Page 103 of Rhett
I gasped when I caught a glimpse of a sleek, dark-brown majestic cat.
“I’m a black jaguar,” I said aloud to Rhett.
“Beautiful,” he remarked. “The black jaguar is a rare color. So now that you know what type of jaguar you are, it’s time to shift.” He reached up to run his fingers over my hair. “Call the image of your inner animal to your mind to start your shift. When you’re ready to shift back to your human form, call the image of your human form to mind. Got it?”
I nodded.
“I’ll shift first,” he said before stepping back.
I watched with fascination as his bones rearranged under his skin, expanding and stretching as he crouched on the ground. His skin transformed to tan-colored fur, covered by spots that transitioned to darker rosettes. His feet and hands spread and thickened. A few snaps of bones later, a monstrous tan jaguar stood in Rhett’s place. His jaguar yawned, displaying long, dangerous-looking canines.
A little frisson of fear engulfed me as the jaguar watched me.
Calm down, Nova. This is Rhett. I’m safe.
I took a deep, calming breath, dismissing my fear before crouching to stroke my fingers across his massive head. His fur was so soft and silky. I ran my fingers over his cold nose, then over his ears. He pushed farther against me, tilting his head into my hand.
I kissed the top of his head. “Rhett, you’re beautiful.”
He butted me with his head and roared as if ordering me to hurry up and shift.
“Okay,” I grumbled. “I’m shifting.” Getting to my feet, I closed my eyes and took several cleansing breaths. Bringing the image of my jaguar to the forefront of my mind, I waited.
Nothing happened, and I started to panic.
Release me,my inner animal begged.
I’m trying,I hissed.
My body grew hot as sharp pain rushed through me.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard a roar, followed by another, then I realized the roars were mine.
Hot, scorching pain whipped across my skin. My bones felt like they were breaking and rearranging. My muscles were stretching and rippling.
Open your eyes,Rhett’s voice said in my head.
I did as directed and looked down.
Holy shit! I have four furry feet.
Beautiful,Rhett purred in my head.Let’s run, mate.
Catch me if you can,I taunted him before taking off in a run.
CHAPTER29
NOVA
EIGHT MONTHS LATER… ON A FULL MOON
Rhett kissed my hand. “You look beautiful.” His eyes roamed over the floor-length moss-green ceremonial cloak that shrouded my body from neck to toe.
My lips curled up into a smile. “Thank you.” I eyed him, taking in the similarly colored cloak that he wore. “You don’t look bad yourself.”
We’d both been waiting for this moment—our mating ceremony—for months. Not wanting to rush me into our ceremony, Rhett and I spent time getting to know each other more deeply as we settled into our relationship as fated mates. And our relationship blossomed. I’d also spent time getting to know my grandmother and my new pack and friends between starting renovations on the new spot in Main Square that I’d picked for my clinic.
“You ready?” Rhett asked.
