I found Matt installing the new windows.
"I need to talk to you," I said as I walked up.
Matt nodded and handed off his tools to the man who was helping him. We stepped back out of earshot.
"Whats going on?" He asked.
"I don't think I'm handling this so well," I admitted. "I only find one thing appetizing anymore."
I couldn't bring myself to say the word.
Matt didn't look surprised.
"And," I added. "I'm getting close to hurting someone. I thought about hurting Tori earlier."
"Why don't we try blowing off some steam?" Matt suggests. "Get some energy out of your system."
I nodded. Matt started walking, I followed.
"I'm going to make it more challenging for you this time though so you need to put in a lot more effort."
Matt lead me to the werewolf bunker. I was pretty confused on what he was going to do, to be honest.
Matt rummaged through the cabinet for a second and pulled out the cuffs with the symbols.
"You're going to wear these so you have to use more magic to be able to fend me off."
"Ohh," I finally caught on.
I held my hands out and Matt put them on.
"Now don't just rely on magic," Matt said. "Use your strength where you can. We're trying to use all angles of your abilities."
I wasn't sure what I would be able to do physically but I nodded. We stepped back outside. I started searching for animals as Matt drew his sword. I raised the deer from the other night and some other smaller animals I could find. I had to use a lot more energy to get past the cuffs. The deer came charging and Matt dodged. He swung it and took off one of the deer's antlers.
The raccoon came and went for Matt's ankles. He kicked it towards me muttering something. The dead raccoon turned on me and started trying to bite my ankles instead. I sent the deer after Matt again and kicked the raccoon away. It came back relentlessly. Trying to tear into my skin. I had to focus on keeping myself safe and battling Matt. He was right that it was proving to be more challenging.
Matt decapitated the deer and it slumped over. He turned the sword on me. I pulled forward a small brigade of rotted squirrels. Forcing magic past the cuffs to try to command them and coordinate their attacks. The raccoon jumped and bit into my wrist. I yelped and before I knew what I had done, I had pulled the raccoon's head from his body. I wanted to vomit. Rotted chunks of flesh scattered in front of me.
Matt yelled at me to keep focusing. I couldn't find any more dead animals around. I pushed harder, nothing. Harder. My insides still churned at the raccoon bits on my cuffed hands. I let the remaining squirrels go, dropped to my knees, and vomited my cereal from this morning.
Matt wiped off his blade in the grass, giving me a moment to collect myself.
"Besides that raccoon, how do you feel now?" He asked.
I shrugged, the taste of vomit in my mouth still.
"Better I guess, I really don't think I could harm one of my friends if I can't stomach a dead animal coming apart."
Matt nodded, agreeing.
"Next time, we go to a cemetery," Matt said. "You need to learn to work with larger animals."
"So a pet cemetery?" I asked.
Matt nodded, he undid the cuffs and stowed them away in his pocket.
"Still feeling ok?"
I stared at his pounding veins in his neck and didn't feel any urges to bite into it.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Keep in mind," He said as he extended a hand to help me up. "That this method won't work forever. Eventually you will have to just learn to live with it."
"But it works for now," I said. "And that's all I need."
As we walked back to the house, Derek came storming over.
"Chloe were the hell have you been?"
"She's been with me," Matt said, laying a hand on my shoulder.
"And where were you at?" Derek growled.