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She pictured her cougar form in her mind before allowing the change. The gray fur shortened, becoming tighter knit and tawny colored as her bone structure became sleeker and more athletic. In seconds, she was running as a cat. Both her forms were amazing, and she thanked the heavens for the gift of being a poly shifter.
Dannika smelled a predator similar to her cat, but instinct told her he wasn’t a threat. She dropped low on her belly to slink under a large fallen tree before leaping over the broken stump. She scaled an evergreen with low-hanging limbs, jumping from one branch to another. Every movement was graceful, a ballet amongst the trees.
The large male trailed behind her, content to watch her performance. He chuffed, calling her attention, before sitting at the base of the tree. She stretched out on a thick limb above him, voicing her displeasure at the interruption.
The ice-blue eyes made her pause. She leapt from her branch, allowing her powerful hind legs to absorb the shock of her landing.
He shifted to his human form and ran his hand through his dark hair. The black t-shirt and jeans, moulded to his body, but he wore no shoes. He looked around. “I’m surprised you are alone. Doesn’t the wolf clan protect you?”
He was attractive with an athletic build. While her wolf thought about Raine, there was a pull toward the sexy shadow cougar. An instinct he was more than a friend.
She shifted to her human form. “I don’t need protection, but I appreciate your concern. Who are you?”
He averted his eyes. “My name is Colton. I’m Steele’s son. As for protection, no fledgling should wander from the caves without a chaperon.”
She put her hand on her hip. “I don’t need a chaperon. I can take care of myself.”
Colton rubbed his eyes, keeping them covered. “If that were true, you would have remembered your clothes.”
Dannika grabbed her bare breasts.
“Shit.” She reformed her clothes and her blade. “Sorry about that.”
Colton winked at her. “That wasn’t an entirely horrible experience... for me.”
She laughed. “I appreciate you not being a dick about it.”
“It’s part of the learning process. I forgot my clothes many times during my fledgling years. In time, it will become second nature.”
“I think it’s a little different for you than it is for me. I stopped wearing a bra and underwear so I would have less to worry about. This is the first time I have shifted back forgetting them.”
Colton glanced towards the caves. “I’m guessing that’s because you shifted to wolf first. I have seen no one shift from one animal form to another. That was something to behold. I admit I’m a little jealous, but I think your problem lies in shifting too quickly and from one animal to another. Your clothes got stuck in shadow form until you thought about them.”
She rubbed her neck. “Good to know. Sorry about the peep show.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Just so we’re clear, you’re a terrible liar.”
Colton laughed. “I’m the worst, aren’t I?”
The familiarity and safety she felt with Colton surprised her. She hadn’t been this comfortable in Raine’s presence when she’d first met him. While the attraction wasn’t sexual, the pull was undeniable. The glimmer in his eyes as he laughed conveyed his interest. Whatever she was feeling, he was, too.
She pointed at the caves. “Do you know what’s happening at the meeting? Or what it’s about?”
“No. It’s strange because Steele always keeps me apprised. He was closed-mouthed on the way here,” Colton said.
“I guess we’re both out of the loop.”
He narrows his eyes on her. “I feel a connection to you. I can’t explain it, and I’ve never had this kind of reaction before. Are you feeling it as well?”
She flinched, surprised by his abrupt question, but she wouldn’t lie. “Yes.”
“Will you reconsider the trials?” he asked.
Her heart skipped as her wolf growled in her ear. Had she misjudged him? “No.”
“May I ask why?” His voice was low and held no threat or urgency.
