The Way You Bite(62)

“Did you make that speech because I’m standing here?” Ryder asked.

“No. You’re my son. You will always be my son. Regardless of how far apart we might’ve drifted and the crap that lies between us, I would die fighting for you before sending you to your death over political bullshit. This is why I want you to train with Blay. I trust Blay to make you into a wolf to be respected and feared. Then I will no longer need to fear for your safety.”

“Fine. I’ll train with him.”

Vee shot Lexan a gooey smile. A point for him on a good speech. He meant every word.

Lexan ordered, “Leave us, Ryder. We have personal business to attend to. Speak not of my conversation with Viktor to anyone other than Blay.” He watched his son disappear into the house.

Lexan lifted her fingers and rubbed the pad of her forefinger against his lips. His tongue swiped her finger. She jerked as if startled. The flash drive fell on the ground. She grabbed for it and held it out to him. “I’m not sure I should be privy to whatever’s on here. It’s about your people.”

“Thank you.” He tucked it into his jeans.

Breathing roughly, she moistened her lips. Hoarsely, she asked, “One taste before we…you know?”

He smiled wickedly. “No.” He sucked her finger into his mouth.

She licked her lips again.

“I want that tongue all over me. But after.” He tugged her top off, dropped it to the ground, and licked the mark he’d left on her shoulder. He nibbled at it with his teeth. “Let the animal out.”

“What animal? I feel no animal. It’s just me here.” She tried to crane away from his nibbles on the sensitive mark, but he held her tight.

“Look at the moon. Feel her lure. I know you can feel the animal roaring to get out.” He kissed the smooth skin of her neck over her jugular vein. He angled her head to look skyward. “You taste so good. I could die right here, right now, and know nothing else felt as good as you in my arms.”

“That’s a pretty good line, if not super mushy.” She smiled as she stared at the mysterious blue orb in the sky, relaxing against him.

…

Something deep inside her grew in power, calling to her.

He unfastened her jeans and helped her remove them. “It’s important to remember where you left your clothing or have a plan for what to do for clothing when you want to shift back. There are other guidelines to shifting…we can review them later.”

He rumbled, “Before, after I bit you, you needed to run, didn’t you? That’s why you fled. That was the animal, Vee. She needs freedom.” Without warning, he bit her shoulder over the mark. His sharp canines dug into her shoulder like an angry pit bull.

She screamed and tried to yank away from him, but he held her. Her vision became clearer than ever. Waves of color expanded in her sight, color she could now see in the dark. Bands of reds and yellows hurt her eyes. Scents assaulted her, everything from the mold on a nearby branch to the smell of snow. She hadn’t even known snow had a smell.

Her skin ached and itched beneath her clothes. She peeled the cloth away, practically ripping the fabric to get it off her skin, even while her bones and muscles stretched. She gripped her head and fell to the ground. She could actually hear the sound of her body changing as ligaments popped and muscles realigned themselves.

Hooked nails sprung from her fingers, which could no longer hold her head.

Terror gave way to panic. How could she embrace this change, which confirmed her a mix?

When Vee opened her eyes, Lexan was all fur. A dark wolf towering over her where she lay on the ground.

In her mind he said, “Be calm, catifea. I’m right here. We’re both right here.”

She glanced down. No pale skin. Fur. But not the black or dark brown of a typical werewolf. Silver fur. She screamed, but it came out a howl.

Oh. My. God. She was a fricking wolf. She was an abomination.

Her stand was more of a newborn horse wobble to get upright on all fours. All she wanted was to run. To get away from this. To find somewhere safe to figure out how to transform back to normal. Then, she’d never do this again. Ever. She fell.

She wanted to shift back and remain a vampire. Only, she wasn’t a vampire. She was a freak.

Vee got unsteadily to her feet again. This time she managed to walk a few steps like a drunk who’s convinced she didn’t have one too many and could walk the painted line. After a few more steps, she got the hang of it.

“Take it easy,” he ordered.

“Get out of my head.” She stretched, feeling the enormous strength in her muscles. Heart pounding, she moved faster, now at a trot, feeling her power grow with each step. She sprinted.

“Slow down, Vee.” His tone held an edge. She didn’t care to figure out what kind of edge. The bliss…the freedom in moving this fast pushed her to run harder.

She threw her legs out faster. The stressors disappeared. There was only her in sync with the world around her, running for the joy of it. The perfect rhythm of nature. The rustle of dead leaves. The sound of the stream far away. Her sleek legs reacted like springs as she leapt over branches and dodged ice patches.

She ran until she couldn’t breathe, until she was blinded by exhaustion and her feet screamed. No, they weren’t feet. Paws.

“Vee, stop. Can you hear me?”