She thought about that for a moment. If she lived forever, she was bound to get the animal keeper job. But then, she couldn’t go into the light of day. It might be kind of difficult to work only at night.
Rogar came toward her. Good, because she was about to lay into him. He would regret ever turning her. Bleh, she was not about to drink blood to stay alive.
He stooped and picked up the rabbit, except she knew he was picking her up.
“I know things are confusing right now, but it will all get easier in time.”
What the hell was he talking about?
“You make a cute rabbit,” he said.
Rabbit? Rabbit! She’d shifted into a freakin’ rabbit? That was her guide? Hey guide, I don’t want to be a rabbit. If I’m going to be anything, I want to be a sexy animal. Rabbits were anything but sexy.
Oh, this was fantastic. Didn’t jaguars eat rabbits? Rogar had probably wanted her to change form so he could have a late-night snack.
She didn’t want to be a rabbit. She wanted to be Callie again.
“To change back, you only need to think about who you were before the change,” he said as if he sensed her thoughts.
Okay, she could do this because she damned well didn’t want to stay a friggin’ bunny. What would that accomplish? That she could be the life of the party leading the bunny hop? That she could have hundreds of baby bunnies? That sex would be really quick—wham, bam, thank you ma’am? Actually, that pretty well summed up her sex life now.
Nope, she was changing back ASAP. She willed her eyes, the rabbit’s eyes, to close. She thought about driving the Jaguar home and feeling the wind on her face, working at the zoo, how Mrs. Winkle would flip out if she realized Callie not only had a rabbit in the house, but a two-hundred-pound sleek muscled black jaguar.
I want to be Callie again, she thought to herself. I want to be Callie. I want to be Callie.
The fog once again rolled in and she began to change.
Everything went black.
Callie stretched her limbs. Her body ached. A burning sensation slammed her gut. She arched her back, moaning. There was pain, but not severe enough that she couldn’t stand it.
She didn’t hear the voices this time. Only soothing words coming from Rogar as he helped her to return.
God, she was so tired. As though she’d just run a ten-mile marathon.
“Callie?” Rogar whispered close to her ear.
She realized he was sitting on her bed, and she was on his lap. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. A myriad of emotions washed over her. “You weren’t lying. I’m part Symtarian.” She hiccupped.
“No, I wasn’t lying to you.”
“But I don’t want to be a bunny rabbit. I want to be something exotic.”
She could feel the rumble of laughter in his chest.
“It’s not funny. And I didn’t hear any kind of guide talking to me, either.”
“Callie, you surprise and mystify me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He sighed. “I remember the first time I took another form. It terrified me.”
“Yeah, well, it scared the crap out of me.” She frowned. Literally, actually. That was so embarrassing. Rabbit pellets on her floor. “I still didn’t hear my guide.”
“It’s because you haven’t found each other yet. Sometimes it takes awhile for you to connect.”
“Then I’m not a bunny?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When you take the form of your guide, then you will have a more solid connection with body, mind, and spirit.”
Good, she was glad she probably wouldn’t be a bunny. It seemed rather demeaning. Not that she had anything against bunny rabbits. They were cute and cuddly—when they weren’t dropping pellets all over the floor.
She sighed. “Shapeshifting hurts.”
“Are you in pain?”
She shook her head. “Not anymore.”
Callie could hear Rogar’s heart beat through his shirt. It soothed away her fears. The warmth from the heat of his body enveloped her in a warm cocoon. It was cozy. She snuggled closer, feeling safe and protected for the first time in her life.
It scared the hell out of her.
A cool draft of air brushed over her from the bedroom window that she always left cracked open just a bit. Her eyebrows drew together as she realized something else.
“I’m naked, aren’t I?”
“Quite naked.”
Chapter 7
“It’s all right,” Rogar said.
“No, it’s not okay that I don’t have clothes on,” Callie told him.
“But I’ve already seen your body. I’ve felt it next to mine. You should be proud of how you look.” He still couldn’t understand why nakedness bothered her so much. Right now, it bothered him, but in a whole different way.
She leaned a little away from him, attempting to cover her breasts. “Well, it does bother me, a lot. I hardly know you.” She sniffed.
He tried not to laugh, but he lost the battle.
“It’s not funny,” she complained.
He sobered. “You’re right, it isn’t.”
She was so beautiful. The moonlight was the only light in the room, but it cast her in mysterious shadows and wavering soft lights.
And he couldn’t resist. He didn’t even try. It was the nature of the beast inside him. He lowered his mouth to her lips, wanting to taste her one more time, then he would let her get dressed, as much as he hated the notion of her covering that magnificent body.
She stiffened, then slowly began to relax against him. Her lips were soft, then she shyly opened them; her tongue explored his mouth, cautiously caressed him. Her touch was innocent and bold at the same time.
One kiss, then he would stop.
But he’d forgotten about the heat that radiated from her lush body or that it would quickly ignite the flames of his desires. When she tangled her fingers in his hair, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop at just a kiss.
Callie gasped when he cupped her bare breast, but she didn’t pull away or tell him to stop. He ran his thumb over her nipple. She moaned.
He ended the kiss, lowering his head until he could take her breast in his mouth. She cried out, arching her back, when he sucked, gently tugging her nipple with his teeth.
She was driving him wild with need. His body ached to fill her, to plunge deep inside, and test the heat within.
He laid her back on the bed. She scooted up farther, and he wondered if she would tell him to leave. By the ancient saints, by the gods and goddesses, it would drive him insane if she were to send him away without the release he sorely needed. Many a weaker man had been driven insane when they didn’t get fulfillment. Their race was a race that survived only by controlling the warring emotions inside them, keeping their animal instincts reigned in. It wasn’t always possible.
His eyes narrowed as he tried to read what she was thinking. Would she save him from going mad with lust, or cast him away?
Callie opened her arms. “Make love to me.”
A low growl emitted from deep in his throat as his gaze moved over her naked body. He hadn’t dared look too closely when he didn’t know the outcome. What if she had turned away from him?
She was beautiful, her breasts full, nipples tight. The curls at the juncture of her legs hid what he wanted to touch, to taste, but not for long. Soon, he would part her legs. He would listen to her sweet voice beg for more.
He swallowed hard, and slipped off his jacket. She watched him, her gaze drinking in every one of his movements. He intentionally slowed as he unbuttoned his shirt, then let it fall to the floor.
She drew in a deep breath when he reached for the button on his slacks and pushed it through, then drew the zipper down. Her eyes widened in anticipation. He kicked out of his slacks, then hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his briefs.