Do not say another word to him or I’ll tear out his throat. Understand?

She pressed her lips together, a small whimper escaping. Never had she felt more helpless or scared. She had no idea what to do.

“Is he threatening you?” Aden asked, soft but fierce. Not waiting for her reply, he raised his blades, the silver tips gleaming menacingly in the sunlight. “C’mere, big boy, and we’ll see if you like playing with someone more your size.”

My pleasure.

“No!” she shouted as the wolf leapt forward. Aden met him midair. Only, they didn’t collide. Aden disappeared. Actually disappeared. There one moment, gone the next.

The wolf fell to the ground, twitching, moaning. Both blades thumped uselessly beside him. Mary Ann rushed to his side, unsure of what had happened or how to react. Maybe she was in shock. There was no blood, so he hadn’t been cut.

With a shaky arm, she reached out and brushed her palm against his muzzle. Why are you touching him? common sense shouted. Run! She stayed put, her concern greater than her sense of survival. “Are you okay?”

His eyes popped open, no longer green but laced with all the colors Aden’s eyes sometimes possessed. He jolted to his feet, unsteady, swaying. Slowly he backed away from her.

When he passed the line of trees, he swung around and ran.

SEVEN

I SAW HER. SAW THE GIRL.

Me, too.

Did you recognize her? I know I’ve seen her before.

Sorry, Eve, but I didn’t.

Aden wanted to scream. There was too much noise in his head, so much he could barely process it. The glide of wind against the trees, the high-pitched chirps of nearby birds. The buzz of locusts, the song of the crickets. The croaks of the frogs.

Grunting, he forced the wolf’s big body into motion. It was hard, moving his front legs in sync with his back legs, but he managed it, only stumbling a few times. He’d never overtaken the form of an animal before and wasn’t sure he was doing it right. But there was no time to stop and ponder how to go about it. If he didn’t hurry, he would be late. And if he was late, Dan would not allow him to attend school tomorrow.

How did you do that? the wolf snarled, his voice joining the clamor of the others. Get out of my head! Out of my body!

The creature knew he was there. Could feel him. That had never happened before, either. He would have thought the animal’s more primitive mind unable to process the human language. For the most part, at least.

I’m not an animal, curse you.

What are you? he thought.

Wolf. Man. Werewolf. Now get out of me!

A…shape-shifter?

Aden hadn’t known such things existed. Not in reality. Considering what he himself could do, he probably should have. Made him wonder what else was out there. Legends told of vampires, dragons, monsters and all kinds of other creatures.

Out! Now!

Even with those infuriated snarls, the run soon proved to be invigorating. Strengthening. Air danced through his fur, caressing all the way to the hair shaft. His gaze plowed the distance as though it were insignificant, taking in every detail, nothing missed. Colors were more vivid, and dust motes…wow. They were like snowflakes, glittering all around him.

I’ll rip out your throat for this.

Still he kept moving, warm air sawing in and out of his nose. His lungs expanded, holding more oxygen than he was used to. It spurred him into a faster sprint, nails clawing at the ground. Scents were strong, nearly overpowering. Pine and dirt, a dead animal a few yards away. A deer, he somehow knew. He could hear the flies buzzing around the carcass.

I’ll bathe in your blood, human. That is not a threat but a promise.

Again, the wolf’s threats—promises—blended with that of his still-chattering companions. Caleb was apologizing for flinging him inside the body, Eve was asking about Mary Ann, concerned for her, and Julian and Elijah were begging him to be careful. Why hadn’t Mary Ann sent them into that black hole this time? Aden had approached her, yet he’d still heard them. And he’d known thanks to Elijah—the soul’s power had to be increasing as he’d suspected—that if he failed to stop the wolf, the creature would stalk her through this very forest one day, racing after her as she cried.

Mary Ann…

What would she think of him now? She knew he was different, that he could do things others could not. There was no denying it after what had happened. Maybe she would understand. She had spoken to the wolf, after all. Maybe, like Aden, she knew things that others did not. That would also explain how she was—sometimes—able to quiet the voices.

—vision is changing. He’s going to hurt you the moment you exit his body, Elijah was saying. Kill you.

Yeah, Aden knew that. He also knew he’d be too weak to defend himself. There was only one thing he could do to save himself. He’d done it before, when he’d entered the body of a kid attacking him. He hated to do it, but there was no other way.

When the ranch came into view, he finally slowed, then stopped at the edge of the trees.

You can’t stay in here forever. The wolf snarled, and Aden couldn’t stop the sound from emerging. Can you? Can you! Much more, and they would be foaming at the mouth.

Aden glanced around the area, but didn’t see anything that would help him do what needed to be done.

There was another way, he thought with a sigh. He sat on his haunches and extended one back leg. He peered down at it. The muscles were bunched, the fur glistening like black diamonds.

No, Eve said, realizing what was about to happen. Don’t do it.

I have to, Aden thought. His stomach churned with nausea. There was no time to steel himself against the pain he was about to inflict. Forever wouldn’t have been long enough to prepare. He simply bared the wolf’s teeth and, with another vicious snarl, lunged at the leg. Those sharp fangs sank past that muscle and hit bone.

There was a scream inside his head, a grunt, several moans. Everyone felt the bite, the agonizing pain spreading like wildfire, affecting every organ it touched.

What the hell are you doing? the wolf shouted. Stop. Stop!

Maintaining that razored grip, firming his jaw, he jerked back. Warm, metallic-flavored liquid poured into his mouth, down his throat, and wet his fur. He gagged.

More screams, more moans.

Aden panted as the wolf’s body sagged to the grass. The pain was immobilizing, just as he’d intended. Now when he left, he would not be followed or attacked.

It took every ounce of his mental strength to reach out of the animal’s body, insubstantial hand solidifying and gripping the nearest tree root. The grip, though weak, held and he was able to tug himself out.

Aden lay there for a moment, stunned, trying to catch his breath. Move. Move! His human body refused to obey. He was no longer inside that mangled form, but his mind—or his companions—didn’t care. They all knew what had been done and could feel the residual effects. His muscles were clamped down on his bones, holding him immobile.

The silver lining: adrenaline began crashing through him, trying to combat the “pain,” giving him strength. Finally he was able to roll to his side. The wolf, he saw, lay exactly as he’d left him, leg extended, blood coating the wound, his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” Aden said, and it was the truth. “I couldn’t allow you to attack me.”

Green eyes glared over at him, glazed with pain and fury.

Aden lumbered to his feet, swayed as a wave of dizziness swept through him. “I have to check in with the head of the house and then I’ll come back with bandages.”

A low howl promised retribution if he returned. Didn’t matter. He was coming back. He stumbled his way to the bunkhouse and climbed through the window to his bedroom. Weak as he was, as little time as he had, he just couldn’t deal with the dregs. All windows here were wired to a security system, but it was only switched on at night. Plus, Aden had long since cut and rewired the one in his room so that it never triggered the alarm (but looked like it would, just in case Dan decided to check.)

He had his own bathroom and downed a glass of water, then washed his face. Thankfully, there was no blood on his shirt, just dirt and grass stains. His face was completely devoid of color, his hair disheveled and laced with twigs.

He stuffed several bandages and a tube of antibiotic cream in a bag and chucked it out the window. He followed it, plucking the twigs from his hair. After he’d hidden it under rocks, he made his way to the main house.

Dan was sitting on the porch, Sophia sleeping at his feet. The window behind him was open, and through it he could hear the sounds of pots and pans banging together. Meg, Mrs. Reeves, was cooking. A peach pie, from the smell of it. Aden’s mouth watered. The peanut butter sandwich he’d had for lunch was only a fond memory right now.

How could Dan betray that woman? Eve asked on a disgusted sigh. She’s a treasure.

Who cares? Caleb exclaimed. We’ve got stuff to do.

Eve huffed. I care. Cheating is wrong.

How bad would it look if he shouted, “Shut up!” Aden wondered.

The moment Dan spotted Aden, he checked his wristwatch and nodded with satisfaction. “Right on time.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Aden said, trying not to pant from fatigue. “Wanted to tell you how I did.”

“I know how you did. The school called.”

What? Had they complained about—

“Said you aced the tests,” Dan finished.

Thank God. He nodded, knowing he should have been smiling but unable to manage it. He felt as if he were standing center stage, a spotlight trained on him, highlighting the signs of his run with—as—the wolf. Or rather, werewolf. It was weird to think like that, shape-shifter versus animal.

“I’m proud of you, Aden. I hope you know that.”

Throughout his life, he’d disappointed people, confused them, embarrassed them and angered them. Dan’s praise was…nice. “Th-thank you.” How could Dan be so wonderful and yet, as Eve was still grumbling about, so slimy?

“Have you seen Shannon? He hasn’t made it back yet.”