Page 102 of Mated
If I call, she will come, and it has been so long since I had a real pack. A fellow shifter to run with. Hells, it damn near makes me giddy.
There is a low snarl and a blur shoots from the mist.
I crouch.
Nisha’s tawny skin is gone under a pattern of near golden rosettes. She prowls across from me, her smaller head lowered between her shoulders and those glowing golden eyes riveted on me.
Smaller than me by nearly a foot, she is sleek, agile. And I bet she is fast.
I stalk toward her, teeth bared in a warning to stay still.
She hisses in answer, shrinking down to make herself smaller as I approach. I snarl back, the tone pitched low enough that her ears flick.
Easy, I want to say.It’s me.
But I remember my first change. The disorientation. The noise and light. I lower my body and slither over the grass toward her. Her hiss sounds again, this time softer. Less sure.
The wind shifts and her wonderful scent reaches my nose. It’s laced with my spice and I know she can smell us both on herself.
A purr rumbles from my chest and she quiets entirely.
I lay down in front of her, rolling a bit on my back and scooting closer when I dare.
Her tongue lolls out and she pants, those gold eyes wide.
But there is no return of her aggression as she slowly drops to her belly in the grass. I climb slowly to my feet and lean down.
There is another small hiss, and then her hot breath flows over my face as she scents me too.
An answering rumble spills from her lean body and the sound makes my own purr louder.
I nuzzle the side of her face.
Her wet, rough tongue scrapes over my cheek and everything in me shakes.
She’s in there. More human than beast. The relief I feel is profound.
It’s more than just her making it through such a hard change. It’s knowing that despite her attack, she retained her humanity. She will have good days and bad days, but with guidance, she will be a strong shifter.
Maybe even an alpha in time.
I plop beside her and toss my paw over her back. She huffs but abides it as I clean around her soft ears. When she grows antsy, I urge her up and we roll and tussle in the grass.
Caine lounges at the base of a tree nearby as he watches us, his lips curved in wry amusement.
I was right in my first assessment. She is fast. Swift.
It doesn’t take her long to learn to pounce or run in short bursts. Though I consider leading her into the trees to find a snack, she may be a bit too human for any game that would be nearby.
So we laze and play. And slowly, oh so slowly, all the years I have been away from the pack begins to fall away. I remember the joy of being beast and not just the necessity of it.
But I also remember why I had to walk away.
The pain is sharp and like a lance through my chest. It makes me stumble, and Nisha is just there, her warm side pressed to mine as those gold eyes glance sidelong at me.
I nudge her with my head, reveling in the feel of her. Her heat.
Soon that is a conversation we will need to have. Why I left the pack.
