Chapter 11 Shadow in the Night
Tasha:
“Did you feel that?” I hissed, crouched low on the clearing’s damp grass, the black sparks along my arms crackling like restless shadows. My senses stretched, sharp and unrelenting, reaching toward the forest that bordered the clinic. My wolf growled, restless beneath my skin, whispering in my mind: “They are close. Strike first. Claim.”
Neel’s presence beside me was calm, grounding, but I kept my distance. I didn’t trust myself…not fully…not my powers, not my wolf, not even the pull I felt toward him.
“I… sense someone,” I whispered, voice tight. “Behind the trees.”
Neel’s eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows. “Tasha, stay calm. You don’t know what it is yet.”
“I do,” I snapped, teeth clenched. Sparks flared along my arms. “It’s close. Too close.”
A shift in the shadows confirmed it. Someone was there….watching, waiting, studying me. My wolf hissed in delight. “Good… prey… claim.”
I shook my head, trying to push her voice down. No. I couldn’t let her take over, not here. Not now. My wolf was behaving off, like it got corrupted just like my magic. And I was trying hard to internally ignore its voice now.
Then the shadow moved. And something inside me snapped.
Before Neel could react, I lunged toward the trees at a speed that blurred the grass beneath my feet. My eyes…once human, once pale….flared fully black, the red glow I had feared finally consuming them. My hands glowed with dark, writhing magic, sparks licking the air as I surged forward.
“Wait, Tasha!” Neel shouted, his voice swallowed by the night.
I didn’t hear him. My senses were entirely focused on the spy werewolf who had dared to stalk me. I could sense him clearly bow, probably my demon was working. His eyes widened upon seeing me approaching him like that. He tried to retreat, moving with careful, deliberate steps, but I was already on him. The air around me crackled with my power, electricity tangling with the black magic that hummed in my veins.
The wolf hissed in my mind: “Rip. Tear. Kill.”
I didn’t hold back. My claws…manifestations of my magic….sliced through the night, tearing into him before he could react. He barely had time to growl before I was on him fully, tearing him apart limb by limb. The sound of flesh and bone snapping echoed through the clearing. His energy screamed, but it was swallowed by mine.
Neel froze, his mouth open in horror. My demon could hear the disbelief in his voice even if he hadn’t spoken: How… how is she doing this?
I lost all control, consumed by the rage and the surge of power. Magic coiled around my hands like living snakes, each strike feeding on the pain I had stored for hours, the anguish of betrayal, rejection, and loss. When the spy’s energy finally shattered, I stumbled back, chest heaving, sparks fading into the grass around me. The clearing smelled of blood and raw magic.
Neel’s voice was tight, trembling. “Tasha… what, what did you do?”
I swallowed hard, chest heaving, hands still trembling with residual energy.
“I… I couldn’t stop myself.”
“You have to calm down,” he said, stepping closer cautiously, as if even his presence might provoke me again. “This… this could draw others. Other wolves will smell blood. You’re not safe here.”
I shook my head violently. “No… I… I can’t leave. I can’t be with anyone. I could… I could hurt you.”
“I’ll help you,” Neel said gently. “I can take you to my house. You’ll be safe there. You can’t stay here…if others smell blood, if the packs find out…” He trailed off, letting the words hang, heavy with warning.
“I… I said no,” I muttered, still breathing hard, my wolf growling beneath my skin, warning me not to trust, not to get close. “Do not let him near. He is prey.” I shook my head at her voice. This very wolf wanted to claim and make Neel ours a few hours ago, what’s up with her now?
“I know you’re afraid,” Neel said softly, ignoring my distance. “I understand. But you can’t control everything alone. Let me help. Just… come with me for now.”
I shook my head again. The pull I felt toward him….a warmth, a sense of grounding, a dangerous human tether…made my chest tighten. I couldn’t allow myself to feel that. Not when I was this dangerous. Not when my magic was this unstable.
Another pulse of magic surged through me. Sparks leapt from my hands, smaller this time, but still alive, crawling along the air like serpents. I hissed, backing away from Neel instinctively, my wolf whispering, “Attack. Claim. Protect yourself.”
And then it happened, I lost control again.
A flash of raw energy surged from me in a chaotic wave. It wasn’t directed; it wasn’t measured. I froze as I realized it was heading straight toward Neel. His eyes widened in shock.
“No!” I screamed, spinning, trying to pull it back, but the magic twisted, angry and independent. The force struck him across the chest. He staggered backward, hitting the grass hard. Pain shot through me, not just from the magic, but from seeing him hurt.
“No! Neel!” My voice cracked, terror flooding through me. My wolf roared inside, furious and wild, pushing at my mind. “Kill them! Claim him! Protect yourself!”
I dropped to my knees beside him, hands glowing as I tried to stabilize the magic, to bring it under control. Sparks fizzled along my skin, leaving tiny burns, and my chest heaved. I could feel my heartbeat, slow and heavy, hammering painfully in my ribcage. The wolf calmed slightly, but only because my panic mirrored her own.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Please… stay with me.”
Neel groaned, pain etched across his face, but he reached a shaky hand toward me. “Tasha… breathe. You’re okay. Just… just breathe.”
“I… I almost… I almost—” My voice broke. I leaned over him, black sparks crackling lightly from my palms, the residual magic shimmering in the night air. My eyes, still black and demonic, glimmered with tears that weren’t just water,they were dark, heavy, black liquid that reflected the moonlight.
“I’m… so dangerous,” I whispered, voice raw. “I… I can’t… I can’t control it. I could… I could kill everyone. Even you…”
Neel’s hand brushed mine cautiously. “You won’t. Not while I’m here. But you have to calm down. We can’t stay here. You need… somewhere safe. Please.”
I shook my head again, tears falling freely. Sparks flared slightly as my magic responded to my emotions. My wolf growled, restless. “Do not trust. Do not bind yourself. Kill first, question later.”
“I… I can’t,” I whispered brokenly. “I… I… can’t…”
Neel winced as he adjusted slightly, still trying to stay close but careful not to provoke me further. “Then we’ll stay here together for now. But you can’t stay in the clearing. Other wolves… they’ll come. They’ll sense the blood, the energy. You can’t afford that risk.”
I nodded shakily, still trembling, the sparks along my hands fading into faint wisps. My wolf quieted slightly, hissing softly. My chest ached, the slow thump of my heart painfully pronounced.
And I realized…tonight, nothing would be simple again. My power had broken its leash, and now, even the person I trusted most right now was in danger because of it.
I looked down at Neel, blood from a small burn on his chest, eyes wide but still gentle, still patient. My chest twisted. “I… I didn’t mean to… hurt you,” I whispered, voice barely audible.
“You didn’t,” he said softly, still breathing heavily. “You just… need to learn control. That’s all. But we’ll get there. I’ll help you. You’re not alone.That’s my duty.”
I swallowed, but the tightness in my throat made it impossible to speak. My wolf growled low, discontented, restless. “Power. Blood. Claim.”
I looked away toward the dark line of trees. Somewhere in the shadows, the spy was gone for good, vanished, but the threat was still there. I couldn’t let my guard down….not now, not ever.
The night hummed with tension, magic still crackling faintly in the air, as we stayed crouched together, one wounded, one trembling with power, bound by fear, anger, and the unspoken thread of attachment that I refused to name.
And I knew, in the deep pit of my chest, that tonight will bring more trouble….the packs, my demon and my corrupted wolf, my uncontrollable magic, nothing was safe to be around Neel. And I can’t endanger the only person who was sheltering me from myself. I have to get away from him!