Page 49 of Heron's Flame

I tried to roll my eyes but couldn’t. His fingers prevented it.

Everyone was laughing after that.

I tugged on his hand to tease him like I wanted to look and judge for myself.

“I’ll spank your ass if you peek, Spark.”

I almost told him not to threaten me with a good time.

Heron’s hands dropped as I heard a gasp. My vision centered on the massive beast in front of us. A giant fucking wolf had replaced Brax! Shocked, I leaned back, wondering if this was safe. Visions of other wolves, mean and hungry, clawed at my memory. I felt my vision tunnel as panic took hold.

“You’re okay, Babe. Promise,” Heron whispered in my ear. His arms slid around me, keeping me against his chest where I could feel his warmth.

Cerys didn’t move or speak. And just when I thought she might be losing it, she held out her hand. The wolf inched forward and rumbled when she lightly rubbed his head. Something like a contented purr radiated from his chest. Soon, he was licking her hand, followed by her face. Cerys laughed and hugged him. It was almost sweet, if not for the giant teeth and massive claws.

If I hadn’t been taken by wolves, held against my will, and hunted for sport, I might have been okay with all this, but I wasn’t. I sank against Heron and nearly climbed into his lap.

“I’m right here. Not letting go of you and not letting anything happen to you. Love you, Babe. Hear me?”

I did.

Brax finally shifted back and dressed, tensing as he saw me. “Is Rebel alright?”

“She’ll be okay. I should’ve warned her. She was held captive by a bunch of crazy wolves who abused her and others. Our club rescued her, but that was before I patched in.”

The reminder made me tremble, and Heron held me tighter against him. The fear I felt was irrational, but it didn’t change the fact that it had conjured unwelcome memories.

“Shit! Fuck, I’m sorry. If I’d known,” he began.

I sucked in a breath, fought through the panic, and waved his apology away. “It’s not your fault. I thought I was in the past for a minute. I’m good.”

Satisfied with my response, he turned to Cerys. “Say something. Please.”

She blinked. “So I dated a bird, and now I’m with a wolf. Shifters are real. What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me?” She yelled at Heron, then swung back to Brax. “And you! Were you planning to tell me, or did you just do it because Heron did?”

Brax appeared contrite. “I swear, I always intended to tell you. I was trying to find the right time. I worried it would scare you away.”

Some of her anger fizzled. She couldn’t deny it was a valid concern.

“There aren’t a lot of humans who know about us. You realize you can’t tell your friends, Cerys. It’s too dangerous for people to know. Some would hunt us, others would be terrified.”

“I’d never tell anyone, well, other than Twyla. She won’t say anything. Oh my God, so the rest of you are wolves, too,” she guessed, staring at the others.

They all shook their heads.

Cerys couldn’t hide her surprise, and neither could I.

“What are you then?” I asked, too curious to let it go.

“Can we see?” Cerys asked.

Damn, this was turning out to be one hell of a show and tell.

“Yeah, you can, but not now. Who wants to tell them first?” Brax asked.

One by one, they all revealed their animal.

“A leopard,” Keir answered.

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