Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 400

Snow crunches under my boots as I pace, each step carving deeper tracks into the pristine cover of snow that swept in overnight.

Three steps left. Three steps right. My breath clouds in front of my face.

"Just knock already," I mutter to myself.

You’ve been out here twenty minutes, Selene points out.

"Not helping."

How do you tell someone they might be corrupted by dark magic? ’Hey, noticed you’ve been acting weird lately, mind if I check for evil taint?’ Yeah, that’ll go over well.

The door flies open with a bang that makes me jump. Ivy stands in the doorway, her usual perfect appearance nowhere to be found. Dark circles ring her eyes, and her chestnut hair hangs limp around her face.

"What do you want?" Her voice comes out raspy, like she’s been gargling glass.

"I..." All my carefully planned words evaporate. "Are you okay?"

She leans against the doorframe. "Fine. Just tired."

But she’s not fine. I can see the slight tremor in her hands, the way she’s barely keeping herself upright. My magic flutters in response to... something.

"You look sick."

"Thanks." Her laugh turns into a cough. "Always good to hear how terrible I look."

"That’s not what I meant." I step forward, catching her arm when she sways. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yes." She tries to pull away but doesn’t have the strength. "Or tried to. Everything hurts."

The trembling gets worse. Without thinking, I press my palm to her forehead. She’s burning up.

"You need to see Vanessa."

"I don’t need—"

"You have a fever." My tone brooks no argument. "And you can barely stand."

She opens her mouth to protest, then closes it as another wave of dizziness hits. I tighten my grip on her arm.

"Fine," she whispers. "But only because I don’t think I can make it there alone."

I wrap my arm around her waist, supporting her weight. She’s lighter than I expected, and heat radiates through her clothes.

"Small steps," I murmur. "We’re not in a rush."

We make slow progress through the snow. Ivy’s breathing grows more labored with each step, and I take more of her weight.

"Almost there." The medical lodge comes into view, smoke curling from its chimney. "Just a little further."

"Why are you helping me?" Her words slur slightly. "You hate me."

"I don’t hate you." The door opens as we approach, Vanessa’s concerned face appearing. "I just don’t trust you. There’s a difference."

"Semantics." Her head drops to my shoulder. "Everything’s spinning."

Vanessa rushes forward to help, and together we guide Ivy inside. The warmth hits like a wall after the bitter cold.

"What happened?" the healer asks, directing us to an empty bed. _{freёweɓnovel.com}