Chapter 13: Werewolf
This wasn't good. I had no control over my body when my head rose from the pillow and glared up at Aries. Aries got up from the couch and slowly backed away. You didn't have to tell me that this was the worst place in the Court for me to be. I already knew.
A doorless, windowless, stone cellar room. And the wolf was growling at the one person who couldn't shadow step to safety.
This wasn't like last time, in the duel with Blackclaw, where the wolf's anger was mine but not-mine. Then, it had been hard to separate my feelings from the wolf's. Now it was not. I was annoyed with Aries, not angry. I didn't know that the wolf could tell the difference.
Its feelings were murky, a bubbling mess of pain and rage. It was pain that erupted most prominently, because now it was trying to twist my body into something new, something that belonged to it and not me. Its rage was like that of a creature awoken unexpectedly, confused, afraid, and lashing out in the way it knows best. I felt it first in my jaw, a blinding shot. My teeth moved and reformed under my lips, to let the wolf snarl the way it wanted to. Did it look then like Orendell's bone-shard grin? I hope it didn't.
I was vaguely aware of the Vodalysa mages somewhere in the room. Aries and I had not been alone in the Sanctum, but they hadn't taken notice yet. It was only Aries who'd seen the sudden change.
"Zeph." He said my name again. He'd put up a hand defensively as though he'd expected me to lunge at him, but he knew this wasn't a game anymore. We weren't playing at anything now.
Aries was afraid. I knew it because the wolf knew it. His heart was racing. Prey stuck stone still before a predator. The wolf was locked onto his movements. The subtle intake of breath. It was waiting for him to run.
The wolf took one step toward him, a dare. Every ounce of my own will fought against it. I didn't have a voice, but I wanted to scream, not him.
And then, Aries did just about the stupidest thing he could have done.
He cast a bright, electric zap my way. The gesture was fast which worked in his favor.
The spell hit me square in the face. The sting of it lit up my sinuses. It was just enough of a surprise I don't think either me or the wolf could have seen it coming. It stopped the wolf in its tracks for just an instant. It was long enough that when I raised my hand to rub the pain from my nose, I suddenly realized that I was in control of myself once again at least partially.