Shifting Destiny

Chapter Fifteen

Feyre POV

Kayla has gone back to work when Alis walks me to my room. I keep thinking about the request she put in her folder. The sender knew I had been at the observation window yesterday. I told Alis and Levi what happened there, but neither of them knew the name at the top of that page.

"Are you sending it?" I ask as Alis closes my door behind us. I sit on the bed, and she leaves the folder on the table instead of opening it.

"No," Alis answers, taking the chair. "They didn't tell me why they want it. I asked for their authority to request it and how they learned about your visit to the window. Until I have an answer, they get nothing from your chart."

"Let me see anything else they send." I rub my thumb over the side of my longest nail. It hasn't grown since breakfast. "I don't like that they knew where I was."

"You will," Alis says, following the movement of my hand. "I told Levi about the request too. He's checking who received the perimeter report."

I can't answer the request from here, and I don't want to spend the rest of the day staring at it. I ask Alis whether I can still train.

She checks my temperature and has me walk to the door and back. My legs hold. I'm steadier than I was after the observation room yesterday, though my arms still tire when I lift them for her.

"Ten minutes, then I check you again," Alis says as she puts away the thermometer. "You can stop sooner. Ryker is showing a way out of a hold. No one grabs you without asking first."

I change into the loose shirt and trousers she brought for my first training session. The shirt slips off one shoulder when I bend for my shoes, and I tug it back into place. My hair falls across my face, pale strands mixed through the blonde. I push it behind my ears and follow Alis into the hall.

The training room still has the low bench and the table of water and clean cloths. Someone has moved the bench against the wall, leaving the middle of the floor clear. The door stands open to the interior hall, where a sanctuary worker keeps watch farther down. Levi waits near the table; Ryker is across from him with a woman in dark training clothes. She looks at me, then at the open space, without studying my eyes or hands.

"I'll go first," the woman tells me, rolling her shoulders once. "Watch us before you decide if you want a turn."

"Right," Ryker answers. He points out the bench and the door. "Levi will talk you through it. Alis is right there, and we'll leave your way to the door open."

I glance at Alis. She has set her bag down where I can see it. I tell Ryker he can begin.

The fighter holds one of Ryker's wrists with both hands. He turns his body, steps out to the side, and pulls his arm free without striking her. Then they switch places. She turns with his grip and gets loose before he can put his second hand on her.

"You don't have to pull harder than the person holding you," Ryker tells me, rubbing his wrist where her fingers were. "Find the side with room and move your feet."

He shows it again slowly. I can see where the fighter puts her weight, but I can't imagine remembering it if the claws start coming out. Levi seems to notice where my attention has gone.

"Before you move, check what your hands are doing," Levi says from beside the table. "If you feel pressure under the nails, tell us. We can stop the hold and deal with that first."

"I'd like to try without the hold first." I step onto the clear floor while Ryker backs toward the bench. "If I can find the exit with someone near me, then maybe I'll try the wrist."

"All right," Ryker says. He asks the fighter to stand a few feet in front of me, with space on either side. "Walk past her. Pick whichever side you want."

I take the right side because I can see the door all the way through. The fighter doesn't move until I've passed. At the doorway I turn around, feeling a little foolish for being pleased with a walk across an empty room.

"Again," the fighter says, shifting one foot to give me a narrower path. "I'll move when you do this time. I won't touch you."

I start to the left. She steps with me, and I change direction. The space beside the bench is smaller than I expected. I stop with my back close to the wall and her in front of me. Ryker has moved to my other side to watch my feet. Neither of them is touching me, but the door is behind both of them.

"No." I hold up my hand before the fighter moves again. "I can't do it from here."

Ryker steps away from the bench. "I told you we'd leave the door clear," he says, looking from me to the fighter. "I moved into your way. We'll reset."

"Wait. What if I end up here again?" I keep my hand raised. The pressure in my fingertips is faint, but I know how fast it can grow. "If I get near that wall, I need a way out. Right now the only path is through two people."

Levi comes forward a step, then stops when I look at him. "You're right," he says, keeping his hands at his sides. "We closed off the side you used to bring the claws back last time."

The fighter looks at the bench, then moves to the far wall. Ryker takes two steps back from me, leaving a clear lane to the door.

"There," she tells me, showing me the space with one hand. "If I move toward you, you can go behind me or straight out. We should've checked that before starting."

My fingers ease. I lower my hand and walk back to the center with the door in sight. Ryker stays far enough away that I can turn without brushing him.

"Enough still means everyone stops," I remind them. I look at each person so I know they've heard. "Even if I haven't finished the move."

"Yes," Ryker answers, stepping away from the route. The fighter and Levi nod too. Alis nods from the table, her eyes on me.

We try again. The fighter steps into my path, and I feel the pressure begin under two nails on my right hand. I say it aloud before it gets any stronger. Levi tells me to keep my fingers open and find the clear side. I move around her, reach the door, and stop with my hand away from the frame.

The points of my nails have lengthened. I can still remember every step I took.

"Do you want to stop there?" Alis asks from the table. She has the thermometer ready but hasn't crossed the floor.

"One more minute," I tell her, facing into the room. "I want to get them back while I'm standing here."

Levi stays where he is. "You found the door. Look at the hall and let your shoulders drop," he says, watching me without coming closer.

I breathe out. The fighter moves away from the path without being asked. With no one close to my right hand, I uncurl my fingers. One nail shortens, then the other. I turn my hand over so Alis can see it.

"There you go," the fighter says, keeping her distance. "You got past me and brought them back. We can leave the wrist hold for another day."

I look back at the spot where she stood and think about which side I'd take next time. She waits while I walk to Alis, who checks me before I can ask for another turn. My temperature is a little higher than when we began, so she ends the session and gives me water.

Ryker is moving the bench back when a hard clang comes from outside the building. The fighter turns toward the sound. I turn too, and the cup shifts in my hand as sharp points press against it.

I haven't asked them to come out again.