Eleven
A dozen times, she'd watched Wolf Man morph from wolf to human, feeling his thoughts along the edge of hers.
Feelings more than thoughts, but...wrapping her hands around a hot mug of tea, then coffee, then hot chocolate.
Putting on her jeans, then tying the laces on her boots.
Throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him, bowling him over so she had him pinned on the ground, straddling those muscles and having her way with him...
Okay, the last one was definitely her fantasy, because if he'd been thinking that, he wouldn't have been able to hide the effect it'd have on his human body, but it still didn't work. Every time, he rose from a crouch, naked and lickable, and she stayed furry.
She could also feel his frustration, which echoed hers, but he kept it out of his voice and manner as he made lunch. Some sort of warm chicken salad with roast vegetables and she ate so much of it, she couldn't have squeezed even a rabbit on top of it. Not even a little one.
"I've got to hike back up to my pickup, then drive to the loch for some more samples, and take the lot into town so we can send them to the lab for testing.
After that, maybe we can go up to Wuffingas Estate and talk to the pack shaman.
She might be able to help you with your shifting, or offer advice on what else we could try.
If you come into town with me, we could go straight to the shaman after. "
Arwen wanted nothing more than to hide up here where she'd be safe from Ravenna, but she didn't want to be a wolf for the rest of her life.
It had its advantages, but she had a life as a person, and she intended to go back it, either here or in the fae realm.
Surely a shifter shaman would know what was wrong with her.
Wolf Man hadn't said there was anything wrong with her – he seemed more disappointed at himself, not being able to help her – but it was only a matter of time before he turned the blame for this mess on her, and he might be right.
There probably was something wrong with her.
After all, her mother hadn't been able to shift, so Arwen's own skills were never going to be perfect.
If the shaman could help her get her human form back, Arwen would be content to stay that way, and never let her wolf out again.
It wasn't everyone who got to experience life as a wolf, even for a day, and get healed from life-threatening heart damage at the same time. She should consider herself lucky.
She'd even got to ogle Wolf Man naked.
She tilted her head to the side, then gave a sharp nod.