War of Hearts(116)

Instinct completely took over and Thea ran after him, leaping down his staircase with ease and out the front door James was holding open.

Conall waited in the driveway for her and then took off again.

She ran.

And she was lightning fast.

Thea kept up with Conall and he made a sound of approval in his throat as they tore across the road and up into the tree-covered hills. Then Thea pushed her new limbs to their limits, charging ahead of her mate, delighting in the sounds and smells of the surrounding land. Everything was just … more.

Thea didn’t know how long they ran.

Sometimes Conall would catch up, sometimes he’d fall behind. There weren’t trees everywhere, and Thea felt a little warier out in the open of the Torridon hills, but the view beyond them overpowered that wariness.

She drew to a halt. From here she could see where Loch Torridon fed into the Atlantic Ocean. It was breathtaking.

Soon Conall herded her back toward the trees. Running like this, it differed from when she’d been fae.

She wasn’t as fast.

But this was better.

It felt like soaring.

When they reached the trees, the breath was knocked out of her suddenly. She rolled among the brush and bracken of the woodlands to find her mate had just wrestled her to the ground. A primitive feeling replaced shock.

He wanted to play.

Delighted, Thea lunged at him.

They wrestled in the woods, rolling, pinning, nipping playfully at each other.

Much to her bemusement, she discovered that although she was faster, Conall was now stronger. He seemed to take far too much pleasure in that discovery. She snarled at him as he pinned her beneath his oversized paws, and the bastard gave her a wolfy grin, his tongue hanging out comically.

It was hard to stay mad at him.

When he let her up, Thea sniffed around the woods, taking her time learning her new senses. She could smell the different plants and trees that grew there, smelled the different soils, the insects, the animals hiding from them. She could smell her mate stronger than any other scent.

And she could hear his heart as well as her own.

Moreover, she could hear the little beating hearts of the animals who waited for the large predators to leave. In the distance, Thea heard music playing from a house.

It was a marvel.

Eventually, however, weariness set in. Sensing it, Conall nudged her and began to lead her back toward his home.

Once they’d returned, Thea stepped over the threshold and halted at the sight of the people gathered in his sitting room. She recognized faces from the pack meeting. Uncertainty filled her as they peered at her in shock and curiosity.

Conall brushed against her, drawing her attention to him, and she watched as he lunged upstairs. Glad to be away from the scrutiny of the others, Thea followed him into his bedroom.

Watching from the doorway, she felt the air crackle as he shifted. In less than a minute, he was human again. And naked. He watched her, affection warm in his eyes as he pulled on his clothes and then came to kneel, their faces level. Conall caressed her fur. It was a lovely feeling, a tingle that sparked all the way down her spine. No wonder Wolf Conall had liked it when she’d petted him.

“It’s time to shift, Thea love.”

Worry tightened her gut.

What if she couldn’t?

What if she was stuck as a wolf forever?

A musky scent filled the air, and she realized it was coming from her. What on earth?

His nostrils flared. “Dinnae be frightened, lass.”

Oh.

So that’s how he always knew when she was afraid.

Jesus H. Christ.

“Imagine yourself shifting, push that feeling into your limbs. Your body will take care of the rest.”

Thea padded back from him and glanced down at her forelegs. This was still so weird. She wondered if it would ever stop being strange.

Doing as Conall instructed, she imagined the change, and she strained to force it into her limbs. Nothing happened. She let out an exasperated whimper.

“You’re trying too hard. Gentle. Easy.”

Nodding to herself, Thea attempted it again, this time nudging the thought toward her wolf’s body.

A sharp pleasure-pain burned through her as her back cracked, the same feeling popping around her body as it transformed. Relief flooded her as she realized it wasn’t agonizing. Not like the original shift had been.

Her head juddered as her muzzle disappeared, her canines and extra wolf teeth disappearing like magic into her gums. Like they’d never been there. She pushed her human fingers against her gums, prodding, but nope.

Her mouth was as it always had been.

As Thea drew back her hand, something that was missing made her heart pause.

Thea lifted her hands to her face, turning her wrists inward.

No scars.

Her skin was perfectly smooth.

“Thea,” Conall’s voice was hoarse.

Looking over her shoulder at him, she saw his shocked gaze on her back.

“Thea.” His pale eyes flew to hers. “They’re gone.”

Her attention dropped to her naked belly.

The scar there was gone too.

Her fingers brushed over the smooth skin.

What the …

Launching to her feet, she nearly fell over, her limbs still weak from shifting. Conall rushed to haul her against him and she melted into his chest. Her fingers curled into his shirt as she stared up at him in confusion.