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CALLIE

Flames lick up the stone walls of the castle, the crackle and roar filling my mind. The shadows of people walk behind the flames, not touching me but close enough to give me pause. I don't want to be here, I think, my heart racing. I want to be safe and away from the shadowy people, but I can't get to the others.

"Will?" I cry. "Hank? James?" My throat burns from the dryness of the fire.

They can't hear me; they won't find me.

Still, I shout their names again and again, my panic building.

A man starts to laugh. I look around me in a panic but see no one through the flames... and then a shape appears. For some reason, just the shadowy outline is enough to make my stomach drop, and then he walks through the flames. The King.

He stands just as before. An uninteresting man of average height and build with neatly styled hair and dark eyes. And yet, it isn’t his appearance that frightens me; it’s the darkness that cloaks him like a cape. It’s the sense of wrongness, of evil , that sends every nerve in my body screaming to life.

My muscles tense. An ancient instinct to fight or run makes my body shake. I wait for my cat to take over. She always does when I'm scared. But nothing happens. It's like she isn't interested in the situation. I search around inside me, looking for any sense of the cat who normally lurks within me.

A shiver moves down my spine. She's not there.

"Please?" I whisper. "I could use you now."

Still, nothing.

"Did you really think you could escape me?" the king asks with amusement in his voice.

I already have. I got away. We both did. We set fire to his courtyard and ran as fast as we could.

Then my cat had taken over. Where is she now? I was her only a few hours ago.

And how have I ended up back in the castle? I search my memories, but don’t find any answers.

The king laughs, almost comically maniacal, as his face and voice warp into that of an old woman. The same one who had been with the firemen. Who is she? And why does she seem familiar to me? Possibly I've seen her around town. No, that's not it. She’s more familiar than a passing face.

I rack my brain for any kind of clue.

No. Wait. I should be focusing on the fire.

Everything turns blurry. The edges haze and become nothing more than a mess of color. What do I do now? How do I stop this from happening?

I rock myself back and forth, feeling a cool breeze brush against my skin. The tang of salt only adds to my confusion.

What is going on?

It smells like the sea. But there’s no water around the castle. Not close enough to smell it so sharply. If anything, the building seems to be cordoned off from the whole world by magic. Will and I escaped through a portal. I remember it clearly.

Why can I smell the sea?

Darkness descends, and I realize my eyes are closed. I don't remember closing them.

I try and force them open, but the haze doesn't lift. Something is wrong here. Something I have no control over and want to be rid of.

Now, what do I do?

I try to wave an arm around but don't hit anything.

It's okay. You're safe.

The fire is gone. So is the castle and the old woman-king, leaving me with nothing but darkness.

Safe .

I repeat the word in my head, hoping I'll believe it at some point as I force my eyes open. Bright light burns into them, and I squeeze them shut again.

Taking it slower this time, I blink. From how bright the light is, I think it's afternoon. But that doesn't help me figure out how much time has passed because I haven’t had a handle on the time since being locked in the castle with Will.

The scent of salt is stronger, and hearing the screech of seagulls accompanying it must mean I'm by the sea. Finally, the world seems to shift into focus, and I realize I’m staring up at… I squint to focus my eyes. Wooden slats? What could that mean? And then it hits me: the wooden slats above me are most likely part of the pier!

I’m at the pier! I’m relieved to have some sense of where I am after the strange things I went through yesterday. Today? Damn it. When is it now?

Even though I could think of a hell of a lot of better places my cat could’ve brought me after being in the magical world and with the dangerous witches. Within me, something stirs, a familiar troublemaker.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask my cat, trying not to sound too irritated.

Now that I'm awake, I can sense her again. I don't know why she wasn't with me in the dream. I don't think I've ever dreamed of losing her before. It was a strange feeling. Not one I liked as much as I had thought I would.

I shake my head, ridding myself of the echoes of sleep. It's just my mind trying to process the events of the past day or so. Nothing more than that. I shouldn't dwell on it too much, or I'll risk going crazy.

Maybe I already am .

I shiver, the coolness of the air registering on my naked skin. The fire from my dream doesn't seem completely unwelcome any longer. But I can hear the faint sound of voices, so leaving the protection of the pier is out. I don't want anyone to see me naked.

Too late for that; those firemen have caught an eyeful already .

I push the thought aside. Unless they're planning to show up now, then there's no use thinking about the men. They probably freaked out after my cat took over and aren't even looking for me. They won’t trust me at all now.

And I was starting to like them. Even Will.

Tears pool in the corners of my eyes, but I push them away. Now isn't the time. And more importantly, nothing is wrong. Night isn't too far off. I can use the darkness to run off without being caught. In theory.

"Callie?" A distant voice calls.

My eyes widen. Is that...no, it can't be Will. He won't be searching for me. None of them will, not after what they saw.

"Callie?" His voice is closer this time.

I frown and scramble to my feet. A lone figure weaves down the beach as if he's searching for someone.

Is it just my mind playing tricks on me? Wishful thinking?

I normally don't like being wrong, but in this case, I'll embrace the state with my entire being and even go as far as celebrating it. Will, Hank, and James are the only people who would understand my situation right now and actually be able to help me get out of here.

But I’m not that lucky, am I?

"Callie?" He's almost at the pier now.

"Will?" My voice comes out as a croak. Oh, right. I haven't had any water all day. That'll do wonders for destroying a voice.

I cough, trying to clear the dryness in my throat.

"Will?" His name comes out stronger this time.

The figure stops moving and glances around. He heard me.

Excitement fills my heart. This is a chance for me to get home earlier than nightfall. If he has clothes with him.

"Callie?"

"Here," I croak, the word barely audible.

His head swivels in my direction. He shouldn't have been able to hear that over the crashing waves. No normal person could.

But Will's not normal. Just like you.

Which is why he's out looking for me. The guys don't care that I'm different. Far from it. To them, I'm probably normal.

"The pier," I whisper, hoping he’ll hear it.

He rushes over, ducking under the wooden shelter and almost banging his head in the process.

"It's you." His shoulders visibly relax, but he doesn't slow down. Instead, he rushes toward me and bundles me into his arms.

His lips touch mine. It's not what I expected, but my body knows how it wants to respond. I moan into his mouth and press against him, reassured by the sudden feel of his body on mine.

I break away, the dryness in my throat becoming too much for me.

"Oh, Callie, I'm so sorry.”

"You don't need to be sorry," I murmur. "Especially not if you have water."

"I do." He pulls a bottle out of the bag at his side, followed by a chocolate bar and a banana, and holds them out to me.

I take the water first, unscrewing the top and chugging it down. "Why do you have all this stuff with you?" I ask. My voice already sounds stronger to me.

Will chuckles. "I'm a fireman; it's ingrained in me to carry around emergency food and water, especially when looking for someone."

I nod. That makes sense. "I don't suppose you have any clothes in that bag too?"

His eyes widen in horror. "I'm so sorry, we didn't think about that part of this." He drops his bag to the floor and shrugs out of his shirt, handing it to me while trying not to look at my breasts. The way he's doing it just draws more attention to his gaze than if he'd carried on like he had been before.

"You can look," I say, already in the process of buttoning up the shirt.

"Sorry, I didn't mean?—"

"You already kissed me," I point out. "What's the harm in a little staring." I wink at him, feeling almost giddy to have him here with me now.

He clears his throat, which I know has nothing to do with a lack of water and everything to do with getting caught. Smugness fills me. My attraction to him shouldn't be the first thing on my mind right now, but I can't help it. I’ve just had a rough night, and a shirtless firefighter seems like the perfect way to improve my day and my mood.

"If you got an eyeful of me, do I get one of you?" I ask, wiggling my eyebrows as I reach for the banana.

The moment it's peeled, I regret the decision. There's no way to eat a banana that doesn't look like porn. And with the attention Will is paying to me, he's not going to miss a single bite.

Do I make it more sexy just cause he's watching?

I bite the top of the banana, and he groans.

"I might need to turn away while you eat that," he whispers hoarsely.

My only answer is to slide my lips down the banana again. Now that I'm feeling less abandoned, I'm starting to have some fun.

"That should be illegal," he protests.

I swallow my mouthful. "Then take me back to your firehouse and lock me in a cell."

"We don't have cells."

"But you have handcuffs, right?" I'm not sure where this side of me is coming from. Maybe nearly dying has this effect on people. I'm not sure. The only thing I'm certain of is that it's fun to tease him, and I’m happy to be alive. Those feelings are coming out as desire for some reason.

"Callie..." he warns.

Boots tramp over the pier ahead, and the two of us share a worried glance.

"She must be around here. Find her," a voice commands. He doesn’t sound any older than fifteen, but something about it strikes fear within me.

I don't need him to tell me it’s the witches. Deep down, I already know.

I hand the half-eaten banana back to him, no longer hungry.

"What do we do now?" I whisper in a voice so soft I can barely hear it.

He opens his arms, and I step into them. The shirt offers more protection than my naked skin did, but it still isn't enough to squash the fear. A shiver rips down my spine, and I bury my face in Will’s neck.

He tightens his arms around me. "We wait until nightfall. That was your plan anyway, right?"

"How did you know?" Our voices are hushed, neither of us wanting to alert the witches.

"You were hidden here, naked," he points out. "Unless you were going to shift and then run back in your cat form?"

I purse my lips. Can I tell him the truth about my situation?

Before I can say anything, he pulls away. Anxious, I almost cry when I realize he's sitting down so we can get more comfortable.

I take a seat between his legs, his long shirt offering me plenty of protection from the sand, and lean back against his chest. His arms wrap around me, and I close my eyes, enjoying the closeness, the comfort.

"I don't know how to make a shift happen," I admit quietly.

He’s quiet for a minute, his fingertips gliding lightly along my arms. "There are people who can teach you," he responds. "We can search for one of them and see if they can help."

I twist around so I can see his face, surprised to find an earnest expression waiting for me. He means it.

But can I accept the help? I've been on my own for so long that it's almost impossible for me to imagine being part of a team. Maybe Will is the first part of that.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"You're welcome."

"Even if I could have shifted, you wouldn’t have been able to," I point out.

He chuckles. "I wouldn't, but the witches are pretty confident about places they can find me. You on the other hand…"

I nod, catching on to what he’s getting at. "They have no idea about me other than that I was with you."

"But now you've seen the inside of their hideout. You can't be allowed to live."

"Yes. They said words to that effect." They've been playing through my mind since we left.

"Why do you smell like you're human?" Will blurts. "Nothing about you says you're a shifter."

"I don't know." Personally, I don't think I am a shifter. From everything I've read in books and online, I would have more control if I was.

"Haven't you ever tried to find out?"

"What do you think I'm doing here?" I take in a deep breath, his scent filling me as I do. He's comforting, more so than I imagined possible.

"It explains a lot."

We lapse into silence, enough for the hunger to set back in. I eat the rest of the banana, and we share the chocolate bar and the remaining water. Saving some for later in the evening might be wise, but I'm hoping dusk isn't too far away.

My cat stirs inside me again, but she's not ready to take over. She's just letting me know she's there, and she approves of Will.

I chuckle to myself at the thought of waking up after my cat had taken me to Will's bed.

"What's so funny?"

To tell him, or not?

"Just thinking about your bed."

The orange hues of sunset stream through the gaps in the wooden pier, but that doesn't matter to me right now, not with how easily I can feel Will thinking about his bed.

I shift around, sitting on my knees so we're face to face. He doesn't wait for me to make the next move. His hand cups my cheek, and he pulls me closer. Our lips meet, and scorching heat rips through my body, just like it did before we got caught. Only this time, we're not going to have to stop.

His hand tangles in my hair while his other slides up my leg and cups my ass. I moan and rock into him, hyper-aware that I'm wearing only his shirt, and his muscled torso is only separated from my greedy hands by his thin, white tank top. I tug at the bottom of it, and he lifts up so I can remove it, throwing it to the side.

This is reckless. Hasty. And not at all like me. I have no problem with meaningless sex, but this doesn't feel the same as the one-night stands I've had in the past. This will mean more.

Will growls and flips us so my back hits the sand.

I'm going to find grains for weeks .

And yet, I'm not going to regret it.

He breaks our kiss, but his lips don't leave my skin. They brush against everything they can reach. My neck, my collarbones, and across to the tops of my breasts, which are now exposed as his shirt falls open.

"Callie," he whispers against my skin.

My eyes flutter closed as his fingers dance up the inside of my leg.

"Touch me," I rasp. "Please."

Will doesn't hesitate and nudges my legs apart. His hand trails up the inside of my thigh, and the most delicious shiver runs through me. I grasp the back of his neck and pull him back into a kiss as his fingers explore my entrance.

I buck against him, but he doesn't give in to me. Instead, he draws his fingers back and forth, teasing me and sending me higher into a state of bliss. As he moves his hands, my desire works into a frenzy. If I didn’t get a release soon, I’d explode into a million pieces.

The moment he slips his fingers inside, I tip my head back and let out a guttural moan. It's no longer me in control of my body—or my cat. He has me completely at his mercy, and I don't even care.

Will pulls back so he can look at my face as his thumb rubs against my clit, and it’s all I can do to keep myself from falling apart in his arms. Pleasure coils in my belly. I don't think I've ever considered danger an aphrodisiac before, but right now, it seems that way.

"Will," I whimper.

He puts more pressure on my clit. Stars dance behind my eyes.

"More, please, more." I have no idea what words I'm saying, just that my mouth is creating words and sounds of pleasure.

Will leans in and nips the soft skin above my breasts.

It's too much. The pleasure wants to be released, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. My whole body shudders, but Will doesn't let up. Nor do I want him to. I need more. This is never going to be enough.

My whole world turns black as the pleasure racks through me. I think I cry out Will's name, but being sure of that would involve control of myself.

I come back down to earth before I'm ready, but Will catches me in a searing kiss that distracts me. Another moan slips from me.

"Can we get ice cream?" a child's voice cuts through my orgasm-induced haze.

Eek. Maybe not words I should be thinking in the same breath.

We both freeze, our gazes locking.

And then we laugh. Huge, bellowing laughs that we can’t stop. It's safe to say there won't be more orgasms while we're still under the pier.

"It's almost dark; we should be getting back," Will says.

"Is that normally what you say after making a woman call out your name like that?" Damn. How many times has he done that before? Surprisingly, all the practice he’s had doesn’t bother me. It’s made him good at it.

He chuckles. "Definitely not. But we'll have more privacy back at the firehouse."

"Mmhmm." Somehow, I doubt that's true, but children being around always ruins the mood. At least, according to every parent I’d ever known.

"Fine, let's go. But I owe you an orgasm."

"Believe me, I plan to collect," he responds dryly.

Oh, Will. I hope you do.