“Am I going to be so emotional allthetime?”
“No, you will get used to it, and you will handle it better with time. Hawk experienced violent mood swings in the beginning too, but they’ve leveled out. Part of what you’re experiencing might be that you’ve become demon enough to want to claim me as your Chosen, but you’re still too human to do so. Until you can do that, this emotional sway may become moreextreme.”
“Youaremine.”
“Yes, I am yours,” he said, drawing mecloser.
I rubbed at the back of my hand again before taking another deep breath. I didn’t feel as unstable when he had his arms around me, but walking around with Corson hugging me all the time wasn’t exactly the most practical way to go about life, and it wouldn’t bode well for oursurvival.
“I’m okay now,” Iassuredhim.
I wasn’t, but I had to deal with this, and at least I didn’t want to kill something anymore. Digging into the box again, I discovered the other bird earring within. Pulling it free, I let it dangle from my fingers before sticking it through my left earlobe. The prick of pain vanished almost instantly, and I realized that no blood trickled free as my body worked to repair the hole with inhumanspeed.
Shaking my head, I laughed at the feel of the bird dangling there. “I see why you like thesethings.”
“I especially like it on you,” he replied as his lips nuzzled mytemple.
Three women emerged from the woods, and I realized they were part of Elton’s group. They stopped when they spotted Corson and me. One of them gave a friendly wave before hurrying toward the cave entrance. The other two stayed where they were, their gazes raking over Corson in a way that sent fury spiraling through me faster than I’d ever believedpossible.
I snarled at them before I knew what I’d done. Corson’s hand pressed down on my shoulder when I tried to rise. If he hadn’t been there to restrain me, I would have torn into them like a dog on fresh meat. The two women took a frightened step back when three-inch-long spikes erupted from the backs of my hands. My rage was briefly forgotten as I gawked at the white spikes suddenlyjuttingout.
Corson rose and slid his arm around my waist when I lifted my head to the startled women. A haze of red shaded my vision. He lifted me off the ground and held me firmlyagainsthim.
“Get inside!” Corsoncommandedthem.
They didn’t have to be told twice as they scurried past us and out of view. Their disappearance didn’t ease my longing to seethemdead.
“Easy, lahala,” Corson murmured as he carried me into thewoods. “Easy.”
“I should haveguttedthem.”
“Spoken like a true demon when someone is messing with theirChosen.”
“Hmm,” I grumbled, not at all pleased he might be finding this amusing. Then my eyes fell to my hands on his shoulders, and the white talons. “I have spikes in myhands!”
“Baby spikes,” he said, and I realized hedidfind this amusing when I heard the laughter in his voice. “But then, mine were once babyspikestoo.”
“Baby spikes,” I muttered and lifted my hands to examine the backs of them. I poked the tip of one spike with my finger and watched a bead of blood form there. “Does this mean I’m done with thetransition?”
“You still have some way to go,” he said as he set me on my feet and claimed my hands to study them. “But I think it means you’ll survive it now. This was one of the bigger changes your body had to endure. My bones are different than other demons, harder. My flesh is different too, at least on my hands. Does this hurt?” he asked as he prodded the skin on the back ofmyhand.
“No,” I said, amazed that I didn’t feel any discomfort from the talons poking out of myflesh.
Lifting his head, he peered at me from under the thick fringe of his black lashes. The bird spun in his ear as a breeze flowed through the trees. “My little adhene demon,” hemurmured.
ChapterForty-Six
Corson
I thought I’d been happy when I’d claimed Wren and made her mine, but now the emotion swelled to near bursting within me as Wren looked from her hands to meagain.
“I am no longer the last of my kind,” I saidtoher.
A smile curved her mouth. She reached up as if to run her fingers through my hair, but before she could touch me, she jerked her hands back as if afraid she would injure me. She held her hands helplesslybeforeher.
“I will teach you how to use and control your talons,” I assured her. “I’d prefer if you didn’t accidentallystabme.”
“It might not be an accident,” she replied with a smile. “Will they staythissize?”
