Page 77 of Damien’s Mate

And then he felt the energy pulling back together, with a rushing feeling like the rising of the wind before a tornado.

It moved faster and faster, gathering in the middle of his chest, the tornado whirling, tearing, destroying. It blurred his eyes and filled his ears, like the sound of a freight train bearing down.

And then it coalesced. Rising up inside him, a roar rumbling inside his ribcage and shaking his body.

Teeth. Claws. A fierce wild spirit—something other.

The lion.

He was still inside Lila, still hard and wild, and the animal spirit took hold of him. He slammed his hips into hers, driving into her with a power and intensity he’d never felt before. Dominating. Devouring. Worshiping.

He felt her ecstatic response, heard her growling, urging him on.

His release came suddenly, overwhelming him with its intensity, and Lila exploded around him, her own throbbing climax intensifying his desire.

The blue light surrounded them, sparkling, lighting up the room in the dim evening light.

The orgasm waned, but somehow the feeling inside him kept building, painful and ecstatic at the same time. Claws exploded out of his fingertips, and he jerked away from Lila so he wouldn’t cut her.

Pain rippled through his body, intense muscle cramps like he’d never felt before. He pulled back further from Lila, the momentum sending him rolling off the bed.

He landed on the floor on hands and knees, feeling like his body was tearing itself apart from the inside.

He watched his hands turn into paws, skin rippling with fur. His claws came out again. Power rolled through him, and his skull changed shape, stretching and elongating. He had a muzzle, with enormous teeth. A mane around his head and shoulders.

Everything looked and smelled different.

He was a lion.

He raised his head and let out a triumphant roar. On the bed, Lila suddenly turned into a lioness, sleek and powerful.

Mate. The voice in his head was unfamiliar, but a part of him all the same. The lioness jumped off the bed and rubbed against him.

She must submit. He roared again, and Lila crouched slightly, dipping her head. Then she raised it again, eyes wide in surprise like she hadn’t expected him to dominate her. He stood over her for a moment, then nosed her gently.

Out in the living room, the door to the suite burst open, and then Brandon appeared in the bedroom doorway. The rest of the crew was piling into the living room.

Brandon stared at them, mouth open, and then said, “Really? REALLY?”

Damien could sense the dominant panther inside the alpha, and got between Lila and Brandon. This panther will not take our mate!

He roared defiance.

Brandon narrowed his eyes. “Oh, hell no,” he said. “I am not going cat and getting into it with you, so you can just fucking forget it.”

Just behind him, Kitty added, “I second that. We just finished decorating this suite. I’m not doing it all over again.”

Brandon said, “Change back.”

Damien didn’t want to. He would not submit.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Brandon muttered. “Another fucking dominant.”

The twins and Kitty moved up around Brandon, and his dominance ramped up. He was their alpha, and he drew power from their bond. Damien could feel it, like an electric charge building up.

Brandon growled. “I am not fighting you,” he said. “I am so much tougher than you, I’ll smack you down like the kitten you are.”

Lila was growling, but she was also crouched like she had been in front of Damien.