Page 48 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

I bent to her neck, praying I wasn’t too late.

Praying the changes wouldn’t kill her anyway.

Praying she was strong enough for one last transformation.

NALINA

Fire spread through my veins as Tyrix’s fangs pierced my throat. The claiming bite burned everywhere, racing through my bloodstream like molten metal. I tried to scream but my body wouldn’t respond, caught between agony and something else - something that made my nerves sing with electricity.

Memories flickered behind my eyes, dream-fragments spinning into focus then dissolving:

The first time I saw him in the bar, tall and dangerous, watching me with those predator’s eyes...

His arms around me as we fought through security teams, my body already beginning to change...

The way he’d looked at me before the bite, raw need warring with concern...

Everything blurred as the transformation took hold. My bones ached, cells breaking apart and reforming. Through it all, I sensed him. Tyrix’s presence wrapped around my mind like smoke, growing stronger as the claiming bite reshaped me. His thoughts bled into mine:

A younger version of himself, training with blades under alien stars...

The first time he saw me smile, really smile, and how it had cracked his carefully maintained control...

The desperate fear when he’d carried my failing body to safety, praying he wasn’t too late...

Pain lanced through me as another wave of changes hit. My muscles contracted, bones creaking as they grew denser. Every nerve ending screamed as my new senses came online. Too much, too fast.

But Tyrix’s mind anchored me, his thoughts threading through mine.I’ve got you. Stay with me.

The changes burned hotter. I could feel my DNA rewriting itself, incorporating traces of his genetic code. Purple markings bloomed across my skin, echoing his own. My heart stuttered, adjusted to new rhythms.

Through our growing bond, I caught fragments of his perspective - the way he saw me, fierce and beautiful even as the mutations tore through my body. His determination to keep me safe warred with guilt at causing me pain.

Worth it, I tried to tell him. You’re worth it.

Another wave hit, and this time I couldn’t hold back the scream. Tyrix’s arms tightened around me, his mind wrapping more firmly around mine.

Stay with me, he ordered.Fight.

So I fought. Through the pain, through the dizzying sensory overload, through the feeling of being torn apart and remade. I clung to his presence, let it ground me as the transformation reshaped my world.

Time lost meaning. I floated in a haze of sensation, aware only of Tyrix’s presence and the ongoing reconstruction of my body.

The transformation reached a crescendo, every sense firing at once. Colors too bright, sounds too sharp, scentsoverwhelming. I would have shattered if not for Tyrix’s steady presence holding me together.

Almost there, his thoughts brushed mine.You’re doing so well.

The pain began to fade, replaced by strange new awareness. I could feel every cell in my body humming with energy. The purple markings on my skin tingled where they echoed his own.

More importantly, I could feel him. Not just physically, but mentally - his thoughts and emotions flowing into mine. The bond sang between us, new and powerful and permanent.

Exhaustion pulled at me as the worst of the changes passed. I drifted, cushioned by Tyrix’s presence. Safe. Protected. Claimed.

Through our connection, I felt his satisfaction, his pride in my strength. His relief that I’d survived. His fierce joy at having me as his mate.

As consciousness began to fade, I caught one final memory: The moment he realized he loved me.

Then darkness took me, but I wasn’t alone. Even in sleep, Tyrix’s mind stayed wrapped around mine, keeping watch as my body finished adapting to its new form.

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