Page 7

She nodded again.

He tugged. The chain pulled at the back of her neck but didn’t break.

He frowned “You know there’s an easier way to do this. Lean forward.”

She bent her head toward him, and his hand slid beneath her hair, his fingers lingering, almost a caress, as he moved it to the side.

“I’ve always liked redheads,” he murmured. “Red hair and dumb. You’re the perfect combination.”

Regan gritted her teeth but stayed where she was as he lifted the chain from around her neck. The air crackled, and a jolt of power shot through her. Was it gone?

For a moment, she was scared to try. She sat, head bowed. His hand still cupped her shoulder, his thumb stroking little circles on her skin. It felt good, and for some reason that fact annoyed her.

She raised her head and stared him in the face. “I am not dumb. And if you don’t get your hands off me, you will be very, very sorry.”

Thank God!

Relief washed over her in waves. She could speak. He didn’t appear quite so impressed. Regan realized she’d been less than polite, which was rude considering how he’d cared for her. But at his touch, all her defenses had risen to the surface.

A resigned expression crossed his features. “I knew it was too good to last.”

He held the chain up by one finger. The crystal swung gently, glinting as it caught the light from the lamp. “So, what is this thing?”

“Nothingyouneed worry about.”

His eyes narrowed. “You know, I really did like you better before.”

And she had an idea he was going to like her even less soon. She focused on the crystal, searched her mind for the right words, and muttered a spell of destruction. The crystal shattered. He jumped to his feet, dropping the chain to the floor.

“What the hell was that?”

She didn’t answer. The spell had left her exhausted, which shouldn’t happen. Hopefully, it was temporary, and she would soon regain her full powers. She rested her head against the wall behind her and looked at him. “I want to go home.”

He studied her face, a slight frown on his own. “You sound calm. You do understand what happened, don’t you? Back there in the forest.”

A wave of fury washed over her. “Yes, I know what happened. I was bitten by a freaking werewolf.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Well at least you know what to expect. I’m not going to have to deal with a whole load of female hysterics when you discover you’re going to turn furry once a month.”

His words brought her up short.

She’d forgotten that bit.

How the hell could she have forgotten that bit?

Then she remembered Ethan’s words out in the forest, just before he’d turned into a creature from hell and bitten her—“you’re going to be one of us,” he’d said.

“No way,” she muttered.

He regarded her coolly. “You won’t have any choice. It’s too late. It was too late from the moment you were bitten.” He got to his feet and looked down at her. “Learn to live with it.”

No choice? She didn’t do “no choice.” In her world, there was always a choice. Granted, the options weren’t always good, but anything was better than that. She just had to find the right spell at the right price, but she would find a way out of this.

“Do you know what I am?” she asked.