Like that was the greatest idea ever. My sisters joined me in my petrified state. “Oh, shit,” Taran muttered.
Oh, shit was right. One of the fuzz balls poked his head out of the box and narrowed his little evil eyes at me. I tried to prepare myself and block his spirit, but the bastard bunny didn’t give me a chance. He leaped out of the box and nailed me in the chest. I fell backward as if tackled by a high school varsity team. A violent seizure rocked my body as my skull bounced off the hardwood floor.
Aric reached me before my sisters could, dropping the box of bunnies. I was vaguely aware of an army of scampering little paws and him yelling. “Oh, God, Celia!”
My sisters surrounded me. “Damn it, don’t touch her!” Taran yelled at him.
Aric ignored her and swept me into his arms. “I’m taking her to the hospital. Koda—get the truck!”
My skin peeled excruciatingly away where Aric held me. Emme inhaled sharply as my back bowed, and I clenched my jaw tight to keep from shrieking in agony. “Aric, no. You’re hurting Celia!”
Aric pulled me tighter, probably thinking his body heat could soothe me. I beat my screams back down, but couldn’t muffle my whimpers. “Sweet Jesus,” Aric whispered as tears streamed from my eyes.
Fortunately, Shayna kept her voice calm and managed to reason with him. “Aric, you have to let her go. Her skin is more sensitive during the seizure. Please, Aric. I promise she’ll be fine in a moment.”
Aric released me slowly. I knew he meant to be gentle, but the glide of his hands over my skin was like metal barbs scraping the span of my body.
“Breathe, Celia, just breathe. That’s right, honey,” Emme cooed at me.
The convulsions worsened until slowly my body shrank and my ears lengthened. I lay on my side as my body curled into a ball. Instead of panting, I felt my nose twitch in rapid succession, and my whiskers tickled as they brushed against the dark-stained floor. When the spasms subsided, I scampered out of my clothes. I sat back on my haunches and gazed up at everyone.
My sisters sighed with relief. “Damn, that was a bad one,” Taran said.
The wolves stepped in front of Aric, guarding him protectively. Gemini’s dark almond eyes watched me, waiting, it seemed, for the killer rabbit to attack. “She’s a shape-shifter.”
Aric shook his head. The doubt shadowing his features dissipated like a storm cloud in the face of the noon sun. “She can’t be. She’s not evil….I can sense her heart.” He took a step in my direction, but Koda pushed a firm hand into his chest.
“No, Aric. It could be dangerous.”
My little body trembled with shame. Koda referred to me as “it” and not “she.” Sweet God in heaven, what did they think I planned to do to him?
“Careful, Liam,” Koda said when Liam circled around to my other side.
“What the hell are you doing?” Taran seethed with boiling rage. “Nothing’s changed. She’s still Celia.”
Emme walked to Liam and took his hand, trying pointlessly to lead him away. “Liam, stop it. You’re scaring Celia.”
Liam scratched his head before glancing up at the others. “What if Emme’s right? I’d hate to have to kill her.”
My sisters went ballistic at the same time Aric rammed his way through the wolves. “Don’t even think about it!”
The hall table overturned, shattering the pot housing our fern as Koda and Gemini tried to haul Aric out of the house and away from me. The screams, growls, and chaos overloaded my sensitive nerves. My newfound instincts told me to run. So I did, up the stairs and under my bed. Seven pairs of feet paused briefly before scrambling after me.
I was probably five times the size of an average rabbit. It was a tight squeeze under the box spring. But my growing terror and mounting humiliation propelled me forward. The wolves think I’m a danger to Aric…and that he should stay away from me. My bunny eyes burned from impending tears. I covered my face with my little paw until part two of my dilemma sank in. Holy Mother. They also think they have to kill me!
A high-pitched sizzle followed a yelp and a snarl from Liam. Taran’s voice sounded muffled from beneath the bed. “You do anything to hurt my sister and I swear to God, I’ll fry your freaking snout off!”
“I don’t want to kill her,” Liam insisted. “I’m just worried she’ll attack Aric.”
“Celia would never hurt Aric.” Shayna may as well have told them I wanted to mount him with how hard the silence fell around the room. Heat rose from my twitchy nose to my bushy tail. Had I been human, I would have resembled a tomato with green eyes and big hair.