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“Just like that.” I reluctantly pulled my hand away and turned my back to her, giving her privacy as I watched the sun fully sink below the tree line, plunging the meadow into darkness.
To be honest, I’d almost hoped that when I’d touched her, there might be a spark from Fate between us. It was ridiculous, but I knew that I was going to end up really like this girl, and if she were my soul mate, it would make it so much easier to overcome the things between us. Like the whole stepsibling thing.
But the touch had just been a touch. So it was probably best to let go of whatever this schoolboy crush thing was, because Celia and I did not belong together. And that was just how it was going to have to be.
“Oh my God,” Celia whispered.
Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I desperately wanted to turn around and check on her, but I didn’t want to embarrass her if she was standing there naked.
But a moment later, a beautiful black panther bumped against my legs, staring up at me with its bright eyes.
“How was that?” I asked her, grinning as I reached down to run my fingers over the fur on her head.
“Why didn’t Colton teach us that?” she asked, sitting on her haunches as her tail whipped through the flowers around her.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Maybe he tried, and you didn’t listen.”
“That sounds accurate,” she said. “Are you going to shift too, or just follow me around like that?”
I pulled off my shirt and dropped it to the ground as I toed off my shoes. My fingers were on the button of my jeans when I realized Celia was still staring at me.
“Turn around,” I growled, shaking my head at her.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she teased as she turned her back to me.
“Do you want to see me naked?” I asked, rolling my eyes as I pulled my pants off and tossed them aside.
When she didn’t answer I froze, standing completely undressed in the middle of the field, suddenly half-hard at the idea that maybe she did want to see me naked.
My own beast was growing agitated, wanting to be let out to play, so I forced myself to put inappropriate thoughts of Celia out of my head for the moment and turned my body over to my wolf.
“So, what do you want to do?” I asked her, knocking my head against her shoulder to get her attention.
“Well, I certainly don’t want to chase rabbits,” she answered. “Honestly, this is the first time I’ve shifted when I don’t feel completely out of control. Can we just…can we stay here for a little while?”
“We can do whatever you want,” I promised her.
“Don’t whatever me,” she teased, flicking her tail against me before turning around to look at me. “Wow…you’re very pretty.”
“So are you,” I said, giving her my best wolf grin. “For a cat.” I sat down and raked my gaze over her. “How do you feel?”
“Better than I usually do,” she admitted. “I feel like me…you know, with fur.”
“That’s good,” I said.
“I don’t know why my beast hates me so much,” she whispered, shaking her large, block head.
“It doesn’t,” I promised her. “And you shouldn’t think of it as a separate being. The same way your heart and your mind seem to have their own agenda sometimes, it can feel that way with your beast. But they’re all just a part of you.”
“It doesn’t feel that way,” she said.
“Because you fight it,” I reminded her gently. “It feels unnatural because you weren’t born with it, but if you can learn to embrace it, accept it, it won’t feel so alien to you.”
“I don’t want to embrace it,” she growled. “I just want my old life back.”
I could feel frustration growing in my chest and I couldn’t hold back a low growl as I glared at her.
“You’re acting like a child,” I snapped. “Even if you could go back, what was so great about your past?”
