Mistress of Blood and Fur

Chapter 24 - The Shift

Onyx

We manage to trap the shapeshifter, but the clock is ticking. You can never trap one for more than 72 hours. Just ask our resident know-it-all, Fox Green. Of course, he’s pointed out the part in the tome he got it from so that we won’t think he’s making things up as we go along. Because he successfully summoned the shapeshifter, we believe him. Hell, we always do, anyway.

“Now, what?” Dash asks, not particularly happy that we have to keep the b***h in our cabin. She still doesn’t have a face, but I can safely assume that her original form leans more toward female. But what do I know?

“We’re going to make her shift into Sarah’s form.” Fox sounds like he always does, calm and confident when it comes to anything that requires knowledge. “That’s half the struggle. Persuading her to do what we want her to do is the other.”

“f**k it, Fox. That’s the whole struggle,’ Dash complains. “I’m not even sure why I’m helping this i***t here. You should have a better eye and nose for dangerous b***h, Onyx. You feel right into Sarah’s trap. But at least she doesn’t seem to be as dangerous as this shapeshifter.”

“We can’ t be too sure about that,” Grace says.

I want to get close to her, claim her in front of everyone else, but right now she’s a target. If Sarah’s truly more dangerous than she appears, I don’t want Grace to be that close – yet. Then, there’s the shapeshifter. If she escapes, we are all dead meat.

“There’s no way we can make that shapeshifter do what we want,” I tell Fox. I shake my head. There’s just no way.

“She likes bargains, Onyx. We need to make a sacrifice.”

I remember how she already took something of mine. She’s the one owing me and not the other way around, but I don’t think that it’s the way she operates.

“What can you offer me, Onyx?” she rasps. As she does, her face takes form, a tongue slides out. It taunts me. The rest of her face looks like molten wax. “What you gave to me years ago tasted so good.”

“You should pay me, instead, shapeshifter since you took something from me. An what the hell did you do to the real Rosamunde Ewing?” The humans know Rosamund. Meanwhile, this thing right in front of us look ancient. They can’t be the same beings.

She laughs. It’s eerie how a gaping mouth with nothing else surrounding it can do that but I suspect she can do it without even it.

“You know how I got Rosamund Ewing? Take a guess,” she says, licking her gaping maw as the rest of her form undulates. Her face takes on the form of a young woman with red hair. Rosamund Ewing. I realize that the woman from years ago isn’t the same person, either, but rather someone with the same coloring. It was another Ewing.

But – from what I know, Ersa Ewing got married and have children. How did she survive the shifter? Where is she now? Why can’t she tell Dennington about why her sister is missing? The wolves are not responsible for the disappearance. For us, it’s obvious. For humans? If they know what we are now, they’ll easily believe it’s our fault.

“Who else can it be but the big bad wolf?” I think, as I watch the monster tied down in our kitchen.

“It’s always us. Us. Us.” Blaze’s growling is so loud that I almost think everyone can her him. That’s the other shitty thing about being a werewolf. You also have someone rattling in your brain that could make humans label you as crazy.

“What the f**k does she mean by that, Fox?” asks Dash. “Does she have to eat Sarah?”

“Good boy,” the shapeshifter murmurs, looking at Dash.

“No. No way. I’m not letting you do that,” I say. “We can find another way. I’m so sorry.”

I look at Grace when I utter the words of apology. She looks pale. Haunted. I don’t think either of us can survive our conscience if someone dies because we want to be together.

“Is there any other way?” she asks. “It’s not as if you’re going to take her form for a long time. You only need an hour at the most. That’s already a lot of time.”

Thinking of Sarah, I don’t believe an hour is enough time but I know Grace is trying to sell her idea and I let her.

“What about you? Why don’t you come closer?” the shapeshifter asks, sniffing Grace.

“I will give you any of my senses, if you like.”

“No, Grace,” I beg. I walk closer to her. I do it slowly as if startling either woman can result in catastrophe. Maybe we’re already in the middle of it – right in the eye of the storm. One step in the wrong direction and we’ll get the strongest winds.

She shivers as my fingertips grace her arm. Goosebumps rise, and I smell her desire and something else.

“Interesting,” the shapeshifter says.

“Nothing interesting here,” Fox says, intervening. “Shapeshifter, do you see what I have in my hand?”

“No!” it howls, looking at the chain my friend is dangling in front of her. A golden necklace. Not silver, which is our weakness. f*****g gold.

“The rope we used on you has gold within the strands. This necklace, though? It will make you weak. I have bigger ones that will bind you here with us forever. One mission, shapeshifter, and you’re free.”

“Don’t ever release that f*****g b***h,” Blaze rasps in my head.

“Diplomacy is the road to success in this case, Blaze. We need her to make a public declaration first. Then, my father will take away the invisible bond. Once Sarah’s free again, it will be too late. Claiming someone you rejected is not allowed.”

“Wait! What are you doing to Sarah?” Grace asks.

“Don’t feel sorry for her. Feel sorry for us if her little stunt of claiming Onyx without his consent gets us in deep s**t with this, this -.”

I glare at Dash. He has to stop talking.

“We have to tie her up somewhere while it – she rejects me in the hall for everyone to see.”

Fox approaches the shapeshifter and places the gold jewelry around her neck. She cries out.

“It’s not pure gold, don’t worry. I do have something for her if she doesn’t obey. This one will make her obey us.”

“Will she obey anything?” Dash asks, intrigued.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” I say sternly but I hug Grace to my side to soften the impact of my voice on her. She presses herself closer and all I want is to kiss her in front of everyone, but we must get rid of the bond that ties me up with Sarah. Hopefully, we can talk sense to my father. He must change some of his rules. I am thankful, though, for the fact that the males cannot just simply claim Grace. That will be chaos.

“I still need something of hers,” the shapeshifter rasps.

“You’ve seen her around. Haven’t you? While you were running about pretending to be -, Oh gods!” Grace hand flies to her mouth as she realizes that Tobias may be well dead.

“Tobias is still somewhere in the hills. He’s not dead, but nearly is,” the shapeshifter explains maliciously. “So close. Oh, so close.”

“Shut up!” Fox orders. We’re all startled by his sudden change of tone. “Here, you can take this.”

“When did you get strands of her hair?” Dash asks, watching in awe as Fox passes some dark strands to the shapeshifter. She opens her mouth and take them right from Fox’s hand.

“Didn’t we all hug them welcome?”

“Oh. Right.”

As the shapeshifter gobbles strands of Sarah’s hair, we tensely watch. Is it even going to be enough? The monster we’ve managed to trap looks calm. It’s almost as if she’s enjoying this. She swallows the hair, and looks like she needs more.

“Tomorrow. One hour only,” she declares. “Right now, I am going to the transformation slowly. There isn’t enough of her essence.”

She starts making a choking sound. I can imagine the hair isn’t going down easily. Her face wavers a bit. Eyes take form, but they aren’t Sarah’s eyes. They are Grace’s.

“What the f**k are you trying to do?”

“She has a strong presence, Onyx, just like you had when I visited you for the first time. I’m feeling her now even as I taste Sarah.”

“Take her outside, Onyx!” Fox orders.

“I’ll do it if you need me to,” Dash says right after.

“I can go outside on my own!” Grace asks. “I’m not a toddler you all have to move from point A to point B.”

“You heard her. Strong presence,” the shapeshifter says. After she blinks three times, we at leas see Sarah peering at us. Peering into our souls.

“We need to get ready for tomorrow morning,” I tell my friends.

It can go from bad to worse, and I must get ready to leave with Grace as a last resort.