Page 82 of Marked

We started out at an easy pace, jogging beside each other and enjoying the morning weather. It wasn’t until we hit the first four hundred meters that I asked my first question.

“So I should call myself a shifter now, right? That’s what you and Rick called yourselves last night.”

“Mostly,” he said. “Shifters, or just wolves. Either one works. Sort of interchangeable, to be honest.”

“Okay,” I said hesitantly.

Other questions popped into my mind. Questions I would have found crazy even a day ago that I now needed answers to.

“Do we live longer than people? I mean, uh,humans?”

“Same life span. We aren’t immortal like vampires or anything.”

I skidded to a stop and gaped at him. “Are you saying?—”

“No,” he said with a laugh as he stopped. “Vampires aren’t real. I was making a comparison.”

“Thank God,” I said as we resumed the jog. “There’s only so much shit I can handle at once.”

“What other questions do you have?”

“Do we have any superpowers or anything?”

“You meanbeyondtransforming into wolves on command?”

“Don’t be a smartass,” I said, shoving him playfully. “You know what I mean.”

“We’re just like regular humans, but with enhanced senses and the ability to shift. We aren’t invulnerable or anything. If I get hit by a bus, I’m dead as a doornail.”

“Interesting.”

“Actually,” Nate said, tilting his head a bit as he ran. “There is a little more you can do.”

“What’s that?” I asked, a thread of excitement winding its way through my chest.

“Do you run a lot?”

“Pretty often. Why?”

He gave me a sideways glance. “Is this your normal pace?”

“Yeah. Typically.”

“Open it up, see what you can do. I bet your body is already adapting.”

“What?”

“We don’t just keep the senses of a wolf, but we get their stamina and strength. Some additional speed, too.”

I remembered how fast Nate had been the first time I’d met him. His hand snapping out and catching me before I fell down the stairs.

I smiled. “For real?”

“Do it. Find out.”

I picked up my pace, arms pumping at my sides. Nate matched my speed. By the time the wooded trail reached the river, I was going at a speed that would have been an all-out sprint for me before. I was getting a little tired and out of breath, but by now, I normally would have been doubled over and gasping for breath.

I wasn’t. In fact, it was invigorating. I’d never moved this fast without getting tired in my life. It was amazing. As strange and traumatic as the last twenty-four hours had been, I was loving it.

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