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“Take your time,” she said.
I growled to myself and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force my wolf back so I could return to human form. She stubbornly refused and planted her paws down. I could feel our claws snag the rug again, and my frustration spiked. My wolf growled back at me, as if insisting I wasn’t going to intimidate her.
Ugh! This is important!
But she wasn’t listening, or maybe she couldn’t listen. I still wasn’t really sure how this all worked, and it wasn’t like Fenris had the time to sit down and give me a primer on how to be a functional shifter. That’d probably take days we certainly didn’t have.
Come on!
I had no idea how long I sat there, trying to force a change, but nothing was happening. When I opened my eyes, I was sitting in the same spot and at the same height. Smug triumph rippled through my wolf, and I groaned, wondering if I needed to go outside and run several more laps around the island. I’d caught my breath since returning to Fenris’s home, but my muscles still burned with exertion. I certainly wasn’t brimming over with energy now.
What if I used up too much energy?I wondered, a cold rush of fear rolling through me.What if I can’t shift back because I’m not strong enough?
I laid down on the rug and whined, giving Val a plaintive look. She furrowed her eyebrows and shared a concerned look with Abi. “Are you alright?” she asked, even though I couldn’t answer her.
I can do this, I thought, trying not to let desperation close in. I shut my eyes again, this time focusing on my breathing. I tried not to think about my wolf, just the stillness of letting the oxygen flow in and out of me. Being at peace with myself. Being indifferent to the world around me, but still being a part of it; not resisting it but flowing with it. My breaths deepened, the rhythm slowing. Everything became a little easier, and when I finally opened my eyes to prop myself back up, it was my palm spread across the floor, not my paw.
Exhausted, I smiled down my now-human skin.
“Well done!” Val praised, getting off the couch to offer me a hand. She looked me up and down where I stood. “But I think that will be quite enough training for now. We don’t want to push you so far. You need days to recover.”
As much as I wanted to keep working, I knew Val made a good point. A few extra gains wouldn’t be worth days of recovery.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Abi suggested, getting up and walking back to the kitchen. “I got hungry just watching you run.”
As we entered the kitchen, Walter arrived at the same time from whatever chore he’d been tending to. He gave me a look. “Are you alright, Celeste?” he asked, glancing at the other two women. “You aren’t pushing yourself too much with your magic training, are you?”
Val smiled and shook her head. “She was practicing shifting, actually,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Celeste did quite well.”
Before I could say anything, Abi interjected, beaming at Walter. “You are just the nicest man,” she gushed, her eyes twinkling. “So concerned about everyone all the time.” She glanced over at Val and me. “Just like Val! She made sure Celeste stopped before she went too far. The two of you are just such great, kind mentors.”
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at how heavy-handed Abi was being, but Val took it in stride. “I’d be a poor mentor if I didn’t guide younger witches against harm,” she replied, not quite meeting Walter’s gaze. “My own mentors were wonderful. I want to do them proud.”
“I’m sure you do,” Walter said softly as he turned to the refrigerator, clearly looking for something to prepare.
“Val, is that a new dress?” Abi asked a little too loudly. “I love it. The dark blue lookssogood on you,” she added as she plopped down next to me.
I tried to keep my expression neutral as I shoved an elbow into her ribs. Abi needed to cool it, or she was going to blow the matchmaking.
Before Abi could say anything else, Walter’s phone rang. He closed the fridge while fishing it out of his pocket. It must have been something important, as he excused himself and hurried out of the kitchen to answer it.
I sighed, giving Abi a dark look as Val refused to look at us both. “Should I make you something to eat, Celeste?” she finally asked, chewing her lower lip. “I’m not sure if that call will take Walter away for a while, and you really should relax.”
“Speaking of relaxing,” Abi said, clearly not taking the hint, “Celeste and I were talking about that the other day. I think weallneed a little bit of time to relax. You should join us for a girl’s night, Val!”
Val glanced at us, as if legitimately surprised we’d want to spend time with her outside of studying. That reaction made my heart ache, and I wondered just how isolated she’d been. For a moment, I even forgot to be annoyed with Abi.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling at Val. “I bet it’s been a little while since you’ve had the time to pamper yourself and just relax. I’m sure you’ve been really busy as Fenris’s house witch, and I get the feeling he doesn’t invite a lot of others over at any given time.”
“Well…” Val trailed off, looking down at her nails. “I suppose I don’t spend a lot of time on that sort of thing, no. But there isn’t really anyone to impress. Fenris simply cares that a job gets done, and if it gets done well.”
“Oh, Val,” I said quietly. “Surely thereissomeone to impress. And you know, even if there isn’t, you still can do your nails foryoubecause you like them to look pretty, not because you want someone to notice them. I’m sure you’d be noticed no matter what, anyway.”
As much as I thought Val and Walter would be a lovely couple, I didn’t think making that match should come at the expense of her confidence. She deserved to pamper herself simply because she worked hard!
“We could invite Morgan, too!” Abi added, finally seeming to sense what I was hinting at.
Val’s smile grew a little wider. “That’s very kind, but she’s back with our coven. I don’t think she’d be able to get here tonight short of teleportation, and that’s really not an appropriate use of magic. If the two of you just want to—”
