Daniel's face became shuttered. "He's under arrest. If you shift, he dies for infecting you against your will. If you don't turn, Joshua said Gabriel losing his eye was punishment enough. Joshua had liquid silver poured into Gabriel's eye so it wouldn't heal."
Their harshness apparently wasn't limited just to outsiders. I felt mildly sick over what I'd heard, but under the circumstances, pity for Gabriel was beyond me.
"And the others?" Gabriel hadn't been alone.
"They run the gauntlet."
Daniel said it lightly, but I swallowed. "As in, the thing Native Indians used to do with captives, where they line up on both sides and beat the shit out of the person as he tries to dash down the center?"
That hint of wildness was back in Daniel's gaze again, a primal, untamed gleam I'd never seen except in the eyes of an animal. On a full-grown man, it both was mesmerizing and frightening.
"Something like that. Except we'll be in our fur, and they won't."
I couldn't help but gulp. That sounded barbaric, and it was on my account. Something occurred to me.
"But it isn't the full moon. How can you…you know?" In fact, how had any of
the werewolves changed form the other day, if I had to wait until the full moon to see if I was infected?
"Once we're past the first year, we can shift at will. New pack members are dependent on the full moon to change, though."
I digested this. "So, right now, you could turn into a –"
"Wolf," he finished for me. "Yes."
So many emotions crashed through me. Fear. Revulsion. Curiosity. Disbelief. What if all of this was a twisted farce, and I hadn't seen what I'd thought was a wolf turning into a man in the woods? What if this was just a town full of crazies who thought they were wolves, and in my stress, I'd bought into that?
"Show me."
The words were out of my mouth before I could form another thought. I had to see it. No matter what.
Daniel stood, the afghan falling to the floor. He met my eyes, and a ripple went through me. His were even wilder than before, starting to slant and gleam with amber. He undid his jeans, letting them drop to the floor.
Nothing but bare skin underneath.
I might have made a sound. Seeing a magnificent naked male body only a few feet away is worth a sharp intake of breath, no matter the circumstances. But all my feminine appreciation fell away when he crouched on the floor and rivers of silvery hair began to replace the skin on his back. There was a crunching sound as bones curved, popped, and formed where none had been before. It didn't look the same as in the movies. There was no screaming. No slow protracting of a muzzle replacing a face, blood spurting, or drawn-out writhing. Daniel had simply crouched on the floor and then, in about ten seconds, a wolf the size of a pony, covered in silver and charcoal fur, stared at me with bright yellow eyes.
"Marlee," it – Daniel – rumbled.
I felt light-headed. Nope, you're not crazy, and neither are they. But that's the bad news.
I had moved toward the door without even being aware of it. Daniel sat on his haunches in front of it, those golden eyes drilling into mine.
"Sit," he said.
A rather unhinged cackle came out of me. What looked like a huge dog was telling me to sit. How backward was that?
"Woof," I replied in a shaky voice, but sat in the chair he'd recently vacated. The wolf's lips pulled back in a canine version of a grin.
"Stay."
I was about to say he was pushing it, when there was another ripple over his body. As seamlessly as water flowing on rocks, skin covered that thick silvery coat of hair, bones elongated, reformed, and in less time than it took me to get over the shock of seeing a wolf in the room, a naked man knelt on the floor. The only thing left over from the unbelievable transformation was a fine sheen of sweat on his skin.
"Does it hurt?"
Daniel sat back. "The first few times. Then you get used to it, and it feels…freeing."
He looked like a man. A beautiful, mouth-watering specimen of a man, in fact. But an enormous animal was inside him, and took up God only knew how much of his mind and conscience.
Daniel smiled slightly. "You smell like fear again, Marlee, but I've already told you – you have nothing to be afraid of."
"That's the scariest thing I've ever seen," I replied, glad my voice was steady even though I was shaking inside. "How do I even know I'm talking to you? It might just as well be the wolf."
"It's both," he said at once. "Always. And you still don't need to be afraid."
Yeah. Sure. Considering it might be me shifting into an animal in a couple weeks. From where I was sitting, I had plenty to be afraid about.
"I want to go home."
Even as I said it, I knew it was useless. But it was true—so true that the very words ached.
"I'm sorry for what brought you here. But even if you left and never told anyone about the pack, think of your family. You'd hurt one of them, Marlee. You wouldn't mean to, but you'd do it."
Ice crept up my spine. "What are you talking about?"
He inclined his head. "Your ankle."
I looked at it. It was still wrapped in a cast, same as before. What…?
It hit me. When I'd walked to the door from the bed minutes ago, I hadn't been limping, hadn't felt a twinge of pain. The ugly scratches and cuts were also gone.
"Your ankle isn't broken anymore," Daniel confirmed, sympathy etched on his face. "And there isn't a mark on your skin, which would be impossible…unless you were one of us."
Chapter Five
The lights from the street seemed to pale in comparison to the moon, which shone like an ominous bright hourglass in the sky. I looked up at it and shuddered. When it reached fullness, I would change into something not human. The thought was still as unbelievable as it was horrifying.
All the residents of the town were in the streets. I did a mental head count and came up with forty, maybe fifty people. The 'pack', Daniel called them. My new family.
I thought I might throw up.
There was a slight commotion as a dozen people came from the far end of town. I recognized one of them and flinched, but Daniel laid a light hand on my arm.
Even though he was a virtual stranger, the gesture calmed me. It shouldn't, of course. Daniel was dangerous, but somehow I sensed he'd defend me against the man being led to the middle of the street.
I'd only glimpsed it right before passing out, but still, I'd know that face. When someone tries to murder you, it makes an impression. Not to mention that Gabriel was the only person here with one eye. His dark brown hair hung in strands around his face, and he was naked. What was it with these people and their lack of clothes?
Joshua stepped out from the crowd. At least he was still dressed. "Gabriel Thompson, you have been found guilty of infecting a human against their will."
"It's not the full moon," Gabriel snarled, trying to pull free of the two men who held him. "How do you know she will turn?"
Joshua looked my way. Daniel grasped my hand and led me forward. I didn't want to get closer to Gabriel, but thankfully, Daniel stopped after a few feet. The blond doctor stepped out of the crowd.
Gabriel shot me a look of pure hate. Instead of scaring me, it strengthened the momentary wobble I'd had in my knees. I'd never done anything to him, but he'd ruined my life. If anyone had a right to hatred, it was me.
I put my shoulders back and matched his glare. Daniel gave me an approving nod.
"Diana," Joshua addressed the blond doctor. It was the first I'd heard her name. "You
examined Marlee yesterday. What did you find?"