Ryleigh had set herself down on the grass – which was wet with dew and made cold seep slowly into every nook and cranny of her body. She was sitting a little off the training field, watching the others fight and regretting that she wasn't recovered enough to join them. Not that Austin would have let her anyway, but still.
Austin hadn't wanted her to watch, arguing that it was too cold outside for her. If he got his way, she'd spend all her time in bed. It puzzled her how overbearing he could be, and she wondered if Sky had been right in saying it was his nature. Surely he didn't care about her. She had given him absolutely no reason to. Perhaps it was the mate bond that forced him to feel protective of her. Either way, she wished he'd stop. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was being coddled.
She pulled up her legs and let her chin rest on her knees, watching the fighters. She noticed a fair share of the warriors were women. Whatever she thought of Midnight Moon, at least they gave their females opportunities.
The grass was still cold, but the air was warming up gradually. As time went by, the fighters grew increasingly hotter and more and more shirts were starting to come off, which sparked a heightened interest in Ryleigh. Her eyes sought for Austin and she sucked in a sharp breath when she saw him pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside, his muscles glistening with perspiration.
"Enjoying the view?"
Ryleigh turned her head to see Sky pop up behind her. She smiled, then nodded towards the field. "You're not training today?"
"Just got back from patrol."
She lowered herself down on the ground beside Ryleigh. The grass had since dried in the morning sun so she could sit without soaking her trousers. Ryleigh hung her head back to bask in the sunlight.
"Any trouble on your patrol?" she asked, closing her eyes against the bright light.
"No, we rarely do. We get the occasional rogue, and every once in a while some Golden Dawn youngsters get bold and sneak onto our territory, but we're usually able to chase them away pretty swiftly."
"Nothing unusual then?"
Sky remained silent and Ryleigh cracked one eye open to glance at her. She was looking at her with brow slightly furrowed. "Why?"
Ryleigh shrugged. "I don't know. Always good to check for the unusual, isn't it?" She shielded her eyes with a hand and looked at the fighters. Austin was sparring with Conall and though Conall was definitely the strongest of the two, Austin was faster.
"I always wonder why men feel the need to take off their shirts whenever they can," Sky said, looking at the field with her lips pulled back slightly.
"Probably because they know they look good."
"So do I, but you don't see me parading around naked."
Ryleigh snorted a chuckle. "I don't think they'd mind." She smirked and looked at all the men. "You'd probably win any fight that way."
"I already win anyway."
She laughed – a warm, sparkling sound that reached Austin all the way across the field and made him look her way. Conall punished him harshly for getting distracted by punching him full in the gut, which only made Ryleigh laugh harder. "They do look good, though, you have to admit," she said, her eyes glued to Austin picking up his fighting stance again, shaking his head – he probably hoped he could shake off the mate bond that easily too.
"The mate bond is clouding your judgment," Sky said, cocking her head slightly to the side and following Ryleigh's gaze, though her eyes came to rest on Conall rather than Austin. "But yes, I suppose there are worse things to look at."
Ryleigh grinned. "Better be careful with checking out Conall. I doubt his ego needs the boost of seeing you look at him."
She pulled a face. "Goddess forbid."
"You're not interested in him, then? From what I've seen, you two get along."
"He's my beta. I have to get along with him. I might appreciate his physique, but that doesn't mean I want anything to do with his person. I can only stand Conall from afar."
"I feel you. Though, he can do some damage from afar, too. I'm not used to wolves being good with arrows." Subconsciously, she moved her hand to her back.
"In his defence, you were attacking me."
"Right."
"You don't get to sulk. You gave me some nasty scars for my troubles." Something closely resembling appreciation appeared in Sky's gaze. "You're a better fighter than I thought you'd be, especially in your state."
"I'm just going to assume that's a compliment," Ryleigh said, pulling her brows up. "So, how long have you been a warrior?"
Sky shrugged. "As long as I can remember, really. I've always liked punching things. It helps me think."
Ryleigh nodded, pursing her lips. "I see a lot of women fighting too."
"Yes. More and more every year. It's a good development." She glanced sideways at Ryleigh, only to see that she was staring down at her lap with a dazed look in her eyes. "Ryleigh?"
She snapped her head up, blinking rapidly. "What? Sorry, I was distracted a moment."
"You alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She glanced in Austin's direction, then flinched and clenched her eyes shut. "Excuse me a moment, would you?" She struggled to her feet and without waiting for a reply she walked – or rather ran – off the field. Her two guards spurred into action, hurrying after her.
She wondered how pissed Austin would get if she tried to shake off her guards. She liked Seth and Nate, but she could really use some privacy. Pressing her hands against her temples, she prayed that she could somehow find the strength to overcome this. She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw her guards following closely, watching her like they expected her to bail on them any second (which, in their defence, she was considering). She came across the mansion and turned briskly, going around the huge building, hoping that if she couldn't get rid of her guards at least she could avoid running into anyone else. The last thing she needed was to have everyone stare at her.
"Slow down," Seth said.
She weakly waved a hand at them and came to a halt. Glancing around, she concluded she was in a reasonably sequestered spot now, at the side of the mansion. She leant against the wall, which was overgrown with ivy and lichen, and buried her face in her hands, her hair twirling around her fingers.
"Are you alright?" Nate asked.
"Fine, fine!" she said, her voice wavering. There was no amount of deep breaths she could take that managed to relieve any of the pressure she felt building in her skull.
"What's going on?"
Ryleigh peeked through her fingers to see Sky standing in front of her with her arms crossed and a look in her eyes that demanded a non-humorous, no-nonsense response.
"I'm fine," she said, crumpling. "Don't link Austin."
"I really feel I should."
"Don't." She tugged at the roots of her hair and gasped, her head snapping up in the direction of the forest, from which she was not far removed. She glanced at Sky and then at her guards.
"Do not even think about running," Sky said. "I like you, but I will take you down if I have to."
Ryleigh groaned and let herself glide down the wall, making herself as small as she possibly could. "Link him," she said, pushing the words out in a gasp. She pressed her forehead against her pulled up knees and clenched her teeth as hard as she could to stop herself from screaming. "Now!"
"You literally told me not to three seconds ago. Are – are you forcefully shifting?"
Ryleigh's hands were turning into claws, her hair turning darker and her ears growing larger and more triangular. It lasted only a second, then Ryleigh gasped again and returned to her regular human self. A hiss fled from her lips and she attempted to get up, falling onto her hands and knees instead.
"No, no, no!" she said, digging her nails in the dirt, almost as if in an attempt to stop herself from getting up. "Stop!" She dropped her head, uttering what started as a cry but morphed into a growl halfway through. The muscles in her shoulders rolled as she resisted a shift. "Please!"
"What's happening?" Austin pushed past the guards and hurried towards her. He dropped to his knees, cupping her face in his hands and twisting her head up to look at him. Her eyes were bright golden and filled with panic, but as soon as she registered his touch, they darkened into black.
She collapsed with a cry, panting. He caught her effortlessly and wrapped his arms around her. Her body trembled underneath his hands, and she had just enough presence of mind to realise she needed a more convincing lie.
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A/N: Another attack... Any theories?
Thank you for reading!