Grinning up at him, she leaned over again and sucked the other nipple into her mouth, making Daniel growl, “Cassie, you’d better stop that.”
She looked up at him, hoping her face looked innocent. “Stop what?”
“Do you want me to drop you?” he asked.
Cassie’s face got serious for a second. “You’d never drop me,” she finally said.
Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her lips right next to his ear, “Unless I did this,” she said, and gently bit his neck, then licked the spot where she’d bitten him.
Daniel stopped walking and sucked in a deep breath, and Cassie wondered if she’d gone too far. When he set her on her feet in the wet grass, she was suddenly afraid, but then he grabbed her by the hips and picked her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on, letting out a little cry of surprise.
“Don’t push me, Cassie,” he said, “I might just take you right here in the woods if you’re not careful.”
Cassie gasped, and when his mouth came down on hers, she kissed him back, desire flooding her like a tidal wave. They made it through the secret passageway and into her bedroom just as the first rays of sunlight lit up the sky, but neither noticed.
As soon as he had her through the passageway, he stripped off the blanket, her tee-shirt, and threw her on the bed. When he drove himself into her, she cried out his name and shuddered beneath him, her body responding to his in ways she’d never dreamed possible.
As they lay panting and smiling in each other’s arms, their breathing finally returning to normal, Daniel said, “I really should go; it’s getting late.”
“I wish you could stay,” Cassie said, feeling her heart drop.
“I’m not going far, sweetheart, and I’d like to see you tonight. Your father’s still gone; maybe dinner in my room?” Daniel said, getting out of bed.
Cassie smiled at him, her body still tingling, and said, “I’d like that.”
Daniel leaned over to kiss her but just before their lips touched, there was a knock on the door. They both looked over at the door, then Daniel kissed her and disappeared into the closet. Cassie waited for the sound of the panel sliding closed before she called out, then got out of bed and unlocked the door.
When she opened it, Vanessa was standing on the other side, a breakfast tray in her hands. “I thought you took time off with the rest of the staff,” Cassie said, letting her into the room.
Vanessa came into the room, looked around, then looked back at Cassie. “What have you been doing?” she asked suspiciously.
Cassie looked around the room, wondering what Vanessa saw, then realized that the bed was a tangled mess, the blanket from Daniel’s room was on the floor, and that she had her tee-shirt on the wrong side out. “Oh, I must have had a restless night,” she said, blushing.
Vanessa stared at her for a minute. “You’re not fooling me, but if that’s the way you want it, I’ll just leave this.”
Cassie debated; she wanted to talk to someone about the wonderful thing that had just happened to her, but it was still so new, she wanted to hold on to it, keep it to herself for just a little while longer.
“Is it enough if I tell you that something wonderful happened to me last night, that I finally feel like a woman?” Cassie asked, not wanting to hurt her new friend.
Vanessa looked at her, then at the room again. “I’ll take that for now,” she said, “You’d better eat your breakfast; the cook said she’s taking the rest of the day off and that we’re on our own.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Cassie said, without thinking, “I’ve got a dinner date.”
When Vanessa raised her eyebrows at her, Cassie giggled like a little girl and said, “Well, it might not hurt to tell you a little bit.”
Vanessa plopped down on a chair. “You can tell me while you eat breakfast.”
As it turned out, there wasn’t a lot that Cassie felt comfortable telling Vanessa, but it was enough for her to know that she’d fallen helplessly in love with Daniel. “I think I’m falling in love with him,” she said when she’d finished telling Vanessa what she could.
Vanessa smiled at her, “He’s a great guy; you’re lucky. I hope someday I’ll find that kind of love.”
Cassie yawned hugely, “Sorry, all that food is making me sleepy.”
“You didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?” Vanessa asked, looking around the room and grinning at her.
Cassie blushed, “Not really. I think I’ll take a nap.”
Vanessa jumped to her feet, “I’ll just go then, but don’t forget that I’m here if you need to talk.”
Cassie collapsed into bed, feeling almost as tired as when her illness struck, but then realized that it wasn’t the same kind of tired. This was a new kind of tired, the kind of tired only being loved the way Daniel had just loved her created. Deep down in her belly, she felt something warm, and as she concentrated on the warmth, it grew.
Sure that the warmth inside her was her love for Daniel, she nursed it, letting it grow until it filled her. She pictured Daniel in those last minutes before he left her room, his blond, wavy hair rumpled from the pillow, his bare chest glistening in the light from the window, and let sleep take her.
***Daniel***
It had been nearly an hour since the sun had set and Cassie still hadn’t shown up at the barn. He’d been waiting for her for hours and was beginning to get worried. At lunch, he’d snuck into the kitchen and made himself a sandwich, thinking the entire time about Cassie just a few floors up from where he was.
But as much as he’d wanted to go through the door and climb the stairs to her room, he resisted, knowing that she needed some time to rest after their night together. Cassie had surprised him that morning, taken him completely by surprise when she’d bitten him on the neck and licked him.
What had followed had been beyond his wildest dreams, and he was eager to explore the wild side of Cassie that she’d revealed to him. Willing to wait until that night, he made his lunch and took it back to the barn, making a mental note of what he could scavenge for their dinner.
The afternoon had seemed to drag, the longer he was away from Cassie, the more he got the feeling that he should be with her. Finally, he’d told Magnus he was done for the day and gone back to the barn, hoping to find her there, but the barn was empty and continued to be that way all these hours later.
When another hour passed, he began to worry. Images of Deacon and what he was capable of materializing in his mind. As he strode across the ground, headed for the kitchen, he pulled out his phone and called Vanessa. When she picked up, he didn’t even say hello.
“Have you seen Cassie tonight? She was supposed to meet me in the barn, but she never showed up, and I need you to check on her right now,” he demanded.
“She’s probably still asleep, but I’ll go check on her,” Vanessa said.
“Thanks, I’m on my way over there now,” Daniel said and hung up the phone, the feeling that something was wrong getting stronger the closer he got to the castle.
When he walked through the door into the kitchen, Vanessa was putting a cup and tea bags on a tray. “Is that for Cassie?”
Vanessa nodded her head. “But she won’t let me in the room.”
“What did she say?”
“She said that she didn’t want to see anyone, that she wanted us all to leave her alone,” Vanessa said. “I’m taking this up there, hoping she’ll let me take it in. As far as I know, she hasn’t left her room all day.”
After she’d piled on cookies and sandwiches, a few pieces of fruit, she filled the little teapot with water and put the lid on. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you must have done something to her,” she said, glaring at him.
Daniel searched his mind for anything he could have done and came up empty. “I didn’t do anything, when I left her this morning, she was fine,” he said, then realized what he’d just admitted to. “I care about her, Vanessa.”
Vaness
a stopped glaring at him. “Well, something’s wrong and we’d better figure out what it is,” she said, picking up the tray and heading out of the kitchen.
Daniel didn’t even hesitate; rules or not, he was going with Vanessa. He followed her up the stairs to Cassie’s door and stood back hoping Vanessa could get her to open it. “Cassie,” she called in a cheery voice, “I brought you some tea and a snack; you must be starving.”
“Leave it outside, and I’ll get it in a little while,” he heard Cassie say, although her voice was muffled.
“Can’t I come in? Maybe talking about it will help,” Vanessa coaxed.
“I don’t think talking about this is going to do any good,” Cassie called, then Daniel heard a sob.
He’d heard enough, “Cassie, it’s Daniel. Can I come in?”
“No, I don’t want to see anyone,” she said, “You should all just go away and leave me alone.”
“Cassie, what’s wrong? Please just tell me,” Daniel begged, shocked at himself, but desperate. “I can’t protect you from out here.”
He heard Cassie sob, but she refused to speak again. When he looked at Vanessa, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I don’t know what else to do but leave her alone. She’ll open the door when she’s ready.”
Daniel shook his head. “What if Deacon’s gotten to her somehow? He’s not here but that doesn’t mean anything; it was stupid of me to come in here this morning. I’m going to break down the door.”
Vanessa put her hand on his arm. “Deacon may be powerful, but he’s not that powerful; besides, he’d have to suspect something. Leave her be for a little while. She’s been through a lot lately; she just needs some space.”
Daniel wanted to take Vanessa’s advice, but he couldn’t just leave Cassie sitting alone in her room, couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed help. Then he thought of Charlie, and the solution seemed simple. Pulling out his phone, he punched in her number.
When she picked up the phone, he said, “I need your help. Cassie’s locked herself in her bedroom and won’t come out. She won’t tell us what’s wrong and I’m worried that Deacon’s done something to her or that she’s sick. She might open the door for you.”
Charlie was silent for a long time and then she asked, “What have you done, Daniel? That girl is an innocent; you know that.”
“I didn’t do anything to her, well, anything bad. I care about her, Charlie; I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to her,” he said, then added, “We’re connected.”
Charlie sighed; she understood better than anyone what that meant to a shifter. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
Chapter 14
***Cassie***
Cassie was huddled under her comforter, leaning up against the headboard, afraid to move. When she’d woken up a few hours earlier that afternoon, she’d felt different, but she hadn’t been able to figure out exactly how until she carefully began to stretch her muscles.
She was sore in places she’d never imagined she’d be and that brought a smile to her face. But the smile hadn’t lasted long when a wave of nausea took her breath away, making her cover her mouth with her hand, and it only took a second for her to realize that she was going to throw up.
When she jumped out of bed, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she stumbled, her legs weak and wobbly. She barely made it to the bathroom before all the food she’d eaten for breakfast came back up with a violence that made her shake and shiver when it was all over.
She lay on the bathroom floor for a few minutes trying to catch her breath, but each time she tried to breathe, it felt like something was constricting her chest. Feeling herself beginning to panic, she got to her feet and looked in the mirror, her heart pounding in her chest.
The first thing she noticed was that her face was red and flushed, and that her neck was the same color, then she looked down at that tee-shirt she was wearing and saw that it was much too tight. Her breasts were smashed flat and the fabric was so tight, it was difficult to breathe.
Stripping the shirt off, wondering how it had shrunk, she took a deep breath and felt better almost immediately. But then she looked in the mirror again, her heart leaped, and her breath came out in a whoosh at what she saw. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
Unable to believe her eyes, she walked out of the bathroom slowly and looked in the full-length mirror on her closet door. She blinked a few times, then pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but the pain told her that what she was seeing was real.
Staggering away from the mirror, she crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin and sat there in shock. There was no possible explanation for what had just happened to her, no way to explain how her body had changed, how she’d suddenly been given the body she’d always wanted.
It had been dark for a long time before there was a knock on her door, a knock she knew would be coming eventually. She hadn’t forgotten about her date with Daniel, but when it had come time for her to get ready, she’d been unable to move.
Exhausted from hours of trying to come to terms with her new body and the nausea that just wouldn’t go away, she’d ignored the clock, let the sun set. When Vanessa’s voice had come through the door, she’d been both relieved and saddened. She’d been so sure that Daniel would come looking for her, then he’d demanded to come in, and her heart had soared.
But the thought of facing him as she was now was more than she could handle, so she’d sent him away. Now she was huddled in bed alone, wishing he was there but too scared of his reaction to what had happened to her to venture out of her room to look for him.
He said that they were bonded; she’d felt it, but what if this new her was so different that the bond was gone? She’d just found Daniel; she wasn’t ready to lose him. Maybe if she waited, she’d go back to normal, she thought as she watched the stars come out. Maybe she’d wake up in the morning, and this would all be a bad dream.
But as the clock struck midnight, there was a knock at her door. “Go away,” she called. “I don’t want to see anyone.”
To her surprise, the lock clicked open, and the handle turned. When the door swung open, there was a woman standing in the doorway, but the light from the hallway made it difficult to see her face. She stepped into the room, closed the door, and turned on the light.
“I thought it was time that we met,” Charlie said, smiling at her. “Can I come in?”
Cassie didn’t point out that she was already in the room, that she’d had the door locked for a reason, she was too nervous to speak. “I’m sorry to invade your privacy this way, but Daniel called me and said you’d locked yourself in your room. Is everything okay?”
Tears sprang to her eyes at the look of concern on her sister’s face, but she still couldn’t speak, just shook her head and held her breath to keep the sobs inside. Charlie came over and sat down at the foot of the bed and studied Cassie for a long time.
“I’ve been waiting to meet you,” she said. “It’s way past time that we met.”
Some of Cassie’s nerves settled when she heard those words. “Really?” she managed to say.
“Of course, we’re sisters, and I don’t have a lot of family,” then she laughed, “Well, unless you count Steven’s family; there’s a whole pack of them.”
Cassie managed a smile. Charlie seemed like a normal person, but then again, so had her father. She wasn’t quite ready to trust her yet. “Why did you come here?” she asked.
Charlie sighed. “I was hoping that Deacon could fill in some blanks in my past, tell me what really happened to my mother, but now that I’ve found you, I wonder if that’s why I felt the need to come here so badly.”
Cassie couldn’t believe her ears, “What?”
“It’s a long story, and right now I think we need to figure out what’s bothering you,” Charlie said, “But I promise I’ll tell you the whole story someday.”
Cassie liked the sound of that and before
she knew it, a big smile had crept across her face. But then she felt the first stirrings of the nausea that had been her constant companion since she woke up and it wasn’t more than a few seconds before she was running for the bathroom, hand over her mouth.
***Daniel***
Daniel had been pacing restlessly in front of the bedroom door for more than a half an hour. Charlie had gone into the room, shut the door, and never come back out. He should take that as a good sign, but the waiting was driving him crazy.
He’d never felt anything like this before, never had his protective instincts fired so hot, and the power surges were stronger than ever before. When Charlie finally came out of the bedroom, he practically jumped on her.
“What’s wrong with Cassie? Can I see her? Did Deacon do something to her?” he fired questions at her, wanting all the answers at once.
Charlie pushed him back down the hallway towards the stairs. “Cassie is fine, she just needs some tea and a little more time on her own,” she said, leading the way to the kitchen where she put together a fresh tea tray.
Daniel followed her like a lost puppy back up to the bedroom door, wishing he could just push through and see Cassie. “Don’t even think about it; she needs a little more time. Why don’t you go find Steven and take him for a run,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek. “It’s going to be fine, just go away for a little while.”
When he finally found Steven in the library reading a book, he was more than ready to get rid of some of his restless energy. “I need a run,” he said when he came through the door.
Steven took one look at him and said, “Boy, you sure do. What the hell is going on?”
Daniel shrugged his shoulders, “I wish I knew.”
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