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It was hard for my eyes to follow what happened next. The figure seemed to collapse in on itself, blurring, shifting. Joints cracked alarmingly. It rose on its hind feet. Its fur slowly transformed to slate-blue skin. Its muzzle collapsed back into a suddenly humanoid face.
Naxer, nude and gleaming with exertion, straightened where the beast had been.
It dazed me, witnessing a transformation that defied physics.
Naxer grinned at me, showing his sharp teeth, even as the end of his nose was still changing from wet and black to dry and bluish.
“The slavers tried to come back for you,” he said with a calmness belied the whup-ass and death he’d just unleashed.
He strode over to Chaser and his saddlebags, which he rummaged through for fresh clothes.
“Where are the clothes you were wearing?” I asked.
“Destroyed. When I shift into my Wulfaen form, I grow to be two to three times my current mass.”
The probability seemed impossible, but I had just seen his beast form. “This is insane.”
He chuckled. “I forgot that your world has no shape-shifting creatures on it. I apologize if I startled you.”
I swallowed, trying to keep my eyes above his waist as he stepped into his new leather coverall. “Startled doesn’t cover it. I just saw you break a few laws of physics.”
He laughed a little, then swiped the sweat off his brow. Naxer glanced around, observing the body pieces scattered about nonchalantly. He looked back at me while continuing to pull on the suede-like gray garment.
“Omers don’t shift?” I asked.
“No, they do not. There are many differences between Gladiators and Omers.”
“Like the Omers have horns,” I replied. “And pointed ears.”
“Yes. They do not require the bond of a fated mate to live and be fulfilled. Also, they do not have our power or longevity.”
“I see.” My brain was still chewing over the craziness of what I had just seen. His body underwent a dramatic transformation when it shifted from a four-limbed Wulfaen form to his six-limbed Gladiator form. “So let me get this straight. Your shift merges your multiple arms into two forelimbs?”
He nodded. “They’re suited for running and combat. My leg joints reverse to become hind limbs built for speed and stability.”
I blinked at him.What the fuck!
“As you witnessed. My Wulfaen had four sturdy clawed limbs for agility and strength in battle.”
“Oh, I saw all right,” I replied, my mind flashing back to how his four thickly muscled legs had bounded and slashed with tremendous force. “Your Wulfaen shape was an apex predator incarnate.”
“Does my Wulfaen scare you?” His expression seemed genuinely concerned about my opinion.
“Initially I was worried that your wolf wouldn’t recognize me and attack.”
He snorted as he stomped into his spare boots. “Never. He knows your scent. You are my Sheleki.”
I would not address his fated mate, Sheleki belief, at least not now. “So given your ability to shift, you must have been a really fun kid to raise.”
He frowned. “We do not begin shifting until after puberty. That much power will not be used well by a pup.”
“Yeah, no kidding. One tantrum and your parents would have to buy a new house.” I laughed. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”
He regarded me as he strapped his armor and harness on. “Would you have believed before coming to this planet that technology existed to transport you there?”
I winced. “No.” He had a point. Maybe I had made a mistake in assuming that alien abduction was the limit of how weird my life would get. “How did the slavers find us?”
He reached over and brushed his callused fingers lightly over the back of my neck, where the little lump of the adaptor chip sat under my skin. “This device adapts you to survive on this world. It also contains a tracker. I expected them to try for you again once they let you sit in the cage for a while. You are too beautiful to leave behind.”
