I own none of the original Nightshade.
My teeth vibrate as I catch the silver blade in my jaws. An astonished Brady is wide-eyed at the deep growl rumbling in my throat. Biting the sword doesn't hurt, even though it does send a good jolt through my skull.
"Fall back, Brady," Anika orders.
When I release the xiphos, he sheaths both swords. The tang of metal remains on my tongue until the sensation of blood replaces it. I lick the dried scarlet off my shoulder; the wound underneath has already sealed itself. I shift back.
Sabine looks wistful. Ethan slings his arm over her shoulders. "Wolves still fight well," he comments.
"Calla gave us good mentors," I reply with a surge of pride for Mom. "And Shay always accompanied us even if he wasn't the one training us."
Connor, who returned a few minutes ago, grins cockily. "The alphas didn't want to train pups themselves?"
"Stop!" Adne scolds, but she's laughing.
Anika stops my frustrated growl (what the hell are they talking about?) from rising by giving me a cold warning stare. "Brady, show our guest to the kitchen and then back to her room. We'll be in Haldis Tactical when you're done." She nods and leads the others away.
Brady leans back against a tree. "Are you even hungry?" he asks. "I'll still show you to the kitchen, but it seems like the practice fed you."
"Sometimes fighting does that." I shrug.
"You'd be dangerous to battle in reality, meaning not just another bout."
"Thanks."
Amusement glitters in his eyes. "Do you ever take offense?"
"Do you ever insult wolves?" I make sure he can see my fangs.
"No. That's Ethan and Connor's job. Even then, they only mean it all as jokes, not to be taken literally."
"Then you will never offend me."
Straightening on his feet, he heads for the door. "C'mon. I'll give you the whole tour, not just the kitchen." He mimics Connor's grin and vanishes inside.
I inhale the soothing scents of the garden and recall that I've never been alone in my life. Jasmine was always with me, or Ren, or the pups "gifted" to us by the older, larger pack. If I wasn't with them, I was with Cal, An, Bryn, Nev, Mason, Shay, or all of them. With a sigh, I realize I like the serenity as well as despise the unfamiliar feeling.
"Aqua!"
Shifting, I bound toward Brady and snap at his heels, pricking my ears. "Do you ever stay in one form for more than five minutes?" I shake my head. He rolls his eyes and turns to lead me inside. I scent a newcomer before I see him, shrinking back at the sharp smell.
"Right. Nick just came from the apothecary. Maybe we'll skip the Pyralis Wing for you." Brady slings his arm around the other. "Aqua, meet my brother, Nick. Nick, this is our wolf-girl, Aquamarine." He smiles broadly. "He's also a major flirt, so beware."
When he extends his hand, I go back into human form (Brady was slightly right before…) and shake it reluctantly. "Even if I'm a flirt, I think I prefer you as human," he acknowledges, a sly smile on his face.
"Brady, I might need to borrow a xiphos… or both."
The warning glare Nick shoots him causes Brady to appear conflicted. I bare my teeth, the stench of herbs burning my nose. Brady saves his own hide: "How about that tour?" His expression remains neutral, yet I can smell his fear.
"Sure. I'll see you later, Brady. Hopefully you, too, Aqua."
Once Nick's out of sight around the opposite corner, I growl. "I don't like him – he's too damn cocky," I explain, forcing my voice to sound calm.
"I did warn you," he mutters. Glancing fearfully at me, he quickly adds, "Maybe not enough."
He shows me the Eydis and Tordis Wings first. We cut through the courtyard past Pyralis and reenter Haldis. I can find the kitchen easily – my room, not so much, for some reason.
Rain pounds on the glass roof. I bite back a whimper at the sound of thunder; usually, in storms, the pack would shelter in the cave we use as camp. Plus, when I was pretty young, I was taken in a flood… which was the main reason to our moving camp to that high cave. The flood itself wasn't pleasing, let alone a flood in the middle of a driving thunderstorm. Although I know I'm safe, a pang of homesickness and a flash of lightning bring me to my knees, tears in my eyes.
"What's wrong?" Brady stops dead in the doorway, neither leaving nor coming closer.
I blink away the threat, unwilling to trust him. "It's… different."
"Scared?"
"Lonely."
He breathes deeply. I envy how calm he is in this strange place. Walking to my side, he stops just short of where I'm kneeling. "Get up, Aqua. It doesn't look right to have you down there." He holds out his hand to help me, which I gratefully accept. "Look, if you get scared or homesick during the night, I'm in the room next door. Ordinarily I'd be in Eydis, but…" He shakes his head. "That's not that important. Just follow my scent if you need me, okay?" At my nod, he heads back toward the door.
I just want to be home, I think sadly. A crack of thunder roars overhead. I find myself glaring at the dark gray heavens. "What do you even want from me?" I yell, frustrated and angry at being taken from my home, made into an old, semi-illegal Guardian.
In time, dear, you'll know, an ominous voice promises, sending chills up my spine.
Rooted in place, I continue to stare upward, only now I'm truly afraid. "How?" I breathe.
A breeze wafts around me. You'll know… in time, you'll know.
How original are those four parting words? To keep this short: Review! Bye!