returning as I dried myself lightly, taking care to remove any possibly incriminating traces of the water from my body.

By the time I had pulled on a dry pair of stretch pants and a thermal shirt, I heard a low thud on the first floor of the house. Taking precaution and freezing immediately, I listened closely, waiting for something to happen again.

A few minutes passed with no more sounds, but my curiosity chose that moment to rear up and take control. I moved silently out my bedroom door, ears intent on any noise in the house. I scanned the hallway and stepped further down towards the stairs. Slowly moving down them, I looked to my right when the sharp sound of metal against granite met my ears. I hastened down the last steps and into the kitchen, skidding to a halt when I saw the black mass standing before the counter, its whole body taking up an immense amount of space.

It was the wolf from the woods.