Demonic Regime

Chapter 42: One Month

I sat on the edge of the bed with my father, kneeling on the floor. He reached for my foot, and I flinched before he even touched it.

"Come on, it's going to take twice as long to heal if we don't work out the kinks." He placed my foot in his lap.

My breath caught as he massaged the area and rotated it around. Gritting my teeth, I fell back and hid my face. He slowly rolled it from side to side. He moved to the other foot, and a spike of pain made me spring upright.

"Aw!" I moved my legs away. "Stop! Stop!"

"Quit being a whiner." He yanked it back. "This is part of your punishment for disobeying me."

My mother watched with a raised brow. She wasn't going to say anything. So, I might have deserved it, but it still hurt. They wouldn't understand because neither of them went through it.

"Alright, how does that feel?" asked my dad once he was finished.

"Fine." I scooted away and rubbed my ankles myself.

"Can you stand?"

I shrugged. "I don't feel like trying."

"Not an option. We need to get you up and moving." He grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him.

"I'll start the tub," said my mom. "A good soak should help."

"You can walk that far." He pointed. "I'll help."

I glared at the bathroom door. "I'll do it later."

"Nope, we're doing it now." He grabbed me under the arm.

"This is torture." My legs held, but they were shaking.

"Hold onto me."

I did so and tried to take a step. It was like I had been forced upon my tiptoes.

"Is it weird?"

I nodded as I struggled to keep my balance.

"With time, you'll get used to it." He helped me into the bathroom and sat me on the edge of the tub.

Easing my feet into the water, I let out a deep breath.

"How's the jaw?" asked my mom.

"Fine. My feet are worse."

She smoothed back my fur. "Stay put. I'm going to get Sasha and Drake. They've been begging me to bring them over, but I wanted to give you more time to heal before having visitors."

"I don't plan on moving," I replied.

"Try to work them a bit," said my dad. "You need to get the joints moving. It'll help work out the soreness."

"Hmm..." I glared at the water. That sounded horrible.

"We'll be back soon," said my mom.

The two finally left me alone. Day one had been torture. Day two was slightly better. My legs were a disaster, though. With a sigh, I scooted along the edge so I could rest against the wall. This form felt so foreign to me. I twisted my hand from side to side. Having real claws was kind of cool. I didn't mind my fur. I wasn't cold for once. I clasped the golden spot on my chest. There was only one thing I didn't like, and unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do about it.

***

I knocked on my uncle's office door.

"Come in."

I opened it slightly. "You asked for me."

"Come on in, Rudy. We have a few things to discuss."

I did so and went to the couch.