Page 58 of Patrick’s Seduction

Stroking her back gently, he spoke in a soothing tone. “Can you try to push the wolf back?”

Another whimper echoed in the room.

“I know it hurts,” he whispered. “I know it’s hard to control. But you did it once. You did it when you drank my blood.” As if his blood had given her the strength to subdue the wolf in her so her human side could gain the upper hand.

She lifted her head and looked at him.

“You’re so beautiful.”

He knew she needed reassurance now. This entire ordeal had to be frightening for her. To suddenly discover that she’d turned into a supernatural creature with instincts she didn’t know how to control, could throw anyone for a loop. He wished that Maya were here right now. She would know the right things to say because she’d been in a similar situation: she’d been turned into a vampire against her will. Awakening in a new body was scary. And it had to be even scarier for Fallon because her entire body had truly changed. A vampire looked rather human except for the fangs, the claws, and the eyes, but Fallon’s body was that of an animal now. And she had neither the knowledge nor the guidance to control the shift.

In that instant, he understood what Cameron’s words to her had meant: she needed him because only a werewolf could teach her to control the shift, if that was even possible. His heart bled for her. Would she always be helpless against the beast that the full moon brought out in her? How would she handle this? And how could he help her when he knew next to nothing about werewolves?

In that moment, he hated Cameron more than he’d ever hated anybody in his entire life. But he had to push that feeling back now because Fallon needed him. And it wouldn’t help her if he showed his hate and anger. She needed him to be gentle and understanding, so he could prove to the wolf that he was no danger to her, and she could trust him.

A faint purring sound drifted to his ears, and he rubbed his thumb over Fallon’s snout. In a show of trust, her eyes closed for a moment.

“We’ll get through this,” he said. “I’ll stay by your side. You won’t have to do this alone.”

Whatever she needed, he would provide it.

Under his palms, he suddenly felt Fallon’s muscles flex and shift, and then he heard it: the sound of bones cracking and rearranging themselves to create a different body, a human body. He let go of her and watched in fascination how the wolf transformed, the fur receded, and the face turned into that of the beautiful woman he loved.

“Fallon,” he murmured.

She threw her arms around him, sobbing. “I’m so scared.”

“My colleagues won’t hurt you…”

“But I saw it… I felt it… They wanted to kill me…” A big sob tore from her chest, and she drew back to look into his face. “And I wanted to kill them… even though I don’t know why.”

He nodded and wiped her tears off her cheek. “It’s your instinct. All supernatural creatures have it. It’s a survival instinct.”

“But what if I hurt somebody? I don’t want to hurt anybody. I don’t want to hurt you.” Desperation shone from her eyes.

“I’ll make sure you won’t. I promise you that.”

“Patrick, I can’t control this. I don’t even know how I managed to turn back into… into me.”

She looked toward the window. The curtains were drawn.

“Even now I can feel the moon calling to me,” she said, rubbing her neck.

“We’ll find a way.” Then he glanced around the room. Shreds of their clothes lay strewn about the floor, evidence of the intensity of their lovemaking. “Let’s get dressed. We need to talk to my colleagues.”

A visible shiver went through her, and Patrick placed his hand on hers, squeezing it in reassurance. “They only wanted to protect me. Now that they know that you won’t hurt me, they won’t attack you.”

Doubt was still written on her face, but she nodded.

In silence, Patrick pulled fresh clothes from his closet, while Fallon dug into the drawer where she’d placed the few things she’d brought from her flat, and they got dressed. He was done before her, and waited near the door, when she finally pulled her sweater straight and faced him.

She hesitated. “One of the men, he’s not a vampire. I felt something different when I looked at him.”

“Wesley is a witch. A good one. He works with us. And the other two are pure-blooded vampires. Amaury is the massive guy, Zane is the bald one.”

“I don’t like Zane.”

Patrick let out a chuckle. “Few people do. He’s somewhat of an acquired taste.”