The seriousness in Emeric’s voice hits me. It’s the truth, but I can’t help but think he’s not telling me something.
“Does this house happen to have any clothes that would fit me?”
Emeric seems to finally realize I’m wrapped in bedsheets. He’s standing in nothing but loose athletic shorts and no shirt, perfectly at ease with his semi-nakedness. He’s a superbly sculpted man with sun-kissed skin, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He’s so lovable and good-looking at the same time. But I’m still pissed at him for leading me to that cave, for tricking me. And I’m pissed off at him now for not telling me the whole truth.
“I’m sure I can find you something to wear. But do you want to get dressed or eat first?”
My stomach growls, and my mouth salivates at the smell of the eggs and bacon he’s making.
He grins knowingly. “Eat first. Maybe there is a wolf inside you after all if you pick eating over clothing yourself.”
He dishes up a plate of eggs and bacon, and I snatch it from his hands, not bothering to make it to the table before digging in. Emeric and I eat in silence, too hungry for words. After eating, he finds me jean shorts and a tank top for me to wear.
I need to talk to Ambrose. I need to figure out where we stand and how he’s going to help me learn to shift. I need to learn everything there is about the curse because, obviously, I don’t know the whole truth if the witches and vampires are also affected by it. And I need to figure out what Nyx did to Kael without revealing that Kael and I belong to the Wintermoon wolves. I don’t believe that Nyx sent him deep into the forest until he could control his shifting, not after Nyx sacrificed me in the offering. Not after I saw the way everyone stared at Nyx in complete terror. He and Emeric are enemies as well. I’m terrified to learn what Nyx might have done to Kael.
“I need to get showered and dressed,” I say.
“Take your time. You can use the bathroom next to your bedroom.”
“I’ll be right back,” I say, hoping that Emeric’s hearing isn’t as good as he claims. I need to get out of here.
Thirty seconds is allthe time I allow myself in the shower before I’m out and pulling clothes onto my still-damp body. I quickly run my hand through my long, wintry mane to brush out the tangles, not bothering to dry it as it drips water onto my shirt. Leaving the shower running so Emeric thinks I’m still showering, I sneak out the front door.
As the house door falls shut behind me, I take a deep breath, taking in the warm sun on my cheeks before facing the challenge ahead of me. An unsettling feeling hits me hard in the chest. Slowly, I glance around and find I’m surrounded by six shifter men.
Waiting—they were all waiting. I gulp down a swallow. For me—they’ve been waiting for me. Apparently, therewasa reason Emeric didn’t want me to leave the house.
I should go back inside. It’s only a couple of steps behind me. Emeric said the house was protected, and that no shifter would attack me inside. But I’m not inside, and by the way they are all looking at me, I’m fair game out here.
I’m not even sure I could make it to the door before one of them could grab me. They are all so freaking fast, and I have nothing but my human speed. It doesn’t matter that I’ve barely taken a step outside the door. They can close the gap in the amount of time it takes me to blink.
“Easy guys, you know Ambrose will kill you if you touch me.”
“Not if we mark you as our mate. He won’t have a choice but to accept the marking,” a blonde man says.
“I can’t complete the marking with anyone, not right now. It’s not the full moon. And Ambrose will kill you long before there is another full moon.” At least, I think Ambrose would kill them. I honestly know very little about the man.
Mine—that word sounds into my head again.Ambrose is mine.It’s such a strange feeling to have such strong feelings for a man I don’t even know. I’ve only spent a few minutes with him, but I can feel it with every part of my body, with every one of my senses. The connection to him is a living, breathing thing. It’s as part of me as my heart or lungs. I need it to survive. Even without the curse, if something were to happen to Ambrose, I’m pretty sure I would die, too.
The men don’t back down. Their nostrils flare as they breathe in my scent. Their eyes dilate into slits. And I smell their male scents—pheromones trying to draw me to them. They’re all fools. Even if I wanted to choose one of them, I couldn’t.
I run my eyes through the six males. At the last one, my heart beats so hard in my chest that I think it’s going to break my ribs.
“Kael!” I shout in shock.
Tears fill my eyes, and my heart warms. “I never thought I would see you again.”
I truly thought Nyx killed Kael. I thought I had lost him forever. He was the only one left of home, the only thing keeping me going when everyone else I love is most likely dead.
Kael doesn’t look at me like he’s glad to have finally found me, though. He doesn’t look at me with that brotherly love I’m used to seeing from him. Lust—pure, unadulterated lust is all I see in his hazel eyes marked with silver strands.
“Kael, it’s me—Lumi. Your best friend that you think of like a sister. Remember?”
Kael looks at me as if in a daze, as if under some spell himself.
“Kael,” I plead, my body trembling.
He stalks toward me, and the other males move in as well. I inch backward, knowing that if I run, it will just make their predatory instincts kick in, and they’ll lunge for me. Inch by inch, I gain a quarter of a foot, but it’s not close enough. I’m not safe until I’m back in the house.
