But it was too late.
He could feel the burn beneath his skin. He hit the ground, landing on all fours. The snap and crunch of his bones just got louder. An itch started along his skin—and then the fur burst out, covering him. He opened his mouth, snarling with the pain because the shift wasn’t gentle. He’d fought the beast too long for any gentleness. A mouthful of razor sharp teeth exploded. He became the panther, running and bounding forward. His paws hit the earth. His claws were ready to rip and kill and, helplessly, he looked toward Rose once more.
Only to see her staring at him in horror.
But then, that was the way she usually looked at him.
Some things never fucking change.
***
“Well…” the man next to her drawled. “That was a little awkward, huh?”
More than awkward. “I didn’t realize it hurt him so much.” His pain had been unmistakable. The sound of crunching bones would haunt her.
“Not like it’s easy to completely reshape into another being. When the fire of the shift burns through you, there are only two choices. Fight it and let it hurt worse. Or give in…and still let it hurt like a bitch.” He hoisted Francis higher onto his shoulder. The human was twitching, but not struggling…much. “There’s not exactly any winning way to do it.”
The panther—a big, black panther with seriously scary teeth—had vanished. Rose cleared her throat. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“I am.”
Her gaze jerked toward him. When he smiled at her, she saw that his canines were a little too long. A little too sharp. His face shape had altered a bit, too, becoming more angular. His eyes—a green brighter than her own—seemed to shine. “You’re a…panther?”
“Hell, no.” He turned and headed up the path. “I’m a wolf, baby. Pure blood wolf. The baddest of the bad.”
She glanced back toward the woods. The island was freaking huge—sandy beaches, thick woods, dense vegetation. The perfect playground for shifters. The panther had gone into the woods. Maybe…should she follow him? Rose took a step in that direction.
“Don’t even think it,” the wolf shifter called back to her. “Because that is just asking for trouble. Julian’s beast is in control and if he were to hurt you while the panther was ruling…” He stopped and seemed to consider things. “That wouldn’t be pretty.”
A cold chill swept over her. “I thought he stayed in control when he was a panther. That the man was always inside, guiding the beast.” So maybe she’d tried to learn about shifters. Her curiosity had been more than justified, given her history.
“Not tonight. I could see it. His control was gone.” He gave a low whistle. “Which totally begs the question…just what happened tonight?”
She bit her lip and decided that, okay, perhaps going into the woods after a panther wasn’t going to be her best plan. Rose turned and headed up the path. “Someone drugged me. And then there was a fire.” She winced. “A bomb. It blew up the boat we were searching on, and we barely got off the thing alive.” That explosion and her near-death experience had been way too close for comfort. “Uh, who exactly, are you, by the way?”
“Right. No official introduction, huh?” He kept moving. “My name’s Rayce Lovel.”
He was nearly as tall as Julian, and he had wide shoulders. But where Julian had dark hair—nearly perfect black—Rayce had thick, curling blond hair. And he just moved with an easy, almost carefree stride. He was teasing her, laughing, and…he just didn’t seem evil.
But then, he was carrying a bound and gagged human over his shoulder.
She didn’t speak again until they were in the house. House, mansion, prison…whatever. It was Luke’s domain. A massive structure that reeked of money. She stood in the foyer, glancing down at the marble beneath her feet. At least she wasn’t dripping on it, that was a plus, but her bare feet were leaving a muddy trail.
When had she lost her shoes? When she’d first gone into the water off Key West? She hadn’t even noticed they were missing until that moment.
“Be right back. Just going to get our guest settled…” Rayce marched down the hallway, but he paused and glanced back at her. “You should really just stay right…there until I get back. Don’t go exploring on your own, okay? Not exactly a safe plan.”
Then he was gone.
“Don’t hurt Francis!” Rose yelled. “He’s just a kid!” A kid who truly had seemed to be under a compulsion, just as Julian had mentioned.
Simon says…
She wrapped her arms around her body. The way Francis had been talking on the Pandora, it had certainly sounded as if Simon had been the one to give him the orders. But…Simon had been a human, right?
Just an errand boy for the Collector?
He’d seemed human.