Page 24 of Marked For A Bite
She was magnificent—smaller and leaner than Logan's wolf form, but perfectly proportioned. Her dark brown coat gleamed in the filtered sunlight, the honey patches along her underside catching the light like precious gold.
Logan's sharp intake of breath drew her golden wolf eyes to his face. The expression there made her wolf preen with feminine satisfaction—pure awe mixed with unmistakable possession.
"Magnificent," he breathed, his voice rough with emotion. "You're absolutely magnificent."
Zoe tried to communicate her approval, her pleasure at his reaction, but found she couldn't speak in this form. The telepathic connection she'd heard other shifters possessed remained elusive still. Instead, she met his gaze directly, letting her wolf's contentment shine through her eyes.
Logan stepped closer, his hand extended as if to touch her fur, but something went wrong. The energy that had sustained her transformation suddenly drained away like water through a broken dam. Pain racked her body as the shift reversed itself without warning, bones cracking and reshaping with violent urgency.
Within seconds, she collapsed to the forest floor in her human form, naked and losing consciousness fast, her body unable to sustain itself or the transformation any longer.
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was Logan's face, etched with concern and something that looked suspiciously like panic.
TEN
LOGAN
The sight of Zoe's magnificent wolf form had filled Logan with fierce pride and possessive satisfaction—until everything went catastrophically wrong in the span of heartbeats.
One moment she stood before him, her dark brown fur gleaming with honey patches that caught the afternoon light like spun gold, her golden eyes meeting his green ones with an intelligence that made his wolf howl with joy. The next, her body convulsed violently as the shift reversed itself without warning, her bones cracking and reshaping with sickening urgency.
Logan's blood turned to ice as Zoe collapsed naked onto the forest floor, her skin already flushed with dangerous heat.
Fuck.
He should have known better. He should have anticipated that her hybrid nature would make everything more complicated and more dangerous. Her wolf had been too eager and too desperate for freedom after twenty-five years of dormancy, and he'd let his own excitement at witnessing her first shift cloud his judgment.
Logan dropped to his knees beside her unconscious form, his hands hovering over her fevered skin as panic clawed at histhroat. Her body burned like a furnace, sweat beading across her forehead despite the cool autumn air.
"Zoe." He gathered her naked body against his chest, her head falling back limply. Her breathing came in rapid, shallow pants that made his stomach clench with dread. "Come on, sweetheart. Stay with me."
She was burning up from the inside out, her hybrid body unable to process the massive energy expenditure of a full transformation. Logan's tactical mind raced through options, settling on the most immediate need—cooling her core temperature before the fever caused permanent damage.
He surged to his feet with Zoe cradled against him, her slight weight feeling precious and fragile in his arms. His combat boots pounded against the forest floor as he sprinted toward his cabin, his black henley already damp with sweat from her radiating heat.
Should have trained her gradually. Should have started with partial shifts, built up her tolerance slowly.
The self-recrimination burned almost as hot as her fever as Logan kicked open his back door and navigated straight to his bathroom. He balanced her against his chest with one arm while cranking the shower handle to its coldest setting with his free hand.
Without hesitation, Logan stepped fully clothed into the spray of frigid water, settling onto the shower floor with Zoe positioned across his lap. The shock of cold water hit his heated skin like a physical blow, but he ignored his own discomfort, focusing entirely on the woman in his arms.
"Come on, Zoe," he murmured against her temple as icy water cascaded over both their bodies. "Let the cold bring you back to me."
Her fevered skin began to cool incrementally, the dangerous flush fading from her cheeks. Logan's soaked henley andcargo pants clung uncomfortably to his body, but he remained motionless, letting the cold water work its magic while monitoring every subtle change in her breathing.
After what felt like an eternity but was probably only minutes, Zoe's eyes fluttered open. She jerked against him with a startled gasp, her hazel eyes wide and unfocused.
"Easy," Logan said, his voice rough with relief. "I've got you. You're safe."
"Logan?" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "What—" A violent shiver wracked her frame as awareness returned, and she pressed closer to his warmth despite the cold water still pounding down on them.
"Your body overextended itself during the shift," Logan explained, one hand stroking her damp curls back from her face. "We need to stay here a few more minutes to make sure your temperature normalizes completely."
Zoe nodded weakly, her head falling back against his shoulder. Logan felt the exact moment her fever broke—her skin temperature dropping from dangerous to merely warm, her breathing evening out to a more normal rhythm.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much," she whispered. "But I think my teeth are about to start chattering."
