Toy Wolf

Chapter 13: fighting

I was glad I hadn't gone to Candice during the full moon, but now I was tired from this morning and sore from yesterday. Frank and Grins had been in charge of my allergen battery and my back was covered in small itchy pricks. I didn't want to fight anyone, but of course, Candice didn't care.

"Keep your damn feet moving, Conor. It's like you want them to maul you."

I dodge a woman's nails and threw myself to the ground to duck another. Why were there two of them? I had to roll once and then push myself up to avoid being overcome.

"Fight back!" one of them snarled.

I didn't want to. I didn't have nails like they did. I didn't have the energy to fully shift, and I wasn't willing to partially shift. I was quick, but so were vampires. I knew the only reason I had any advantage was that the vampires could tell I didn't want to fight and so weren't expecting a counterattack from me.

"We'll be here until tomorrow if you don't land a hit," Candice shouted. "We're here at your leisure, Conor."

I groaned, but then caught an elbow under my chin, throwing me to the ground. I couldn't avoid the foot to my chest and spat blood as I rolled to the side. My ribs ached.

"Get up!" Candice demanded. "Do you have no sense of self preservation?"

One of the vampires took another swipe at me. The pain in my chest dulled my ability to think clearly. I ducked around and struck her with my fist, connecting with the vampire's extended elbow. She screamed and the other man hopped back, now watching me warily.

"I landed a hit," I said, putting my arms down. I tried to ignore the vampire's screams as she cradled her arm.

"So? You still have an opponent left," Candice told me.

The vampire grinned at me and lunged. I hated this, possibly more than my morning experiments. I didn't like needlessly fighting to kill. While I wasn't paying attention, the vampire darted in and scratched my face. Blood dripped into my eyes and I felt a low growl I wasn't entirely in charge of. When the vampire dipped in again, I lashed out, my nails growing long and sharp in the moment of impact. When he stumbled, I landed a blow in the center of his chest, knocking him to his back.

I came to my senses standing over his body, my lips curled in a sneer. He stared up at me, but didn't move, he had several claw marks along his shoulder and face. Candice clapped for me.

"Finally," she said. "Teddy, get over here and take Conor back to Dr. Bryce."

I wanted to argue how cruel this was and stood my ground a little longer than I should have. Perhaps I could say something to Dr. Bryce, and I wouldn't need these pointless fights. Teddy didn't touch me, but gripped his taser tightly until I limped towards him, holding my side. I had left my new shirt in the cell, unwilling to let it get ripped up and bloody.

Blood was still dripping off me as I entered Dr. Bryce's office. She seemed to take in my scowl and bleeding before taking some notes.

"Don't you heal?" she inquired

"When I shift," I replied. "Which I can't just after full moon."

"Why not?"

"Because shifting requires effort, and my body is tired," I told her. "Most werewolves sleep the day after a full moon. I haven't been able to."

"I've seen your workbook," Dr. Bryce said, changing the subject. "Your handwriting is terrible."

"I don't write."

I wiped my face on the back of my arm, wishing to return to the cell so I could sleep. My ribs ached and my bones were tired from yesterday. No one seemed to care, so I tried to keep the exhaustion out of my voice.