Read Online Irish Melody by Caitlin Ricci - Free Book Online Page B

you need me.”
    “Thank you for the help,” Samson said, giving his hand a brief touch before Liam went back inside. Ippy watched him go upstairs to Hannah’s room through the window in the back door before he gave his attention back to Samson who was staring at him.
    “He’ll be back soon, but I wanted to talk to you now. I thought the two of us being here would help you with your shift. But it seems you did just fine on your own. You’re old enough to be able to shift on your own just fine, but there’s a reason that you don’t often do it by yourself. It’s hard for kids your age to get it right the first time and having older, more experienced, shifters there to help you through it is usually the only way to get it done correctly. And yet by my count you’ve shifted twice tonight already.”
    Three times, Ippy corrected him as he sat down on his haunches.
    Samson lifted his black eyebrows and his eyes widened. His mouth opened a little before he seemed to catch himself and stopped looking so surprised. “When you shift, do you feel the wolf and yourself, or is it just yourself and almost like you’re putting on a jacket?”
    Ippy tilted his head to the side, wondering why there would be such a difference between shifting. My wolf is different than me. Did I do it wrong?
    Samson shook his head and leaned forward as he put his arms on his knees. “No, that’s alright for your first time. I’m honestly just extremely surprised that you were able to do even that much. It’s rare, not unheard of, but rare, for someone your age to have that kind of grasp on shifting.”
    Ippy was instantly pleased with himself and preened a little under the compliment. I don’t want to change it.
    Samson’s mouth tightened. “That’s not how we shift though, Phillip. Our wolves aren’t separate from us. They’re extensions of us. Like putting on a piece of clothing.”
    Mine isn’t, Ippy replied, bristling.
    Samson released a loud sigh. “Fine. Tonight, you can have that. You’ve been through a lot and I won’t push you. But if you decide that you want to shift correctly—”
    My way is my correct for me. Hannah would have said he was being stubborn, or maybe she would have jumped to his defense too. Either way, he knew that this was what he had to do. He’d just found his wolf and he knew that this was correct. His wolf was part of him and he wasn’t going anywhere. Samson couldn’t change that. He quickly shut his mouth before the wolf could growl at their alpha. Ippy realized that his wolf had been upset by the idea of having to leave as well. He felt like hugging the creature.
    Samson shrugged and ran a hand over his shortly cropped hair. “Fine. That’s not the point that I wanted to talk to you about anyway. I need to know what happened tonight, in as much detail as you can remember, so that I can understand. Then we’ll decide what to do with your father.”
    Ippy perked up. Then he’s not dead?
    Shaking his head, Samson met his gaze. “No. He’s not. He’s badly hurt and being kept under guard at my house, but he’s not dead. How does that make you feel?”
    Ippy dropped his head, unsure of the right answer to give. He didn’t really know how he felt. On one hand, that was his dad. And he was supposed to love his dad. On the other… He was my dad, but I didn’t like him, not as a person, Ippy finally said after a few minutes of silent thought.
    “Tell me what happened please, Phillip. If you need to stop I’ll understand, but I do need to know the details,” Samson told him, his voice soft on the night time breeze.
    Ippy stared at the wood at his feet. This was going to be easier if he just focused on those grains of wood between his paws. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and then began. What Hannah said about me, how I’m bi, I think she’s right. Caelum can come into our dreams. Hasn’t been doing it long for me. Not as long as with Hannah. But when he comes, we’re together like we