“Tamsin,” Rowan started, but Tamsin moved toward the house.
Someone grabbed his arm, and something twisted inside of him.The desperation to get to his mate was too much.It felt like it exploded out of him, and before he knew it, everything changed.
For some reason, Tamsin found himself lower to the ground, but he hadn’t fallen.He tried taking a step forward, only to stumble on his own feet.When he looked down, he realized it was because he didn’t have feet anymore.
He had paws.
“I didn’t think that Vila could turn into wolves,” Dasha said, sounding mildly impressed as Tamsin struggled to get out of his clothes.
“We don’t,” Dermot said as he took a step back.“We’re not shifters.We’re magic users, like Nix.”
“I’m pretty sure he just turned into a wolf.”
“It has to be because of his bond to Nic,” Rowan said.“Tamsin, can you shift back?”
Tamsin didn’t try.He hoped Rowan wouldn’t be offended, but he had plans, and it would probably be easier to put them into action as a wolf as long as he could control his paws.
He took a step forward, then another.He felt slightly shaky, but once he wrapped his mind around the fact that he had four limbs to move instead of two, it became easier.It was almost as if he’d done this before, and maybe in a way, he had.If this wolf came from Nic, it would be familiar.
“Tamsin,” Rowan called out, but Tamsin ignored him.He had a mate to find.
He rushed toward the porch, and he didn’t slow down until he found himself in front of the closed back door.He looked up at it, then down at himself.Without hands, it wouldn’t be possible for him to open.
He felt someone behind him and looked up to see a smiling Dasha opening the door.“I get it,” the man murmured.“If my mate was in danger, I’d be doing everything I could to rescue him, too.”
Tamsin was glad that Dasha wouldn’t be one of the people who would yell at him for putting himself in danger once this was over, but he wasn’t here to chat.As soon as the door was open enough, he pushed his way in, sniffing the air for his mate.
Even though he’d never done anything like this before, he caught Nic’s scent right away.He didn’t smell blood, something he’d have recognized because it was such a common scent for Vila, even with their human nose.Therewasa metallic smell to the air, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t fresh, and it would make sense since Kudlaks drank blood.
He didn’t care about that.Once he found Nic’s scent, he locked onto it and followed his nose.He was relieved he had people backing him because he couldn’t focus on anything else.He knew that Dasha and the others would protect him if anyone found them, which they were bound to do.He wasn’t sure how they’d managed to invade enemy territory without anyone noticing them, but there was no way it would last.
It didn’t have to.As soon as Tamsin found Nic, they’d be out of there.
* * * *
WHEN NIC HEARD SOMEONEat the door, he thought that Parrish had finally realized that his two goons had put Nic in Celeste’s room, which wasn’t what he’d intended.He wasn’t sure how he’d pay for that, but he knew he would.He’d told Celeste he would help her, and he’d meant it.When the door opened, he placed himself between her and the door, ready to do just that.
A blond man appeared.From his pointed ears, it was obvious that he wasn’t a Kudlak, and Nic had never seen him before.He didn’t have time to wonder what the man was doing here or who he was, though.A black wolf pushed past him, rushing toward Nic.Celeste whimpered, visibly scared, but Nic wasn’t.It took him a second to realize why.
He recognized the wolf.
It didn’t make sense because Tamsin wasn’t a shifter.He was a Vila, and Vila didn’t shift into animals.Krsnik did.Kudlaks did.
But not Vila.
There was no denying that this was Tamsin, though.Nic could feel it.
Celeste grabbed the back of Nic’s shirt and pulled.Nic refused to move.He turned to glance at her, trying to smile.“It’s okay.This is my mate.”
She cocked her head.“You said your mate was a Vila.”
“He is.”
“Why is he a wolf, then?”
“I’m going to guess it has to do with our bond.”
“I never turned into Parrish’s animal.”
