“Starlight can fly too?”
“Her fire protects all sides of her…” I took a guess, answering Dante’s question.
Taking a step forward, I saw my she-wolf mate sway in the sky while trying to use the wings.
She began to descend, but the moment she landed, Natalia burst out, both hands fisting at her sides. “Stop this!”
Her face became almost as red as her eyes from the ire, and I feared what she might do.
Fur began to ripple out of her arms, but she screamed, holding back the shift with all her might.
“Let me free, you Bitch!”
“We can’t both be out at the same time, you supersized hairball,” Natalia grunted, real pain contorting her features when her legs began to twist and bend into a wolf’s.
“How dare you?!”
“How dare you, how dare me?!”
“Enough!” I roared, shifting into my beast form. A deep growl followed my order, spreading through the depths of my broad chest and ending with echoing clicks in the back of my throat.
The sound reverberated through the entire forest, and every living being froze in its place—even Dante and André—giving way to an eerie silence.
My large steps took me to Natalia, who writhed in pain on the ground—naked since the spell hadn’t sustained the unnatural shifts. The top half of her body was human, the other half wolf.
“Let. Her. Go,” I snarled, the Beast’s ultimate Alpha command rippling through the clearing.
Whimpering, Starlight complied, and Natalia’s body returned to that of a full woman.
Relieved, Natalia struggled to breathe, holding herself to the frosted grass while I shifted back into a man before her.
“This stops now. You are all the same. Woman, Wolf, Vampire. Fighting each other is fighting yourself. Don’t you know that?”
“You don’t understand,” she panted, finally standing again.
“Yes, I do… I am Wolf.” Falling onto all fours, I nuzzled her neck. “I am Beast.” My body grew again, my large, clawed, furry hand reaching for her jaw. My palm became soft on her skin as my human form returned, and I stroked her neck with my fingertips, offering her a thoughtful smile. “And I am a man.”
She glanced up at me, breathless, my other hand wrapping around her waist to steady her against my chest.
“You are not broken, Natasha. Natalia, Starlight, and you share the same soul. The same body. The same heart.”
Shaking my head, I let my gaze roam her delicate features, finally staring into her stunning and eerie eyes. My fingers continued to gently caress her neck, soothing her.
“I wish you could see what I see. A beautifully multifaceted woman. You are everything at once. A strong, funny, innocent, sensual, proud, resilient, delicate, determined, and brilliant woman who won’t let anything get in her way. Who will forgive those who deserve it, and fight anyone who hurts those she loves… A woman who also knows that the love she feels is not a weakness and will defend it with everything she has.”
Her eyes fell closed as I leaned into her, resting my forehead on hers. Lost in my touch, she scented me, her chest rising and falling against mine and helping her relax in my arms. Her internal fight died.
She let her hands roam my chest on their way to my neck and opened her eyes, need inundating her gaze as it bored into mine.
The sound of her heart racing for me sent a thrill through my being, and cupping the back of her neck, I tilted my head until our lips almost touched.
“You are everything, Natasha. Everything I missed, all I want, and all I will ever need.”
Without wasting another second, my mouth closed over hers, finally tasting her and satisfying us both.
“Fuck yes!”
She whimpered in my mouth, as though she, too, had been dreaming of this kiss.
