Chapter Thirteen
The knocking on the door woke me up, and I groaned. I wasn’t ready to wake up. I snuggled deeper into my bed and ignored the knock when it sounded again. Ugh. “What?” I called out, and my father’s chuckle from my door had me cracking an eye.
“Let a little too loose last night, did you?”
“You know I did.” I tossed my pillow and buried myself back under the comforter, but my dad just tossed the pillow back to me.
“Time to wake up.”
“I don’t want to.” I groaned and grabbed my phone and realized it was five in the freaking morning. “Dad…” But his laughter interrupted my groan.
“Sorry, darling, but training starts now.” He walked over and ripped the blanket off of me, and I screamed. The cold air jolted me more awake, and I wanted to whine more, but my father was already walking out. “If you’re not downstairs in five minutes, I’m dumping water on you.”
I groaned and kicked a little before I got up. I know it’s stupid, and I needed to be better than my last lifetime, but I really wanted to still be asleep. I got up and wiped my face, then headed to change into a tank top and shorts while tossing up my black hair. I threw on my shoes and ran through the pack house to find my dad by the front door.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes and nearly growled when I spotted his smug grin. “Why?” I couldn’t form a coherent question yet, and he just laughed again.
“Because this is going to take you a long time to master, and we have to start as soon as possible.” I tossed my head back and took a deep breath. I knew I would need to have control, enough control to hide myself in plain sight, so he was right.
“Okay.” I wiped my face and jumped a few times to shake off the fog in my brain. “Let’s go.” My dad pounded on my back and walked out the door.
“Have you shifted yet?” My dad was heading down the porch steps as I closed the door.
“No.” I met him at the bottom, and he nodded. He headed off to the bushes to the left of the house and tossed his clothes out. Within a minute, Loki is walking over to me, his black fur shining and his golden eyes glowing, his huge form as tall as my shoulder. “Hello, Loki.”
Hello pup. Climb up. We have a way to go before we are clear of viewing eyes.
“Okay.” I walked down the steps and waited while Loki grabbed my father’s clothes and then settled on his belly so I could climb up, and then he was off. I wrapped my fingers in his fur and leaned down, keeping my balance as best as I could. He was flying through the trees, dodging the brush and fallen logs.
The air was whipping my hair around. He was moving so fast I could barely catch my breath, but it was amazing. The roar of the wind, the slash of the leaves as he cut around bushes and smaller plants.
It’s amazing, isn’t it?
“Yes,” I yelled back, and he chuffed out a laugh.
This is what shifting opens up for you. The world comes alive. The trees speak to you; the wind calls to you; the moon watches over you. The world calls to us, and our animals answer.
“When will I get to experience it?” I couldn’t wait until I could shift. Nix chuffed her agreement but stayed silent.
We shift when our bodies can handle it. The bigger or stronger the animal, the later we shift. Your father wasn’t ready when he came of age. We shifted after he mastered his magic and his body. We were twenty when we finally shifted.
“I have to master my magic?”
I don’t know if it’s mandatory for you, but it was for us. We needed to be able to control the magic as we shifted. That way we didn’t hurt anyone when we lost control.
Nix came forward, and I heard her speak to me and to Loki, Amy will have to do the same. I cannot come forward without that safety net in place.
“Why not?”
Nix shook her head. Your power is waiting to be released. I hold it back, just like my aura that you hold back. If our control slips even for a moment, it can leak out, and magic is chaotic without intent. You could hurt people you love. You could kill someone. Loki’s voice cut in, and the reality of the situation really hit. If I couldn’t master my magic, I would never shift.
Just like my previous life.