Page 43 of Bitten Shifter

Merrick tilts his head, his gaze sweeping over me like a scanner. “Glad to see you are not a vampire,” he says, his tone flat.

He must know about the vampire who prowled outside the wizard’s house. His scent had to be everywhere.

I glance pointedly at the weak morning light spilling through the windows. “Yeah, not a vampire,” I reply dryly. “If I were, I’d be either daytime dead or bursting into flames right now.”

“Lark, what have you done to yourself?”

I let out a mortified laugh. “Oh yeah, this was totally my plan—the new ‘get-bitten-by-a-shifter-and-fall-into-a-magic-house’ diet. It’s all the rage. Everyone’s doing it.”

I throw my hands up, yank the guest chair out, flop into it like a sulky teenager, and fold my arms. “Yes, I did it on purpose,” I grumble.

Merrick makes an irritated sound in the back of his throat, as if biting back some harsh words. He smooths down his tie, then settles into his chair, resting his hands on the desk. His fingers are long, perfectly manicured, and annoyingly composed.

“The changes are… dramatic. Tell me what happened.”

“Yes, they are,” I mumble, tucking an uneven strand of hair behind my ear. My fingers brush its ragged edges—a reminder of my frantic attempt at control. I inhale deeply, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

I’m furious, frightened, and so bloody embarrassed. This entire situation is ridiculous.

I also don’t understand why I’m here, spilling my guts to him of all people—except that he has saved me twice now. Once from being blasted by a mage at the hotel, and again on those stairs, pulling me from the jaws of that wolf.

He’s the only person who seems to care.

They say things happen in threes, don’t they?

Maybe he will save me one more time.

And the Ministry can’t know about this—at least not yet. Not until I get some answers. I work for the shifter government, butthat does not mean I trust them with whatever’s happening to me.

My instincts say Merrick can help.

The thing inside me stirs, rolling restlessly under my skin. I stiffen and slap a hand over my chest as if I can smother it, but it refuses to calm.

“Tell me what happened,” he repeats, his patience somehow more unsettling than outright anger.

I fidget with my headphones, adjusting them in a vain attempt to avoid his stare. Taking a shaky breath, I drop my hands, lean forward, and trace the smooth edge of the desk with my fingertips.

Then I talk.

I tell him everything. The bite, the vampire, passing out, waking in the wizard’s house, the breakfast, seeing a stranger in the mirror, taking that nap, the explosion of senses. It all pours out in a jumbled rush. My throat aches from the effort of reliving the horror.

Merrick does not speak or interrupt. He watches me, his sharp eyes locked on mine. When my story ends, he stands without a word.

I follow him with my gaze as he crosses the room to a hidden sideboard and retrieves a crystal decanter. Even with noise-cancelling headphones, the sound of water pouring into a glass seems loud. He places the glass in front of me with the same measured calm, then returns to his seat, folding his hands together on the desk.

“Thank you,” I mumble, my throat raw. I take a big gulp. “I’m sorry I was so rude. My temper and hormones are all over the place.”

“It’s understandable.”

“It’s still not fair. I’m asking for your help, yet I’m acting like a brat. I’m sorry.” I gesture at myself. “Just warning you—it might be a while before I can rein this in.” My voice rises, frustration cracking through my fake calm. “What is happening to me, Merrick? A bite doesn’t just turn someone into a shifter. Isn’t there supposed to be some super-secret ceremony? Bites don’t change people. Right? This isn’t how it’s done.” I despise the desperation in my tone, but I can’t stop it.

He nods. “Before a human can become a shifter, there is magic and a ceremony,” he says, his voice steady. “It’s not something that happens from a simple bite and it’s a complicated process. But it seems you are… a little different.”

“What about the wizard’s house? Do you think… you said yourself there’s magic involved. Could it have had a hand in this?”

“Possibly,” he concedes with a slight nod. “At the very least, it kept you alive. An ordinary human would have died from those injuries, especially after wandering around the Enterprise Zone with a severely bitten arm.”

I look down at the arm in question, hidden beneath my jumper. Merrick’s gaze follows mine, and he nods at it.

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