My lips formed into a hesitant smile as I looked deeply into his eyes. The smile was more for show than anything. Don’t fight it? How did you not fight something like this?
CHAPTER SIX
Jace returned my hesitant smile with the crooked grin of his own. Raising his shirt above his head, he slipped it off, revealing his bare chest. I watched in silent shock as he folded the shirt perfectly before placing it on a pile of nearby leaves. His fingers then reached for the button of his jeans and unclasped them, the sound of his zipper coming undone echoed loudly in my ears.
“Whoa! What are you doing?” I asked, feeling pleasantly surprised at the sight of him undressing in front of me, but entirely confused and embarrassed by it.
Jace raised an eyebrow in mild amusement as the corners of his mouth twisted into a slight smirk. “Preparing for the change,” he answered smoothly, his tone insinuating this was something I should know.
“Oh, right,” I fumbled, my eyes darting toward the ground.
“You should, too. You don’t want to rip those clothes. It can get a little expensive if you don’t take the time to undress first. Not to mention, early in the morning when you head back home, it’s not quite as strange for your neighbors to see you emerging from the woods fully clothed instead of naked,” Jace said, his irresistible little smirk still lingering on his face.
I swallowed hard. “So you want me to undress… here… in front of you?”
My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I hadn’t given much thought to undressing in front of Jace yet, not even while preparing for the change. I lifted my eyes, meaning to meet his stare, but I didn’t make it past his solid abs.
“You’re making me nervous staring at me like that,” Jace muttered.
My eyes darted away from him and I shifted on my feet.
“Would it make you feel more comfortable if I turned around?” he asked.
I picked at my fingernail polish, hesitating before finally answering, “No. I’m going to have to get used to this part anyway, right?” I dropped my gaze to my toes and began to peel off my pink long-John shirt.
“Yeah,” he answered a little breathy.
I could feel his eyes on me while I slipped out of my gray sweatpants and folded them neatly before placing them on top of my shirt lying on the ground.
“Now you’re staring,” I muttered, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of my lips as I watched his eyes drift up my body.
“Sorry, I can’t help myself.” With blushing cheeks he cleared his throat and shifted his eyes away from me and out into the surrounding woods.
“It’s fine,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself tightly.
Jace let his pants fall around his ankles, revealing his green plaid boxers. A jolt of shock zapped through me at the sight of him almost completely naked, and I tore my eyes away quickly.
“If you leave those on you’ll have to throw them in the trash later,” he insisted, pointing to my bra and underwear before slipping out of his boxers and tossing them to the side.
I glanced down at myself. “Right.”
My face flushed through ten shades of red as I unhooked my bra and tossed it onto the pile of my clothes. Without looking up, I slipped off my panties and tossed them aside, too. Now standing completely naked, I fought against the urge to cross my legs and cover my chest.
“Okay, now I’m going to walk you through this,” Jace suddenly said in a professional tone, making me remember why it was exactly that I was standing naked in the woods. “Do you feel the warmth I told you about before, yet?”
I evaluated my body, wondering if what I felt at the moment was the heat of embarrassment across my skin or the warmth of the coming change Jace had told me about before. My legs didn’t feel nearly as shaky and my skin didn’t itch any longer, but my pulse had sped up.
And then I was sure I felt it.
A surprisingly warm feeling had spread across my skin. It was almost like I’d been wrapped in a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. It was a strange sensation to notice when you were standing outside in the chilly November air.
“Yes, I can feel the warmth.” My voice shook as I answered.
“Good,” Jace said, the childlike excitement returning to his features. “Feel the warmth seep through your skin and mingle within your veins. Enjoy it, because in a moment it’s going to turn into that burning sensation I talked about.”
Fear stalled my heart, causing it to skip a few beats in my chest. All I could think about was how badly I didn’t want this to hurt. I didn’t want to feel any burning anything.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s just a bit uncomfortable,” Jace said, obviously noticing the panic reflected in my eyes.
I flashed him a slight smile as the warmth began to seep through my skin and trickle into my veins. My smile grew as I gave in to the sensation. It was like drinking hot cocoa after coming inside from playing in the snow until your fingers were so cold they hurt—how nice the hot cocoa felt as it trickled down the back of your throat, slowly warming you from the inside out.
But just as Jace had said it wouldn’t, the incredible sensation didn’t last long. The moment my brain began to feel fuzzy and numb with pleasure, a burning sting slowly started to take its place. A gasp escaped me at the first little sting of it.
“Don’t be scared. I’m right here. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, but you can’t fight it. Please try to relax,” Jace insisted.
The burning sting radiated from where I was bitten and up through my veins, overtaking the feeling of warmth completely. I clinched my teeth together, fear making me forget how to breathe.
“Breathe, Tessa,” Jace reminded me.
Breathe, relax, I repeated to myself over and over as I felt the burn reach all the way to my fingertips and the crown of my head. It had consumed me in a matter of seconds.
“Your muscles are going to become a little tense now as you begin to feel the pressure weighing on your bones and muscles as they start to shift into place,” Jace continued to coach me.
Right on cue every muscle in my body suddenly became tense and stiff. As I felt muscles I didn’t even know were there begin to twitch and tighten, something happened to Jace in front of me. His entire body began to shake and shiver. His skin visibly rippled over his bones, changing his shape entirely. Time seemed to stand still as I watched Jace shift from his human form into the golden wolf from my attack. A swift pang of panic shot through me at the sight of it.
Before I had time to dwell on what I’d just witnessed in front of me, the pressure of the change entered my head, clouding my mind and making it hard for me to think of anything at all. When I felt it was too much I let out a bloodcurdling scream. Midway through, my scream turned into a howl.
Startled, I clamped my mouth shut and forced my eyes to look at my body. My skin had begun to ripple, and I could see my bones shifting beneath. The sight made nausea bubble in the pit of my stomach. I watched as my fingers curled, and my nails became longer and extremely thick as they transformed into the claws of an animal.
And then it was over.
A yelp of astonishment erupted from my throat as I glanced down to take in my new form, amazed. But the sight I saw was nothing like what I had expected. I wasn’t even on all fours like Jace—I was still standing upright.
My hands had been replaced with paws and so had my feet. My legs were no longer straight, but slightly bent at the knees. And I was not completely covered in fur like I’d assumed I would be. Instead, I had irregular-sized patches of blondish fur protruding sporadically in areas across my skin.
I brought my paws up to touch my face and felt that I had a muzzle where my mouth used to be and sharp pointy ears on top of my head. I glanced over my shoulder and realized I’d grown a long, blond, bushy tail. It swayed slightly as I stared at it, and I couldn’t help but think of how odd it felt—like when you lay on your arm for too long and it fell asleep, that awful, weird, dead feeling. You knew it was
yours because you could clearly see it attached to you, but at the same time it didn’t feel as though it was.
As I concentrated more on my tail, I watched with wide eyes as it swayed beautifully back and forth. After a few minutes I decided it was the only thing about myself in this form that I liked so far. When I began to think of everything else, my heart started to pound.
I turned toward Jace and let out a whimper—the only sound I could make besides a howl. I felt like a monster. I wanted to scream and shout it at him. I wanted to yell and tell him to not look at me, but the only thing I managed to get out were more tiny whimpers. Feeling embarrassed and utterly disgusted with myself, I covered my face with my paws and turned my back to Jace.
I’m a monster, don’t look at me! I shouted at him in my mind, desperately wishing he could hear me so that he would understand the meaning behind my gesture.
I heard his footsteps creeping closer behind me and I wished I could run away without having him chase after me.
If you’re a monster, then you’re a beautiful monster. Jace’s voice echoed in my mind.
Shock rippled through me and I spun to face him. We can speak? How?
Moving directly in front of me, Jace sat and looked straight into my eyes. He was beautiful, even in this form. His golden fur was fluffy and thick. His amber-colored eyes were familiar and warm, generating the same amount of safety toward me as they were when he was still human.
Easy, with your mind, he answered.
I stared at him in complete astonishment because nothing on his face had moved as he spoke to me. For the first time I realized just how magical this entire situation actually was.
How else did you think we communicated in this form? Jace asked, a curious tone etched deep in his words.
I don’t know, I answered honestly.
You’re really good at this, you know? I can hear you loud and clear.
I chuckled, but to my ears it merely came out as huffs of air. Well, imagine that. I’m good at being a telepath, but I can’t change fully. I guess I don’t get to have my cake and eat it too, huh?
The golden wolf in front of me began to shake. He grumbled and grunted at the same time as Jace’s wonderful laugh echoed through my mind.
So this is what a wolf looks like when it’s laughing, I snapped sarcastically and folded my oddly bent arms across my patchy chest. At least the patches were covering me in all the right places. That was one thing that had gone right.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at you, I know. It’s just that your little attitude still manages to shine through in everything you say, he said, gathering control over himself. This is the halfway form. It won’t last forever, only for the first full moon because you are a half-breed. On the next full moon you’ll be in your completed form, he reassured me.
Good to know, I said, relaxing slightly. So, you can read my mind? Only in this form though, right?
No. We don’t read minds. Your thoughts are your own; I can only catch the ones you direct my way.
Interesting, I said, grateful.
So, how was the change? Did it hurt as badly as you’d expected? Jace asked, his concern ringing clearly in my mind.
No—but it definitely didn’t tickle either.
Jace shook in front of me again, and I heard his laugh echo loudly in my mind once more. There it is again, that little attitude. God, you crack me up!
I laughed with him and tossed my awkward arms around his fur-covered neck. Jace leaned into me and I closed my eyes.
Are you ready for your first hunting lesson? he asked and my stomach grumbled loudly at the mere mention of food. I’ll take that as a yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Before I was able to respond, my ears picked up tiny footsteps coming from somewhere toward my right. Cocking my head to the side and listening carefully I was able to distinguish that it was a small animal I was hearing.
There you go; you’re a natural. Now, use your nose and tell me what type of animal it is, Jace insisted.
As I inhaled deeply my nose suddenly became bombarded by all of the tantalizing scents of the woods—damp earth, moles, squirrels, disintegrating leaves, and rabbit.
It’s a rabbit! I shouted victoriously, amazed by my new sense of smell.
Good, now go get it. Jace chuckled in my mind.
Acting on animal instinct alone, I darted off in the direction of the tiny hopping feet. After moving within five feet of the rabbit, I slowed myself down to a predatory prowl. Every move I made was cautious and with an extreme amount of thought put into any noise my steps would make. With each step my hunger grew.
I could hear its tiny heart beating at a quick-paced rhythm and smell its musky earthlike scent.
Once I was two arm lengths behind it, I noticed its body visibly stiffen as it sensed my approaching presence. I watched as its white fur rose and fell while its breathing became faster. I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of fear surrounding the fragile little rabbit and enjoyed it immensely. Without any hesitation I lunged forward, gripping the rabbit between my front paws.
I did it! I triumphantly shouted.
Yes, you did—now watch the master, Jace boasted.
I clutched the squirming rabbit against my chest firmly and watched as Jace cocked his head to one side. His ears pricked, listening to something I couldn’t hear. With a twitch of his body, Jace dashed past me and disappeared into the darkened woods in a flash.
My attention dropped to the tiny heartbeat pounding away between my paws. I stared into its beady little eyes, and my mouth began to fill with saliva. Hunger consumed me—not an emotion I’d expected to feel looking at its tiny fur-covered face.
With one deliberate twist, the fragile rabbit dangled lifeless in my paws and in the next instant I was eating, feeding the hunger that now controlled me. My teeth tore through it just as easily as if it were a roast my mother had cooked. The taste was more wonderful than anything I’d ate in a while. It was warm and juicy, satisfying beyond belief.
A rustling of leaves coming my way made me pause mid-chew. I glanced behind me; Jace stood near a large tree a few feet away with a glassy-eyed doe lying in front of him.
Dinner for two, Jace said.
At the sight of the doe lying motionless in front of him, blood dripping from the wound in its throat, all of the animal instincts that had compelled me moments ago vanished without warning. My gaze dropped to my paws and sickness began to ripple through me. I was no longer holding the frail, white rabbit—I was holding its bloody carcass.
Gagging, I tossed it as far away from me as I could and frantically began to wipe my paws against the damp leaves, trying desperately to get rid of the blood on them. It smeared all around me and matted itself into the patches of my fur and streaked across the smooth areas of my skin.
The salty, metallic stench filled my nose and the coppery taste lined my mouth. I spat out a chunk of bloody fur that had lodged between my teeth just as the woods around me began to spin.
Tessa, it’s okay. Calm down. You’re going to be okay. You just have to breathe, I heard Jace’s warm voice say in my mind.
I couldn’t answer him; I was too busy trying to fight against the overwhelming urge I had to vomit. Tears pricked my eyes as my breathing heightened just before I felt my head hit the ground. Then I was gone, floating into a bottomless sea of blackness.
* * *
“Tessa? Tessa—wake up!” an urgent, but familiar voice shouted from directly above me.
The only response I gave was a muffled moan because something hurt—my head, I realized instantly once I was able to pinpoint where the pain radiated from. My eyes fluttered open, and Jace’s blurred face came into view.
“Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard. Can you sit up?” he asked, gripping my shoulder firmly in an attempt to help me sit up.
“I think I’m okay,” I mumbled. “But, ouch, my head does hurt a little.”
I raised my hand to touch the spot of throbbing pain an
d winced once my fingers brushed over a large bump. Everything hit me then, like flashes of lightning shooting down from the sky, the realization of where I was and what I’d been doing filled my mind entirely.
I glanced down at my body and noticed there were no more irregular patches of blond fur covering me. There was nothing besides my bare skin glistening in the early light. I had been lying on damp leaves completely naked for I didn’t know how long.
Reaching for Jace’s T-shirt lying on the ground beside me, I covered myself up as best I could, then stared at the flaky coating on my hands. Dried blood. Bringing my fingertips to my face I could feel the same coating surrounding my mouth and taste its coppery aftertaste on my tongue.
Panic shot through my chest, and I struggled to gain control over myself yet again, not wanting to pass out for a second time from another panic attack.
“You’re okay. What you did was natural; all you were doing was exactly what you’re supposed to. You were simply following your animal instincts,” Jace coaxed me.
I looked at him and could clearly see the desperation for me to believe his reassuring words hiding in the depth of his amber-colored eyes.
“Right,” I whispered, still fighting to control my breathing.
Jace squatted down to his knees in front of me and took both of my hands in his, a gesture I was sure was meant to calm me, but all it did was make my heart race even more. I felt the dried blood crumbling off my skin in flakes and onto his where our palms touched and our fingers interlaced. My chest tightened more.
“It’s okay; this is all something that’s going to take some time to get used to,” he insisted, rubbing his thumbs across the backs of my hands.
Anxiety surged through me and I ripped my hands from his. “I just—I need to get this off me right now.”
“Hold on. I’ll be right back,” Jace said, before sprinting toward my house.
Changed (Marked Duology Book 2) Page 4