“There’s only one of those, trust me. Getting cozy with caimans was no’ my first choice,” he said. “We’ve much to talk about, but I know you doona want to leave your mate for long.”
“Though I’ve a thousand questions for you, I need to be there for her when she wakes.” Munro wanted no more surprises for a female who’d already experienced a lifetime of them.
“Go. Enjoy,” Will said. “We’ve all the time in the worlds to talk. Chloe and I will be back at the lodge doing a few repairs.”
“Thank you. Tell my new sister hello.”
Over his shoulder, he called, “I can now say the same to you.”
Munro returned to where Kereny lay sleeping, and his heart stuttered to see her curled up on that bed of grass with rays of sunlight caressing her bare skin.
Should he wake her with a kiss? Last night had in no way sated him—or her, he suspected. Their hunger for each other would prove never-ending, an appetite they’d feed for eternity.
His phone vibrated. Then again. And again. “Fine. Fine.” He tugged it from his pocket and checked the home screen, finding two new voicemails from Balery, and now a text from her as well. What was so important for her to tell him?
He pulled up the message. Read it.
And muttered, “Motherfucker.”
SIXTY-ONE
Warm skin pressed against Ren’s naked body, and masculine fingers stroked her hair. She opened her eyes and found Munro gazing down at her.
“Good afternoon, love.”
“I slept so long? Wait, I can talk?” She shot upright. Her fangs had receded. She moved her fingers. Wiggled her toes. By herself! “Where is the beast?”
“Still there, just taking a nap. You’ve got a control cuff now.”
“I feared I would never get a chance to talk to you again!” She glanced at her wrist. The battered silver cuff was covered with inscriptions. She flinched when her Instinct warned —Be wary of magics!—
“You’ll get used to the Instinct. And to the cuff. It’s a temporary solution, but with luck, it’ll give us time to work on mastering your beast.”
“How did you get this?”
“It should’ve been lost forever, but my brother and Chloe tracked it down in the Amazon for us.”
Ren had only been a Lykae for hours, and already she felt like she had friends in the pack.
“I can’t wait to thank them.” Would they drop by out here?
Munro wore pants, so she hastily imagined her favorite casual outfit—a blouse, riding pants, and boots.
Once her clothes had materialized, he handed her a chilled bottle of apple cider. She drank it down, picking up notes of flavor that she wouldn’t have detected before. “Munro, how long was I . . . dead?”
A pall seemed to descend over him. “Seven days.”
“I thought no mortals resurrected past a couple of days. Why didn’t you, um, bury me?”
“At first I believed you could still pull through. As more time passed, I lost hope, yet I could no’ let you go. Then yesterday . . . I decided that the sooner I buried you, the sooner I could join you.”
“Oh, Munro.”
Shadows lingered in his gaze, and his eyes glowed blue. “Is there anywhere I would no’ have found you?” His lips pulled back from his fangs. “You would have taken my heart with you into the ether, so I would have tracked you by that!”
She laid her hand on his cheek, the contact tempering his emotions. “You really love me.” It wasn’t a question. Every second last night, he’d demonstrated his feelings.
“Till I scarce can bear it.” He inhaled a calming breath, then pressed a kiss into her palm. “I ken this is no’ what you’d planned on.”
“The more I wanted you, the more seductive immortality grew. I told Ellie and Balery that I’d probably run headlong to be a Lykae if you would listen to me—and then you did; instead of changing me, you decided to change yourself.”
“I thought you would resent this transformation.”
“Not when I chose it. And you were right about how amazing immortality is, just as I was right about not bargaining with Dorada. We’ll make a good team.”
“I should have listened to you sooner. Have patience with me.”
She grinned. “Stick around, and I’ll share more wisdom and perspective. My view is looong.”
Humor glimmered in his golden eyes. “Smartarse.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and gruffly said, “You’re so bloody bonnie. Just as you were last night.”
Her cheeks heated. “Even when I was biting and clawing you?”
“Especially then.” He’d already healed from her marks.
Her lips parted as more memories surfaced. “I threw an automobile! I destroyed someone’s house. Are you sure I didn’t hurt anyone?”
“You injured no one. The prince and princess were no’ home.”
Of all the buildings. “Demolishing a royal residence in your pack?” She groaned.
“Everyone in our pack will think that’s hilarious, as will Garreth and Lucia. Though none of them will ever let you live it down.”
That sounded like her carnie hunters. She felt a pang, missing them all, but the promise of a new life with this male comforted her.
She surveyed the lovely scene. “So this is Louisiana.” The cypress trees provided cover from the sun. Out on the bayou, the dark water was mirror flat.
Mirror?
She rose and crossed to the shore to peer at her reflection. Her irises were a more vibrant shade, a little too vivid, but maybe she could still pass for a mortal. She stroked the backs of her fingers over one cheek. Her skin had never felt so soft.
She caressed her neck where Munro had bitten her. Though the bite had healed seamlessly, the claiming mark remained, stark against her skin.
Ren pictured her black nails transforming into claws. They did! She concentrated on retracting them, and they receded.
I’m part beast.
Her appearance had stayed much the same, but inside, she was like a combustion engine, awash with power. The girl who once hunted monsters is one.
Munro knelt beside her at the water’s edge. “You’re having regrets.”
She turned to him. “No regrets. I’m happily no longer an organic.”
“Good.” Tension left his shoulders. “My brother brought food. Are you hungry?”