Liam considered this.“Are you certain?”
He prodded his scattered thoughts.The big cats didn’t alarm him, and that troubled him more than if they had.Normal people would run screaming, wouldn’t they?Yet this felt routine.Had he always been this accepting of the impossible, or was his injured brain too scrambled to process fear?
Two cats ganged up on the largest one, who shot away with a burst of speed.No, their unexpected appearance sparked more curiosity than terror.Sienna was speaking the truth, and he understood—subconsciously, at least—the existence of feline shifters.
“How do I do it?”
She blinked, not hiding her dismay.“You visualize a black cat and hold the image in your mind’s eye while willing your body to change.It can be painful.Don’t panic mid-shift—you’ll hurt worse than you do now.”
“And to transform back?”He needed answers now.No nasty surprises.Not when he already felt like a stranger in his own skin.“Is that what happens with your brothers?They lose focus when they revert to human?”
“No.”Her glare cut through him and made him blink.
He said nothing, gaze fixed on her brothers playing, the urge to run with them growing stronger.“I want to shift.”
“There’s no reason not to.It might speed your recovery.”
“It will?”He wanted the confusion in his head gone.
“Yes, but you should—”
He pictured a glossy black leopard, the thought automatic.The shift crashed through him, shaking off the fog clouding his mind.The dull pressure behind his eyes lifted, replaced by sharp clarity.His muscles tightened, alive with new strength and control.An instant later, fabric ripped.
“—take off your clothes first,” she finished, this time with a wry smile.“Stand still, and I’ll free you.”
He growled but stood as she plucked away the denim and the remnants of his shirt.He flexed his paws, feeling the power coursing through him.At last, he felt like himself again.Every one of his senses seemed better.He smelled smoke from the fire, the citrus-scented soap his mate had washed with, and the floral shampoo she’d used to wash her hair.
A deep, guttural roar like a saw jerked his attention to the three black leopards now observing him.He stepped forward cautiously, inhaling to imbibe their scents.These men were his brothers, and he wanted them to like him.This seemed important.
Instead of straining his brain to wonder why, he kept padding toward them.He’d almost reached them when they sprinted away.
The thrill of the chase poured through Liam, and he ran after them before the thought formed.They raced around jutting rocks and up and down a rise and jumped over a babbling brook before circling back to the cottage.
Liam loved every moment—the stretch of his muscles, the rush of blood through his veins, and the intense, rich scents of grasses, rocks, and earth.He’d done this before with other shifters.His family?He didn’t know and didn’t force the thought.Instead, he embraced the fun and familiar.
After their run, the three brothers shifted back to their human form.
“Breakfast time,” Jago announced, glancing at his brothers first.“And you should probably shift back before Mama fusses about food going cold.”
Liam pictured his human form and willed the change.
“Much better, eh?”Cadan grinned, already slinging an arm around Liam’s shoulders.“Thought the shift would sort you out.”
“Much.”Liam stretched, more grounded and aware than he’d been since waking.
Inside, Tamsin was already setting plates around the table.“Perfect timing.How’s the head, Liam?”
“Better now,” he said, accepting the shirt and jeans Sienna handed him.
“Good.Fresh air and exercise usually help.”Tamsin put a plate of eggs in front of him and glanced at her sons and husband.“Are you taking him clay digging?”
“If he wants,” Hedrek said.“Or he could help at the market.”
“Liam, want to come with us this afternoon?”Jago asked.
Liam glanced at Sienna.“What will you do?”
“Work.”
