Shadow wolves: The Demon Hunter (Book 9)

Chapter 9 - Shifting for the first time

Skye

Esmeralda helped me pack for our trip. It had been a couple of days since Rochelle told me I could start moving around more, but I still found it difficult. Which meant Esmeralda had to buy most of the things I needed for me. Luckily, my new mother had impeccable taste.

Julius greeted us at the door as Theodore packed our things in the airship. It was tough saying goodbye to Lorelei and Patrick. They had truly become my grandparents. All of them had become the family I lost. Caring for me while I was recovering.

The ship took off over the trees of the forest, and it was breathtaking seeing the sights during the day. The witch homelands were the epitome of a fairy tale. Nature stretched for miles. The airship lowered, and we docked just outside a bustling city that looked as if we had just travelled back in time hundreds of years.

Nobody was standing around blissfully typing away on their phones, oblivious to the world around them. People were talking to each other. Laughing and having fun. It was one of the first things I noticed when we arrived there. Although technology worked to a certain extent, it hadn’t taken over completely. People weren’t slaves to it yet.

We walked to a dock that had both really old-fashioned ships and some modern ones. Theodore took our things to a speedboat, and I felt my heart skip a beat. I really wanted to go on our holiday, but I also wanted to see a bit more of the market. I had been couped up in the house for a long time and was enjoying being there.

“We are going to need a couple of things for the island. Do you feel up to a little bit of shopping?” Theodore grinned at me, and I flashed him my happiest smile. Esmeralda said goodbye with a tight hug and left us to do some shopping.

The market was amazing. There were all sorts of interesting things for sale. Theodore bought me a pretty little hand-woven purse and I stuffed it full of every possible sweet thing I could buy. I have to admit that I was a little surprised that the fairies weren't little creatures with wings flying around, sounding like bells ringing. They were just normal people, just like us. The only thing that gave them away was their pointy ears!

Theodore bought us some fresh fruit and meat, and we made our way back to the boat. I squealed with laughter as we pulled away from the docks and onto the open ocean. The ride to the island didn’t take long, and I gasped at the beauty of it all as Theodore maneuvered the boat slowly into a boathouse.

I wanted to help him carry our things to the house, but he grabbed me and picked me up bridal style, carrying me up winding stairs that wound through a thick forest. At the top of the stairs, there was a beautiful log cabin. I grabbed the key from his shirt pocket and unlocked the door before he carried me inside.

I was expecting dust everywhere, but this was some kind of magical! It was clean and homey. There was a fireplace with a couch in front of it. A small kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Theodore gave me the tour of the place, then gave me a long lingering kiss before returning to the boat to grab our things. I stepped out onto the porch and looked out at the beautiful forest.

I had seen more beauty in the past couple of weeks than I had in all my life. I helped Theodore unpack our things, and he made us some of Lorelei’s tea before we sat down on the porch swing and looked out at the tropical forest.

“Are you okay?” Theodore looked worried and I nodded. I had never been this happy in my entire life. Snuggling up in his arms, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

The Demon King

My strength was draining fast! I had to find the girl now more than ever! I wasn’t sure why she was connected to my strength, but she clearly was.

“Master! We found her!” One of my lower-level minions came running into my throne room just as I was about to rip a slave to pieces for bringing me the wrong wine. I could only laugh at what humans thought us to be and look like, when, in fact, we looked exactly like they did. We walked in the daylight and whispered suggestions in their ears that led them down the paths we wanted.

“WHERE?!” My voice rattled everything in the room and the slave scampered away while the minion cowered in front of me. He explained where she was and I swore. Getting into the homelands was hard, getting onto holy fairy ground was nearly impossible, but not completely impossible. “Bring me the witch!” I shouted, feeling relief from my frustration for the first time in what felt like forever.

It took some time to get her there because I sent her to the deepest, darkest corners of our caves, but I did enjoy seeing her again when she was brought before me.

“Darling, how I’ve missed you.” My third wife spat in my face. I took out my handkerchief and wiped it off. “Now, is that any way to greet your husband?” I smiled and grabbed her by the arm. “LEAVE US!” I ordered the minion as we walked to the back room. I needed privacy if I was going to pull this off without a revolt on my hands.

“What do you want?” She mumbled, and I shoved her into the room, closing the door and locking it behind us.

“I need a locator spell.” Handing her the soft shirt I had been holding onto. It was the only thing they could find of my darling little wolf. “Now, I know you are going to require a price for the magic, and I’m willing to pay for it.” I knew I had to give her something to entice her to do it. There was only one thing she wanted. “I will even go as far as giving you freedom.” I turned around and saw in her eyes what I was hoping for … Hope.

“You are lying!” Her expression changed back to hatred.

“As a matter of fact, I’m actually willing to let you go. What I need is that important to me.” I gripped the chain connected to her collar and watched as a trickle of blood ran down her throat. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to the pain of the spikes that were shoved into her neck, and it was disappointing that she no longer screamed in pain whenever I touched them. She had become boring, but she was powerful and that was the only reason why I kept her around.

“So, if I do this spell for you, will you let me go?” She looked at me with those beautiful hazel eyes filled with suspicion, and I nodded. “I want your word, Doran!” Her anger flared, and her eyes turned a golden colour.

“You have my word.”

Skye

We walked through the forest and came to a beautiful waterfall with a sparkling clear pool at the bottom. The pool was surrounded by the prettiest, most fragrant flowers. Everything seemed so clean there. So clear. It felt as if the colours were brighter and the scents stronger, but then again, I did notice a change before we got there.

It was small at first. Theodore opened the blanket for us and packed out some snacks before picking me up and carrying me over to the pool.

“Rochelle said you are allowed to swim.” He grinned at me and I squealed as he jumped into the water. I expected the water to be freezing and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact warm. I swam over to where Theodore was smiling at me and put my arms around his neck.

“This is perfect.” I whispered before leaving a soft kiss on his full lips. We spent some time swimming before having our lunch on the side of the banks. I rested my head on his lap and listened as he read to me.

It almost felt as if we were the only two people in this magical world. I wished that I could bottle that moment. That feeling of utter contentment. I felt Theo’s hand slide over my forehead as he moved a stray piece of hair from my face, and I smiled.

“Rochelle said that you can try and shift.” Theodore frowned, and I sat up so fast, I felt a little dizzy! I wasn’t able to shift for what felt like forever!

“Don’t make cruel jokes.” I frowned. The last I saw Rochelle she told me not to shift yet.

“Well, it took some convincing, but she agreed that it was time. You need to shift, so your wolf can take over and perhaps if your wolf is in control for a little while, you might be able to heal faster.” He smiled at me and tilted his head to one side. Fear rushed in faster than any other emotion.

“What if … What if it doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong?” I had been wanting to shift for weeks, but suddenly I wasn’t so sure anymore. We were out in the middle of nowhere. What if something went wrong?

“Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to be here with you every step of the way, okay?” He slid his hands up the sides of my face and I looked into his eyes. I trusted him. “We are going to take it slow. Don’t rush it. Rochelle said that …”

“What? What did she say?” I felt the tears in my eyes. “It can’t be worse than being paralyzed or dead, could it?”

“No, but whatever that thing was, it made you shift unnaturally, Skye. We don’t know how it might have affected your change.” He looked worried, and I suddenly didn’t want to shift anymore. “But you have to try.” I took a deep breath and nodded.

“I guess there is no time like the present.” I shrugged. He let me go, and I closed my eyes, picturing myself in my wolf form just as the demons taught us. When I opened my eyes, I was still in my human form. “Okay … What happened?” I looked at my hands, and they were still human.

“You might have to try a little harder. Wild thing, whatever that was, it was probably supernatural, and it could have given you power that you no longer have. Focus, make contact with your wolf.” I nodded and closed my eyes again. A searing pain shot through my back and I heard the bones crack. My scream echoed through the forest as I hit the ground. Theodore was by my side in seconds.

“Don’t fight it, just let it flow through you.” His words were no help! I had never felt this much pain in my entire life! Not even when the damn demon split open my back! The bones kept shifting and breaking, and I tried to breathe, but it felt as if someone was crushing my chest! I watched my hands dig into the ground and slowly the hair started to grow, and my nails pulled back, but still, I hadn’t completely shifted.

“NO! I can’t!” Sweat popped out over my forehead as my breathing felt shallow. I knew I hadn’t shifted and after just barely shifting I was already tired!

“Okay, okay, stop. Let’s take a beat.” Theodore sat down beside me and pulled me onto his lap as he stroked my hair. Tears streamed down my face. What if I was unable to ever shift again?