“A shifter,” Christine says slowly. “My parents told me there are shifters in the city, a close-knit, powerful pack. They said we should always steer clear of them. They’re dangerous, ruthless, like the Mafia. And they hate vampires.”
She’s backing away, heedless of the steps leading down from thesleeping area. She’s going to fall.
I bound forward, and she shrieks a little, teetering on the edge of a step. Quickly, I dart behind her, my bulk propping her up, keeping her from falling.
The next second, I’m back in human form, standing behind Christine, with her smooth body in my arms. I barely had to think about the shift. Now that I’ve done it once, the transformation was as smooth as blinking.
When Christine cringes away, it hurts me deeply. Mostly because everything she said is true.
“Did you know?” she asks, her voice quivering. “Did you know what I am? Could you smell it?”
“No,” I assure her. “I had no idea. I noticed your scent would change occasionally, but I didn’t understand why until I saw your fangs this morning. The alteration in your scent happened because you were drinking other people’s blood. You would take on notes of their scent for a while afterward.”
“What about your family?” she retorts. “Are you part of some huge pack here in Nashville?”
“We call it the Shifter Collective,” I say. “It consists of five families. It’s much smaller than it once was.”
“I can’t believe this.” She’s pulling on her clothes in an anxious frenzy while the Phantom looks on, his arms folded across his broad chest. “Shit…I just got out of one messed-up supernatural cult. I don’t want any connection to another big, toxic family, especially not one that hates my kind. You should have told me, Raoul.”
“I didn’t know you were a vampire at first! And even after I found out—only a few hours ago, by the way—I didn’t think it mattered, because until just now, I haven’t been able to shift forms. Thiswas my first time as a wolf.”
She hesitates, staring at me.
“Being with both of you—itfixedme,” I say quietly. “You unlocked something inside me that I’ve been struggling to resolve for years. I’m grateful.”
For a second, her dark eyes soften. But she steels her expression again. “I’m sorry. I just can’t handle this on top of everything else.”
“Christine.” The Phantom’s voice is both caution and command.
She doesn’t pay him any attention. Instead she runs past me, down the steps to the living area, where she snatches up her shoes. “I’m leaving.You’renot going to stop me.” She points to the Phantom. “Andyou’renot going to follow me.” She fixes me with a determined glare.
The Phantom swirls a velvety blanket around himself and stalks down the steps toward her, every inch of him radiating fierce power. Christine stands her ground, but I can tell she’s trembling in his presence.
I came here to free her. And yet in this moment, I want him to make her stay, just long enough for me to help her understand, to reassure her.
But instead of a display of dominance, he only bends to kiss her softly on the mouth. When he straightens, he says, “I’ll have one of the ghosts show you the way back to your room.”
One of the ghosts? Right…because he’s the god of the dead…or rather theformergod of the dead.
At the Phantom’s call, an honest-to-goodness ghost materializes, its wispy form gliding ahead of Christine as she vanishes into the gloom.
She doesn’t say goodbye.
With her gone, there’s a gap between me and the Phantom. Thethree of us are a puzzle, and with Christine’s piece missing, we’re incomplete. I know he feels the same way—his broad shoulders sag, and his head hangs forward as he stands immobile where she left him.
“And you, poet,” he says without turning around. “You will leave me, too?”
“I should go,” I reply. “People will be wondering where I am.”
“Of course.” His voice is heavy, defeated.
I clear my throat. “Or you could give me my phone back, and I could text a few folks, make some excuses so I can stay a little longer. I could use some moral support while I practice shifting. And I have more to teach you about what you can do with the digital piano. There are a couple programs I want to show you as well, for composing and arranging music.”
He turns around, his golden eyes bright. “I will fetch your phone.”
When he passes me on the way to the sleeping area, I confess, “That was the best head I’ve ever gotten.”
“I am pleased it was effective. I’m out of practice.”
