“Stop,” she said, a hitch in her voice.
He removed his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re petting me like I’m an…animal.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” Glancing at him, she gave him a tremulous smile, as though on the verge of tears. “Maybe you instinctively know the truth.”
“What truth?”
She took a deep breath. “A relationship with me is not possible.”
Fear. He understood fear intimately. “Don’t worry. They’ll catch Leo.”
“It’s not that.”
Aching to touch her, instead he waited.
“When I have those…episodes, they’re not seizures.”
“No?”
“No. I was trying to change. Into a wolf. I’m a…shifter.”
“Shifter? I’m not familiar with the term.”
“Of course you’re not.” Her deep sigh sounded heartfelt. “Sometimes your folklore and legends refer to my kind as werewolves. That’s what I am. Only something’s wrong with me. I try to change into a wolf and can’t. I think Leo did something to me.” She searched his face for a reaction. “If I don’t change soon, I’ll die.”
Colton swallowed. Whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t this. Still, he could help her. Mental illness, though frightening, was still treatable. He found it odd that she’d shown no sign of this the entire time he’d known her.
“Are you sure?” he asked, as gently as he could.
Instead of answering, she lifted her chin, her glorious eyes flat and dead. “You think I’m crazy.”
“No, I—”
“Being insane would be much simpler than what I’m dealing with. If I don’t figure out what’s wrong with me soon, and change, then Iwillbe nuts.” Scrabbling to her feet, she swayed slightly. “I’m going about this all wrong. If you want to be with me, you have to know the truth. Worse, if you are going to have a prayer against Leo, you need to know about him.”
“What are you saying?”
“Leo’s a shifter, too. That’s what makes him even more dangerous. That’s why I have the silver bullets. Only those and fire can kill our kind.”
He gathered her to him and held her, silently urging her to relax her stiff shoulders. “Jewel, what you’ve told me makes no sense.”
“Why won’t you believe me?” She pushed him away. “This is the most important thing I’ve ever said to you, and you won’t listen.”
“Can you blame me for doubting?”
“No, I can’t.” With a sigh, she reached out as if to touch him, pulling back at the last moment. “But we don’t have much time. You said you wanted to help. You’ve got to decide whether to take what I say at face value or not. It’s all about trust. Without trust, there can’t be a relationship. Without trust, you might as well go.”
Jamming his hands in his pockets, he could hear his own heart beating slow and steady while he stared at her. She waited, watching him, her gaze not wild-eyed and crazy, but steady and wary. What could he say? Suddenly he remembered when she’d been convulsing and he’d sworn he’d seen a wolf peering from the maelstrom of colors.
She believed what she was saying, thus she’d given him honesty to the best of her ability. He could do no less with her.
“Jewel, let me get you some professional help.”
“No.” She pushed past him, heading back toward the trailer. “I guess I have your answer.”
