LITMIR.BIZ

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maybe when she’s come through the other side.’

      ‘No, man, you need to do it like, now. Go and get some sleep, Leyth. That’s an order. Doc’s there to look after her.’

      Leyth threw him a look; there was absolutely no way he was leaving that female in the hands of another male. Not to eat, not to sleep. This five minutes away from her was pretty much all he could take, and even now he was twitching with the need to go back to her… and do what? What was this desperate fury at the thought of leaving her about?

      Hell, he just had a job to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

      He needed to remember that.

      ‘Goddamn it, Leyth,’ Julian snapped, rubbing his eyes. ‘If you’re really intent on killing yourself, then at least have a shower. There’s one in the medical room she’s in so you can still keep an eye on her.’

      ‘Fine.’

      ‘Fine.’

      Well, this situation had just gotten mighty awkward.

      ‘What are you going to do with her once the infection is gone?’

      ‘I have no idea. I honestly don’t know.’

      ‘Well, can I build her a house on the reserve? And she can stay in a guest room in the meantime.’ Julian started to talk.

      ‘No,’ Leyth cut him off. ‘We can’t register her with the Council—’

      ‘Leyth, you know I have to register everyone who goes through the fever that we find or oversee. It’s Council law.’

      ‘Julian, you know what they’ll do to her.’

      ‘Well, I can make it bearable, and she can stay with us.’

      ‘What, and make her feel like an outcast like Sarah? Or better yet, turn her into a slave?’

      ‘Well, no—’ Julian cursed, long and hard. ‘What do you suggest then?’

      ‘I really don’t know, I think we need to take her back to her own home so she can live out her life in the normal world, the less the Council know of her the better.’

      There was a long pause. ‘OK, so be it. Let me know when you’re sending her home.’

      ‘Sure thing. Hey, did Alison get to your parents OK?’

      ‘I guess so, I’ve not had any “where is she?” calls, so I figure she has to be there.’ Julian laughed. ‘Are you going back in the field when Tamriel’s through the change?’

      ‘Yeah, I guess so.’ Leyth sighed. The thought of life without her seemed so empty.

      ‘Good, Carl needs to talk to you about that last clean-up you called in.’

      ‘Can I talk to him about it when I’ve had more sleep?’ Leyth grumbled, he didn’t need any more on his plate right now. He’d killed the tuhrned, and that’s what mattered right?

      Julian’s phone chose that moment to ring, and Leyth was grateful for the distraction.

      ‘Yup, what? Crap, Yeah, I’ll tell him.’ Julian barked, slamming the phone down.

      ‘Tamriel’s fever is in full swing, you need to go and help Doc.’

      Leyth didn’t even spare a second glance at his leader, just hightailed it out of the office and through the body of the mansion to the clinic.

      Hammering his way through the door, he skidded to a halt by Tamriel’s bed.

      She was writhing around on the gurney, heaving in huge gulps of air, her face was slick with tears and the whimpers that escaped her every now and again were enough to break his damn heart.

      This was the hardest part of the fever; the infection was going to take over. He knew you just had to let it take over and hope for the best, but Tamriel had no idea what was happening to her and there was a strong chance that she would reject it and make her body fight against it rather than accept it. And it honestly could kill her.

      Tamriel let out an almighty scream as her bones started to splinter and break, her skin stretching as every limb shattered. Leyth braced himself for the infection to spread, for her body to stop fighting and start healing… but it wasn’t happening, she wasn’t healing properly. Just breaking and staying broken.

      ‘Change, Tamriel, I need you to change,’ he whispered, stroking her hair, as Doc bustled past him, checking her vitals and injecting her with painkillers.

      She let out an almighty groan and he could only stare as her beautiful black hair slowly began to change colour. The silky dark strands slowly became streaked with red, the colour washing its way down from root to tip until what was left was a myriad of ruby highlights shimmering through the black strands.

      For hours, Leyth held her and willed her to get better, to heal from the infection, but her body wasn’t cooperating.

      ‘Please change, Tamriel, I need you to change, I—’ Tears? Holy shit! His own tears ran down his face as he soothed her, lightly kissing her forehead. ‘I will not let you die. Please change.’

       It was dark, the moon called out to her like a lost lover as it started to sink beneath the horizon. The wind whistled past her naked body, making her nipples harden and her heart ache right to the core. The chill running up her spine, however, had nothing to do with the cold night air. She was supposed to find something. Someone? But who? Taking a deep breath, Tamriel took in the scent of the forest around her; it smelt as her father had. Musky wood, fallen autumn leaves.

       The damp smell of dew was intoxicating. She could smell rabbits and birds. Listening, she heard the crunch of dead leaves on the floor under tiny feet. Opening her eyes, the world looked different; the woodland seemed to glow under the moonlight, the trees were shining, energy rippling through their spindly branches and roaring out from the remaining leaves at their tips. She drank it all in in great gulps. She felt starved, she needed this, this freedom. It was home.

       Something moved in the distance, a mouse? It hadn’t seen her yet and though it was far enough away for it to be unnoticeable, she saw it. She could see each hair on its back, each whisker. Without thinking, she ran silently through the forest towards the mouse. Why? She had no idea. She loved the feel of the wind ripping past her naked body, loved the sounds of the woodland as it surrounded her. As she reached the mouse, she leapt into the air, her body flying higher and further than was naturally possible, but she knew she’d make it; for some reason she was more than aware of what her body was capable of. Coming down fast and hard, she landed with a foot either side of the tiny animal, scooping it into her hands in one fell swoop. The mouse jumped and squeaked, but seemed to gather itself together quickly, looking up at her with big, black eyes. It knew she wouldn’t hurt it; she was only playing after all.

       Together, she and the mouse took off once more, running through the forest as far and as fast as her feet would carry her, trees blurring as she passed them by. She knew where she was going; she knew these trees, this woodland. She’d dreamt of this place as a child, every time she went to bed she’d played in this forest, climbed every tree, run through every meadow surrounding it.

       Finally, the trees started to lessen, giving way to a large lake.

       Without hesitation, she plopped the mouse down on the ground and dived in. The water swirled around her, caressing her body like a hesitant friend, welcoming her home. Coming up for air, she splashed her way back to the surface, marvelling at how the water seemed to sparkle under the moon. Pulling herself up next to the mouse, she lay there, lost in her thoughts, lost in her own personal wilderness, her wonderland. It called to her tonight in a way it never had before. She was utterly at ease.

       Finally, after an age, the sun started to rise, and as the first of its rays hit the water, something on the opposite side of the lake caught her eye. Wolf.

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