She ran a shaking hand through her hair. "This is too much for me to take in all at once. The story I told you about my great-grandfather seeing his father turn into a werewolf was true, wasn't it? The tale wasn't part of some drug-induced dream?"
"No, he told the truth. I remember your great-grandfather as a teenager. I'm the man who cut down his father with my sword before he could attack him. I'm also the one who gave your great-grandfather the money to start a new life in Florida."
Black spots began to flash before Lexi's eyes as she started to hyperventilate. "I think I'm going to faint."
Raed closed the distance between them and pushed her head between her knees while he rubbed her back in soothing strokes. "Slow your breathing, Lexi. Take deep, even breaths and it will pass."
Once she got herself back under control, Lexi straightened and looked Raed in the eyes. "Can you shift whenever you want?" At his nod, she said, "Then shift. Now."
Raed shook his head. "I don't think my shifting would be a good idea. I think seeing me in my werewolf form, or even my wolf form, may be a bit too much for you right now."
"What's the difference between your type of werewolf and what my great-grandfather's father turned into?"
"I don't hunger for blood like our prey. We don't live to kill and maim. We protect."
"I need to see, Raed. All of this has been a lot for me to take in, but until I see you actually shift, I'll try to convince myself you aren't what you say you are."
He slipped off the bed to stand beside it. "All right. Whatever you do, if seeing me like this does end up being too much for you, don't scream. If you do, you'll have my men in here so fast you won't have time to cover your nakedness. I would rather none of them saw you like that. Only I get to."
"I promise." Luckily for Raed, she wasn't a screamer.
Lexi fisted the sheets in her hands when Raed's body blurred and took on another form. Between one second and the next, a creature that looked half human and half wolf stood where Raed had been. He had the face and ears of a wolf, along with a tail. His body became completely covered in dark blond fur, the same color as his hair.
He also stood taller, his body stronger than before. Raed's blue eyes stared back at her.
Then he spoke, and Lexi just about jumped out of her skin. "This is my werewolf form." Raed's voice sounded rougher and a tad deeper.
"You can talk," Lexi said as she gripped the sheets even tighter.
Raed's gaze followed her hands' movements. He then gazed back up at her and gave her a rough chuckle. "Only I'm allowed to rip my sheets." When her grip didn't loosen, he said, "Are you sure you're okay, Lexi."
She nodded. "Yes. Show me your wolf form."
He put his hands on his furred hips and stared at her for a few seconds. "If you insist; I'm not going to be able to speak to you in my wolf form, but I can still understand everything you say."
As before, Raed's body blurred as he made the shift. A large wolf with dark blond fur appeared next to the bed. He jumped up on the mattress in front of Lexi.
Again she looked into Raed's blue eyes. She recognized his wolf. This was the animal that had chased off the grey one that had cornered her. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out and stroked the top of Raed's wolf's head.
She swallowed. "I can handle this form. You could almost pass for a dog." Raed shook his lupine head and sneezed. Lexi chuckled. "You don't like being referred to as a dog, I see."
Raed shook his head from side to side. He moved closer and lay down at her crossed legs with his head resting on her bent knee. Lexi ran her hand down his back.
His fur felt soft to the touch. She continued to pet him until her anxiety slowly started to pass. There was nothing scary about Raed in his wolf form. Yes, it happened to be way beyond the norm that he could shape-shift, but as she stroked his fur, she started to remember the close feelings she had for the man. How she felt about Raed hadn't changed.
No longer feeling as if she were about to freak out, Lexi bent and kissed the top of Raed's nose. "Thanks for letting me pet you, but I think I'm ready for the man to come back."
Raed's wolf body blurred and shifted. Now in his human form, he pulled her onto his lap. "Maybe I should have shown you my wolf before my werewolf."
"It may or may not have helped. The concept of you being a werewolf, as well as immortal, isn't exactly easy to accept."
"Well, I haven't had much practice at this. I've never told another mortal what I am."
Her gaze met Raed's. "Surely you told your wife and sons?"
"No, I didn't. I kept it a secret. I knew my wife wouldn't have been able to handle what I had become. She wasn't as strong as you."
"But she had to have noticed you didn't age as the years went by."
"To her, I did. You would be amazed how a few well placed streaks of charcoal on your face will make you look older."
Lexi chuckled then placed her forehead against Raed's. "Then why did you tell me your secret?"
Raed cupped her face and pulled back until he could look her right in the eyes. "I told you because I want you as mine. I want you to stay with me, Lexi. I don't want you to go back to the States when your four weeks are up."
"What are you saying, Raed?" Lexi asked quietly.
"I think I'm trying to tell you I've fallen for you. I know it's too soon for declarations of love, and I'm not ready to do that yet, but I don't want to give you up."
"I have feelings for you as well, but you're asking a lot. My parents are back in Florida, and I have my job to go back to."
"Can you at least think it over? You don't have to make your decision right this minute. There's plenty of time before you have to go back. Just promise me you'll consider it."
Lexi sighed. "I promise. Remember, you aren't just asking me to move in with you. I would be moving in with your men as well. They may not like the idea of me insinuating myself into their home."
"They won't have much say in the matter. I am their king, after all."
Lexi laughed. "Now I get why you can be so bossy at times, and why Algar told me old habits are hard to break. King or no king, you won't be ordering me about.
Remember, I come from a country with no monarchy."
Raed kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll try, but I may slip up from time to time."
"That's all I can ask."
"So are we good now? You believe what I am?"
"Yes. I can't refute the proof I saw with my own eyes. It's going to take some getting used to, but I'm over the freaking-out stage."
"Good." Raed grabbed Lexi around the waist and pulled her down on the bed.
"Because right now, all I can think about is having you again. Maybe if I keep you in my bed long enough you'll decide you want to stay after all."
Lexi moaned as Raed bent his head and nuzzled the side of her neck. "Mmm, maybe. I have a feeling it will take a lot of sex to do it, though."
"Then I better get to work."
And get to work, Raed did. By the time he let her up for air, night had fallen.
Chapter Nine
Nathan stood just inside a stand of trees at the back of the large manor's grounds.
The house sat off in the distance, but not so far away he couldn't watch the back of the building. He'd had to move deeper into the trees so as not to be seen a few times when Raed, the warriors' king, had done a quick sweep of the area. Thanks to a mixture of certain flowers, bark and leaves he carried in a cloth bundle tied around his neck, he'd managed to mask his presence. To a mortal, the scent wouldn't be detectable. To a werewolf, the combination of herbs had an acidic smell that camouflaged his true scent.