Psy & Changelings 01 - Slave to Sensation

strain. It was her. She was so angry with him for what he’d done and he felt it. How could he not? He was bonded with her. She watched him pick up Roman and let the cub claw playfully at his T-shirted chest, and knew she had to give up the anger.
    How long did they have left? One month, maybe two. Her man was extraordinary and he knew how to love, how to feel, how to fight for his mate with every emotion he had in him. If he hadn’t fought so hard, if he hadn’t forced her hand, he wouldn’t be the man she adored so hopelessly.
    â€œI love you, Lucas,” she whispered.
    His eyes turned cat-green. “No more claws, kitten?”
    She shook her head. “I’m so glad for you.”
    He looked like he wanted to walk over and kiss her till she begged for mercy. Except they had two squirming cubs in their arms. Looking at each other, they started to laugh. Started to live.
    That night, she asked him to change for her. Without a word, he stripped off his clothing and the world turned into a multicolored shimmer. It was so beautiful, she felt her heart stop. She blinked and when she opened her eyes, a huge hunting cat lay on the bed beside her.
    Despite the fact that she knew this was Lucas, she was a little scared. But not enough to miss the chance. Holding her breath, she ran her fingers through his silky black fur. There was nothing she could compare the sensation to. Bonded as they were, she’d felt him run, felt his joy in the wind and the forests, felt the panther just . . . be. But never had she touched the animal in him so intimately.
    When he made a sound that was incredibly close to a purr, she started to laugh. “You like being petted whether you’re in human or panther form.”
    The panther snapped his teeth at her and, under her hands, light shimmered. Heart in her throat, she remained perfectly immobile until Lucas lay naked beside her, the exotic tattoo on his upper arm a reminder of the wildness within. “Wow.”
    â€œOf course. I’m the most beautiful creature you’ve ever seen.” A smug smile.
    Laughing, she let him tease her, let him teach her how to grasp the moment, how to love without fear or guilt, how to just be .
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    â€œSomething’s wrong,” she said to him a month later.
    He put his hand on her breast under the sheet and threw one leg over hers. “What?” His voice was a purr in the darkness.
    Already, her body was heating up for his. “I’ve never felt better. You’re the same. Every single physical symptom I had is gone and I don’t think they’re going to reappear.”
    â€œThat’s a problem?” His amusement was obvious. On her breast, his hand moved in easy circles.
    She let her senses surrender, melting for him. “I’m serious. You shouldn’t be able to keep my mind . . . fed, and function so well yourself.”
    He stopped caressing her and slid his hand down to her ribs. She knew he’d heard the seriousness in her tone. “Do you think it’s the calm before the storm?”
    â€œNo. It should be a gradual drain.” She stared up at the ceiling, where leaves crawled across the space. Lucas had no problem with the forest taking over his home and she was starting to accept it, too, though she did get the occasional urge to make everything spotless. “Will you mind if I go searching in our minds?” It was the first time she’d asked for that since that initial moment of utter unity.
    â€œYou know everything there is to know, kitten.”
    â€œI’m not sorry Tammy told me,” she said, mutinous. They’d finally talked about his family several days ago and she’d held her Hunter as he remembered. Those wounds were scars but not the kind that twisted—his scars had a place on his soul. They were a marker of those he’d lost.
    He growled against her neck and rubbed the stubble of his beard on her sensitive skin. “I didn’t think so. The two of you are too damn close.” There was no anger in him. “Search.”
    Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and unconsciously shifted her body until she was almost covered by him. Body and mind in tune. When she opened her mind’s eye on the psychic level and peeked out, she didn’t see the starry plane she was used to. Nor did she see empty darkness. Instead, she saw a web. At the center of the web was Lucas’s light, so bright it was