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  She muttered softly in her sleep. He strained to understand what she was saying but all he could make out was the word “hot.” Unfortunately, that was enough. He’d hoped for half a day, maybe more, to explain before she began to show any symptoms. Now, however, it seemed he’d be lucky if he had a few hours before she sensed something amiss within her.

  He laid his hand gently on her back and spoke her name to wake her. She was indeed hot, the heat of her skin burning through the t-shirt.

  Amalie’s body instantly pressed back toward his touch. She moaned, and he swore under his breath as he tried to remain detached. He needed to help her deal with the changes she was going through, not take advantage of her weakness. Liam tried to pull his hand away, but she protested, rolling onto her back. Eyes still closed, she sat up and pulled the t-shirt over her head. She sank back onto the bed, naked but for the bandage on her side. Her breasts were magnificent, golden and full. His pulse thrummed at the sight.

  She took his hand again, and pressed it to her shoulder, moving it down her arm, then back up and over to the other arm. The whole time, she made sleepy, sexy humming sounds in the back of her throat.

  He groaned out loud, trying desperately to steel himself against her silken skin and erotic murmurs, but he simply couldn’t pull his hands away. Her eyes flickered open. She peered at him through a thick fringe of black lashes. Her face was flushed; her brown eyes glassy, and her breathing came short and choppy.

  “I feel…funny. Hot,” Amalie said. “But no pain at all. What did you give me? Surely aspirin wouldn’t have helped that much. Everything seems so crisp and clear. And something is strange. I should be mortified right now. But I’m entirely unconcerned about being naked in front of you.”

  In fact, as her gaze raked over his body, she seemed rather put out that he wasn’t naked as well. Taking the hand she still held, she cradled her cheek with his palm. Then, with slow but infinite purpose, she dragged his fingertips down her neck and across her breast. She arched into his grasp until he cupped her. Her nipple pebbled beneath his touch and she quivered. He pulled his hand back as if burned. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck, then kissed him, her mouth open and hot.

  Liam struggled for sanity as she licked at him gently, pressing for entry into his mouth. Helplessly, almost of its own volition, his hand moved back to cover her breast, kneading first one then the other. He growled as she bit and sucked at his bottom lip.

  She pulled him onto the bed and climbed over him, straddling him as he sat on the edge. She rode his denim-encased erection and pushed his mouth down to her breast. He was helpless to resist her naked flesh offered so willingly. He latched onto her nipple and sucked hard. She gasped and held his head even closer.

  His body temperature rose as Amalie ground her softness against his throbbing cock. He needed to push her away, to focus on the things he needed to tell her, but she was making it damned near impossible. If he didn’t stop now, there would be no stopping.

  Calling on the last shred of his rapidly waning willpower, he tore his mouth from her breast. “Amalie, we can’t. You’re going to hurt yourself. There are things we need to discuss. Dammit!” he ground out as she continued to flex her hips rhythmically against him. He grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her. Unfortunately, that only succeeded in thrusting her gorgeous breasts an inch from his face. He closed his eyes, but the sight of her ripe body was burned into his brain.

  She pushed against him and he opened his eyes. Desperation shone in her gaze. “Don’t stop.”

  He frowned. She would not, could not listen to what he had to say in her current state. He needed her relaxed, and there was only one way to get her there.

  Liam took a deep, steadying breath and lifted her away from his body. Unfortunately her delectable scent filled his head—pears and womanhood. Okay, no more nose breathing. Amalie struggled as he pressed her down onto the mattress, straddling her. He ran his hands over her lithe body, stroking her heated flesh as she arched and gasped.

  She tried to touch him, but he barked, “If you touch me again I’ll stop.”

  Her hands stilled instantly. She arched towards him as he plucked at her nipple and slid one hand slowly between her legs. He dipped one finger into her heat, thrusting with long, firm strokes. She whimpered and her hips began to pump up and down in the rhythm he set, her head tossing back and forth.

  Liam bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he tried to control his instinct, which urged him to bury himself inside her. She was so wet and so tight. He was losing his mind from the effort of holding back. Her mouth was open, her breath coming in short pants, all while she watched him slide his finger in and out of her pussy. He bent low to suck her nipple as he plunged a second finger deep into her. She tensed for a moment, then let out a low, long groan and began to ride his hand in earnest. Her hips arched as he drove his fingers into her again and again, suckling her nipple and murmuring words of encouragement. The blood pounded in his ears as his own body screamed for release.

  “That’s it baby, let me feel you,” he ground out. She came, her flesh pulsing around his fingers as she let out a long, low scream. His cock twitched and jerked in perfect rhythm with her clenching pussy.

  Amalie called Liam’s name as a storm unlike anything she’d ever experienced consumed her. She groaned as the last wave rippled through her, and she fell back.

  As she began to regain her senses, his fingers left her. He swiftly lifted himself up and stood at the foot of the bed.

  “What… Why are you going? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her cheeks hot and her heart pounding.

  “Amalie,” he said, his voice low and strained, “we need to talk and we had to get that out of the way before you could listen, but I won’t take advantage of you more than the situation demands.” He looked away from her and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Please cover yourself.”

  Amalie quickly pulled the sheets up to her neck and closed her eyes in mortification. She’d taken advantage of a stranger. And he didn’t even want her. What had come over her?

  She heard drawers opening and closing and opened her eyes a crack to see Liam standing over the bed with a couple of t-shirts, gym pants, and a pair of boxer shorts. Those were his clothes. She was in his room.

  “Get dressed and hop back into bed. Start to work on that tray of food. The liquids will do you good and you need to eat to keep up your strength because of the injury. I’ll be back in a few minutes and hopefully by that time we’ll both be in a better frame of mind to have this discussion.” He handed her one of the shirts and the boxers, and retreated to the open door of the bathroom, leaving her to stare after him, more confused than ever.

  Chapter Four

  Once in his bathroom, Liam locked the door and turned against the cool wood, banging his forehead once, then a second time. This situation, already dire, was getting worse by the second. He had to get a handle on things or it would mean disaster for them all.

  God, she was amazing. Those legs, that mouth, those eyes… His cock throbbed insistently. There was no way he could go back out there like this. He would take a quick, cold shower and try to get a grip before facing her again.

  He turned the shower on warm to lessen the shock of getting in and took off his clothes, his erection springing out in relief as he removed his jeans. He stepped under the spray and tried to think of anything but Amalie, inching the nozzle toward cold.

  But visions of her sprawled across his bed, those firm, perfect breasts on display, assailed him. He gritted his teeth and made it colder.

  He’d never felt anything sexier than his fingers moving inside her tight, wet warmth as she came. Liam turned the nozzle to full on frigid, the water steaming off of his overheated body, and still he throbbed and ached.

  Screw it.

  He turned the water back to warm and took his aching cock in his fist, squeezing firmly, and let out a low groan. He pumped his hand slowly up and down, allowing the memory
of her to wash over him: her scent, the sound of her breath catching in her throat as he touched her, the silk of her skin.

  He worked himself faster, his breath coming in pants as he saw her stretched under him, her hips jerking and twisting, his fingers sliding in and out of her.

  With a shaking hand planted firmly against the tile, he held himself up as the pressure built low in his stomach. He squeezed his cock tighter, imagining it was Amalie’s hand stroking him. Heat pooled in his belly. His movements grew more urgent, until he came in a rush of sensation, groaning her name over and over. He closed his eyes and let the warm water sluice over his face as he tried to catch his breath.

  And still, Amalie crowded his senses. God, she was sexy. And he was in trouble. Big trouble.

  * * * * *

  As soon as Liam left the room, Amalie threw off the covers and dove into the clothes he’d given her. She was still hot, but not as hot as before. Suddenly she was starving. Her stomach growled fiercely as she surveyed the tray of food. Cold roasted chicken, coleslaw, a roll, and iced tea. She’d just put the first forkful in her mouth when she heard the sound of the shower being turned on. He was naked. Her pulse pounded and her nipples grew taut.

  Willing herself not to think about him, or what she’d just done, Amalie took a deep drink of her cold tea. She settled in to the meal in earnest, almost on autopilot and was just finishing the last bite when she heard what sounded like a low groan from the bathroom. Frozen, she listened intently. Another groan.

  Her cheeks burned as realization set in. Liam hadn’t left because he didn’t want her. He’d left because he did. Too much. She was at once pleased and embarrassed. Pleased he wanted her as much as she wanted him, but embarrassed she’d heard what was surely meant to be private.

  The door opened a few minutes later and Liam came out fully dressed in a pair of gym pants slung low on his hips and a t-shirt that clung to his broad chest. She couldn’t meet his gaze as he dragged a chair next to the bed and lowered himself into it.

  “I apologize. I wasn’t as quiet as I might have been, and I can tell by the way you’re fastidiously avoiding my gaze that you heard me. I hope I didn’t embarrass or disgust you, but trust me, it was a necessary evil.” He flashed her a rueful smile.

  Amalie forgot to breathe for a moment as she took his full measure. The smile, combined with his disarming honesty and damn sexy body, stole her wits. She’d been far from disgusted by his activities, and was only disappointed she didn’t get to watch. Not that she was going to tell him that.

  All of a sudden, she was really hot again.

  “Something is seriously wrong with me,” she croaked. “Maybe the bite is infected.” Amalie lowered her hand to the bandaged wound on her side and was surprised to feel no pain at all when she touched it gingerly. She pressed harder, still nothing.

  She looked questioningly at Liam and reached down to remove the bandage. Her jaw dropped when her flesh was revealed. Aside from being a little pink like a newly healed scrape, it looked fine. No stitches, no wound, and no scar.

  “What is this?” she whispered, staring at him.

  He met her gaze and spoke quietly, “I’m going to explain everything, but I need to ask you to be quiet until I’m done. I know you have questions but we don’t have a lot of time and we need to get through this as quickly as possible. Can you do that?” he asked.

  She nodded dumbly, somehow knowing that what he said over the next few minutes was going to change her life in some profound way.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m a werewolf. And now, so are you.”

  Amalie’s head began to spin as she struggled to drag air into her suddenly tight lungs. Holy crap. She’d almost had sex with a guy who was bat-shit crazy. She was in his bed right now with no weapon, no phone, and no hope of overtaking him. Frantic, she searched the room for an escape route.

  “Stop. Look at me.”

  She did as he commanded.

  “Come off the bed and stand before me.”

  Again, to her confusion, she complied.

  It was like her body was not her own. She was inclined, compelled to follow his demands despite her conscious mind urging her to fight or take flight. He was crazy, and she was serving herself up to him.

  She tried to fight the pull as he urged her, wordlessly now, to meet his gaze. Panic lapped at her as she willed herself to look away, but couldn’t.

  “I’m the alpha male of this pack,” he said. “Your instincts, though not fully developed, will not allow you to easily disobey me. My mind is going to touch yours again. Don’t be afraid, Amalie.”

  She gasped as visions rushed her consciousness, almost like forgotten memories. Wolves, a dozen or more, running together. She envied their camaraderie as she watched them in her mind’s eye, moving almost as one. A flash and the wolves became people. They gathered and talked and laughed, like a large, boisterous family. Another flash, and she saw a tiny brown wolf pup nuzzled by a large white wolf, clearly its mother. Then, an image of the wolf pup alone, howling for his mother’s return.

  The final vision caused her to cry out. The white wolf, her beautiful fur matted with blood and gore, bullet holes riddling her body, dead at the feet of a man with a gun. Amalie’s heart broke, not only for the white she-wolf and her pup, but also for herself. She felt like she’d just lost a loved one. Tears streamed down her face and she turned away in embarrassment. What was happening to her?

  Chapter Five

  Liam watched Amalie and waited, guilt weighing heavily upon him. Barging into her thoughts had been a necessary evil, but that didn’t make it any easier. The last thing he wanted was to hurt this woman, which scared the hell out of him. He barely knew her…and he shouldn’t care. The family came first, before anyone or anything. But for some reason, she’d felt like a part of him from the very first. And when she looked at him, it was as if he’d found something he didn’t know he’d been looking for.

  He wished there had been a kinder, gentler way to explain things, but time was of the essence. He could tell by her dazed expression and the slump of her shoulders that she accepted what he said as the truth. She just needed time to process it.

  “So now what?” she asked wearily when her tears finally dried. “When the moon is full I turn into a wolf and start killing people? Thanks, but I’d rather be dead.” Her eyes were dull with shock, her cheeks still flushed from the insidious changes taking place inside of her.

  “No, Amalie. It doesn’t have to be that way. That’s not how we are. You have a choice. But we can talk more about that later. Here is what you need to know now.

  “Your body is changing. And yes, the moon does play a role this first time. Lucky for you the next full moon will be in a few days, so this intermittent period that is causing you discomfort will be short. Turning is uncomfortable at first, mostly because you can’t control what is happening, not due to any pain. The physical aspects of transforming are mild, but it can be scary. I‘ll be with you every step of the way. After the initial change, you’ll have the ability to change at will. It takes practice, but within a few months you’ll be able to transition without much effort at all.”

  “Will I know I’m human when I’m a wolf? Will I feel and think like myself? What if I hurt someone?” she asked, the color draining from her face.

  “You’ll still have conscious thought, but you’ll need to hunt and eat meat. You’ll be stronger, faster, and heal more quickly. We’re not immortal, but we’re damn hard to kill, and werewolves live exceptionally long lives. Two hundred years, sometimes more, barring an unnatural death.”

  Liam paused for a moment to see if she was absorbing all of the information, or if she had tuned him out. Her clear, focused eyes met his, urging him on, so he continued, “All of your senses will be amplified. Your appetite for all things will increase and have a keener edge. Although we’re not ‘better’ than humans, we’re physically superior, and keeping our super-engines running optimally takes more of everything.”


  “More of everything?” she asked, sounding a little dazed.

  “Yes, which is why you needed that orgasm. Even so, I want to apologize. I needed to talk to you, and because of your body’s newfound hunger, you couldn’t hear me.” He smiled. “Maybe I’m just rationalizing my behavior because I wanted to touch you so badly, but I truly didn’t see any alternative at the time. I won’t let it happen again.”

  “So, you’re saying that I only want you like this because I’m changing? And I would’ve behaved that way with anyone who’d walked into the room?” Amalie asked, her voice shrill as twin spots of color blossomed on her cheeks. “Am I just going to walk around grinding myself on every guy I see?”

  A stab of male satisfaction speared through him as Amalie spoke of wanting him in the present tense, followed swiftly by a bolt of white hot fury at the thought of her rubbing her body against another man. Tamping down his emotions as best he could, he tried to be reasonable in his answer.

  “I’m not certain. I’ve never seen anyone go through the first change. I’d like to believe it’s just because I’m so damn irresistible, but I’m not that arrogant.” Except, he was. There was no way she would’ve been that responsive, that sensual, with just anyone. “But there are deeper issues at play here. Amalie, all of the wolves in our pack were born, not turned. Turning a human into a werewolf is not only against the law within the wolf pack of Pray, it’s a violation of the Supreme Laws of Wolves by which we are all governed.”

  “So the wolf who bit me…he’s part of your pack? Will he be arrested or…”

  “His name is Mikhail. He’s a member of another pack, and shouldn’t have been in our territory at all. He won’t be arrested. There are no ‘were-police’. If he’d been trying to turn you, his pack’s alpha would’ve punished him. But Mikhail wasn’t trying to turn you. He was trying to kill you. Unfortunately, hunting humans is not against our laws. Many pack leaders forbid the practice, but . . .” Liam had to look away from the horror on Amalie’s face before he could continue. “Some don’t. They say that hunting a human is no worse than a human hunting a deer for food. So, in the eyes of his alpha, the only law he broke was trespassing on our territory to hunt.”