Delilah moaned as Jake’s teeth broke through her already torn skin. Warmth flooded her. A rush of desire mixed with the pain and she tossed her head back, riding the wave wherever it led.
But now, there was no more willpower left in her. Only the magic of Jake’s bite. She felt it course through her and it was all she could do not to scream. A noise broke through her haze and it took her several minutes to realize it was her own voice after all.
After the bullet had torn through her, she’d ached and throbbed and finally gone almost numb from it all. But now, she felt everything. Pain, desire, and something else. An urgency to find Jake. To lay eyes on him, to reassure herself he was here. And hers. Like a tether connecting them, she knew without looking, he was close. Just to her left but waiting and watching, giving her space.
Something inside her pulled tighter and tighter and then snapped. The pain in her chest ebbed. Her bones stretched and pulled against her skin. She cried out again, this time as her joints popped and her bones stretched and shrank, her body changing shape.
She heard Jake’s murmurs but she didn’t open her eyes until it was done.
When she did, the first thing she saw was Jake.
She’d felt the spark the moment they’d met but she’d never once imagined anything like this. He was everything. And he’d saved her.
She tried to talk, to tell him thank you, but what came out was a bellowing roar. She closed her jaw, startled, and stared down at herself.
Holy crap. She had four paws, all covered in cream-colored fur and complete with long black claws for fingernails. She craned her neck, trying to get a look at the rest of her. Holy crap on a cracker, she was huge! And she was a freaking polar bear.
She smiled and felt her bear mouth curve strangely, her jaw hanging open. Jake hooted and jumped around, wrapping his arms around her furry neck and hugging her close. “Hot damn! You did it, baby. We did it. You’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay.”
She snuggled into him, in complete agreement.
Days later, Delilah tossed the last of her things into the closet and shut the door against the mess. There’d be plenty of time to unpack later, she knew. Right now, she had much more important things to do. Like explore the mountain, her bear suggested, and she laughed. Her first twenty-four hours as a polar bear shifter had been the most fun she’d had in ages. Jake had made her spend all morning as a bear, showing her the woods around the Lodge where she’d be staying now. What she could eat, what would make her sick, and even how to fish from the river nearby. It had been weird eating raw fish at first, but hey, she’d always liked sushi. And once she’d tried the first bite, the rest had gone down so easy.
But for now, the forest would have to wait. First, she had to head downstairs for the crew meeting. Crew. She wasn’t sure if she could be considered a part of them yet but she was a part of Jake and that was more than enough for her. When Xavier had offered her the room Laurel had vacated by moving in with him, she hadn’t even hesitated to say yes.
She’d meant what she’d said to Jake. There was nothing in the city for her. She had found everything here, in Blue Hole, Wyoming. Clean air, people to help, and a man—no, a badass polar bear—to love. She’d been claimed. And that was more than she’d ever imagined.