Chapter 20
"Are you feeling better babe?" Damon asks as I lay on the bed, every time I get up I feel as if I'm going to be sick so I've spent half the day in bed, apparently human bodies can't handle food the same way as supernatural ones can. I nod and gratefully take the glass of water he has brought me I take small sips so I don't agitate my stomach any more than it already is.
"When I transform back tonight I should be fine since I can't get sick but apparently as a human I can." I give him a weak smile.
He kisses me on the cheek and takes the glass of water out of my hands when he sees that I've drank enough and places it on the nightstand next to me. When Damon was told I was sick he dropped all his important business and came running to my side to take care of me. We haven't been able to spend as much time together since we've came here so I'm so happy the gorgeous angel is here taking care of me and showing just how much he loves me. He gives me a loving smile and sits on the edge of the bed next to me.
" The doctor here has a theory that maybe your transformation went wrong because your body was trying to prevent any kind of shifting because you've been shifting so much that your body might be worn out from it, so when you go back to normal tonight the doctor would like you to try not to shift into your fox form til the next full moon to see if that's what's wrong."
The thought of not shifting is almost heart breaking but if it's harming me like this then it's best I try to just stay in my normal form. In one of the books I read it mentioned there's medicine shifters can take to temporarily prevent shifting so maybe I need to consider that, I'm sure the doctor would have some of that medication here. Damon gets up from the edge of the bed by my side and walks over to his side, pulling up the covers he slides under them then pulls me close trailing kisses all over my face and neck making me giggle. He knows I'm sad on the inside because I'll have to keep myself from shifting so he wants to try to make me happy. I kiss him on the lips still giggling and wrap my body around his inhaling his amazing scent and memorizing every delicious muscle he has.
"Your scent is different when your a human and right now where your a mix of human and your normal self your scent is completely different and very strong. Quite a few supernaturals were sniffing around trying to figure out who the scent belonged to it was really funny seeing hundreds of people sticking their noses up in the air." We both laugh. I bet it was a hilarious sight.
"Wish I could've saw that." I smile.
"Oh don't worry you will when we go outside for you to transform back, I'm sure they'll have their noses up in the air once you step out of this room. Oh I almost forgot, the doctor gave me some human stomach medicine when I was on my way to bring you water."
Damon rifles around in his pockets trying to find the medicine. Eventually he pulls out two large chewable tablets. I take them from his out stretched hand and pop them into my mouth, oh my gods they taste so disgusting! Seeing my scrunched up face Damon knows I'm going to spit them out so he clamps my mouth shut and makes my jaw go up and down chewing up the chalky pills, just like what you do to force a dog to swallow a pill he keeps one hand over my mouth forcing my head up and rubbing my throat. Reluctantly the chewed up bits slid down my throat making me want to gag. Feeling me swallow my saliva that tastes like the tablets Damon removes both of his hands giving me a look that says sorry, I just glare at him letting him know I'm not too happy about what he just did. Ignoring my glare he pulls me into his chest again rubbing a hand slowly up and down my back in a comforting manor lulling me to sleep.
I'm awaken by Damon gently shaking me, I peek an eye open and look out the window seeing the sun is setting and the moon will begin to rise in just a few minutes. Groaning I push Damon away who had stopped shaking me and pull the blanket over my head not wanting to get up even though I need to. He chuckles at me while trying to pull the blanket away from me, when I start growling at him he sighs saying I left him with no other choice. Big arms wrap around me and I squeal as my body is being lifted off the bed, my hands let go of the blanket to clutch onto his shirt to keep myself from falling. As I'm being carried Damon shifts my weight in his arms so he can open our bedroom door, I squeal again but this time in shock, Nick, Kevin and Charlie are all standing in the hallway right in front of the door.
"Took you long enough to wake up." Kevin muses.
"Doesn't look like she wanted to wake up to me, otherwise Damon wouldn't be carrying her." Nick smirks.
"Let's get going outside to see you transform, only Damon has been able to see it and I heard it's beautiful." Charlie says as he begins hurriedly ushering everyone down the hallway.
The trio of men look like kids in a candy store as they practically run outside wanting to see my transformation back which won't really be as long or mystical as usual since I'm pretty much already halfway changed. Damon gives me a devilish grin then takes off in a blur down the hallway out the door passing the other men who start running faster, poor Kevin is far behind, we are going to have to come up with some way to make him faster. Afraid that something might go wrong again Damon won't take me up somewhere high to transform like I prefer, instead he decides on the top of a hill in the area Pegasus runs and grazes in. As we get close to the hill I squirm in Damon's strong arms wanting down getting a little excited myself, hearing a chuckle I'm gently placed on the ground where I run off at full speed which is only about a fifth of my normal speed. Making it to the top of the hill I see my little cub is already sitting there waiting to watch. When he sees me he automatically starts yipping and barking wagging his tail, I lean down quickly petting him on top of his head not really feeling like playing with the cute little guy right now. Just as the moon comes into view all three men Nick, Charlie, and a panting Kevin are standing around Damon waiting to watch with eager faces as I transform.
As the moon light hits me my body begins floating up in the air, bright glowing light coming from my finger tips for my nails to turn into claws, my skin and hair faintly glowing. I smile hugely as I feel warmth fill my veins as the transformation starts. The men all gasp at the beauty of the transformation so far making me smirk, that's right guys this is something very beautiful, I arrogantly think. After about a minute of glowing and levitating the glow starts to flicker, frowning at what's happening I scan over my body noticing I haven't grew my ears or tails and still only have a protector tattoo on one arm instead of both. Turning I meet Damon's sky blue eyes that are filled worry and confusion with a hint of fear, before I'm able to take my eyes away from his my body stops glowing sending me falling hard onto the ground. I let out a scream as I fall the few feet to the ground, preparing myself for impact I close my eyes, instead of hitting the hard ground and dirt hill someone swoops under me catching me just in time. Peeking an eye open I immediately see Damon's face looking down at me in sorrow, trying to calm him a little I reach a hand up lovingly and stroke one of his cheeks then lean up and give him a deep passion filled kiss, he's shocked at first but eagerly returns the kiss.
"Did it not work?" Kevin says making Damon and I break apart from our all too short kiss.
"No it didn't, I guess maybe my body is still too tired to shift." I reply trying to hide the sadness in my voice but failing.
"You'll be fine in no time, you'll only have to stay like this for a month and we'll make sure that month passes by quickly." Nick smiles at me trying to hide the worry that's incredibly obvious on his face.
"There is something great about this." All of us turn to a smirking Charlie whose eyes hold a certain twinkle. "That fucking piece of shit horse will have to suffer wallowing in self pity because you can't ride him." He evilly chuckles making me scoff at him. There's a huge problem with me and all he cares about is there's a possibility Pegasus will be upset cause I can't ride him.
"Dude you have way too much free time if all you think about is a flying beast that doesn't like you." Nick says amused Charlie scowls at him and I giggle.
"Um guys can I have a moment alone?" I ask fiddling with my hands while keeping my head down. All the men turn silent for a moment probably deciding if it's a good idea to leave me to be depressed by myself. Damon puts my feet gently on the ground as he envelopes me with his large black wings. I'm tightly embraced as Damon lays his head on top of mine making me have to fight back tears, the warmth of his hold is very comforting to me and as much as I want to stay in his arms I think it's best for me to be alone right now. Hugging him back I move my head from under his and tiptoe placing a soft kiss on his cheek which he returns by kissing me on top of my head. Slowly his wings that are shining under the moon light unwrap around me as we release each other smiling sadly at one another. Reluctantly he turns around following behind the others that are slowly leaving and takes the little cub with him, I watch his back retreat into the darkness til he's no longer in sight. Sighing I sit on the ground and start uncontrollably sobbing, consumed by despair of wondering if I'll be stuck this way for now on or if I'll be able to transform back into my true form next full moon. Everyone thinks that my body is just tired from shifting but the more I think about it it doesn't seem right, there's been times I've had to shift more than I did here and never had a problem on the full moon. Something is seriously wrong with me and I have no idea what it is and there's no way for me to find out what it is, I can only hope and pray that everything will be okay.
After sitting and crying for hours tears no longer fall leaving my body shaking as cries have turned into hiccups. Thinking it's best to head back in since everyone is probably staying up worrying about me I slowly stand up on unsteady legs and look up at the moon wanting to curse whatever god is doing this to me wondering if I did something wrong to deserve this kind of torture. Letting out a sigh I turn around to start descending the hill but stop when I see Pegasus running towards me looking almost horrified at something behind me, furrowing my brows I begin to spin around to see what he's looking at when I hear a whizzing sound then excruciating pain in my shoulder. Screaming at the pain I drop to my knees, clumsily I try to reach back to feel what's wrong with my shoulder, then another whiz sounds knocking me to the ground as something sticks itself into the middle of my back. Loud neighing echoes in the eerily quiet night as Pegasus rushes behind me trying to shield me from whatever is hitting me but not before I'm hit with something for a third time, the whizzing soon slows down as the large mythical beast stands behind me flapping his wings, stomping, snorting and viciously neighing showing he's not someone to be messed with and that he will protect me with his life if need be.
Feeling warm liquid flow down my back I reach behind me touching a thick sticky substance, pulling my hand in front of me to see what it is I begin shaking at the sight of my blood covered hand. Frantically I search around looking for any sign of there being anyone else besides whoever Pegasus is blocking me from. When the whizzing finally comes to a stop I start to fall forward from pain and blood loss but Pegasus grabs onto me by my shirt and manages to put me on his back, as soon as I'm on his back he puts his wings protectively around my small bleeding form then sprints off at full speed in the direction of the house. As I'm being jostled on Pegasus' broad back I realize what that whizzing sound was and what is in my back.. arrows, how fitting that I was shot in the back with an arrow in my human life and now it seems history is repeating itself but this time there's no god to save me if I die.
DAMON'S P.O.V.
Charlie, Nick, Kevin and I are all sitting in my office discussing if there is possibly another reason as to why Lotus can't completely transform and is stuck half way between kitsune and human. She's been outside by herself for hours now. We all know she is absolutely devastated that she didn't transform none of us wanted to leave her alone but she wanted it so we just gave her the time she needs, my heart aches that she's crying her eyes out right now and I can't be by her side to console her. Every instinct in me has been screaming for me to go to my mate and it keeps getting stronger but to give her privacy I'm having to fight with everything in me to not run out the door to the small hill she is most likely still at.
Since Lotus originated from Japan we have talked about trying to hunt down some ancient Japanese tombs to see if we could possibly find a clue about her because the more we think about it the less likely the problem is her body being too tired from shifting, the day I met her she shifted into all four of her forms going between her normal and fox forms constantly. In the library here we have quite a few old tombs we need to search through, until we can the Japanese ones we are just going to read up about mythical demons and shifters to see if her kind could be mentioned somewhere in one of them. Starting to get a head ache from the long seemingly endless conversation I close my eyes placing my hands on my temples and start slowly massaging willing the headache to go away. When it starts to feel like the headache is starting to subside my eyes snap open as I hear shouting and the sound of people running around, then a panicked neigh almost shakes the walls with how powerful it is. Pegasus? How the fuck did that moody beast get in the house? Beyond pissed off I growl and shoot up out of my seat slamming my hands on my desk crushing it to splinters. I can put up with a lot of stuff but I will not have that flying horse coming into the house and causing trouble and I'm in no mood to deal with him at the moment.
All four of us get up to get the beast out of the house, sadly it will probably take all four of us to be able to get him to leave if not more people, a Pegasus is one of the strongest beasts to ever exist and with as wild as they are it's no easy feat to take one on. I stomp my way towards the front door too aggravated to even run, that flying horse just had to start trouble when I'm not in a good mood. Once Pegasus comes into view I see he has his wings wrapped around something on his back and looking around frantically as if searching for someone, he's snorting and aggressively neighing and stomping at anyone within a ten foot radius, I even spot a few people on the floor knocked out from being kicked by him. Letting out a threatening growl that's almost a roar he ceases all movement and charges towards me, I get in a defensive position ready to hold him back when he gets close enough.
A strong scent of blood hits my nose, I look at Pegasus as he runs and see several arrows sticking out of his chest and side leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Getting out of my stance I stare at him in worry wondering why and how he was shot with arrows, my thoughts are distracted as I notice the blood pouring off his back from whatever his wings are covering. Fear floods through my body causing me to sniff the air in a panic, my heart shatters when I realize the scent belongs to my beautiful Lotus. In a blur I'm beside the beast who quickly lowers his wings, my mate is laying on his back with three arrows protruding from her back, blood pours from the wounds, her face contorted in one of pure agony. Guards come sneaking up behind the frantic Pegasus with tranquilizer dart guns, as fast and gently as possible I take Lotus off his back, once she is safely in my arms the guards shoot the darts at Pegasus immediately knocking him out.
Several guards carry Pegasus off to the clinic specifically for creatures while I stare at my injured mate in fear and agony as large amounts of blood flood out of her back, the arrows are deeply embedded into her back they are most likely stuck halfway through her body. Finally registering how bad the situation is I let out a pain filled roar then rush to the hospital faster than I've ever ran before making it there in mere seconds. Not even waiting for the sliding doors to open I use my wings to break them sending glass everywhere and knocking the doors off the hinges making them crash into the wall across from them. Ignoring the shocked receptionist I run to an empty room that's right next to the elf doctor's office. Gently I lay my barely conscious mate on her stomach on the hospital bed seeing the love of my life near death crushes me on the inside making my world feel like it's falling apart, leaving her side with great difficulty I go to the doctor's office and kick the door open, not even bothering to explain the situation I pick her up and sling her over my shoulder then race back to my gorgeous Lotus. The doctor starts to say something to me til she spots the bloody figure on the bed, he eyes widen in horror then she starts yelling for nurses and other doctors.
Soon the room is filled with about ten nurses and doctors rushing around getting supplies they need to help my mate who is the equivalent of a werewolf pack's Luna or a queen. Standing still I helplessly watch the chaos in the room too scared to move as they start cutting her shirt off and clip the ends of the arrows off, the wounds are lethal and if they don't hurry my amazing Lotus will die. Someone is in front of me telling me something but her words don't register as I keep my eyes trained on my mate who is now being injected with an anesthetic so they can work on her. Several pairs of arms grab me trying to pull me out of the room, I fight them off as much as possible but there are too many of them so I end up being dragged into the hallway and the door to Lotus' room slammed in my face.
I fall to the ground clutching my chest as my heart feels like it's being ripped to shreds, banging a fist on to the floor it cracks as I let out a loud roar that shakes the entire attached building causing some windows to shatter sending shards of glass raining down all around me. Moisture falls onto my hand that are balled up into fists on the floor it doesn't take me long to realize I'm crying, I'm mourning for my imprint mate's injuries and her pain, my entire being is filled with sorrow as my body shakes with sobs. In my three hundred years I've never once cried, no matter what has happened I've always stayed strong and held myself together showing my members how strong their leader is but right now I'm being watched by the huge crowd around me as I fall to pieces, I don't care what they think of me right now the only thing I care about is Lotus. I can almost feel the arrows piercing her skin myself and the phantom pain is excruciating, she must be in so much pain and it's all my fault for leaving her alone, I should've listened to my instincts and stayed with her whether she like it or not, at the very least I should've been close enough to keep an eye on her.
Nick, Charlie and Kevin come towards me in an attempt to comfort me, I know they were the bastards that pulled me out of Lotus' room, at their nearness my black wings become bright orange as angel fire spreads all over them showing how strong my pain and sorrow is and a warning to get away from me. When angel fire covers our wings it in no way burns our wings or harms us it just makes our wings look like they are flames and if we flap our wings fire comes out burning anything nearby. We can't voluntarily make fire spread onto our wings, it only happens at the most dire times and it's a death threat to anyone that even thinks of messing with the angel. I hear the men quickly back away and the crowd almost fighting each other to leave the clinic afraid of me losing control and setting everything on fire including them, it's not safe for anyone but another fallen angel to be near me because they are immune to angel fire.
Noticing there's still a few members here I look up in their direction letting out a threatening almost primal growl making them scurry away after the others that already left, I don't want anyone here right now. Turning my head towards the door to Lotus' room I continue to let the tears fall thinking of how it's my fault this happened to her, if I stayed close by then nobody would've been able to hurt her I broke my promise to protect her I'm a failure for a Protector and a horrible mate. Her still being human is eating away at me, it's so easy for her to die...oh gods what if she dies?! How could I continue living without this strange woman I just met a few months ago? She has become my everything my whole life revolves around her now. If she dies.... I'll die too.