Page 59 of Purrfectly Mated

ChapterSeventeen

Fire coursed through Elissa’s veins. Something was happening. Something strange and a little bit scary. She was in the middle of a wrestling match, but it was internal.

A strange male tried to touch her forehead. She hissed, wanting to bite and claw at him. Only the fact she vaguely recognized what he was trying to do stopped her from scratching the man’s eyes out.

Elissa did not know the man well enough to have an opinion of him, but her reasoning was simple. She simply didn’t want his hands on her. She only wanted Hunter.

He was the only male allowed to touch her. Ever. In any way, shape, or form.

Mine, hissed that strange voice she’d been hearing all day.

She barely had time to register it before more agony assaulted her senses. Elissa always had a high tolerance for pain, but this was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

It was like something was trying to claw its way out of her. Literally.

In the periphery of her vision, she saw Hunter kneeling next to her. He was naked and covered in blood. Several scratches covered his skin, but they seemed to be healing already. Something Shifters could apparently do and with ease.

Thank fuck.

Kind of cool, really. She wondered if he could help with whatever was happening to her. She clenched her teeth as another wave of cramping and nausea hit her hard.

Dammit.

She wanted to scream, but couldn’t unlock her jaw to let out a sound. Vaguely, as if from underwater, she heard him shouting to his men. He wanted them to get Blake out of there, to lock him up.

Good, Elissa thought.

But another part of her, a darker, more animalistic part, roared at the idea. A raspy voice spoke inside her mind, and she went still with shock.

Bastard. We should hunt him for daring to touch.

Um, what the fuck? Who is that talking in my head?

Elissa shook all over. Was she losing her mind? Was the last twenty-four hours some sort of hallucination and had she finally gone crazy?

No, you have not lost your mind. I am you. You are me. We are one. Let me show you.

What had first felt like an alien invasion suddenly made complete sense as a pure white Bengal Tiger took shape in Elissa’s mind’s eye.

Ohmyfuckinggod!

Pain squeezed at her gut, but instead of fighting it like she had been doing, Elissa exhaled and embraced it. Finally, she understood what was happening to her.

Yes. That is it. It is the Puspa, little one. We are blossoming into something new. Together we will be a strong Nari for our mate.

Yes. Blossoming.

Elissa agreed. She liked that imagery. She completely relaxed her muscles. Her breathing evened out, and her pulse steadied.

She heard Hunter in the periphery of her mind. He was panicking. Her mate pressed his head against her chest, trying to listen for her heartbeat. From one soft breath to the next she felt a ripple of Magic sweep over her body.

Her suddenly four times the size as normal body.

She blinked rapidly, turning on her stomach so that she could stand on all fours. She shook her head. All fours?

EEEEEEEEEK!

The entire world seemed slightly askew. The soft leather of the sofa tore under her sharp claws, and the sound of chortles and whispers around her made her snarl. She chuffed a warning, hating that she’d made such a mess. Leaping off the couch onto the floor, she turned and scented the air.

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