“Crap.” She huffed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My Dad.” Katy hurried over to the bedside table and snatched up her phone. “I have to text him every couple of days, or he will start doing crazy dad things.”

  “And those are…” The word dragged out as Gage watched her fingers move quickly over the screen.

  “You know”—she made an impatient motion with the hand not holding the phone—“calling out search parties, putting my face on a grocery store wall, contacting every hospital in a 200-mile radius of New York. All the things.” She went back to texting, and he continued to watch the emotions, that he could also scent, flick across her face. Katy growled at the phone and tossed it onto the bed. “He wants a picture of me, Lola, and Maddie together.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he wants to make sure I haven’t run off with some strange man or been abducted. Both of which I have done. It’s like he has a sixth sense or something.”

  Gage pushed up and sat on the edge of the bed. “What did you tell him?”

  “The truth,” Katy said.

  He waited for her to say she was kidding. “You’re serious?” He picked up the phone and swiped the screen. “Password?”

  “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

  Gage’s head snapped up to look at her. “Not joking this time either, are you?”

  Katy folded her arms in front of her and shook her head. “I’m always serious when it comes to words. I like big words, I like odd words, and I usually have a Word of the Day. But having energy siphoned from me has overshadowed my daily word habit.”

  “Can you spell it for me?”

  She closed the distance between them and took the phone from Gage’s hands. Her thumbs moved quickly. “I can’t spell it out loud. But I can spell it if I use the keyboard to type it out.” She held the phone back to him.

  Gage looked at the screen and tapped the message icon. Her convo with her father popped up first and he began to read.

  Dad: If I don’t hear from you soon, I will start hanging up posters of you.

  Katy: I’m fine, Dad. You don’t need to plaster my face on every streetlight or store window. Maddie and Lola are good, too.

  Dad: You know I don’t believe your story. But you’re an adult, and I can’t ground you or threaten to take your phone away. Just tell me the truth.

  Katy: *sigh* Okay, here’s the truth. Lola met a guy. Turns out he’s a supernatural species that came from another realm, and he can shift into a lion. Lola is his mate, which is kind of like marriage, only it’s really for life. When I went over to Lola’s however long ago—I haven’t been keeping track—there was another guy there, but he shifted into a panther. Then another guy crawled through her window. By this point I’m just going with the flow because hysterics aren’t going to get us anywhere. So the last guy who came in wasn’t a shifter. He’s some sort of holy man- slash-politician-slash-supernatural police. Fast forward a few hours, and there’s a knock on Lola’s door. I stupidly answered it, and Antonio was there. He was with two other guys I didn’t know. They abducted me. I found out later those two dudes are also part of this secret supernatural world.

  Dad: Enough. If you don’t want to tell me, at least tell me you’re safe and mean it.

  Katy: Safer than I’ve ever been.

  Dad: Text me tomorrow, even if it’s to tell me an elaborate story. I just need to know you’re okay.

  Katy: Love you, Dad. Everything is fine.

  Gage held the phone out to her, and she took it. “You did that so he’d stay off your back? And he didn’t believe a word. Why are humans so quick to discard information that, admittedly very bizarre, could be truth?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I tell him. As long as he knows I’m safe.” Katy returned to the task of gathering things to pack.

  “When all of this is done, I will meet your father. I will assure him that you will never be in danger again.”

  Katy paused and turned to look at him. “Because you’ll always be there to protect me?”

  He shook his head. “No. Because I will teach you how to defend yourself. As much as I never want you out of my sight, that would suffocate you, and you’d grow to resent me.”

  Her eyes brightened at his declaration. “Does it seriously take centuries for a guy to figure that out?”

  “I have no idea, nor do I care,” he said bluntly. “As long as none attempt to court you, they can go on being clueless about their females.”

  “There’s the Grumpy-pants Gage we all know and love,” Katy teased.

  He clenched his jaw tightly and then released it. “I don’t like you talking about other males.” Jealousy was a new emotion to him, and Gage had a feeling it was going to take a ton of self-discipline to keep from maiming human males who didn’t respect the clues that made it clear his female was already claimed. His kind would smell him on Katy and backtrack quickly. But human males didn’t have those senses. Their symbol was the wedding band. He made a mental note to find a jewelry store as soon as Azure was dead. He wanted Katy marked in every way that it took for every kind of male to stay away.

  A warm hand on his face pulled him from the thoughts where he’d gotten lost. Katy stood before him, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. “You don’t have to be jealous, Gage.” Her lips turned up in a tender smile. “I’m yours. And you’re mine.” Her words rang with such possessiveness that his wolf wanted to howl as if they’d obtained some sort of victory.

  He put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. When had he become such a hugger? Katy wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder. Okay, so since meeting his mate, she’d brought out the inner hugger in him. Only her. His wolf rumbled in his mind. Yes. Gage agreed with his beast. Katy’s warmth seeped into him like the warmth of the sun chasing away the coldness caused by the jealousy.

  She released him and took a step back. He dropped his arms from her, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “I’ve got to get packed if we ever plan to find Zeena.”

  He knew she was right. All other things would have to wait. “You’re going to want to put your stuff in a backpack so you can easily carry it in your mouth.”

  Katy paused mid-step and slowly turned to look at him. “In my mouth?” she asked slowly. “Why in the world am I going to carry a freaking backpack in my mouth?”

  “Because we need to lie low and not draw attention to ourselves. That means traveling in our beast forms, sticking to the countryside out of the main avenues of travel. I don’t know which kingdoms are in league with Azure. So I don’t want anyone, not even your friends, knowing what we’re doing.”

  “Beast. Form.” Katy’s words were stilted as she stared at him.

  He nodded.

  She blinked several times. “I’m”—Katy pointed at herself—“going to turn into a wolf? Like you?”

  Another nod as his lips turned up in a sly smile. “Word to the wise. Try not to run from me. It will only make me want to chase you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Teach Me To Wolf-Out.

  “Did you ever wake up and think to yourself, ‘Today I’m going to turn into a big, hairy beast and hunt down a chick who turns into a huge, slimy snake?’ No? Well, why the hell not? Apparently, it’s totally a thing.” ~ Katy

  Katy took a steadying breath and met Gage’s intense emerald stare. “Okay, I’m ready. Teach me how to wolf-out.”

  They stood beneath a canopy of trees, sheltered from view. Gage had insisted she would shift easier her first time in nature, without walls or ceilings confining her.

  His hands came to rest on her shoulders, the touch oddly grounding despite her racing heart. “You have the instinct within you already. The Dire Wolf’s spirit recognizes itself. Trust your senses.”

  Easier said than done, but Katy nodded. Gage believed she could do this. She just had to silence her doubts and embrace her inner beast. Closing her eyes, Katy tried to picture her soul’s wilder side. The part of her that howled in defiance whenever darkness pressed too near. Her fierce devotion that roared to life when others she cared for were threatened. That soul-deep wildness was her birthright as Gage’s mate. She had to claim it fully.

  “Let your instincts take over,” Gage guided quietly. “The Wolf knows what to do. Simply surrender to its instincts.”

  Closing her eyes, Katy reached inward for her wolf spirit. She gasped as her nails lengthened painfully, claws erupting from each fingertip. It felt like her bones were breaking and reforming beneath her skin, which rippled as fur spread rapidly across her body.

  “You can do this.” Gage’s gravelly voice was an anchor in the chaos. “Become what you were always meant to be, Beloved.”

  Her spine bowed forward, and Katy cried out as her legs reshaped into powerful haunches. She could feel her skull changing, elongating into a lupine muzzle lined with sharp teeth. Her ears shifted higher on her head as her senses exploded with sudden lupine acuity. Katy’s palms hit the ground, her fingers now claws digging into the earth as the change overtook her. She panted, sides heaving from the effort, her limbs trembling. The scent of pine and loam filled her sensitive nose.

  There was an ache deep in the marrow of her bones, as beast and woman found harmony in this new shape. Then it settled, the pain fading away. Katy took an experimental breath through her elongated snout, feeling power coiled tightly in the lithe wolf’s body.

  She could hear prey scurrying in the underbrush. She could smell the mineral tang of a nearby stream mingled with wolf musk. Gage’s hands stroked through her thick pelt and Katy shuddered, fur rippling from head to tail. His touch kept her steady while her mind adjusted. She gave an experimental chuff, taking a few awkward steps on four legs. It was disorienting seeing the world from this lower vantage point and feeling such intense strength in the long body built for running down prey. But exhilaration also flooded her veins.

  She was a wolf—wild, dangerous, and free. Lifting her muzzle, Katy let out a delighted howl. The call echoed through the forest, announcing the awakened Dire spirit within. Gage’s answering rumbling growl vibrated through her, primal and possessive. Katy turned to nip his shoulder playfully, delighting in this powerful new form, and stumbled forward.

  “Easy, Little Wolf.” His proud smile held an Alpha’s satisfaction at her success. “Let your mind catch up to your form.”

  With an indulgent shake of his head, Gage shifted into his own immense wolf form. He had midnight-colored fur speckled with gray. Katy thought he was even more impressive like this, his beast radiating Dire strength. Gage dipped his head, nudging her with unmistakable affection.

  Unable to resist, Katy nipped his ear playfully. Then she was off, racing through the trees on nimble paws. She heard Gage’s surprised bark before he gave chase, huge paws eating up the ground as he ran her down effortlessly.

  Katy yipped her surrender as he cornered her against a large boulder, tail wagging. Gage licked her muzzle before stepping back. His emerald eyes glowed with desire, but he simply inclined his head back the way they’d come. Message clear. It was time to head out.

  Falling into step beside his larger form, Katy brushed against him happily. Her entire body thrummed with rightness. However strange this shape still felt, her spirit recognized itself here. Wolf, woman, something somewhere in between—she was finally whole.

  They departed the remote Montana cabin at midday. The summer sun felt good against Gage’s fur. He was disappointed he couldn’t play more with his mate in her wolf form, watching her experience everything for the first time. But time was of the essence. If they didn’t find the snake queen, all of Katy’s firsts as a wolf might also be her last.

  Without Visata’s input, he would have never considered Zeena as a potential ally. Next to Gage in her smaller wolf form, Katy looked especially small and delicate, with her lighter-colored brown and gray fur. But he could feel her resilient spirit burning as she embraced this new reality. Dire Wolves bowed to no challenge or darkness. And she’d shown those qualities when she sacrificed herself to Azure, hoping to get more information. She was bold, intelligent, and fierce. Even without Visata’s decree, Gage would have been drawn to Katy.

  They journeyed southwest, avoiding towns and major roads. Anxiety began to gnaw at Gage the farther they got from the Kingdom of Fang’s territory. Being away from his home meant that he had to increase his vigilance. Some of his kind didn’t respect the treaties formed when they came to the human realm. And while breaches were mostly rare occurrences, times were changing. He would not fully relax until Katy was truly free of the vile Serpent King’s reach, and until they knew who was working with him.

  When dusk fell, they stopped to rest and eat beneath a rocky overhang. Gage built a small fire, relishing the novelty of the flames’ warmth and light after so long existing without either.

  “This is weird.” Katy sat close to the fire, holding her hands out to catch the warmth.

  “How so?”

  “I’m a New Yorker, and a poor one at that. I’ve never been camping. It’s just something I’ve seen on television or movies.” She watched the flames dance, and Gage enjoyed the way the light made her skin glow. “I like it,” she finally said after a few minutes of silence. “I like the rich smells, the sounds of the forest, and the sky completely covered in stars. You can’t see the stars in New York. The city is too busy trying to compete with the night sky.”

  Gage loved listening to her talk, hearing her point of view. Everything seemed brighter, more vivid, through Katy’s eyes. He noticed details that would have escaped his attention before—the smell of fresh rain in the air, the texture of tree bark under his palm, the play of firelight over Katy’s lovely features. His long-hardened heart soaked up these sensations like parched desert sands.

  As he watched Katy now across the fire, he realized how pale she looked again, how drawn. The little color his blood had restored was fading as the strange magic continued leaching her life force. Gage moved to sit behind her, gently pulling her back to recline against his chest.

  “You need to take more.” He pulled out a pocketknife and, before she even had time to protest, sliced his wrist open.

  Katy turned worried eyes up to him. “Does it weaken you each time?” She pressed her lips tentatively to the wound.

  Gage stroked her hair soothingly as she fed. “Do not trouble yourself, Little Wolf. You take only what I gladly give.”

  It was true Gage experienced no fatigue or loss. Rather, he was overcome by an exhilarating rush as their spirits mingled and twined ever closer through the shared blood. Her pleasure and relief as strength seeped back into her body echoed within Gage’s own mind, their emotions blending seamlessly.

  When she had drunk her fill, Katy twisted to search his face anxiously. He knew she wouldn’t find any distress. Desire? Most definitely. Her frame relaxed against him once more as she faced the fire. Gage wrapped both arms around her securely.

  “Rest now,” he murmured, dropping a kiss atop her head. “We still have far to go.”

  She snuggled into him and fell asleep in a matter of moments. Gage kept vigil as the moon traversed the night sky, holding his slumbering mate close and tossing what wood he could reach into the small fire as needed. This bizarre curse drained Katy’s vitality during her waking hours, but it seemed unable to touch her while at rest. The only thing he felt from her was contentment. There was no pain or weakness.

  Gage thanked Visata’s mercy that the spell only stole from Katy a little at a time. It gave them a window to find answers before it claimed her life entirely. Watching the rise and fall of her chest, he swore that outcome would never come to pass.

  Gage heard a soft beep and glanced down at his phone, which he’d laid on the ground next to them. He picked it up and saw that he had a text from Otto.

  Otto: I fix this.

  Gage frowned at the three words.

  Gage: Fix what?

  Otto: I bite, Katy. My fault she is in this. I fix it.

  Gage considered the little lennser’s words and what he could possibly mean. His mind ran in circles until it finally hit him like a ton of bricks.

  Gage: Don’t do it, Otto.

  Otto: Mistress will not die. I fixes it. You not tell her. I bite you.

  Gage: I won’t die.

  Otto: But you be sick and miserable.

  The little butthead had him there. Even though Otto’s bite wouldn’t kill Gage, it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t suffer until his body expelled the poison.

  Gage: Katy will be sad.

  Otto: But alive.

  Gage couldn’t argue with him there. But he knew it would break Katy’s heart if she found out that Otto killed the human women in order to save her life. Would she forgive the little lizard? Yes. She would. But it would still be a wound in their friendship that would take a long time to work through. But what could Gage do? Otto was a free Damarian now that he wasn’t under the scales of Azure. He could do as he pleased, though he would learn the hard way the consequences of desperate actions. Gage prayed that Otto’s attempts would be thwarted. He would just have to trust that Visata already knew the little lennser’s heart and would deal with him. He didn’t text Otto again. There was no point in arguing with him. He was a hard-headed little being.

  As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Gage carefully extricated himself from Katy’s sleepy grasp. He had one quick task to see to before she woke, one he preferred she not know about for now. Just a precaution, but his soul would rest easier for having taken it.