Change (The Shape Shifter Series) (8 page)

“Isabel!” Marie was confused. Not once had she thought the wolf could be a shape shifter, and that felt stupid now. She was surrounded by hostile shape shifters, so why wouldn’t one come to her door and try to attack her? But Isabel? What was going on? She had tried to kill her and now she just stood there and smiled, like everything had been a game to her. And why didn't Tiamhaidh attack her?

“Isabel indeed,” Tiamhaidh grunted and held Marie tighter in his arms. “What the heck are you doing here?”

Isabel stretched her glorious body and laughed. “Entertaining myself. You know, a young girl alone in the woods and a wolf. I just couldn’t resist the temptation.”

Tiamhaidh pushed Marie behind him and grabbed Isabel's throat. “That's not funny! You scared her to death!”

Isabel didn't even seem to notice his anger or his fingers on her throat. She placed her hand on his bare chest and stroked his tattoos with a fingernail. Tiamhaidh tightened his grip.

“Oh, stop it!” Isabel croaked between her teeth. “I was just playing with her.”

“It didn't look like play to me!” Tiamhaidh grunted. “You've done nothing but try to scare her since we came here. I warned you once and I'm not going to warn you twice. I'm going to take this to the elders and you'll finally get what you deserve.”

Something that looked like fear flashed in Isabel's eyes, but it was gone as fast as it had come. “Fine. I doubt they'll judge me because of one prank,” she purred, but she didn't look pleased.

Something came from the forest and soon they were surrounded by six wolves. One by one they shifted into humans and came closer to Marie.

“What’s going on here?” Baz thundered.

Isabel shrugged and smiled slyly.

Tiamhaidh was too furious to say a word, so Faol went to him. “Let go of her,” she ordered, but Tiamhaidh didn't move.

“Leig rach, Tiamhaidh,” Sofia said and he obeyed unhappily. She glanced at Faol, who didn’t look happy. “Mathair, I know what happened. Isabel came here to kill her.”

Baz and Faol looked searchingly at Isabel and Marie, who had now hidden herself behind Tiamhaidh's strong back.

“Interesting,” the three other shape shifters said at the same time.

“Indeed,” Baz added quietly. “Isabel, do you have anything to say about this?”

Isabel lowered her eyes humbly and her shoulders slumped. “I was just going to scare her, that's all. I would never even dream of hurting your grandchild.”

Suspicion flashed in his eyes and he drilled his dark eyes into hers. Isabel kept her ground and didn’t even flinch.

Marie swallowed. Had she imagined everything? Maybe Isabel was really telling the truth and she hadn’t meant any harm to her. Sofia had moved next to her and she could feel her calming hand on her back. She glanced at her and was surprised to see a deadly serious and very, very cold expression in her eyes.

Baz took a step closer to Isabel and a slight smile played on his lips. “Siobhan,” he said and a beautiful young woman stepped closer.

She pressed her fingers on Isabel's temples. Isabel looked at her in terror. “Shh. It will only take a moment,” Siobhan said gently and closed her eyes.

Marie wanted to ask what was happening, but Sofia shook her head silently before opening her eyes. She looked sternly at Isabel. “She's lying. Her only intention was to kill the girl.”

Baz grabbed Isabel by her shoulders and threw her hard. He was enraged. “How dare you try something like that!” he shouted. “Marie came here for our help! What is it about her that you can't stand? Is it her beauty or her innocence? Maybe it's the man that stands beside her, but whatever it is you have to get past it. You hear me, let it go!”

Isabel stared at the ground. How could she explain? She hated Marie. She hated everything that she was. But Siobhan was wrong. She hadn't come there to kill her. Not at first. But when she had seen her, something had snapped in her head. If Tiamhaidh had arrived one minute later the girl would have been dead. She swallowed. Luckily, that man, David, hadn't been there. If she hated Marie, she hated him even more. He was a human. A worthless human who had come and reminded them of what he and Sofia had done. Gunward was one of them. One of
their own, and that man had stolen his woman. How could she not kill him?

Baz was still waiting for Isabel to talk. She didn't say a word and Baz lost his temper. Now was her time to defend herself, to prove to them that they were wrong and she chose to be quiet. Why? He needed her to give him an escape route. One good reason to show mercy on her, but she didn't. She left him no choice but to judge her. He sighed. “Now, listen to me, and listen carefully. If you ever try to harm this child I will destroy you! And after that you will no longer be allowed to walk here. You’ll have all the time in the world to enjoy your games all by yourself for the rest of your life! You hear me? I will never have mercy on you. There is no hope of salvation! And this goes for anyone who has bad intentions against Marie! My decision is final!”

The others gasped in horror. Baz was talking about the ultimate punishment. Something that was worse than death. He, as a pack leader, could force Isabel to become part of nature. She would hear and understand everything around her, but could never come back to her original form. Not unless the pack leader had mercy on her. And Baz had just said clearly that he wouldn't. 

Marie was confused. Was this really happening? She thought that wolves couldn't lie, and yet Siobhan had said that Isabel had lied.

“She's a master at avoiding things,”
her mom's mind touched hers.
“She's not technically lying if she doesn't think she is. So maybe she convinced herself that she came here just to scare you to death, but that's not true. Siobhan can see into souls, and I bet Isabel's soul is as black as the night.”

“Athair,” Isabel whined and threw herself at Baz's feet. She never thought he would judge her like that. She adored him and wanted his approval. He was a fair leader and now he was choosing a human girl over one of his own. Hate flickered in her eyes. It was all Marie's fault!

“I am not your father. I am your leader!” Baz thundered. “Get out of my sight! I can't stand to see you right now.”

Isabel stumbled and disappeared into the woods. This was not over. She would get her revenge. One way or the other she would destroy that girl and everything she represented.

Sofia and Faol smiled approvingly at Baz, but the other three shape shifters asked timidly for his permission to leave.

Baz nodded and looked at Marie. “Are you all right, my little one?” She nodded and Baz took her into his arms.
“Keep her safe.” Tiamhaidh nodded and Baz unwillingly let go of her. He ordered Sofia and Faol to go with him, so Sofia hugged Marie quickly and followed her parents.

“Are you going to take this matter to the elders?” Sofia asked.

“No. I'm done with it,” Baz said gloomily.

Sofia snorted angrily, but she knew better than to argue with her father. And yet she couldn’t help when a rebellious mumble slipped out of her mouth. “I should've known. It’s all about the stupid laws and what is best for the elders. The family never comes first here.”

Faol looked at her warningly and Baz bared his teeth to his daughter, but Sofia didn't move. Finally, Baz settled for grunting at her and ignored her defiance.

Marie snuggled into Tiamhaidh's arms on the sofa and he petted her back. The flames crackled in the fireplace and the moon lit the lake, which seemed to sleep in the arms of the mountains. Marie was dead tired, but she was afraid to fall asleep. Her mind was clearer than it had been in months, and if she fell asleep she couldn't be sure if the mist would come back. No, she was definitely not going to sleep tonight. Her body rejoiced. Her wheelchair was still on the parking lot and she had walked all the way from the cars to the house, and that was a big deal. She still didn't understand how she had done it, and she wasn't quite sure if she even wanted to know. She felt powerful and alive, and even Isabel's attack could not turn off her joy. Much.

Tiamhaidh had been very quiet since they went inside and she wasn't sure if he was angry at her for opening the door and ignoring her mom’s warnings, or if it was something else. She wanted to ask him hundreds of questions, but she didn't know where to start. She bit her fingernails nervously and coughed. He didn't seem to hear her. He was wrapped up in his own world and was staring at the fire murderously.

“What are you thinking of?” she asked and he turned his eyes on her.

“What?”

“Do you want to kill the fire or what? 'Cause you look like you want to kill someone,” she continued, kissing his palms softly.

Tiamhaidh shrugged and smiled wearily. “Sorry. I just ... I don't know. I shouldn't have let you be alone tonight. After all, this is your first night here and all.”

“It wasn't your fault. I was so stupid. If I had listened to Mom’s warnings and stayed inside I would’ve been perfectly safe. So don't try to dwell on that. You had every right to go out and hunt,” she stated bravely. “Besides, you thought I was sleeping, so how could you have known what was happening here? Don't worry. I'll survive.” But the thought of the attacking Isabel made her shiver. She actively tried to push the thought away and call up her happy thoughts, but it was difficult. She could definitely sense the danger that surrounded this place, but as Mom hadn't said a thing, she had thought she was safe here. Now she knew better.

Tiamhaidh seemed to sense her thoughts, as he hugged her tight. “Still. This is my territory and I should've known better,” he said.

“Okay, enough. Tell me about this place?” Marie smiled, withdrawing from his arms. He said nothing. Marie stared at him but he decided to look away. She pushed him. “Tiamhaidh?”

He shrugged. “There's not much to tell. I haven't really lived here, so you should probably ask someone else.”

“And that means you don't want to tell me, right?” she teased. But as Tiamhaidh didn't look at her, her smile died on her lips. “Oh my God! You really aren’t going to tell me! Why not? What's so special here anyway? I mean besides the shape shifter thing and all.”

“I really shouldn't,” Tiamhaidh resisted.

“Why? No one will never know. At least I'm not telling if you're not. So tell me, what's the big secret?” Marie's eyes were sparkling with excitement. Tiamhaidh was quiet. She gasped. “You can't, can you?”

“No. They'll know if I tell you,” he grunted.

“But how? Do they have some spy cams here or what? I promise, your secret will be safe with me.” She closed an imaginary zipper on her lips with her finger and pretended to throw the key away. “You see. Sealed and safe!”

Tiamhaidh shook his head and she started to sulk. There was something strange going on and she wanted to know what it was. She definitely felt better, normal,
so how good would she feel after a few days? If only she could get rid of the seizures. They messed everything up, and after those nasty moments she couldn't think clearly for hours. She looked at him. He looked guilty and that pissed her off. How hard could it be to tell her? This was not a conspiracy movie but their life, and if he couldn’t trust her, what was the point of being together?

He touched her shoulder apologetically, but she shrugged his hand away. He looked hurt and she felt hurt, too. Whatever secret he was hiding he obviously wanted to tell her, but something was stopping him. Maybe it was the elders; maybe it was something else, but she needed to know.

She pursed her lips and tried to stare him down. It didn’t work and she was astonished. The moment turned from easy and friendly to uneasy and awkward. She wished he would stop it. That he would laugh and tell her he was only joking. But he didn't. The moment stretched and she started to feel embarrassed. He really wasn't going to tell her anything. “Right,” she sniffed and got up.

Tiamhaidh remained silent.

Marie waited for him to at least look at her, but he kept staring at the ground. “I'm tired,” she said a bit too theatrically and turned, leaving him alone on the couch. She knew she was acting childishly, but he made her feel unwanted and like an outsider, so she wanted to punish him.
She didn't even kiss him when she left. She banged the door, not on purpose but by accident, and curled up on the bed.

Tiamhaidh stared at the fire and felt hopeless. If only Marie knew. He wasn't sure that even Sofia knew everything. If she had known, she probably wouldn't have come here. Yes, he should've told her what she had against her here, but he couldn't. The elders could cure Marie, he was sure of that. Otherwise he would never have risked her family. But if he ever revealed their secret they would destroy her instead of helping. These wolves here were no lapdogs. They were carefully chosen and extremely dangerous, and yet they seemed to fear Sofia. He couldn't understand that. Long before he had met her he had heard stories about her skills. And now he was sure even Sofia didn't know what she was capable of. He needed to talk to her. But not here where the walls had ears and even every thought might be overheard.

Marie lay on the bed and tried to sleep. She was exhausted but she couldn't get rid of her fear. She knew that nothing could pass Tiamhaidh, and yet Isabel had come to her door and almost hurt her before he had a clue what that woman was doing. If only she knew what was going on here! What could be so big and scary that he couldn't tell her? So huge he let it come between them?