Page 89 of Twice Bitten

A long silence. “The full moon is tonight. Oh, Alex.”

Claws stretched from my fingernails, scratching the soft leather on my steering wheel.

“Sh-shit. I need to p-pull over.”

Edmund’s voice turned low and urgent. “Do not under any circumstances get out of your car on a busy street. Turn around, head back to where you were, and go into the woods. You can hide there.”

A broken sob slipped from my lips. “Th-there are shifters ev-everywhere.”

“You’ll have to risk it. Better than an indiscriminate civilian slaughter.”

“Ed-Edmund! I wo-won’t k-kill anyone.”

“It’s your first shift. Your animal instincts will overrideeverything. Turn around. Go to the woods. Do it now before you can’t drive anymore.”

I did a U-turn and headed back the way I came. A glance in the rearview mirror made me blink in surprise. My eyes had a bright golden sheen. “Sh-shit,” I muttered.

“Good,” Edmund encouraged. “Drive as fast as you can without getting pulled over. I’ll monitor traffic.”

“Are y-you hac-hacking?”

“I do not ask about your business in the basement. Do not ask me about mine on the internet.”

A horrified laugh shook my shoulders. I pressed the gas to the floor and hauled ass.

Eight minutes later, I wrenched my car over to the shoulder and bailed out. Fur had sprouted along my arms and neck, and elongated fangs cut my bottom lip. The woods were about a half-mile sprint. I grabbed my purse and keys and ran as fast as I could.

Tears streamed down my face, blown away by the wind. I was shifting, my entire body changing without my consent, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I’d never felt so helpless in my entire life. The edge of the woods beckoned, green and sparkling. Life moved all around me, and I could smell and hear everything, my enhanced senses overwhelming in their intensity.

Leaves crackled as they blew in the wind. Small things skittered and rolled on the forest floor, things with bones and blood.

Delicious things. I smelled them, the call of their heartbeat luring me deeper into the woods. My purse and keys fell from my fingers, coins and makeup scattering from the bag as it hit the ground.

A tearing noise, and my shirt was gone, the fabric a white flutter in the night. My pants went next, and then I was hunched over, my furred feet kicking the shredded cotton away.

I shook off the odd feeling and stopped, realizingI was far closer to the ground than I’d been before. I had paws. Enormous paws. My fur was a mix of gray and white.

Fear trickled down my spine, quickly lost as something rushed by me, a small thing made of bones and cartilage and meat.

My hackles rose, and I tipped my snout to the sky. A low growl rumbled from my throat before a mournful howl tore free. I lunged toward the animal, and soon enough, all my thoughts were gone, chased away by the thrill of the hunt.

TWENTY-SIX

Warmth and bare skin and dirt greeted me when I opened my eyes next. I blinked several times, trying to remember where the hell I was.

Not in my bed, that was for damn sure. I lay on soft dirt, weak daylight filtering through leaf litter above. But I also lay against…someone.

A tan, well-muscled arm lay slung over my bare abdomen. I froze as I tried to recall the events of the night before.

“Don’t panic,” a voice rumbled next to my ear.

I closed my eyes, my heart beating like a rabbit. I knew that voice.

“Silas?” I whispered.

“Yes. I caught wind of you last night and followed you to ensure you stayed safe. The first shift is…volatile. We supervise all new shifters to ensure they don’t go loup.”