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"He could strike at any time We have to--"
"Please"
She studied him for a moment Her eyes were dark now, like the snowcat’s, cool and opaque He wondered if she felt sorry for hi his ability to handle Daria’s betrayal Did the Shifter like him? Or did she just have to protect him?
It was stupid to care whether she liked him Daria hadn’t liked him She hadPerhaps duty was the ht," Isabel said finally "We’ll talk about it toarripped his right hand with his left, squeezing until it seeht, before realizing how ridiculous that was If nothing else, this night had proven that he was safer with the Shifter around than without her
Cold co tiht
In her rooht to aand threw the drapes open Cold air rushed in, hitting her skin and sweeping back her hair, raising goose bumps on her arms She leaned out and stared at the courtyard far below
If she jumped, would that do it? Would she turn into a bird in e of the sill until her knuckles hite, leaning out so far that all it would take was a loss of balance
The hipped through her hair, pressing it across her face, into her eyes so she couldn’t see She lifted one arm to push it back and lurched forward Involuntary panic ht back
She should do it Maybe when she saw the ground rushing up at her, she would shift And then she would kno to
What was the difference betatching the ground rush up at her and watching the snowcat leap down on her?
Isabel stepped back fro moment Outside the wind howled and whistled She held up her arht stone
Her fingers still touched flesh
She took a deep breath and sat down abruptly on the floor It was cold, but she barely noticed So--to think of stone, over and over, to concentrate fiercely on doing what she had done so easily less than an hour ago But she kneould do no good Here, in the cale her hair color and her eye color and nothing else Only when she had to could shemore substantial
And even when she had to, she couldn’t shift as she was supposed to
She sat on the floor for a long ti a decision that shouldn’t have to be made She had one purpose: to protect Rokan The Shifter had no pride No stupid, stubborn pride to stand in the way of that one crucial goal
Slowly, laboriously, she got to her feet
Ven was back in his room She had expected to find hiate despite his exhaustion The room stank of potions, and there were several new burnDusk had fallen while she deliberated, and the flickering tallow laht Soer He had his tunic half-off when she entered, so she stepped loudly through the doorway, and he yanked it back down and stared at her
"Isabel?" He stepped toward her, his eyebrows drawn together His voice was stronger than it had been earlier, but his tunic was stained with sweat, a dark triangular patch visible even in the di?"
She sed hard and blurted it out "I can’t shift"
Ven froze in mid-step He shook his head slowly, once
Isabel resisted the urge to avoid his eyes "I haven’t shifted once--not fully--since I got here Since Rokan first found ly, "You suspected it, didn’t you?"
"Yes, but I--but it--" Ven blinked rapidly "It doesn’t make sense Therethe gash she had left with her dagger a few days ago "That’s why I’ must have weakened you" Ven walked over to his bookcase, opened the glass door, and started rifling through the volumes on the shelves She wondered if it was an excuse not to look at her Surely the room was too dark for human eyes to read "Maybe your failure was so unprecedented that it changed your powers"
"Orto keep them limited," Isabel said
"I don’t think that’s possible You’re the Shifter"
She wanted to agree with him--the Shifter’s powers should be beyond the reach of huo of the door and stepped farther into the room "It’s only here that I’m limited," she said "I could shift inotherwise"
"But there you had the power of the Mistwood to draw upon Maybe that makes a difference" Ven pulled out one book, then another, and carried the"
In books But it wouldn’t be in the books, because this had never happened before Isabel bit her lip, wondering why she had thought Ven would be able to hand her an answer
"Don’t be afraid" He put the books down, opened one, and raised his head This far froht, his face was hidden by shadows, but she didn’t shift her sight She wasn’t sure she wanted to see his expression "I’ll figure it out"
She wished she could believe him It was such a relief to finally tell someone ould try to help her Even if she shouldn’t need help Isabel sed hard "How long will it take?"
"I don’t know" Of course he didn’t He didn’t even knohat he was searching for "I’ the wards around the castle, but I’m sure Rokan will excuse me from all my duties until--"