Page 33 of Sevan

“To hell with this,” Sevan said, pushing past Nina and rushing towards the sound of Lorelei’s voice.

When he broke through the dense brush, he found her lying on the ground, her leg covered in blood, her face pale and her eyes locked on him.

She blinked. “Sevan?”

His heart slammed in his chest as the beast within him fought to be free. His skin tingled and his neck tightened. That was his wife lying there, hurt and scared. Yet, he was too afraid to go to her and touch her.

Nina pushed past him and he snarled, sounding so much like an animal that it shocked even him. She stilled and began backing slowly towards Lorelei. As she reached for her side, Sevan knew what she was about to do—shoot him with a tranquilizer.

Lorelei’s eyes widened. “No, Nina, don’t!”

“Sevan knows that he can’t control the beast his first shift out, sister.”

As much as he hated to admit it, it was true. Hot, searing pain tore through his hands and he watched as claws emerged from them.

Shaking his head, Sevan couldn’t comprehend all that was happening. His entire life he’d lived with the knowledge that somewhere deep within him lay a lion. A beast with no remorse and little concern for anything beyond itself. Now, as it began to take shape it was almost too much for him to comprehend. He gasped as he thought of Nina’s words telling him that Stegian was able to control fully shifted supernaturals.

Terrified, he reached for her, his mouth losing its shape quickly. “Don’t…let…him…control me.”

A sharp pinprick hit his neck and he knew then that Nina had decided to shoot him with the tranquilizer.

It was then that he also realized they were not alone. Darkness swallowed him before he could shout out a warning.

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