Chapter 18
“Are you okay?”
Rick’s voice was a rumble from his chest. Carol still clung to him and now dared to open her eyes. “Yes,” she gasped.
“Liar,” he murmured as he kissed her forehead.
“I’ll make it okay. Come on.” With the strength of a man half his age, he scooped Carol up in his arms and carried her out the back door.
Barney, sensing that something was happening, followed them as he walked through the backyard and out the gate to the beach.
“As soon as you make your first transition, it’s all going to feel better,” he promised as he put her feet down in the cool sand and steadied her.
“It happens that fast?” she asked. “It’s already worked?”
He traced his finger delicately around the wound, his face a mix of worry and pride. “It should, but there’s only one way to find out.”
Carol’s heart pounded. Thinking about becoming a shifter, no matter how detailed she let her fantasies get, was nothing compared to the reality of it. “I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you.” He kept his hands on her arms, facing her, as he talked her through it.
“I want you to close your eyes and turn your attention deep inside your body. I think you’ll already find your wolf rising within you.
They’re very demanding and insistent. That’s to your advantage right now because it makes it easier to tap into that side of yourself. ”
Carol took a breath and closed her eyes. How was someone supposed to find an animal inside them? But as soon as she opened her mind, she could feel it there. Something wild, confident, wanting to come to the forefront. “It’s there.”
“Good. All you have to do is let it out. Breathe deeply, and every time you exhale, visualize your wolf coming out with it. It’s going to take some time, so be patient with yourself. Staying relaxed is key, and know that it’ll happen when you’re ready.”
He held her in his arms, keeping her steady so she had nothing else to worry about while she concentrated.
The wind moved around her, and she could hear the water crashing softly on the beach.
They were completely alone out there, nothing but nature and each other—and this beast inside her that was already starting to take over.
It made Carol nervous. There was no turning back, and she didn’t want to, but the ride to her ultimate goal was still a scary one.
Come on, she coaxed the wolf inside her. I’m all yours.
On her next exhale, she felt a shudder move through the very center of her body.
Carol gripped Rick tightly as her skin shivered.
Her bones creaked and cracked, and her organs seemed to be moving around inside her like puzzle pieces searching for the right orientation.
She opened her eyes in time to see thick gray fur erupting all up and down her arms and legs.
For a moment, her hearing changed, sounding like she was underwater.
Carol realized her ears had moved further toward the top of her head and changed shape, and when they were fully lupine, she had the aural facilities that came along with it.
Sharp teeth punctured her gums from the inside.
Her hands—no, paws—sank into the soft sand.
She felt every bit of it, yet it happened so fast. She stood with her feet splayed and her eyes wide, no longer just a human. Holy shit.
You look beautiful. Rick was still right there with her, but he wasn’t the man she’d met at the bonfire that night. He was the wolf who’d attacked the siren.
While injured and a bit preoccupied back then, she’d barely gotten to see him, but now she marveled at how gorgeous he was. There was no sign of his age when he was in this form. He was strong and firm, his eyes sharp and his fur thick. So are you.
He stepped closer, his muzzle rubbing against hers. You did a great job. That was quick.
I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Carol laughed, but it was an entirely different sensation inside her head.
Barney yapped excitedly as he ran around her, hopping up on his hind feet to sniff at her muzzle.
I think he’s congratulating you. Rick moved around to stand next to her. Let’s walk a little. It might take time to get used to this form, but once you do, it’ll be second nature to go back and forth.
You say that, but I don’t even know how to control all these legs. Carol lowered her head to study her paws and then bent it a little more, getting a good look at herself. It was disorienting to see anything that wasn’t a human body.
Try back left, then front left. He waited while she awkwardly took a step forward. Then back right and front right.
Carol staggered forward, laughing at how silly she must look. I’ll bet you’ve never seen a wolf move so awkwardly.
I have, actually. I had to teach both of my boys how to shift and behave in their wolves.
There’s a lot that comes naturally to someone who’s born this way, but I still had to help them plenty.
He walked slowly next to her, never getting ahead, waiting patiently as she got a feel for all these feet.
It didn’t take long. This was who she was now, and Carol was determined to master it. She found the right pattern of movement in her feet, and soon enough, they were walking quickly down the beach with Barney happily beside them.
This is incredible. It’s like all the years have fallen away from me.
Like I’m a younger version of myself. And there’s so much I can see!
She was catching the details on the pitch pine trees in the distance, the tiniest crests of the water, and the sound of every bird that veered overhead.
There was another sense, though, one that she enjoyed even more.
It was the knowledge—not because she could see it but because she could sense it—that she and Rick were bound together.
A deep tug, a yearning that came straight from her soul, constantly pulled her emotions toward him.
It was comfortable and exciting, a link that wrapped her in exquisite love.
I feel like I’m so much closer to you now.
As a shifter, being with your mate is a feeling like no other. There’s still something else we can do to seal our bond, something that will keep this feeling with us forever.
What’s that? She looked at him, and even in his wolf form, she could see the desire in his eyes. Carol let out that mental laugh again. Right. Do you think I’ve been this way long enough to heal up?
There’s only one way to find out. Are you ready?
There’s only one way to find that out, too.
Carol closed her eyes as Rick coached her through her shift back.
It was the same process, essentially. He made it all sound so easy, and as she tapped into her human side, she realized that once she’d become her wolf, she hadn’t even been scared about getting her original form back.
It was a sign to her that she’d made the right decision, that she and Rick were truly meant to be.
With a rush of disorientation, her human returned.
Her paws became hands and feet again. She flinched as her face changed shape, the muzzle disappearing.
A tingle moved over her skin as her fur disappeared, and she staggered slightly once she no longer had a tail.
She was herself again, but she wasn’t. Her wounds were nothing more than pale pink lines on her skin, the stitches rendered unnecessary.
The exhaustion that had come from the injuries and the hospital stay had drained away, and she felt energized as the sun bathed her skin.
It went beyond just healing what she’d experienced at the hands of the siren, though.
Strength flowed through her muscles. The little aches and pains that had become a part of her daily life as she’d aged were gone.
Rick, also back on his feet, was watching her. “What do you think?”
Carol laughed as she looked at her body in disbelief. “This sort of thing could put all the plastic surgeons and skin cream companies out of business! It’s like I’m thirty years younger, or maybe more.”
He took her hands. “No regrets?”
“Not a single one,” she replied confidently. “Now, let’s go back. Last one upstairs is a rotten egg!” Carol took off across the beach.
Rick followed her with a shout. He quickly caught up despite her small head start, and they ran until they reached the backyard gate.
Carol was laughing so hard, she could hardly breathe as she fought to get to the gate before him.
She was thrilled to find she still had plenty of energy as she went into the house and turned to go up the stairs.
Her thighs weren’t even burning as she reached the top.
Rick’s arms closed around her waist as they fell into bed together, laughing.
His lips found hers. Carol’s laughter faded as her desire surged.
She’d already known how much she loved Rick, but his mark had truly deepened that emotion.
In fact, he’d plumbed depths of her heart that she hadn’t known existed until now.
Because of him, she could abandon all her worries and not only live her life to the fullest but live it with a man like him. Her mate.
The phrase echoing in her head was enough to spike her desire for him up another notch.
Carol lifted her hands to explore the strength of his shoulders and the lines of his neck.
She held his face in her hands as she kissed him, her thumbs grazing his cheekbones.
Carol knew this face with her eyes opened or closed.
She parted her lips and Rick took the invitation. His hands had worked their way off her waist and to her backside, where he squeezed her generous curves in his strong hands. A low moan escaped his mouth and reverberated in hers, letting Carol know just how much he wanted her.
That passion echoed in her own body, sending a frisson of excitement over her skin that left goosebumps in its wake.
They lay facing each other on their sides, which allowed her to run her hands across his chest until she found the buttons of his shirt.
She worked blindly, still preoccupied by their tongues dancing, but her hands were confident and efficient.
Parting the fabric, she ran her fingers through the hair underneath.
When she pressed her palm to his chest, she felt his heart thundering against it.
The quick tempo resounded in her own body, and a new bolt of adrenaline mixed in her blood.
Rick shrugged out of his shirt and flung it aside.
He reached for her blouse but changed his mind and pushed himself off the bed instead.
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up with him.
Rick unfastened the decorative button at her collar before lifting her top over her head.
He slid his hands into the waistband of her pants and shimmied them down her thighs.
As she stepped out of them, his palms luxuriated in the softness of her legs, the curves of her hips, and the slope of her belly.
He made her feel so young, so vibrant, so appreciated.
Carol flicked open the button on his khakis and unzipped his fly.
She had a bond with him, yes, a reciprocal magnetic force, but Carol also felt a hunger inside her that couldn’t be satiated by mere food.
She freed Rick of his pants and boxers, taking his hardness into her hand and stroking the length of it.
Rick pulled aside her bra strap and kissed the flesh where it had rested, delicately traced with scars.
His heated breath on her skin made her nipples harden.
He kissed his way down her shoulder as he reached behind her to undo her clasp.
Her breasts fell free, and he fondled their weight in his palms before bending his head to pull her nipple into his mouth.
Carol let her head fall back as they stood there, their naked bodies pressing close, touching, caressing, enjoying. Time had slowed down, and the closeness of their souls made it feel as if they were the only two people in the universe.
They climbed back onto the bed, and Carol pushed Rick onto the pillow as she swung her leg over him.
He ran his hands up her thighs, and his hardness pulsed eagerly against her core.
Already, she could feel a rising swell of energy within her.
She pushed up on her knees a little to make room for his length, and he guided himself to her heat as she lowered herself onto him.
Carol moaned with her slow descent, taking all of him that she so craved.
They stayed like that for a moment, interlocked, both of them home, before she rocked her hips back and forth.
Rick’s hands curved around her waist to her back, inching up her spine. He spread his fingers and ran them up the back of her neck, along her scalp, and then down her hair. Every inch of her that he touched felt alive.
Carol buried her face in the side of his neck as she continued to rock.
Her body began to tighten, her stomach muscles tensing and her inner thighs shivering.
She inhaled the scent of him as she kissed his shoulder.
The first flush of what was to come swept over her as he grabbed her hips and assisted her motion, his body rising to meet hers.
Years of desire had gone unanswered within her, and now she felt it culminating in her core.
Carol reached behind his head and grabbed the edge of the mattress, using the force of her arms to enjoy him even more deeply.
She felt him swell inside her with that last push, and it was enough to tip her over the edge.
Her back arched as spasms of pleasure seized her.
A flame ignited inside her and radiated through her body, along her limbs, and curled her toes.
Rick’s hands dug in as he pushed himself higher, his passion riding on the waves of hers.
Carol gripped the mattress and cried out her ecstasy, her wolf and her human now forever bound to her mate.