Page 16 of Destined Dawn

“Fine,” I say, uncurling myself and striding towards the door. Maybe this is my best chance to let him out. Who knows if we’ll still be here in 24 hours, who knows if I’ll have another chance? And here, I can lose myself in the prairie land, get myself as far away from Rhi and the others as possible, then I can transform and hope the beast doesn’t come charging straight back here to pounce on her.

When I reach the front door, I halt, realizing Rhianna is standing right behind me.

“What are you doing?”

“Coming with you.”

What the fuck? Is she insane? The house is safe – for now – fortified and hidden by the spells the others have cast. Stepping outside is dangerous; stepping outside with a werebeast is crazy.

I go to tell her all that but she beats me to it.

“I want to see. I want to watch you transform.”

I stare at her. She is crazy. Totally crazy.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“I’m … curious.”

My mouth falls open.

“You know curiosity killed the cat?”

“Spencer, you’re my fated mate and you’ve kept this part of you hidden from me. I want to see it. I want to understand.”

“It’s not pretty, Rhianna,” I say. It’s agony to endure the morphing of my body, bones snapping and reforming, skin straining and stretching. I remember the first time I saw my dad transform. I must have been really small, barely able to walk. He’d lost control and changed in front of me and the sight of it had left me screaming in terror, unable to sleep for weeks despite my mother’s reassurance that it was just papa, that he was okay.

Do I want to give Rhi another reason to shun me?

She shrugs. “I think the beast is kind of pretty.”

I laugh because that definitely is the craziest shit I’ve ever heard. Not that the beast seems to agree, in fact, I can feel him puffing up with pride at the compliment.

“Pretty? Most people wouldn’t consider a werebeast pretty.”

“I’m not most people.”

And ain’t that the truth.

I try changing tactics. “The others will kill me if they find out I let you anywhere near the beast.”

“That isn’t how this is going to work. You – all of you – don’t get to say what I can and can’t do.” And there’s that lift of the chin again, the hard stare, informing me just how determined she is.

I stare right back at her. I don’t like this idea – it scares me shitless – but it also turns me the fuck on. The fact she, my mate, wants to see this. Wants to see me in all my rawbrutality. It’s irresistible, especially when the beast wants it too.

“Okay,” I say, “okay. But we need to be careful.” I glance towards the kitchen where the conversation is continuing. “You need to keep your distance and if–”

“If the beast tries anything I don’t like, I’ll blast him straight to hell,” she says with a grin.

“Fine, let’s go.” I take her hand in mine and pull her through the doorway. On the path, she hesitates, her eyes scanning the landscape.

“You think someone’s here?” I ask her, pausing too.

“No, I’d be able to sense them if they were.”

I huff in amusement. “You’re a tracker.”

“Uh huh.”