Page 91 of Home to the Hollow

The shape of Reese’s face, the contrast in the colors, and the circle I want to hit zoom in like the lens on a DSLR. Raising my arm, I hold the blade with enough tension to keep it steady, but not cause it to catch as I release it. I take one slow breath in, feeling the rise of my chest and expansion of my ribs before I let the knife fly on the exhale.

A loudthwackis the only noise before I refocus and repeat the same process four more times. As the last blade embeds into a target, I relax my limbs and pull the headband up to peer into the distance, dropping the hand holding the last blade to my side.

“I find myself glad to be on your side rather than theirs, Tilly. That was more than a little terrifying,” the husky voice of my ex-bully murmurs as he approaches.

I whip around, glaring at him with all the fear and anger I’ve been stewing since the trip home from the city practically vibrating from my form. “You!” Stalking towards him, I shake the razor-sharp knife without even thinking about it. “Youidiotsleft me alone withno wayto contact you. I wouldn’t havemindedbeing let off the leash a little, but you disappeared forhours, and I wasconvinced…”

Before I realize it, I’m standing with the blade pressed to Edgar’s throat, a small bead of blood forming near the tip. My eyes feel like they’re burning in the socket, and that weird heat is spreading over me like a wildfire in the dry season. I gnash my teeth as I look at him, all the fury overflowing inside of me at once. A knot of hunger is uncoiling in my gut, and I have no idea what to do with it. The emotions that are flooding me are raw, violent, and outraged in a way I’ve never experienced before.

“You were convinced of what, drugar?” His response is barely more than a snarl, and that should phase me, but it doesn’t.

Instead, it has the exact opposite effect. The low, rumbling growl makes the ball of fire inside spark, and I fling the blade away as I knock him to the ground. My hips bracket his and I pin his shoulders with my hands as I look down at him angrily. The harsh sounds of my breath heaving are the only noise as my body and mind struggle to muddle through what is happening. When he shifts, an answering rumble echoes out and I slam his shoulders down to the ground again.

What in the name of Judas and the eleven traveling hippies is goingonwith me?

“Tell me what you were convinced about,” his voice whispers.

I understand the words, but I can’t seem to parse a response. All I know is that I want what ismineto bemine. I need toknowfor certain where I stand, and something deep inside of me is fighting like hell to find a way out to show him that. Nothing is working like it should, and I don’t seem to have control of my mouth or my limbs, so I don’t know how to express it. There’s so much rage and fury, but the fear is behind the wheel as well.

“She can’t tell you, Boone. Don’t you remember the first time? Think about how it felt to have something pushing its way to the surface when it doesn’t know where to go and you can’t control it?”

The voice is familiar, but the scent tips the scales. I smell Presley as he approaches and my head whips around to growl from deep in my belly. The ache in my eyes intensifies as I glare at him in warning—he needs to stay away from what’smine.

“Holy shit, she’s going to?—.”

“Yes,” McSteamy replies, chuckling softly. “Tonight, of all nights, I think the first tether is breaking free. Be ready, Edgar. You’ll need to move fast to match her so she doesn’t freak out.”

Before I can attempt to respond, the tension in my body snaps and I throw my head back, releasing a howl that echoes off the hills like the beginning of a British mystery. Every bone in my body feels like it’s stretching and snapping and my skin ripples in a way that isn’t possible.

“I can sense emergence, as you know. Control your shift to follow hers so she can see it mirrored back. This isyourpiece of her, Boone. She needs the bond to be completed, and she needs it now.”

I wish I knew what he’s talking about, but all I can do is continue to scream into the Universe as my vision goes black in the way I’ve been fighting my entire life. This time, however, I don’t see blackness fading into unconsciousness—no, this time my vision flips to red and my fingers dig into his shoulders until the scent of blood permeates the air. It draws me, and I lick my lips, staring at the furrows with a hunger that feels like it’s going to rip its way out of me to be sated.

“Drugar! You must feed. Bite and drink… make the mark when the fire fills you. It is how we are made. Burn with me.” Teddy’s voice is dark, rumble and full of the commanding tone that makes my body tremble even in normal circumstances.

My head drops to look into eyes that aren’t aquamarine or even human looking. The rings of fiery lava around his pupils are firm as he waits for his order to be followed, and I snap my teeth at him. A brow arches and I give in, yanking his head to the side and burying my mouth there to tear in as instructed. Teeth slide through skin like my blades in butter, and the spill of heat from his wound pulls a whine of excitement out of me.

I feel hands tugging at my clothes, a cool breeze on fiery skin, and a calming softness behind me. Soft murmurs in my ear tell me to adjust until I’m positioned over Teddy’s cock, then gentle hands guide me to sink down until I’m full. The sensation of feathers draping over my back as a rhythm starts in our hips is a stark contrast to the hunger and heat consuming me inside.

“That’s our girl,” Prez murmurs, his fingers tweaking the nipple shields he loves so much. “Edgar, move faster. She has to come before the change is complete.”

His response is garbled, I don’t understand, but his hips buck up into me, making answering rumbles and snarls escape my lips. A sharp pain right over my clit makes me gasp, and a shudder starts at my toes as the sensations that were building slam into me like a tidal wave. I tear my mouth away from his neck, lapping over the wound as I lift one hand. I don’t know why, but oddly shaped fingers trace a flaming symbol midair before repeating it over the bite mark.

Teddy shouts, his cock spilling inside of me as our bodies stutter to a halt. The waves of pleasure make the burning inside of me fade a little and I hear a loud screech like a pterodactyl from the dinosaur movie. The feathers lift from my back as a whoosh of chilly air hits me and I look down at my former bully with a tilted head. A wolfish grin is his only answer before he whispers, “Now, shift!”

That’s the last thing I hear before my mind goes completely black again.

My Songs Know What You Do In The Dark

Running… running… freedom.

The scent of the forest fills my nose—trees, leaves, grass, flowers. Moonlight streams through clouds and when I look up at the light, I feel the wind ruffling over my body. Hair stands on end as a loud mournful howl echoes off the hills. Sniffing the air, I take off, running towards the sound.

Soft flapping distracts me, and I throw my head back as the scent of peonies and snapdragons floats in the air. The sound of fluttering wings followed by heavier, larger ones that carry another familiar scent—vetiver, cedar, and ylang ylang—give me pause, but I howl loudly in response.

Howl?

I lurch forward, the ground soft beneath my feet as I gallop through the brush, eager to find the source of the roiling fire in my gut. I can hear voices, but I can’t focus on them as the bone deep drive to hunt my mate.

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