During the last full moon she’d discovered that she was one of us and that Lucas Wilde was her destined mate. I can’t imagine how frightening it would be to have so little time to prepare. We Shifters can’t control the first transformation. When the full moon rises, our bodies react to its call. But now Kayla sat at the table with the others.
The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is usually a time when as many of our kind as possible come together to celebrate our existence. But this year a pall hung over us as we gathered at Wolford, a village hidden deep within a huge national forest near the Canadian border. All that remained there of what had once been a vibrant community were a few small buildings and the massive, mansionlike structure that serves as the home of the elders who rule over us. The residence also houses most of us when we’re here for the solstice celebration.
We’ve always been a secret society. Even though we have lived among the rest of the world, we show our true selves only to each other. But recently, we discovered that Lucas’s older brother had betrayed us by telling someone in the outside world about our existence. Now some scientists who work for a medical research company called Bio-Chrome were determined to capture us and discover what makes us tick—or more important, what makes us transform. They wanted to patent this ability, develop it, and use it for their own financial gain. But being dissected and studied wasn’t how any of us wanted to spend our summer vacation.
Although we hadn’t seen any signs of Bio-Chrome scientists since Lucas and Kayla had escaped from their clutches, none of us believed they’d given up their quest so easily. We were all on edge because we could sense an impending confrontation—the way animals sense a coming storm. Nature had made us attuned to danger. It was the reason we hadn’t gone the way of the dinosaur.
Brittany was right. I needed to keep calm. I had to stop thinking about that crazy dream and pay more attention to the discussion at the table. Unfortunately as my gaze wandered around the group, it slammed into Rafe’s. He was watching me with an intensity that made me think he knew about my unsettling dream. His dark eyes held a challenge, dared me not to look away, tempted me to risk getting caught staring at him instead of concentrating on protecting us from Bio-Chrome. At that particular moment, though, I didn’t believe any scientist was more dangerous to me than Rafe.
He studied me with single-minded purpose. I could almost feel the touch of his gaze on my skin. I knew I should look away, but I didn’t want to lose this powerful connection. I’d never felt anything quite this intense before. The edges of my vision blurred; the words being spoken came to me distorted, as though I were underwater. My heart was speeding up one second, slowing down the next—it was as confused as I was. I wanted to stand up and walk over to him. I wanted to run from the room.
Rafe never talked much during these sessions—but then, he never spoke much at all. He was Lucas’s second in command, more about actions than words. He always looked as though he’d forgotten to shave that morning, with just the barest hint of sexy stubble on his chin. His thick, straight hair brushed along his shoulders and was the black of a moonless night, nearly matching eyes the shade of hot fudge. When he transformed, he was gorgeous…and lethal.
Last summer I’d seen him take out a cougar when we’d been scouting an area before taking some campers there. The cougar had attacked, Rafe had shifted, and I’d seen firsthand what our kind is capable of when threatened. We are aggressive and deadly.
Even in human form, Rafe terrified me with all the unleashed power I felt emanating from him. I didn’t know why he’d only recently started drawing my attention—although draw was too tame a word. I couldn’t go five seconds without thinking about him, without looking around to see where he was. I was curious about him in ways I’d never been about any other guy, not even Connor. I wanted to know the kinds of movies he enjoyed and what books he read. I wanted to listen to his iPod playlist and discover his favorite music. But most of all I wanted to know what it felt like to have him wrap his arms around me the way he had in the dream. I wanted to experience the heat of his kiss.
“Only about two more weeks and we get to play with the big boys,” Brittany whispered, breaking the spell Rafe held over me and igniting a spark of guilt within. Had she noticed where my attention had been drawn, which “big boy” held me enthralled? Or had she been searching the table, too, hoping to catch someone’s attention? Legend had it that a girl couldn’t survive the first transformation if she went through it alone.
“Aren’t you scared?” I asked. “I mean, since no one has declared you yet.” As soon as I said it, I was shocked at myself. Brittany was probably worrying plenty about it without a harsh reminder from me.
But she just rolled her deep blue eyes and tossed her head, flicking the thick braid of coal-black hair over her shoulder. “That is so medieval. I shouldn’t have to wait for a guy to get off his butt and approach me. If he’s the one I want, I should be able to ask him. Nothing wrong with being a little alpha-female. This is the twenty-first century, after all.”
“So who would you ask—if it were allowed?”
She hesitated, and for a brief second I thought she was going to give me a name, but then she just shrugged as though she hadn’t made up her mind. “Someone my parents didn’t shove down my throat.”
Ouch! I knew she was referring to how my parents and Connor’s had sort of pushed us together. “My parents didn’t choose Connor.”
“Get real. Family vacations, gymnastics, birthday parties—your family had you doing everything together from the time you were born.”
I couldn’t argue with the truth. Connor had always been there for all the big moments of my life. I had photographs of Connor and me dropping through the Tower of Terror at Disney World, boogie boarding in the Hawaii surf, skiing the backwoods in Aspen…. The list went on. We’d spent many a summer screaming and laughing as we rode the daredevil rides and enjoyed the local attractions wherever our parents took us for vacation. I remembered how lonely I’d been on vacation when I was fifteen and he’d spent his first summer and winter break working in the national forest as a sherpa—our name for those who guide campers into the heart of the wilderness and ensure they come nowhere near our hidden sites. The next summer I’d applied for the sherpa program.