Anger spiked through me, the shift starting as my body struggled to heal itself, but when my body twisted, tendons and bones snapping, the pain overwhelmed me. A whimper escaped me as my mind fought the agonizing pain, unable to tell where it came from, and my connection to Caleb grew weak.
Give it to me, the words were barely a whisper but I clung to them desperately, lost to the pain, as I finally let go.
***
Minutes, or maybe hours later, I woke up, curled on the ground, my side throbbing, my skin slick with blood. I sat up gingerly, favoring the side with the shattered rib, knowing it hadn’t healed properly. The clearing looked like a war zone, with blood splattered everywhere, and I stood, swaying slightly as I made my way to the dead boar. Satisfaction surged through me at seeing them dead and I flipped one of them over with my foot.
Hazy memories drifted through my mind as I stared at the bloody tusk of the boar. I shivered, remembering the cold numbness that had spread through me, and the deep voice that had kept me from drifting away. I poked through my thoughts but couldn’t sense Caleb.
“Caleb?” I said aloud, not sure how to make him hear me. Caleb? I tried again, internally this time. There was no answer and I fought a sense of unease. “Maybe I’m too far away,” I told myself, the words echoing in the clearing. Paige?
OH MY GOD, where have you been? She shrieked and my eye twitched at the volume. It’s been hours. I was worried sick. She paused and my gaze swept the area, trying to ignore my growing concern. Are you okay?
Yeah, I replied automatically, my thoughts elsewhere, until I bent down and pain spiked through me. I might need a little healing, I amended, breathing shallowly as black dots danced in my vision.
Seriously, what happened? Worry bled through our bond as I forced myself upright.
I killed dinner, I answered, downplaying how dangerous the hunt had actually been. Now I just have to figure out how to get it home.
Then why do you need me to heal you? She hummed suspiciously. Usually you can heal yourself.
One of my ribs broke, I said dismissively, pulling some vines out of the trees to tie up the boar’s legs. I was going to have to drag them out because there was no way I was leaving any meat behind. Can you go check on Caleb? I asked, deflecting her attention from me.
Why do I need to check on him? You’re the one that’s hurt.
And when I get back, you’ll fix me up. Until then, go check on Caleb, I responded tartly, cradling my side as I leaned against the tree, fighting the urge to throw up and pass out at the same time. Pain was a familiar companion, but it never got any easier.
You’re worried about him, she decided, understanding dawning. You care about him, she accused and I closed my eyes, hating to admit she might be right. He’d saved my life, taken away the pain so I could shift, and the fact that he wasn’t there when I’d woken up….it terrified me.
Checking on him will give you something to do so you won’t badger me until I’m back, I retorted, kneeling so I could tie the boars together to make them easier to drag out of the forest.
Uh huh, and what do you think might happen to him in his jail cell? Paige questioned sardonically and I paused as several possible scenarios played in my mind, freezing on one where Gran stood before him, her eyes glowing brightly as she tried to separate the wolf from the man. Okay, that would be bad, Paige admitted, some of the sarcasm draining from her voice. I’ll check. She paused. Do you need me to come help you?
No, I answered instantly and there was a second’s worth of hurt before the emotion was muffled. No, I need you to check on Caleb, please, I requested, trying to smooth the unintentional hurt caused by my knee jerk reaction. The idea of Paige out here, in the woods….I looked down at the dead boar and let out a shaky breath. Paige was powerful but she wasn’t a killer, a fact that could easily get her killed.
I will, she promised softly and I breathed easier. Be careful, Dru.
You too, little sister, I murmured, finishing the knots. Every step promised to be a special hell, but I was determined to get my kill home since it would feed them for at least a couple of weeks. I wrapped the vines around my wrist and started walking, my arm flexing as I met resistance and the boars bumped over the ground behind me. I kept my other arm tight against my side, trying to keep from jostling the shattered bone that hadn’t been able to heal with the shift.