17—Surprise of her Life
Half an hour later, Bonhi stood at her front door watching the police car pull out. The officers had been thorough, and the fact that they’d found and arrested the guy that’d abducted her gave her a lot of comfort.
The police car drove away. Bonhi closed the door and turned around to face Dallas. He leaned against the wall, dark eyes on her.
“You still owe me an explanation,” she said.
He stared quietly for so long she thought he’d decided differently, but then he pushed away from the wall and backed into her living room. “I want to show you,” he said, “But I don’t want you to be scared.”
She followed, saying, “I have… a suspicion but it’s crazy.”
He nodded, curiosity in his eyes.
“You’re a werewolf,” she whispered.
He smiled and shook his head. “Not a werewolf.”
Bonhi flushed and dropped her eyes to the floor. “Oh, I’m so stupid. I saw Jameson earlier out at Cove Springs in the middle of nowhere and he was right where I’d just seen a wolf and it was so strange and my imagination ran away with me—”
Dallas grasped her by the arm. She looked up, trusting him fully.
His expression was deadly serious. “You’re not stupid—watch.”
He pulled her drapes closed, then moved away from the wall and faced her. He bent forward and changed, clothes melding to jet-black fur, face and body morphing into a big cat—a massive cat—a black jaguar with golden eyes and a prosthesis on one rear leg.
Bonhi felt weightless, like her feet didn’t even touch the ground. Her breath came in short gasps, as she was carried away to a world where men could turn into animals.
She had a jaguar in her living room.
Her legs felt weak and she spilled to her knees, saying, “You’re… you’re…”
The big cat came forward and nosed her arm. She touched him on the neck, in wonder, sliding her fingers through his short, thick fur.
“You’re beautiful.”
He chuffed, making a lovely sound she would have thought came from a smaller animal.
He stepped back, then seemed to stand on his rear legs, and he changed again, clothes replacing fur and body changing shape, until he stood in front of her as a man.
His shirt was on inside out. He looked down like he was expecting it, then whipped the shirt off and turned it right-side out, displaying a thick, muscled torso and strong arms and chest. Bonhi drank in the sight until it was gone.
She gaped at him, speechless for the first time in her life, still on her knees.
He took a knee on the floor right up close to her and stared into her eyes.
They looked at each other, until finally she was able to speak. “Jameson…?”
He nodded. “Jameson is a shifter, he shifts into a white wolf.”
Bonhi touched her hand to her mouth. “How?” she gasped out. “Are there more of you?”
Dallas nodded. “My dad said it’s a natural thing and something like 2% of the population can shift into an animal.”
Bonhi did the math in her head. “That’s 150 million people.”
He nodded somberly.
“You’re telling me there’s enough people in the world who can shift to fill a small country, and yet no one knows?”
Dallas shrugged. “We have good reason to keep it secret.”
“Why does that jaguar have a prosthesis, and you don’t?”
Dallas raised his eyebrows. He lifted his pant leg and showed her that his right lower leg below the knee was gone. “I do.”
Bonhi couldn’t believe it. He really was a superhero.
“And you still beat that sweaty kidnapper’s ass,” she said.
He laughed out loud. “It was a close call.”
She shook her head, her voice soft. “Not from where I was standing.”
Dallas grinned but shook his head, saying “I have something kinda crazy to tell you.”
Bonhi stood and Dallas did, too. Bonhi cocked her hip. “Kinda crazy, or full on crazy?”
Dallas grinned. “Full-on, I guess. I'm a shifter,” he said, “And you're a…”
“…Lawyer,” she finished.
“Yes. And a…”
“…Woman,” she said, her voice low.
The room felt smaller and hotter. “A witch,” he said.
She laughed. He didn’t.
“A savage witch,” he said, “Or at least that’s what they call you.”
Bonhi turned her chin sharply. “Who calls me that?”
He shook his head. “I mean… I mean the other shifters, they call the witches that—savage witches—or switches for short.”
Bonhi’s brain wasn’t working. She put a hand to her head. She sat down on the couch, and then she laid down, exhaustion making her heavy.
She put her hand up. Dallas crossed the room quickly and took it. Her eyes closed and her head drooped and she drifted into a strange sleep, glad when Dallas sat down near her and continued to hold her hand.
Dallas let the sound of the rain on the roof keep him awake, while Bonhi slept. He held her hand and wished for some backup. He wasn’t enough of a guard for Bonhi, and he could only hope the police kept the kidnapper behind bars.
He wanted to get his phone, but he didn’t want Bonhi to be scared, and so he held her hand and he pulled out all the tricks he knew to stay awake.
At about 3 in the morning, she woke abruptly, saying, “I’m so hungry.”
“Hi,” he said softly, hoping she remembered him.
“Hi,” she said back. Their fingers were still entwined, and she squeezed his hand softly, then pulled hers away. “I can think again,” she said. “I feel so much better.”
“Good,” Dallas said. He followed her to the kitchen, where the lights were still on.
She opened the fridge and pulled out a container, then put it on the counter and took the lid off.
Inside sat a mound of fat raviolis covered in sauce.
Dallas’ stomach grumbled. Bonhi got a fork and speared one of the raviolis, then ate it.
She held up a fork for Dallas and motioned he should go for it.
Dallas gladly took the fork and speared a ravioli, eating it quickly.
Bonhi speared another, then opened the fridge and took out two waters, then two sodas, giving one of each to Dallas.
He nodded his thanks, spearing three ravioli and shoving them all in his mouth, then he uncapped the water and drank it down.
Bonhi drank some water and walked into the foyer, then she gasped. Dallas dropped his fork and rushed that way.
“There’s a car out there,” she said, peeking past the drape. “With two people inside.”
Dallas looked and couldn’t help but grin. Thank fuck for Aven. “That’s my sister,” he said. “Dario must have told her where I was.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“That’s Aven. He’s her… her mate,” he said, drawing close to her, imagining her blue glow crackled when it touched his skin.
He spoke quietly, noticing how Bonhi was looking at him.
The hero-worship was toned down, and in its place was an open attraction and a little flirtation.
He shook his head slightly, not knowing what to do with it.
He hadn’t been with a woman in so long that he was probably considered a virgin again.
“Your sister can turn into a jaguar, too?” Bonhi asked, her voice low and interested.
“No, she’s a switch—a savage witch, like you.”
Bonhi smiled. “I am pretty savage on cross-examination.”
“You’d be even more savage if you saw a vampire.”
“Vampire?” Bonhi laughed merrily. “Vampires, too, huh? You’re messing with me.” She laughed again. “You almost had me.”
Dallas grinned, glad she was amused. “I had the same reaction just a few days ago.”
Bonhi stopped laughing and gazed at him. “What changed your mind?”
“I saw a real-life vampire.”
She searched his eyes, trying to find the truth there.
“And a bunch of women they fed from.”
“Oh,” Bonhi said, her face crumpling.
She put her hand out for Dallas to take. He wound their fingers together and pulled her hand close, wanting to kiss it, and knowing he would not. The situation was all sorts of wrong, and he would not take advantage.
Bonhi pulled him to the couch and sat down. He sat next to her. She let her head relax against the cushions. He got comfortable and put his arm around her. She leaned into him, and in a few moments, she was breathing deeply and evenly.
Knowing Aven and Dakota were outside, Dallas kicked his legs out and got as comfortable as he could, then he let himself doze with beautiful Bonhi in his arms.