Well, I guess if it helps us fight demons better, then I’m all for it,Freja said, her confidence returning. She needed to embrace what she'd become. She was already a lethal assassin. Now she was something far more dangerous.
Freja closed her eyes and drifted backward in her mind, feeling for Ember’s presence. She could see the burnt red fur of her wolf as she rushed toward her. As the wolf got closer, she ran through Freja, going forward while Freja remained back.
At that moment, Freja felt her body begin to change. She had a high pain tolerance, but it was still enough pain to make her face contort. She didn’t make a sound, though. Her hands changed into paws as she fell to the ground, her feet doing the same. She opened her eyes. Things were a bit blurry.
Freja was never one to step completely back, instead taking the lead with Ember. Looking up, she could see the widened eyes of those around them. She glanced at Hunter, whose eyes were also studying her intently. He looked surprised but not afraid of her. She looked down at her paws, expecting to see red fur. Instead, even she looked at herself in a bit of shock. Her body had small waves of flames coming off of her.
Are we on fire?Freja didn’t feel like she was burning alive or anything, but she did have flames emanating from her.
It’s a shield. We aren’t on fire. It’s like the equivalent of thorn mail. It protects us and injures others.
Injures others? Will this hurt everyone who gets close to us, then?Freja did not know how she felt about it.
The shield works based on our consciousness. We can injure who we wish and allow who we want to get close.Ember sat.
Freja furrowed her brows.Hold up. Time out, wolf. This is still my body. I’m in charge. I will use your body, but I’m staying in charge at all times.
You are in charge, but I usually take over our movements jointly when I’m out,Ember snorted out a bit indignantly.
No. I’m staying in charge at all times.Freja pushed herself forward a bit more, feeling pain as she did. Both she and Ember did, as she tried to force things. Ember began shaking her head, whimpering and pawing at her face, feeling the pain inside. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and let out a low warning growl to whoever was approaching. She didn’t realize until after that it was Hunter, their mate.
“Hunter, don’t,” Chasen said. He didn’t know what to think of the flaming wolf, but it had just growled at Hunter, something unusual for a mate to do. Hunter looked back at Chasen and smirked, shaking his head. As if he was afraid of his mate.
Hunter wasn’t sure if the flames would burn him, but he could see his mate was in pain and he wanted to help. He reached out and rested his hand on her head.Easy. It’s okay.
Ember and Freja both stared out at him through her emerald green eyes. Freja was not about to give up the pilot seat. Even if Ember obeyed her, that wasn’t who she was.Ember, this doesn’t work this way. At least not now. I don’t know about later.
I guess it’s because of your vampire self that this is even possible.Ember sighed. The wolf and vampire had mergedtogether, giving Freja full access to the front of her mind even in shifted form.
Freja felt Ember stand aside in her consciousness, still in the front but more in the copilot seat this time while Freja took control. She was curious about herself. She wanted to see what she could do and how fast she could run. Without saying anything, she pulled away from Hunter’s touch and took off running.
The trees blurred past her in beautiful shades of brown and green. She felt the dirt sift through her claws as she pushed off from the ground. Soon, she found herself in a small meadow, the tall weeds swaying in the wind, greeting her as she entered it. She finally stopped and just stood there, listening to the sounds of the world. All her senses were heightened. Inwardly, she smiled. She’d felt so free while she was running. She was faster than she’d imagined, too.
Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of paws running in her direction. The sound stopped as it got closer. The scent of her mate drifted to her on the breeze.
She turned around and looked at her mate, a beautiful gray wolf that was sizably larger than her. The wolf walked up beside her, his dominant aura almost crushing her as he approached. He nuzzled against her, and she leaned into him. The two sat side by side as they looked out over the horizon. Everything was changing so fast, and she was trying to catch up. However, sitting with him right now gave her a feeling she’d craved and longed for. Being next to him felt like home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Freja sat comfortably next to him as they watched the sun start to make its descent. She felt reluctant to end this moment, but she also knew it would be safer to go back before it got dark. Not for her … for Hunter. At that moment, she realized she was actively thinking about him and his safety. She smiled to herself.
So Ember, how do I shift back? Is it just the same way?Freja began pushing herself forward before Ember could even answer her.
It’s the same way, but—Ember started, but it was too late.
Freja soon shifted back into her human form. There was just one problem. She was naked. Freja looked over her nude body.
As I was trying to say, it’s the same, but when you shift back, you won’t have any clothes on.Ember smirked in Freja’s head. She heard a sound beside her and turned to see something shoved over her hastily. A large t-shirt now covered her, and she glanced up at Hunter, whose silver eyes had a dark edge to them.
“Wait a minute. You got to keep your clothes?”
Hunter grinned. “I had to swallow troll nail clippings to be able to keep my clothes. Don’t worry, I have one left for my luna. I just forgot about giving it to you until now.” Hunter looked upat the sky and then shot her a sideways grin. “If that isn’t a good test for self-control, then I don’t know what is.”
Freja’s cheeks heated up, and she gave him a bashful smile in return. She touched the shirt she now wore. It was still warm from Hunter, and it smelled like him. It was like being held in his arms, and she liked it. “Thank you for the shirt.”
“I was either covering you with my shirt or me. But I promised myself that I would let you take the lead there, so you got the shirt.” He winked at her, then reached for her. His lips curled up into a wide smile when she willingly took his hand, stood up, and stepped into his side, leaning into him. He wrapped both his arms around her, kissing her forehead tenderly. “You don’t have any shoes. I’m carrying you back. I promise I’ll be a gentleman about it. Just don’t get mad at me if my thoughts aren’t gentlemanly.” He didn’t give her a chance to object as he gently hoisted her up, pulling his shirt over her bottom and tucking his arm under it to keep her from being exposed. And of course, impure thoughts raced through his mind of all the things he wanted to do to the naked body of his mate.
“Thank you.”
