Thankfully not a full wolfish howl, but bad enough to attract the neighbors or unwanted visitors.
“Go to her,” Gerard insisted, urgency in his tone.
Jacey took off, resolve thrumming in him now. If someone heard and came to investigate…
The Feline council had told him that several of the shifters opposed his and Henry’s presence. They were in the minority, but if they screwed up…if someone heard Megan or saw her.
Henry ran behind him, and together, they took the fence, sailing through the air. His wolf delighted in the shift, thrilled at his mate scampering around the paddock. It was the man who feared the outcome.
Megan ran across the grass, the scents, the sounds, the crisp outlines of the trees and buildings almost too much for her senses to register. Sometimes on two legs. Sometimes hunched forward and using her hands—paws—for extra speed. The craving for motion kept her going, and she chased the dappled shadows rippling across the ground.
Faster. Faster. Faster.
It was exhilarating. It was freedom. It was weird.
This last thought caused her to stumble. She slowed and threw back her head to howl. It was as if she were two separate beings in the same body and she understood none of it. She gasped for breath, about to howl her anguish again when she caught sight of the moon.
Pretty. So big and bold in the sky.
She stared, spellbound by the beauty.
A new scent crept into her consciousness. Someone approached. She whirled around, sniffing, allowing her senses to catalog the risk of those advancing in her direction. The familiarity had her freezing in confusion. Two wolves approached. One mainly black with a silver belly and chest and the other a lighter brown. They stopped a few feet from her. Each stared at her, and she inwardly cringed at her appearance.
The part of her that wanted to run and play and enjoy the moonlight told her to take care. Make sure it was safe. They had to take care of their baby.
The thought propelled panic to the surface. A whimper escaped.
The black wolf whimpered in reply, the sound and his appearance digging at her memory.
The brown wolf lowered its front legs to the ground and bounced on his back legs. He yipped and bounded away, only to repeat the movement.
Play. He wanted to play.
She yipped in return and chased, running past the black wolf to catch the brown one. The stranger controlling her actions thrilled at the invitation and yipped again in encouragement.
She chased the brown wolf around the paddock, going faster and faster until her sides heaved.
As they approached the black wolf, they slowed and the brown wolf trotted up to him, gave him a sharp nudge in the side with his nose.
Familiarity struck again, and her brain told her she knew these wolves. She scampered closer, drawing in their scents, and finally, her mind presented her with answers.
Jacey. Henry.
But no. That made little sense.
They weren’t wolves.
The air seemed to distort around the black wolf. With the moon behind him, she couldn’t help but stare. Such a beautiful wolf.
The shape of his body changed, transformed to…to…Jacey?
She blinking, her mouth gaping at her beautiful, naked man.
Jacey crouched in front of her. “Megan. Picture yourself as you look when you see your reflection in the mirror. Do it,” he insisted when she continued to gape, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.
A cloud skittered across the face of the moon, obscuring part of the pearly globe.
Aww. While she waited anxiously for the moon to reappear, the brown wolf approached her. He butted his head into her side, and she whirled with a snarl.
“Megan.” Jacey’s stern voice demanded attention.
She backed up and turned to face Jacey while keeping the brown wolf in her sight.
“Megan, picture your blonde hair, your pert nose, your blue eyes. Do it now.”
Grumpy boots. But his words pierced through her brain and connected with the smaller, lessor being inside her. Her recollection swam into her mind and she grasped at it. Pain seeped into her consciousness, but the weaker being became stronger, determined, angry.
The vision of her appearance held, and with a whooshing pop, the weak became strong. Dominant.
Megan stared at a naked Jacey, stared at the brown wolf sitting nearby, stared at the tatters of her pink sleepshirt hanging from her body. She blinked. She swallowed as she replayed her memories.
Jacey sighed, his face appearing pale in the moonlight, although how she could see so well outside at night, she didn’t know. Her vision had always been excellent, but not this good.
Scowling, she marched up to him, placed her hands on her hips and scowled, uncaring about wrinkles. “What the fuck just happened?”
Chapter Fifteen
“You’d better come inside before you get cold,” Jacey said, his heart knocking with nerves. “I’ll explain everything inside.” Megan didn’t look happy. In fact, her distinct scowl cried pissed.
He gestured her in front of him and she marched, her shoulders rigid with good posture. Henry trotted past them, and Megan stumbled on seeing him.
Jacey raced forward and scooped her up before she could fall, his swift steps taking them to the house. He fumbled with the latch of the gate, not willing to risk jumping over with Megan in his arms.
“Why are you naked?”
Jacey sighed again as he struggled to think what to tell her. The truth, of course, but that didn’t make this confession any easier.
London, seeing him try to juggle the gate, nudged Gerard, and the boy jogged over to open it for them.
“Shift,” he heard London order Henry.
Jacey hesitated, wanting to shout in the negative. But London was right. A wise woman. Megan knew what had happened but her mind was struggling to put the facts in order.
Henry waited until they were through the gate and closer to him before he shifted to human.
Jacey heard Megan’s swift intake of air, felt the growing tenseness of her muscles. She struggled within his arms, and Jacey let her down. She stepped away from him. He scanned her expression, and his heart stuttered. He wanted to touch her again, to embrace her, but her scowl told him she wouldn’t welcome his advances.
“Henry, shift to wolf again,” London ordered. “Gerard, you shift too.”
Gerard nudged London with his hip. “She’ll see my naked body.”
“She’s too busy staring at Henry,” London said.
Gerard hesitated but at Jacey’s curt nod, he disrobed and shifted. He stretched feline limbs and went to stand beside Henry. Henry slapped his tongue over Gerard’s nose. London giggled as Gerard growled at his friend.
“What do you think of our two clowns?” London asked, her attention on Megan.
“You’re not human,” Megan intoned.
“I am human,” London said. “Gerard is a feline shapeshifter. Henry and Jacey are werewolves. Many of Middlemarch’s residents are feline shapeshifters. Henry and Jacey and now it seems, you, are the only werewolves in the community.”
“I’m not a werewolf,” Megan said. “Excuse me. I’m cold. I’m going to have a shower.” Before any of them could reply, she marched inside.
Henry and Gerard both shifted and reclaimed their clothes. London handed Jacey his clothes, and he dressed too.
“I think you should call Gavin,” Henry said. “He needs to make sure she is okay.”
“I’ll do it,” London said, worry making her freckles stand out more. “Go and check on Megan. Call if you need me.”
Megan stood under the shower, the warm water driving the chill from her limbs. Her mind ran in a tangled circle. She had…
Her rational brain refuted her explanation. But her mind hadn’t played her false just now. Gerard and Henry had shifted to animals in front of her. A black leopard and a wolf. Jacey was a wolf too. She’d seen him transform. And she…
No.
Impossible.
“Megan?” Jacey appeared in the en suite.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid of losing you.”
She snorted. “You had a prime opportunity to tell me when I told you about my writing. When you found me reading a book about wolves.”
“I should have told you, but we haven’t known each other long. I worried about what you might say.”
“We’re having a baby.” Oh, god. “Will our baby be a werewolf?”
Jacey swallowed. “I don’t know. Normally, if a human and werewolf produce offspring, the child can’t shift. But you…” He shrugged, looking as miserable as she felt.
“Wait, you were in my cottage at Gilcrest Station. Why?”
Jacey hung his head and sighed. “Henry and I were running with Leo Mitchell. You took a photo of us, and we couldn’t let you see it or send it to the media.”
“But I didn’t have any photos.”
“You did.” This time he met her accusing gaze. “Henry and I deleted them before you could see them.”
“I see.” She’d seen a terrier while she’d been out walking that day. Now she knew without asking, it had been Geoffrey since he followed Henry everywhere. “I want to talk to London.”
“I—”
“I want to talk to London,” Megan repeated.
Jacey gave a curt nod and retreated.
Megan turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. Her muscles felt tired, as if she’d run for miles, but the aches that had plagued her bones all day had disappeared. In the bedroom, she pulled on a long sleepshirt and clean panties.
A knock sounded and seconds later, the door opened. London stuck her head through the gap. “Can I come in?”
Megan gestured her inside.
“Gavin is on his way. He is the feline doctor,” London said.
“I don’t need a doctor.”
“Maybe not,” London said. “But you’re seeing him. He’s a good man and I can be here while he examines you. You changed to wolf.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did a half change,” she amended. “Don’t you want to make sure your baby is okay?”
Megan’s hand moved to her belly, the protective move not escaping London’s notice.
“Very well.” London was right. She wanted to know if her baby was all right and she could hardly go to a new doctor with tales of running around in the moonlight as an animal. A sob escaped. “Is there a spare room I can use for tonight?”
“There is a spare bedroom for guests, but are you sure? Jacey is distraught. He’s blaming himself for not preparing you—”
“He knew this would happen?” Megan said at a near shriek. She’d gut the man.
“No, he didn’t. None of us knew this was a possibility. But he’s upset and worried about you.”
Her hands clenched painfully hard at her sides, as she struggled to cope with her thoughts, her fear, the enormity of her discovery. “I’ll sleep in the spare room.”
“All right.” London heaved an unhappy sigh.
A knock sounded.
“That will be Gavin.”
Panic roared to life in Megan again. A tremor sped through her limbs. “Stay with me.”
“Of course.” London went to the door and opened it.
Megan glimpsed Jacey and turned away. She heard the soft murmur of London’s voice before the door shut.
“Megan, this is Gavin Finley, our local vet.”
Megan swung to face the man, expecting…she wasn’t sure whom, but it wasn’t the young man with piercing green eyes who stood in front of her, a leather bag in his left hand.
“I hear you’ve had quite an adventure tonight,” he said with a smile. “Let’s check you and your baby out. Do you have any pain? Any bleeding?”
Gavin set her at ease with his confident manner. His verdict. She and the baby were fine. She was in excellent health. He made an appointment for her to see him in a week and told her to ring him if she had any concerns at all.
“I told you he was nice,” London said. “I use him as my doctor.”
“But you’re human.”
“I’m mated to a feline shapeshifter, which makes my blood a little different. There are a few of us humans who are mated with felines.”
“I’m tired,” Megan said abruptly.
“Sure,” London said. “Grab what you need, and I’ll show you the room.”
Once Megan collected toiletries, her phone and a change of clothes, London guided her along the passage and into a pretty bedroom with a double bed.
“You can use the bathroom two doors down,” London said.
“Will you tell Jacey I want to be alone?”
“You should tell him yourself.”
Megan grasped London’s arm. “No, please. Just tell him I want to think.”
“Very well.” Disapproval lined London’s face. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
London appeared in the kitchen where Jacey sat with Henry and Gerard.
Jacey straightened. “Is Megan all right?”
“You spoke to Gavin?” A frown knit her brow, and Jacey heard what she wasn’t saying. Something was very wrong.
Jacey clenched and unclenched his hands in his lap. “Yes, but how do you think she is?” Something in London’s expression told him before she even answered.
“She is sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight. She wants to be alone to think.”
A growl burst from Jacey, and London backed up a step.
“Dad.” Henry placed a hand on his shoulder, and for once Jacey didn’t take pleasure in the address. “This isn’t London’s fault.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to growl at you.” Jacey picked up the whisky Gerard had poured for him earlier and tossed back the contents. “I’m angry at myself.”
“Pop, this isn’t your fault. Yes, you should have told Megan, but I get why you waited. You weren’t to know she would shift. No one could have predicted that.”
Jacey set down his glass and stood, unable to remain in one place. “But she’s pushing me away.”
“Give her time,” London said. “She’s just learned everything she writes about is true. It’s a lot to wrap her head around.” London grabbed his arm and tugged him to a stop as he passed her. “Don’t force a confrontation, Pop. Give her a chance to regroup. Let her come to you.”
While he saw the sense in London’s advice, going against his instinct to challenge Megan’s fears took every scrap of his self-control. Another growl bled free.
“Jacey, how about we go for another run,” Gerard suggested.
“You stay with London,” Henry said, climbing off his barstool. “I’ll go with Dad.”
A run. Yeah, probably a good idea. No way could he settle or sleep, knowing Megan was so close.
“Running is a good idea. Let’s go.”
Jacey walked from the house with Henry and felt as if he were leaving his heart behind.
* * * * *
The next day
Jacey’s body ached from all the running he and Henry had done the previous night with Saber, Leo and Felix Mitchell. They’d bunked at Saber’s place. Now, he wanted to speak with Megan, to apologize and make things right. He pushed open the front door and sniffed the air. Scrambled eggs and sausages. He strode into the kitchen and found Gerard and London drinking coffee. Dirty plates sat in front of them, and London had trimmed the crusts off her toast as usual.
“Is Megan still asleep?”
Henry came into the kitchen after him and headed straight for the coffeepot. He poured two mugs and handed one to Jacey.
Gerard and London exchanged a glance, and his gut tightened with foreboding.
His hand curled around the coffee mug, the heat from the coffee blistering hot. “What?”
London sucked in a noisy breath. “Megan is gone.”
His hand jerked and coffee splashed onto the counter. “Where?” he demanded hoarsely. “Where has she gone?”
“I can’t tell
you. I promised.” London looked miserable.
“Is she coming back?”
“I don’t know, but she promised she’d talk to you once she knew what she was doing. She intends to speak with you rather than sneaking off.”
“I suppose I should be grateful.” Bitterness sprang forth along with another growl.
“Don’t growl at London,” Gerard said. “This isn’t her fault. She’s balancing a line between you and Megan, and it’s not fair to blame her for Megan’s decision.”
Jacey gave a curt nod. “Sorry.”
“Pop, I tried to get her to change her mind. I really did. She’s confused and still in shock. The pregnancy hormones can’t be helping.”
“She’s safe?”
“Yes.”
“And you won’t tell me where she is?”
London averted her gaze. “I promised.”
“All right. If she needs anything or wants to speak with me, let me know.”
* * * * *
Megan wandered around the interior of the Stone Farm cottage at Gilcrest Station. A circuit of the open lounge and kitchenette, into the bedroom, back out and around again. She was staying in the same cottage as last time. Yet, this stay she found it hard to settle. A combination of restlessness and loneliness assailed her. Weird. As angry as she was at Jacey, she still missed his presence. Her mind darted from one subject to the next.
Werewolves were real.
She was a werewolf.
Jacey hadn’t bitten her—well, he had, but he’d never broken the skin or made her bleed.
Fact: She’d always enjoyed a meat-rich diet, with rare meat her preference.
Fact: Her eyesight had always been better than average.
Fact: The previous evening she’d transformed into a wolf and every one of her senses had magnified.
Somehow, she bore wolf genes, yet her parents hadn’t adopted her. Tessa showed none of the same signs as her, and neither did her parents. Wait, her mother liked to eat meat too. But, unless her parents were keeping secrets, neither of them turned wolfish and howled at the moon.
Fact: She seemed to have an affinity for the moon, which according to legend was also a wolfish thing. Her computer and cell phone were full of moon pictures—some she’d taken and some she’d collected from stock photo sites.
My Plan B (Middlemarch Shifters Book 11) Page 18
