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“He’s going to shift one day.”
“Yeah, he will.”
“Will it hurt?”
Xander stilled, then slowly turned his head to me again. “Yeah, it will. The first time is always the worst. It takes hours sometimes and it’s painful as hell. But after that, you learn to get your wolf under control and the shifts become easier.”
I stared at our son, blinking at the thought of him experiencing pain for hours.
“Hey…” Xander’s hand reached for me and he brushed a finger down the side of my face. “It’s a part of the process. A part of who he is but he’ll be okay. He’s built for that part of his life.”
“I know,” I said quietly, feeling an overload of emotions. This was my son. I didn’t like the idea of Rafe feeling pain. “How old were you when you first shifted?”
“Thirteen. Laz was thirteen too and Zion twelve.”
“That young?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember…” I paused. “Not the shift but the pain.”
“Some of it but it becomes a sense of pride, so you don’t hate it or have regrets. You honor the change in your life. The power. You can’t…”
“Understand.”
His eyes softened. “You can’t understand but I’ll be there with him and I promise you he’ll be fine.”
“I know.” I lifted and raked my fingers through my hair, smiling at Rafe. “I’m going to give him a bath and get him to bed…”
“Let me do it.” I smiled and arched a brow.
“You’ve seen how he is. Are you sure you’re ready forhisbath time?” Rafe loved water. Baths were an opportunity to soak any and everything within reach.
“I think I can handle it. Why don’t you relax?”
“Oh I’m definitely going to relax.” I leaned toward them and kissed Rafe on the cheek. “With wine.”
* * *
The next morningI awakened to something bright flashing behind my eyelids. My blood turned cold. It was as if ice was rushing through my veins which had my eyes fluttering open and my head swinging to the left where Rafe’s crib was tucked away in the corner against the wall.
“So much power being wasted.” A dark rasp danced through the air and my eyes moved slowly toward the door. Rafe and I were alone but there was something or someone else here. The force wasn’t visible but I could feel its presence, which had me slowly climbing out of bed and moving with cautious steps toward the pull of energy.Magicalenergy.
Whatever was in the cabin wasn’t in the room with me but it was dark and powerful. Similar to what I’d felt at the café the night Xander had fought off those wolves, but stronger. So much stronger and darker than I’d felt that night.
With one last look over my shoulder at Rafe, I left the bedroom. My instincts pushed me to move away from him. To keep whatever was here distanced from my son which proved to be a smart decision when I laid eyes on the being standing in the living room. Shadows clung to him, swirling and crawling around his arms and legs, causing my fingertips to pulse and ache. I could feel the magic burning with need.
“Who are you?”
“I’m disappointed.”
“I don’t give a damn about your disappointment. I asked who you are.”
He angled his head to the side but kept his expression flat. “You can’t feel me,child? I certainly feelyou…” A smug grin teased his lips as he looked past me. “And him.”
Rafe.
Xander. – Me
