Willow

by Amy Richie

  Chapter Seventeen

  Unfortunate Injury

  Gage didn't relax his stance but I saw the muscles in his jaw and temples working. Someone behind me snickered but I didn't turn around to see who it was.

  I saw his adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. "It comes with time," he said slowly. He put his hand up to cover his chin, rubbing the bare spot. "Fine," he said at length, "but I'm not taking it easy on you."

  As I watched him stalk away from me I had to try to tone down my eager smile. I flashed a grin to the boys behind me who smiled instantly, despite the wariness in their eyes.

  "As I said before," Gage called me to attention, "it's about control. Find something you feel strongly about," he shifted his gaze to include the boys, "like your female." His expression changed suddenly; I felt a chill across my skin at the evilness I saw in him. I took an instinctive step back, but in a flash I was knocked to the ground by a huge black wolf. I screamed in surprise, this was no playful attack, but Gage didn't so much as graze my skin with teeth or claws.

  He was knocked off of me by a much smaller grey wolf - Jed. I flipped over to my stomach just in time to see Gage sink his teeth into Jed's side. Jed yelped and half fell to the ground. In an instant of rage I was morphed before I even felt the heat.

  I got to Gage before any of the others. Without even thinking I jumped onto his massive back, biting down on the back of his neck. He arched back and knocked me to the ground. I felt a sharp rock, or maybe it was a stick, go into my back where I fell hard. Gage turned on me with a ferocious snarl.

  The others were on him before he could react but I saw the shock in his grey eyes when he saw me on the ground. I awkwardly got back on my feet. "It's ok, I'm fine," I told them in my wolf voice. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. "Morph back." Gage was staring at me with anxious eyes. It was clear he hadn't meant to hurt me. "Everyone morph back."

  I painfully changed back. The pain in my shoulder was much worse in my human form. I cringed when Jed pulled back a flap of my torn shirt to reveal a huge gash in my shoulder. "Ow," I gasped. I was afraid I would pass out when the blood ran down my back and stained the top of my jeans.

  The worst injury I'd ever had was when I was eight. Ivy had wanted a perfect red apple on the highest branch of the apple tree that grew out back. I had no trouble getting up there to get the apple, it was getting back down that proved difficult. I ended up with a broken arm; the apple clutched tightly in my hand.

  "We need to get you home," Jed said solemnly. He looked way too white to be normal.

  I was suddenly acutely aware of everyone around me. Jed, of course, was right beside me and the other five formed a barricade around me. A barricade to keep Gage away. Gage stood very still a few feet from everyone else. His wide eyes stayed locked on me but wouldn't meet my eyes.

  "Gage?" I tried to laugh.

  He still stood very still, he might not have even been breathing. "Get her home," he barely whispered.

  "It's just a scratch, I'll be healed by the time we get there." My shoulder throbbed painfully but I wasn't going to admit that to them. "Gage?"

  He looked up and for a brief moment I saw the depth of emotion in his eyes. The guilt I saw there took my breath away.

  I sagged heavily against Jed, who collected me up in his arms like I was five years old and had fallen on the playground. We moved swiftly through the woods back to the cabin in the fading light from the sun. It was dusk by now, the time of the evening when people's eyes play tricks on them and shadows turned into monsters. No one said anything the entire way, but I couldn't be sure if that was because they were wolves or if they were just worried.

  My shoulder was not healed when we reached the cabin as I'd predicted but it had stopped bleeding. Jed put me down in front of the door and a bright yellow light flooded down on us. As soon as I was back on my feet I wanted to go in and change but Jed protested loudly.

  "I'll come in with you," he proclaimed, "and make sure you're okay."

  I shook my head and backed towards the door. Rueben's hand shot out to grasp my arm. "Someone needs to help you."

  "I got it."

  "You can't even see your shoulder. You don't know how bad it looks." Steven's voice wasn't as composed as it normally was.

  "It was just an accident," I assured them.

  "It should never have happened," Jed's brows knitted together with his scowl.

  "He was just trying … "

  "No, Willow," I was cut off by Rueben, "we should have protected you." Colby's eyes glistened and he shook his head from side to side.

  I was glad to see that they were all back to human form but I didn't like their self-imposed guilt. I had asked Gage to teach me. He had warned me that he wasn't taking it easy on me. This wasn't anyone's fault but my own. Besides, I was fine.

  "Hello?" We all stiffened at the sound of a female voice. "Hello?" she called again. I was shocked when Carlie came walking from the woods. "Hey guys," she said happily when she spotted us. Her pace slowed when no one answered her. "What's going on?"

  "Carlie," I choked out. "What are you doing here?"

  "I was just taking a walk. I usually do every night."

  "Clear out here?" I couldn't stop the suspicion from creeping into my voice.

  "I don't live far from here." She smiled brightly and took a few steps closer to us. Then she really seemed to see me for the first time. "Willow, what happened to you?"

  "I … um … I … "

  "She fell," Rueben cut in before I could make up a completely unbelievable lie. "She fell down the hill and something got her shoulder."

  Well, something did get my shoulder. "I'm fine though," I quickly added. "I just need to wash up." I pushed my shoulder up to give her a view of my blood soaked back. I heard her sharp intake of breath and quickly turned back away.

  "You need to go to the hospital," she said with wide eyes.

  "No." I softened my tone with a smile. "It looks way worse than it is … really."

  "Let me see it again." She stepped forward but Rueben put himself between us.

  "I can walk you home, Carlie," he offered, "while Willow cleans up." When he smiled, the look in her eyes told me she had forgotten about my shoulder. He expertly guided her back towards where she'd come from.

  "How did I not know she lived near here?" I complained as I watched them go.

  "You were staring down at her house today. I just assumed you knew."

  "I was?" The only house I had been looking at was that old farm house. Did Carlie live there?

  Jed peered around the side of the cabin. "Is she gone?" he whispered loudly.

  I felt my mouth go slack. I hadn't even realized Jed had left. "Why are you hiding?"

  "I'm supposed to be dead."

  "She might have wondered why he was with us," Tyson snorted.

  Why hadn't I thought of that? The thought that Jed was supposed to be dead hadn't even entered my mind. These boys didn't need me to teach them anything. If anything, I needed them to teach me.

  "I'm going to shower," I grumbled.

  

  The hot water didn't do much for my mood. I watched sullenly as the water ran red down my legs and into the drain. I scrubbed furiously at my hair, determined to wash away my sour mood.

  It wasn't the pack's fault that they want to protect me. It's a perfectly natural reaction, I told myself over, and over, and over again. I mean, what had Gage expected?

  With sudden clarity, I realized that was exactly what Gage had expected. That's why he had attacked me. It wasn't to hurt me, it was to get a reaction from the boys.

  What had he said before he attacked me? Something about thinking of something important to you. I had morphed faster than ever before when I thought Jed was hurt. That was the key to morphing! That feeling of rage and protectiveness.

  Before I was done with my shower the water started to run cold. I quickly finished rinsing the soap out of my hair and turned the water off. In the sudden sil
ence I heard voices outside.

  "You're not going anywhere near her," Colby said hotly.

  "I just want to see if she's ok," came the unmistakable raspy sound of Gage's voice.

  My heart stuttered and then went into double time. Don't leave, don't leave I pleaded silently as I wrapped a towel around my body and darted to my room for a fresh pair of clothes.

  My shoulder was almost completely healed but I still winced when my shirt scratched against it. I pulled on the jeans I had discarded on my floor the night before and buttoned them as I was hurrying out the door.

  I slipped on a pair of flip-flops that were by the front door but didn't bother with my hair. "Gage?" I called as I rounded the cabin.

  "Willow." He took a step forward but was pushed back by Tyson and Colby. He glared at them briefly but then he turned his attention back to me. "Are you ok?"

  "I'm fine." I tried to brush his concern off.

  He snorted an ugly sound and shook his head. "Willow, I'm … "

  I held my hand up to stop his apology. "Come on guys, let him pass."

  There was a tense moment when I didn't think they would listen to me, but they stepped back so Gage could get through. I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have been able to hold him back if he'd really wanted through. "Show me your shoulder," he demanded gruffly.

  "It's really nothing," I said, but I let him turn me around so he could see for himself.

  I tried to stand still as he lifted my shirt up enough to reveal the wound. I hadn't seen the back of my shoulder very well but by his sharp intake of breath, I was guessing it looked bad. "It wasn't your fault," I gushed, "next time I'll stay out of it. I just acted on impulse."

  "Next time?" he sneered unattractively. "There will be no next time. I'll continue to instruct the pack but only if you stay away. You aren't even allowed to watch."

  With a final glare and a blur of motion, he loped away from me. His black fur was almost invisible in the black night.