Page 79 of Rogue Wolf

Yes, but it wasn’t the change you’d planned. You’re a vampire now, one of us forever, he said. Now, feed!

Tamaska screamed. The image broke away as she bolted upright in bed, tearing herself out of her nightmare. She curled up tight against the headboard.

Her pulse raced, urging her to sprint to safety. Instead, she stayed in bed, trying to calm herself.

What the hell was that? It seemed so real. And the images, the smells, all of it were so fresh she could see it all when she closed her eyes.

She never wanted to sleep again.

Ever.

She lifted a shaking hand to her neck, searching for puncture wounds. She found nothing of the sort. Frantically, she looked around the room, ensuring nothing was out of place. All she’d done was fall asleep in Kodiak’s bed.

What the fuck was that dream about?

Had Amdis gotten to her that badly? One one level yes, but there was more to it. Her dreams had been so vivid, so maybe the concussion had messed her up worse than she’d thought.

Or maybe she was an utter mess because Kodiak wasn’t there.

She missed with a physical ache that bordered on pain.

But missing him didn’t explain the dream. Shit, it was probably a mix of all the craziness and recent crap about the opal and turning her and vampires all over the place.

Grey light hung heavy in the room as a thousand tiny shivers slid down her back. It was nearly nighttime. The vampires would be out now without any risk.

What the hell was she thinking? They’d been out and about in daylight. Early light, and Amdis couldn’t cross the light in her place so maybe only some had that new power. Still…last thing she wanted was to sit here, alone.

She slid out of the bed, hoping Kodiak had returned. She let herself out of the room and locked it behind her. Like she was his girlfriend, she thought, and paused, holding the key. Relationship. They’d whispered love talk, and she loved him, she knew it. It might be fast but the word relationship meant something. It meant a future, commitment. Compromise. It meant she belonged to him and he to her.

Were they in a relationship? She liked the sound of that, but her mind skittered from it, throwing early says and needing to get to know each other at her. And then she giggled. Actually giggled.

It wasn’t funny, not really, but damn, she was standing here, worrying about that normal stuff on one hand, while on the other she wanted to change and fit into his world and that meant them, together, not Tamaska prancing out into the world to date other shifters or men.

She could come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons why she wanted to change, but the bottom line wasn’t just whatever her heritage was, it was him. They both wanted it so they were together in a way that his pack would have to accept.

So yeah, they were in a fucking relationship. Did she know him as she wanted to? Not yet, but in theory that’s what a future was, time where you went beyond scratching the surface and finding out all about the person.

And for her, she wanted that with Kodiak. He might frustrate her, but he fascinated her. He drew her in and turned her on more than anyone. He was strong and good and smart and if he was a little bossy, so was she.

Again, something they could work out.

If he came back. If he hadn’t managed to get himself killed with his bravery. And—

This wasn’t the time. She needed him back, his pack needed him and she couldn’t do a damn thing until he did or didn’t show. If he did, she’d yell at him and then hold him tight. If he didn’t she… She would do something. She knew that.

Beyond that, though, she realized they were all focused on changing her, on the opal and her ancentry.

What about the vampires?

She didn’t mean in general the pack knew vampires, but Amdis and his lot. And whatever connection she might have to them—whether she wanted one or not.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

Both species had an intense need for blood, just in very different ways. If she was going to be a wolf, then she’d need to get used to eating her meat raw, dripping with blood. Maybe she could start by getting some animal blood. Or raw, fresh kill. She could—

Tamaska swallowed hard as horror spread through her. She must’ve gotten hit on the head really hard. The concussion had messed up her thoughts, confusing her, tricking her into associating a wolf’s natural desire for prey with a vampire’s demented cravings.

She stepped out into the cooling twilight air. She missed the scent of the bush. Here, a hint of the city’s pollution tinged the air, something she’d never noticed, not with Sydney. But now…yeah, she could pick it up.

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