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He dips his head. “I did.”

The pressure inside me lessens, and Sterling pulls out. As soon as he does, I grab the crumpled sheet from next to me and scramble off the bed, holding it over my body. Sterling slides off the bed, his cock hanging heavily between his legs, his body glowing like he’s shrouded in moonlight. I watch in horror as his torso transforms, his legs growing into two large paws covered in dark grey fur. A tail swishes between them, wrapping around his front.

“What are you?” I ask, moving as far away from him as I can. My back hits the wall with a thud and I cling to the sheet in my hand, holding it against my thudding heart as though it can protect me. Sterling reaches a hand out, taking a step forward. I shake my head.

“Please don’t. Don’t come any closer.”

Fear engulfs me, my legs and arms trembling as my eyes dart around the room, looking for an easy escape. Though I doubt I could move faster than this beast in front of me.

“I won’t hurt you, Caspian. I promise, my sweet human. You’re my mate and I -”

“No!” I bark. “I’m not. This is…fuck!”

“Okay,” he says, his voice soft, laced with sadness. “Will you give me a chance to explain?” He rubs his hand over his scale covered chest. “To show you who I am. No secrets. Please.”

“I…I don’t know.” Suddenly, being naked makes me feel too vulnerable. Too exposed. “I want to get dressed.” I nod my head towards my chest of drawers. “Please leave.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again and nods. When he turns around, I notice that the three waves tattooed down his spine are slightly raised, as though there is something in the skin beneath them. Sterling’s shoulders drop and he bends down, scooping up his clothing before he wordlessly walks out of the room.

My heart betrays me at that moment, screaming for him not to leave. It’s as though there is a thread between us, wearing dangerously thin with each step he takes away from me.

“Wait in the kitchen.” He looks over his shoulder. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Sterling leaves, his footsteps retreating down the corridor and then the stairs.

Hugging myself, I enter the smaller bathroom, toe off my socks and climb into the shower. A million thoughts race through my mind as I stand under the warm spray, the loudest one being that Kiernan was right. Monsters are real and one saved me. But that also means that same monster – Sterling – left my grandfather to die.

And that’s not all of it. Tonight was my first time with a man. And it was perfect. Amazing. Better than any of my fantasies. But it was also with a monster. A real life, in the flesh, supernatural creature!

I don’t know what to do with that knowledge, nor do I understand the emotions rattling around in my chest. Fear, longing, anger, hurt, it all swells inside me until my constraint snaps and I sink to the tiles, tears flowing down my face.

Why did this have to happen to me? Why did I fall in love with someone who was lying the whole time? Why did he not save Pops? What does he want with me?

“I won’t hurt you, Caspian. I promise, my sweet human. You’re my mate.”

Sterling’s words play like a song in my mind, catching on that word. Mate. Mate. Mate. The same word that popped into my head that first time we kissed.

Standing on shaky legs, I wash myself from head to toe, then climb out of the shower and towel dry, stopping in front of the mirror to look at my reflection. There are small marks on my neck and collarbone, as well as a deep purple bite mark, the shape of Sterling’s teeth indented in the skin. Tentatively, I run a hand over the spot, a tingling sensation emanating from it settling in my chest.

I run the towel through my hair and then return to my room, where I throw on a pair of black joggers, a white oversized t-shirt, and a fresh pair of socks. On light feet, I pad down the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs.

I don’t know if I can do this.

What if he hurts me? The thought is fleeting because as scared as I am; I don’t truly believe he would. He would never have saved me if he wanted me dead and he had all this time when I was in the dark about his true nature to have harmed me if he wanted, and yet he has been nothing but kind. Caring. Protective.

Straightening my shoulders, feigning a confidence I don’t have, I trudge down the stairs and enter the kitchen, pausing at the threshold. Sterling is sitting at the island wearing his trousers but his torso is bare. My eyes drag over him, cataloging each part of him and noting how human he looks right now, as if the last thirty minutes never happened.

Bagel is on the counter – where she knows she is not allowed – her fur standing on end as she looks at him.

“Your cat doesn’t like me,” he says, breaking the awkward silence pressing in around us.

It occurs to me then that she appeared in my life at much the same time he did.

“Is she… really a cat?” I ask, feeling a little silly for the question, but aware that I can no longer trust the things I once believed.

Sterling smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “She is. She doesn’t know yet that I’m not a threat.” He reaches out a hand, and she steps back.