Page 165 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos
Ok, calm down and breathe…
My wolf is alert, but aside from that, she’s calm. I try for a second time, but once again, nothing happens. I put my nail in my mouth and bite down on it, flinching as pain jars through my teeth, but my nail remains intact. They aren’t even returning to normal.
I take a deep breath and force myself to shift. Bones crack, searing pain – and I’m in wolf form again.
No, no… human form.
I take another breath and shift back, trying to empty my mind as I focus on my normal self. I look in the mirror only to see red eyes staring back at me.
I can’t stay like this! I know what this form does to people who are not mated. I’ve seen the way they desire me, the way they can get turned on. I shudder at the thought of somehow being stuck like this and try again.
And again.
And again.
Nothing.
From wolf to demon form, to wolf and then back to demon form. My heart thumps, and the knock on the door makes me jump.
“Sienna? You ok?” Heaven’s voice comes.
“Y-yeah,” I answer. Even my voice has changed. Tears sting my eyes as panic begins to rise, and I try to sound as normal as possible. “You guys go ahead; I just need to fix up,” I lie.
“Ok, you sure?” Allie asks.
“Yes,” I answer, my heart in my throat. Gods help me.
But no matter what god I think of, nothing changes the form I’m stuck in. I get dressed with shaking hands, staring at my reflection. A part of me wants to flaunt how I look. The demon part…
I don’t want to go out there. I don’t have my phone. Should I call Ahren?
“Jayce?” I call softly.
No answer.
My heart thuds as I pull open the door and look around. I can’t see him, but I can smell him. Inhaling deeply, I find myself seeking him out, my heels in hand. I can hear the music now, even though it’s faint; I keep focusing on Jayce’s scent.
I’m led to a lounge where I can see he’s sitting on the sofa looking at his shirt, which has a wet stain, and his jacket is draped over an armchair across the room.
“Jayce.”
“Hey, sorry, I had to step aside. Some drunk idiot dropped their drinks all over me.”
“I can dry it for you,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
He looks up sharply, concern flooding his eyes as I step inside, closing the door.
“Sienna…” he trails off, his eyes flashing blue, and I see the familiar hunger in them; my eyes instantly fall to his pants, where he’s obviously semi-hard.
No – please tell me I can shift back. I don’t mind having this effect on him, but not everyone.
“I can’t shift back,” I blurt out as he stands, and I rush to him. He takes hold of me by my arms as he sits down, and I drop to my knees in front of him, my eyes blurring with tears. “I don’t know why. I can’t even get rid of these!” I hold up my nails, and he takes my hands.
“Maybe it’s just a temporary thing, don’t let it get to you,” he says quietly, looking at my nails, but his brows are furrowed.
“No, Jayce, you know what this does. Being in this form – the way people look at me, like I’m an object! I need to shift!” Panic begins rising through me, and Jayce cups my face.
“Hey, look at me.” His soothing tone makes me suck in a breath, and I obey.
