He slipped his hand between them to stroke her swollen clit, and any reservation she had fled. She bit harder, puncturing his skin. The salty tinge of his blood seeped into her mouth, and she plunged over the edge toward bliss.
She let go of his neck and threw her head back, shouting his name as her climax hurtled through her. Pleasure sprinted to every inch of her body. Her toes curled against his legs. Beneath her, Stephen bucked his hips, powering into her, then held with one hard thrust. He buried his face between her breasts and groaned as his hot seed spilled inside her.
While they trembled against each other, Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked her fingers through his damp hair. Nothing had ever felt more right than holding the love of her life in her arms.
She lowered her mouth to his ear. “You’re mine.”
He raised his head and offered her a wicked grin. “Took you long enough, woman.”
Chapter Ten
Kate awoke to a sharp pain in her abdomen. She rolled away from the shelter of Stephen’s arms, careful not to wake him. Her head swam, and her stomach lurched. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she ran to the bathroom.
She kneeled in front of the toilet and leaned over the bowl. Within minutes, the nausea subsided, and she struggled to her feet. Her entire body burned from the inside out. Turning on the water, she wet a washcloth and held it to her flushed face.
Oh, God, what was wrong with her?
Another stab of pain twisted in her gut. She dropped to her hands and knees on the tile floor, and a shout flew from her throat. With the ache in her abdomen, she barely registered Stephen entering the bathroom.
He stooped beside her and raked away the hair covering her face. “Just breathe, Sunshine. It’ll be over soon.”
The words surprised Kate. She was on the floor, dying, and he wanted her to breathe. Despite the discomfort in her lower body, she threw him a disgusted glare.
A broad grin spread across his lips, and she wanted to punch it off his face.
“How can you—” Another jab of pain snatched the words from her.
“Sunshine, listen to me. Don’t fight it. Just let it happen.”
What the devil was he talking about? Jesus Christ, had her body been lit on fire? She panted through her mouth, trying to control the roll in her stomach. A startling fizzle of energy bolted up her spine, making every hair on her body stand on end.
Then she heard it. A loud snap.
She focused on her fingers gripping the cool tile. Equal parts horror and fascination, she could only stare as they contorted, the snaps and crunches echoing in the small bathroom.
“Stephen.” She flinched at the husky, inhuman sound of her voice.
“It’s alright, Kate. I promise. I’m here with you.” His hand continued to smooth over the hair on her head in a soothing manner.
The cracking and popping intensified in Kate’s head. She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the noise before it drove her insane. Her bones felt as though they might shake apart. Tremors spasmed through her arms and legs, and she fell onto her stomach.
“Careful, Sunshine. I don’t need you busting open your pretty head.” Stephen sat beside her on the floor and caressed her back.
Why was he just sitting there? She wanted to scream at him to get help, but she couldn’t push the words past her throat.
Panic flooded her, and she tried to scramble upright with no success. Her heart hammered in her chest. She sucked in gulps of air, trying to accommodate her greedy lungs. Tears pushed from behind her closed eyes. Inside her head, an odd, guttural voice told her to calm herself. That’s when Kate realized she was going to die.
Potent energy crashed into her, jolting every molecule in her body with an electrical current that singed each nerve ending she possessed. She opened her mouth to scream, and a long, piercing howl filled her ears.
Then everything stopped.
Cautious, Kate cracked open her eyes, unsure of what she might find. She gasped and raised her head to take in the pinpoint clarity around her. Everything was the same, but then it wasn’t. She glanced over her shoulder to her mate.
His wide eyes held a mix of surprise and awe. She tried to speak to him, but all that came out was a high-pitched yip. He threw his head back and laughed, the action drawing her attention to the well-defined contours of his perfect neck. How had she never noticed something that sexy about him before?
Kate sat upright but scrambled for purchase when her hands slid out from under her. She landed on her stomach once again. What the hell? Glancing down at her hands, she gaped when a pair of furry legs attached to a set of paws came into view.
Stephen roared with laughter. “Oh, my God, Kate. That look is priceless.”
A growl vibrated through the air and her body. She would’ve fallen over if she wasn’t already flat on her belly when it dawned on her that noise came from her. From somewhere deep inside her. She’d felt it.
Holy shit! She’d shifted.
Shocked, she twisted around, taking in the soft, brown hair covering the Wolf’s body she inhabited.