I lay silently on my side, just watching the man who slept beside me.

What we had shared the night before hadn’t just been a physical thing, it had been so much more. I touched the sensitive skin where he had bitten me.

If anyone had told me this would happen, that I would allow a man to do this to me I would have called them crazy. But here I was. Mad and reveling in every second of it.

I experienced moments of pure panic of what I had allowed. A deep connection with a person. A man. Someone who held power over me, and it scared me. The urge to run was palpable but I couldn’t do that to him again. He had the power to hurt me, I held the power over him.

I felt hot. I didn’t know if it was for the man still asleep beside me. Feeling uncomfortable I lay on my back and put my hand to my forehead. It definitely felt like I was running some sort of temperature.

I slipped from the bed and grabbed Maverick’s discarded shirt. In the bathroom I splashed some water on my face and put a cool facecloth to the back of neck. Nothing eased the heat.

“It’s normal,” Maverick said from the doorway.

I put my hand to my heart to keep it from leaping from chest, I hadn’t heard him. I turned to face him.

I made a mental note to remember this moment and keep it stored in my heart. He was so handsome it took my breath away.

“What’s normal?” I asked, breathlessly.

He was dressed in boxers, his chest bare. It was impossible to think of anything other than memories from the night before when he had taken me to new heights. I swear the earth had moved.

“A temperature.” His eyes tracked down the length of me and I wonder if he was having the same thoughts.

“Why?” I asked. There was nothing normal about what was happening to me.

“Your body is getting ready to welcome your wolf. You will be able to shift in a couple of days.” He studied me.

“Shift?” I questioned.

“Into your wolf.”

I swallowed. It still sounded so crazy.

“Will it hurt?” I bit my lip as I crossed my arms and leaned against the sink.

“A little.” He moved closer. “It’s going to take some practice to get the hang of it but I’ll be there to help you.”

I nodded as I studied him thoughtfully. “This all sounds…unbelievable.”

He tipped my face to his with his finger to my chin. “You will love it. You will finally be giving into who you are. It’s been hidden so deep inside of you for so long. You will be able to embrace every part of yourself.”

He trailed his finger down the side of my throat to the sensitive part he had bitten. His finger brushed softly over the already healing wound.

“I’m sorry I had to hurt you,” he murmured softly.

Our eyes meshed and I had to remember to breath. I had it bad for this man.

“You shouldn’t be. It was…hot.” I moistened my lips.

I just wanted to pull him back to bed and keep him there for the foreseeable future.

He lowered his head to seal his lips over mine. When he lifted his mouth from mine he leaned his forehead to mine.

“I want to stay but I have to figure out who is after you.”

Disappointment filled me but I nodded. I understood the importance of what he needed to do and besides I wasn’t some clinging girl.

“Sebastian is working on some leads already.”

It made me uncomfortable to think that Sebastian would know the details of what I had told Maverick.

I didn’t want to think about the danger I was in. I wanted to stay in my little bubble of pure contentment where is was just Maverick and I. No one else.

Feeling unsettled, I folded my arms. The lack of control in the whole situation was unnerving. And depending on someone to figure it out for me felt so foreign. I had to keep reigning in the urge to do what I always did, and that was run as far away as possible.

“Why don’t you go downstairs and get some coffee while I have a shower,” he suggested. “Lark is probably already on her third cup of coffee.”

“Sure.”

He gave me one last lingering kiss before I headed back into the bedroom to find something more respectable to wear.

I could hear the shower running as I got dressed and headed downstairs, following the smell of coffee to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Lark said as I entered.

“Morning,” I replied, pouring some black coffee.

“So…how are you feeling?” she asked as she watched me over the rim of the cup of coffee she was nursing.

I sat down across from her.

“I’m good.” That was an understatement. My heart had soared to the heavens last night and I wanted to recapture that feeling. It was addictive.

Lark smiled knowingly.

“Does shifting hurt?” I asked.

She shrugged. Her smile waned. “I don’t know.”

I frowned. Then I remember she had told me she hadn’t met her mate yet. I also remember I had been convinced she was lying. For a moment I tried to decide the best way to approach the subject.

“Your mate is none of my business but if you ever need to talk about it I’m here.” I held her gaze.

“There’s nothing.” She was lying again. It wasn’t nothing but I wasn’t going to press her.

“I’ve never had a family and I always wanted a sister.” I released a heavy breath.

She beamed. “Sisters.”

I smiled in response. “Sisters.” The warmth that unfolded in my chest was foreign but I embraced it.

She happily chatted while I listened. I started to develop a slight headache and I rubbed my forehead.

“You okay?” Lark asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I murmured. “I think I’m just tired.”

She studied me.

I was still hot and the headache began to intensify.

“Maybe I need some painkillers,” I murmured.

She reached across the table and put her hand to my forehead. “You’re really burning up.”

“Maverick said it was normal.” I shrugged.

“A slight temperature, yes.”

I arched my back slightly. There was a stiffness in my muscles that hadn’t been there before.

“You sure you’re okay?” she asked with a slight frown.

“I think I’m just tired.” The night I had spent with Maverick had been intense and I ached in places that reminded me of what we had shared.

Maverick appeared in the doorway. His hair was wet. He was dressed in a shirt and jeans.

He ruffled his sister’s hair much to her disgust before he kissed me briefly, leaving me breathless.

“I’ll see you later.” He winked at me and my stomach somersaulted.

I nodded. He had a way of spinning my world with the smallest touch and I sighed as I watched him leave.

Lark smiled knowingly at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re both so happy.”

I shrugged. “I can’t explain it. With him everything is so different.” I knew it was part of the whole mate thing but the intensity of it was still something to get used to.

While she studied me I saw a flicker of sadness and I wondered if she was thinking of her mate.

“I need to go shower,” I murmured when I finished my coffee.

She nodded. “I’ll show you around later if you want.”

“Sure.”

I finished my coffee and headed upstairs to shower.

Stripping naked, I turned on the shower turning it cooler to help with the temperature. While I stood beneath the water my headache intensified. I leaned my head against the tiles and took a breath.

The stiffness before had been replaced with a dull ache. I began to feel more unwell and when I finally dragged myself from the shower I managed to pull on some clothes before I sat down on the edge of the bed.

I felt so ill. But it was hard to explain that it had happened to swiftly. I crawled onto the bed and lay on my side. Maybe I just needed to rest for a little bit. I would go and meet Lark later. I didn’t have the energy to do more than lay on the bed while the heat inside my body began to increase and the ache began to spread to every inch of my body.

My clothes felt damp as I began to perspire. Whatever was going on was more than a little temperature but I didn’t have the clarity or energy to go and find Maverick. Instead I kept my eyes tightly closed and concentrated on each breath I drew.