11.
1332 Words
Chapter 11
LYALL POV
It happened before my brain could fully process. One second I was dismissing Suzie and the next a mouse ran up my pant leg and bit my upper thigh before racing back out to snuggle into Rini’s shoulder.
“What the f**k!” I snapped. Goddamn that bite hurt and it was far too close to my c**k for my liking.
“Bite me again and I will crush you, mouse.”
Rini’s gaze promises violence but she doesn’t reprimand me. Instead she pets Suzie with adoration.
“Look at you shifting without the full moon,” she crooned. “Get it girl!”
Silas remained silent but pulled his jacket off before gently picking Mouse Suzie up, ignoring the way she tried to bite him.
“I’m going to put you on the ground and place my jacket off you, shift back once you’re covered.”
Even in mouse form it was obvious Suzie was nervous, letting out a small squeak and turning to Rini.
God our little Rabbit. She looked wrecked. Her normally caramel skin pale and sweaty, her eyes a dull blue, dark blonde hair matted and blood stained.
What the f**k had happened here? She looked like she’d been through an ordeal… actually she kinda looked how the twins did after the first time they tried to shift but panicked and got stuck in a half form for hours.
“She doesn’t have full control,” Rini said quietly, “This was the first time she shifted without the full moon, she’s worried she can’t shift back until the moon is fullest.”
Ralph snorted in derision but at the look Rini levelled at him, quickly turned it into a cough.
A shifter that was controlled by the moon? Jesus this was who we had left Rini with? And a mouse shifter as well. It was basically like leaving a kitten to defend a duckling and hoping neither of them got eaten.
Maybe we should just take her with us, the longer we waited the longer it took to get answers on Rini’s condition and if she ended up permanently harmed because Suzie didn’t have basic control, then I would kill the little mouse.
Silas had been silent through it all, watching Suzie contemplatively. Finally he smirked and began to nuzzle the auburn mouse against his nose.
“Mmm you smell divine,” he crooned. Suzie began to struggle in earnest again. “It would be reckless to leave you in this state, wouldn’t it? Inhumane even. Perhaps I’ll take you home with me, get that quality time I’ve been almost begging for.”
An actual snarl came out of this little mouse and on closer inspection she had managed to draw blood from several points on Silas.
“No?” He said silkily. “You would prefer to go home and bury that pretty little head in the sand?”
Another snarl from Suzie.
“Then shift,” Silas purred. “Shift pretty mouse and force me away from you.”
This time a squeak of frustration.
Silas brushed his lips against Suzie’s fur, careful not to catch his lip ring on her.
“You’re upsetting her!” Rini cried. “Stop it!”
Silas ignored her and kept a firm but gentle hold on the little mouse.
“Prove them wrong Suzie,” he said, this time without any innuendo. “Shift for me right now. Shift for you. Take back control. Own yourself and your choices. You are not weak. SHIFT!”
A small pop and then Suzie was naked and in Silas’s arms.
“Very good,” Silas said and I could smell the pride and arousal coming off him as he deftly covered Suzie in his hoodie and placed her on the ground.
With her tiny frame and his 6ft4 hulking form it came past her knees.
Suzie glared at him but then turned back to me.
“I don’t give that first damn if you crush me, I’m telling you right now that if anything happens to Suzie today or ever again I will bite your d**k off as my last act on this earth.”
Silas scooped up her clothes before she could argue, or I could ever respond, and began walking to his car.
“Hey! Bring my clothes back!” She demanded.
“Come get them,” he called over his shoulder.
Suzie had no choice but to follow and I made a note to thank Silas for extricating her from our show down.
“Are we done with this s**t?” Ralph asked. “Rini is still bleeding and the scent is giving me a f*****g headache.”
Rini shrunk away from his anger but I understood it. If possible, her scent was even more alluring than it was this morning. It was so powerful I could barely note the pine scent of the trees or the exhaust of our cars.
I didn’t reply, just walked to the car, knowing they would follow. Thank f**k for Rafe because I didn’t trust myself to touch her.
“I’m fine,” Rini protested as we all got situated in the car. “We aren’t far from your house and if I walk I won’t get blood in your car.”
“No one gives a f**k about the blood.” Ralph told her, eyes trained out the window.
“Fine! If you can call for the Doc when we get back and send him to my room please and then you can go back to treating me like patient zero.”
“Why can’t you call?” Ralph replied.
Rini rolled her eyes. “Because I have no phone to call with.” You i***t was heavily implied.
So it was true then. We had truly let her down in so many ways. No wonder she found our very presence irritating.
“You can have my old one,” Rafe immediately offered, ever the peacemaker.
“I don’t want your pity or charity. Call the Doc and then leave me alone.”
None of us told her that we had been trying and failing to do that for over 10 years now.
The rest of the trip we remained in a tense silence. The trees grew thicker the closer we got to home and the sounds of wildlife became fewer and far between. The animals recognised we were predators and those that were obvious prey tried to give our lodgings a wide birth where possible.
Shame the Rabbit in our midst didn’t follow suit.
*
The s**t show continued as soon as we pulled into our sprawling drive and Aunt Arley came racing out of the house at the sight of Rini.
For a moment I thought she was going to be concerned, maybe even fuss over her a little… I didn’t expect the pulsing anger radiating off her.
“I could smell your blood,” she sneered, trying and failing to yank Rini out of Rafe’s arms. “What trouble have you gotten the boys into now?”
“Mom, back off.” Rafe told her firmly. “Rini is hurt and we need the Doc.”
Aunt Arley look like he’d slapped her and I realised this was probably the first time either of them had stood up to her.
“He’s a pack doctor,” she replied. “Not a vet.”
Ridiculous when we were the ones that shifted into animals that she was infer that it was Rini that was an animal.
“Mom,” Ralph admonished quietly. “Rini is our responsibility and she’s hurt. It is on us to get her looked over, please call Doc.”
“Luna,” Aunt Arley bit out.
“What?” The twins asked as one.
“You are speaking to your Luna, not your mother and I get to choose where our resources go.”
Oh no she f*****g did not.
- Writer
