Chapter 59.2

Vee opted to follow Ruby to the other room. There, she found Amara leaning against the back wall, her tail twitching incessantly as she watched over Tadhgán, who she’d unceremoniously dumped on the ground with only a single blanket to keep him comfortable. After sharing an awkward glance with Amara, Ruby knelt down next to Tadhgán and rearranged both his body and the blanket underneath to make him more comfortable. Vee carefully walked around Tadhgán before settling against the wall next to Amara, their hands lacing together as they watched Ruby work.After nearly twenty minutes of awkward silence, during which Ruby checked all of Tadhgán’s injuries with impressive diligence, his body started shifting. A grimace of pain appeared on his face, then his eyes twitched before slowly opening.

“What… where am—”

Before he could finish, Amara pushed away from the wall. A sharp chitinous blade appeared on her tail in a burst of hellfire, and she pushed it against Tadhgán’s neck as she hovered over him. “One wrong move, wolfboy, and it’s over.”

Tadhgán’s eyes snapped open in fear as he looked around the room. “Nicholas! Is he okay?!”

His question seemed to catch Amara off guard, though not enough to quell her temper. “He’s alive, no thanks to you. Why didn’t you tell us you were a werewolf?! You nearly killed him!”

After a heavy sigh of relief, a brief smile appeared on Tadhgán’s face. “Oh, thank the moons. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell anyone I’m a shifter, I didn’t think it mattered. Back where I’m from, we have three moons, and it’s only when all three of them are full that I risk losing control. I had no idea this place had its own moon, or that it was so large. Is Nicholas hurt? Can I see him?”

Vee and Amara looked at Ruby, who started speaking as she continued tending to Tadhgán’s injuries. “He’s hurt, but we don’t know how bad it is. You, uh… you bit him.”

The color drained from Tadhgán’s face, and tears welled in his eyes. “No!”

“He passed out shortly after Amara wrestled you into submission,” Ruby said. “That was hours ago, and he has yet to wake up.”

“You were the one that saved Nicholas? That stopped me?” Tadhgán asked, looking up at Amara.

Amara scowled as she pushed her bladed tail even harder against his neck. “Just be thankful it wasn’t worse for you. Nick asked me to keep you safe; if he hadn’t, I would have broken every bone in your body.”

“Thank you, Amara.” Tadhgán’s words caught Amara off guard once again. “I’m glad you stopped me from killing him, or from hurting other people.”

Quietly clearing her throat, Vee stepped closer to Amara and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Love, I think it’s safe to say Tadhgán poses no threat right now. How about you put your tail away, and we let him examine Nick to see if everything’s okay.”

Looking into Amara’s eyes, Vee immediately understood every single thought running through her head. She was furious at Tadhgán, desperate to exact vengeance for Nick, yet she was having trouble reconciling those feelings against Tadhgán’s peaceful demeanor. As scared as Vee was, she put on a brave face for her love. She grabbed Amara’s hand, softly squeezed it to reassure her, and Amara finally yielded. With a quick flick of her tail, the blade disappeared and Tadhgán was free to stand up.

As he struggled to rise to his feet, Ruby offered a hand. He muttered a quiet “Thank you” before heading for the doorway, and Vee got a better look at just how injured he was. In order to keep him in one place, Amara had repeatedly slashed at the backs of his legs to keep him immobile. His injuries had stopped healing at such an incredible rate as his form returned to normal, but Vee suspected that some magic lingered still; even compared to when they first arrived, the many slash marks on his legs already looked better. With one last look at Amara, the two girls followed Ruby and Tadhgán out to the hallway to watch him approach Nick.

In the other room, Tadhgán slowly sank to the floor with Ruby’s help. As he settled in, Vee saw Tessa and Amara lock eyes, the two silently communicating something. A moment later, Tessa adjusted herself to give Tadhgán better access to Nick, and soon he was leaning in to begin his inspection.

Instead of starting with the injuries, however, Tadhgán reached up to gently caress the side of Nick’s face. “I’m so sorry, Nicholas. You don’t deserve this,” he whispered. Nick twitched briefly, but said nothing as Tadhgán reached even higher to touch his fingers to Nick’s forehead. After a brief pause, he carefully moved Nick’s shirt to get a better look at his injuries. Lastly, Tadhgán placed an open hand on Nick’s chest, then closed his eyes to listen to his heartbeat. When he turned back to look at everyone else, his words were slightly more relaxed than they’d been minutes earlier.

“He’ll definitely live, that I can promise you. He’ll be bedridden for a day, maybe two, as his body fights off this fever. Once it breaks, he’ll be back on his feet, stronger than ever,” Tadhgán muttered.

Vee couldn’t help but notice that Tadhgán’s words were hesitant, almost regretful. “But that’s not all, is it?” she asked.

“…No. The curse of Lycanthropy now runs through his veins. This fever is the result of the curse changing his body. After he recovers, he’ll be different. Stronger, faster, healthier, but also more animalistic. Sharper senses, a deeper hunger, things like that. I can’t say exactly how he’ll feel, the curse affects everyone differently. Worst of all, he’ll need to keep constant vigilance on the phases of the moon, as too much lunar energy will force him to lose control, much like I did last night.”

“Stories of werewolves we tell here often say that it’s only the full moon that forces the change,” Tessa said, gently wiping the sweat off Nick's brow. “Last night wasn’t a full moon, though, that was two nights ago. Why did it still affect you?”

“The stronger the moon’s presence, the harder it is to ignore. Based on what happened, it’s safe to say the days before and after a full moon are too risky, but there’s always a chance that the moon might not be strong enough after that. I can’t speak from experience, as I hadn’t seen your moon before last night. At worst, Nicholas might have anywhere from three to five nights each lunar cycle where he can’t be trusted.”

A loud crack echoed through the room, startling everyone in the room. Looking to her side, Vee saw that Amara had just punched the wall hard enough to damage the concrete, a thin crack snaking up from her fist before reaching the ceiling. “So what, that’s it? He’s stuck like this forever?”

“It’s not all bad, Amara,” Tadhgán muttered. “Yes, he’ll have some nights where he’s not in control, but he’ll also gain physical prowess far beyond his normal capabilities.”

“That’s not good enough!” Amara shouted. “He loves who he is! He’s happy with his body, yes, but that’s because of how much work it’s taken to get here! It’s the challenge, the progression, the overcoming of adversity that he loves. If we were to use magic to make him the strongest person on campus, he’d be miserable!”

Tadhgán opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a hoarse cough coming from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to see Nick grunting in pain as he turned to look at Tadhgán, more sweat than usual pouring down his face. “A-Amara’s right, Tadhgán,” he whispered. “The thought of being trapped in a body I can’t control… that sounds like torture. Please, there’s got to be something we can do.” Nick shook as he talked, and he grabbed Tessa’s hand for support.

“Nicholas, please, take it easy,” Tadhgán whispered back, resting a hand on his chest. The two shared a glance, then Tadhgán continued. “But, you’re right. There might be a way.”

“What is it? Please, we’ll do anything,” Tessa said.

“Right now, the curse is slowly working its way through your body, Nicholas. It’s changing you bit by bit until you become what it desires; its goal the transformation. The first time you become the wolf, your body proves it’s capable of harnessing the beast, of taking that power for itself. The final stage is when you return to your original form; that’s when the curse fully synchronizes the two parts of your soul, stitching them together so completely that separation is impossible.” Tadhgán paused for a moment to look around the room. “My partner back home understands this process much better than I do, honestly. She’s constantly putting together salves, potions, remedies, anything you can think of, and in the past, she’s floated the idea that she might be able to interrupt the transformation process.”

“You’re saying there’s a cure?!” Vee asked, her heart daring to skip a beat in excitement.

“Now, she’s never had a chance to test it,” Tadhgán admitted. “It needs to be ingested before the whole process is finished. I’d need to get back home, retrieve the remedy, and then return here before Nicholas transforms again. The instant he reverts to his human form, that window of opportunity is gone.”

“Tess, didn’t you have a breakthrough with the Wilds Circle yesterday?” Amara asked. “How soon can we send Tadhgán back?”

“I mean, yeah, I made decent progress, but…” Tessa paused as Nick’s body shook in her arms. “It’s not finished yet. If Imani and I redouble our efforts, we might be able to get it up and running by the end of the day. Realistically, the biggest problem isn’t crossing between planes, it’s that I have no idea where you’ll end up once you arrive. What happens if you end up on the opposite side of the plane?”

“That won’t be a problem, lass,” Tadhgán said. “As long as I’m on the right plane, I can find my way home. I’m more concerned about my current state; as thankful as I am to young Amara for keeping me contained, I’m going to need a week or so before I’m fully recovered.”

“How dangerous are The Wilds?” Amara asked.

“Extremely,” Tadhgán whispered, his voice growing more serious. “I can navigate it safely enough, but I’ve spent my entire life honing those instincts. I routinely visit nearby villages to help with hunting and the like.”

“Amara, what are you getting at?” Vee asked, suspecting she already knew the answer.

“I’m going with him,” she said matter-of-factly. “Tadhgán's injured, and needs someone to protect him, but he’s not so injured that he can’t act as a guide. We also have no guarantee that he’s going to come back after he gets home.”

“I would never abandon Nicholas!” Tadhgán hissed.

Amara stepped closer to Tadhgán, her hair catching fire as she hissed back. “There’s a part of you that exists beyond your control, and it nearly killed my best friend last night. You’ll forgive me if I’m not feeling very trusting right now.” After a tense standoff, it became clear that Tadhgán had no response, so Amara turned away. “Tess, you need to get back to work, we can’t afford to waste any more time.”

With a pained look on her face, Tessa leaned down to kiss Nick before carefully bunching up the blankets underneath him to form a pillow. “I’ll be back soon, Nick. Stay strong.” With grim purpose guiding her steps, Tessa left the room in a hurry.

As things quieted down, and Ruby returned to Nick’s side while Tadhgán shuffled to sit against the opposite wall, Vee returned to Amara’s side and grabbed her arm. She leaned her head against Amara’s shoulder, prompting her girlfriend to reach up and gently cup her cheek before they shared a quick kiss. “Sorry for springing this on you, love,” Amara whispered.

Vee shook her head. “Don’t be. This is something that needs to happen, and you’re the only one that can do this.” After kissing Amara’s cheek again, she added, “But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried.”

“Hey, it’s a jungle, and I’m hellfire incarnate,” Amara said with a chuckle. “They should be afraid of me.”

Seeing her girlfriend so confident helped bolster Vee’s resolve, and she even managed a small smile. With nothing else to say, she idly watched Nick’s chest rise and fall as he struggled against his fever, all while Ruby busied herself by making tiny adjustments to his bandages and bedding. Nearly half an hour passed in relative silence before a small chorus of voices began drifting in from the outer hallways, some of which Vee didn’t recognize. Curious, Vee walked over to the doorway to investigate, leaving Amara to watch over Nick.