Seven Years

“What are you doing?” I exclaimed.

He dragged Beckett all the way outside. I cringed with every thump of his body down the steps but remained inside my apartment, peering through my door. Naya’s partygoers were scattered about, enjoying the balmy night air and barely paying attention.

Austin Cole walked coolly into my apartment, closing the door behind him. “Did he hurt you?” He placed his large hand across my forehead and then touched my feverish cheek. “He put his hands on you, didn’t he? I could smash his face in for trying to take advantage of you.”

“I think you did smash his face open,” I murmured.

Before I knew it, my feet were off the ground. Austin lifted me in his arms and carried me to the bedroom. I mumbled incoherently and everything became hazy and dreamlike. He placed me gently on the bed and kicked off his shoes, climbing in.

“What are you—no, Austin. No,” I said firmly, trying to roll off the bed.

He tucked himself against my back, holding my body in a tight grip. Something strange began to happen. The sensation was similar to having hunger pangs and taking that first bite of a cracker. My body filled with relief, and I suddenly craved more of Austin, as if he weren’t just a cracker, but a Ritz.

“That’s it,” he said, brushing his hand through my hair. “Relax. It’s my power you feel. Perfectly natural.”

My left leg slid over his and he hissed, pushing it back. Austin was essentially spooning me and trying to hold me still at the same time.

“I need to see a doctor,” I groaned. “I’m sick.”

His chest filled with air and a deep sigh warmed my shoulder in the most delicious way.

Oh, God. Austin was turning me on.

That’s when I knew I must have been running a high fever, because the control button in my brain was out of order.

When his hand curved around my hip, I brought it between my legs. A deep growl rumbled in his throat and he immediately pulled it back to my waist.

So I arched my back until I pushed against his groin. He didn’t move, but I could feel how much he enjoyed it. A deep ache filled my body, one that made me desire the man behind me like never before. Now he was in my bed—all these years, something I’d dreamed about for so long. I reached around, clawing at his jeans with my fingernails.

“Lexi, no,” he said firmly. Something compelled me to obey. He gently pulled loose strands of hair away from my face with his right hand. “I need to tell you something.” Austin swallowed thickly. He played it cool and stayed absolutely still. I could smell his skin and taste his power. “When we had the talk in the Laundromat, I got close to you and picked up on something I hadn’t before. You’re a Shifter.”

I stopped moving while Austin spoke against my ear.

“I didn’t know it when we were younger, but now that you’re going through the change, it’s like turbulence on my body. It explains why you were so drawn to me, Lexi. I’m an alpha wolf, and females respond to alphas. It’s instinct. I’ve always felt protective of you and now it all makes sense. Humans are naturally attracted to female Shifters, but it’s sexual, and some are weak and unable to control those urges. Most of our women don’t date humans because they have trouble letting go and become obsessive. It’s why we’re protective of our women when it comes to humans or any other Breed.”

“I’m not a Shifter,” I protested, struggling to get free.

He kept a tight hold and threw his left leg over mine to tether my legs down.

“A Shifter can only come from Shifter parents—no exceptions. You must have been adopted or something.”

Finally, my mouth began to work. “What are you saying? Why are you doing this to me? I’m sick, Austin. Don’t fill my head with—”

“With the truth. We don’t shift until we’re adults, and it’s different for everyone. Usually the first time occurs in our late teens to early twenties. You’re a late bloomer; maybe your animal was suppressed for so long because you’ve lived with humans all your life. If you’ve felt sick the past day or two it’s because your animal is getting restless and trying to come out. It’s nothing to be afraid of, and it won’t hurt. You’re going through the change, Lexi. Don’t fight it; just relax and let your animal free.”

I wriggled away from him and he finally let go. I wasn’t thinking straight and everything felt like a dream. “Are you the cause of this? Are you the trigger that’s making me change because you’re some kind of an alpha wolf?”

Had I a non-feverish cell in my brain, I wouldn’t have even entertained the idea.

Austin sat up and leaned forward on his knuckles, lowering his dark brows. I flinched a little from his intense stare and he spoke in a rich and textured voice. “If that’s true, then this is the proudest fucking day of my life.”

And then I blacked out.

Chapter 9

My tired legs stretched beneath silken sheets, and my limp body relaxed on the soft mattress. The wooden ceiling fan rotated above my head, swirling a cool breeze around my bedroom. It was a quaint little room with a shelf full of movies and photo albums sitting below a painting. Two black lamps were on either side of my bed, and the dresser had a few photographs of my family.

I touched my cheek and blinked a few times. My fever must have broken.

“How you feeling?”

Oh shit. It wasn’t just that Austin was in my bedroom, it was the feeling of complete nakedness beneath the covers.

I scrambled beneath the sheets and sat up, my hair a tangled mess.

“Eat this,” he said, carrying in a large plate of food.

As he sat on the edge of the mattress, my stomach did a flip. Austin had several bandages patched to his left arm and a gnarly cut on his chin.

“Where are my clothes? What happened to you?”

He wasn’t listening. He held a sausage between his fingers and tapped it against my mouth. “You need your strength.”

“Tell me what happened,” I ground through my teeth. “You’re scratched up, I’m naked, and I have no memory of last night.”

That’s when I noticed the condition of the room. The curtain rod was hanging down at an angle and the drapes were shredded. There were long scratches on the bedroom door and tiny feathers covered the bed from a torn pillow.

“What happened to my room?” My tone wasn’t hostile, but accusatory.

“Before you get riled up, Lexi, it’s not what you’re thinking. You know me better than that. I didn’t dress you because it would have meant handling you naked. Better that you just slept it off. We have all day to talk about this, but right now you’re going to eat.”

Thanks to my voracious appetite, I bit into the most delicious piece of meat I’d ever put in my mouth, as if I’d been on a deserted island for years and it was my first taste of home. It was gone in five seconds.

He chuckled and cocked an eyebrow. “You’re ravenous this morning. Any unusual cravings?”

What an odd question. Although now that he mentioned it, I was having a severe, unexplainable craving.

“So? Tell me what you’re hungry for, Ladybug.”

“Why are you still here?” I said with a mouthful of food. I started to eat a pineapple ring, but couldn’t remember buying any in the past year, so I tossed it to the side.

“Do you have any memory of what happened? Most don’t.”

I frowned and pulled the sheet tighter. “What’s that supposed to mean—most don’t?”