I would’ve been able to deal with this. Would have gotten over it.

All of it was too much.

My throat sealed. Panicked, I started to back away. I couldn’t breathe.

I needed to get away from here—from it. I had to. I had to. I had—

The panic was snuffed out instantly, crushed by something feral and powerful. Instinct took over, and it was primal. Ancient. Wild.

And it wanted out. Needed to take back control.

Ash’s eyes were wide and bright—too bright. “I’ve got you,” he swore. “Always.”

I could feel that wild, primal, ancient thing inside me stretching, and I knew it understood Ash’s words.

A hum suddenly filled my ears. My blood. Heat swamped every part of my body. I noticed Ash’s mouth moving and his features sharpening until I saw the pores of his skin and the faint shadows beneath it. I saw the blood pumping in the veins of his neck as a distant rumble jerked his head toward the balcony doors. My skin vibrated. Every part of me buzzed, and in the back of my mind, I knew something was happening.

Something was changing inside me.

A fire hit my flesh, filling my mouth with the taste of blood and ash. My chest rumbled as the vibration intensified. Gold-tinged silver light dots appeared on my hands and arms, and then they were everywhere.

Pain flared along the sides of my face as my jaw stretched and expanded, peeling my lips back. Canines grew. My nose flattened. My body spasmed, doubling me over. My lips peeled back more as my jaw popped out of its socket. My knees cracked and changed shape. My fingers shrank and thickened. Strands of silver-tipped gold fur sprang from my flesh, rapidly covering my hand as my nails grew and sharpened. The straps of my nightgown snapped. Silk slipped from my body as I contorted, bones cracking at the joints and then fusing back together. My back bowed as I changed. Shifted. I fell forward, my…paws landing on the stone floor with a soft thud.

My breathing slowed.

My heart calmed.

Taking a step back, I shook myself. The feeling was amazing. I did it again, letting out a pleased purr.

The air shifted around me, and I reacted. Sinking back, my tail swooshed over the smooth stone, and a sound came from within me that turned deeper and raspier. I bared my fangs, my muscles tensing as I prepared to leap—

The threat backed off, giving me space. Muscles twitched as I held myself still, staring at leather-clad legs. Neither of us moved for several moments.

A cool breeze sifted through my fur, drawing my attention to the swaying drapes. To the outside. Muscles twitched more. Anticipation pounded through me, becoming a need.

My claws rapped off the stone as I moved slowly toward the doors, and then I took off.

Crossing the balcony, I leapt onto the railing, balancing myself as I quickly scanned my surroundings. I jumped, landing on the ground below.

I didn’t even feel the impact.

This time?

I shook my head. It didn’t matter. I was free. I picked up my pace, breaking out into a run.

“Open the gates!” a voice shouted from behind me. “Now.”

A deep voice brimming with authority. One accustomed to giving commands and being obeyed.

A familiar one.

An important one.

The cork shoved deep into the neck of the vessel loosened. I started to slow down.

Ahead, the gates swung open, and bodies scattered. The urge to give chase, to hunt them down, hit me, but the desire to run was greater.

So, I did.

I ran.

I passed the gates and the different scents. I sprinted down the road, my ears twitching as I processed the sounds around me. Leaves rustled, shaken by the breeze. Farther up, near the starlight, wings beat the air. But closer, I heard the rush of water over rocks. I followed that sound, veering off the road. A channel of water came into view, and on the other side, a forest. There. I wanted to be there.

Steering clear of the crimson-and-silver flowers, taller grass grazed the sides of my stomach. I neared the river and eyed the churning water, searching for a way across. I found it in a series of rocks jutting from the surface. I dashed down the riverbank, my paws sinking into the softer, damp ground. Reaching the edge, I jumped, landing on a slick rock and sliding an inch or two. Cold water lapped at my legs and dampened my tail. Inching to the edge, I sank down and batted at the flying droplets until I focused on my clawed paw.

In the starlight, I could see that the fur appeared silver, but when the breeze ruffled the strands, I saw the gold underneath.

Sound caught my attention, and I flattened my ears. It was barely audible over the babbling of the water, but I heard something on all fours. Something running. Something larger than me.

I leapt to the next boulder and then the third before making the longer jump.

Water splashed, soaking my lower body as I landed in the shallow water near the riverbank. Making my way onto dry land, I shook the water from my fur and then took off once more.

I ran through the trees, leaping over rocks and fallen limbs. I ran straight into the thick darkness of the deeper forest, dashing between the trunks. I picked up different scents as I ran. Earthy tones. Floral notes of blossoming flowers. The hint of rain and sea salt. I ran right and then left.

I ran and ran, my taut muscles stretching and burning. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes became hours. And still, I ran, my lungs taking in deep, filling breaths as the sky through the trees lightened to a deep violet-blue. I kept running, stopping every so often to inspect a small mound of rocks or investigate a strange scent.

A cluster of small, white-petaled flowers caught my eye. I sank down on my belly before them. They were some sort of daisy. My tail swished over the mossy forest floor as my ears picked up the sound of buzzing. Insects. I tracked a small, black bug hopping from petal to petal—

A different sound reached me. Heavier, repetitive thuds.

I rose, darting around the flowers. I ran, enjoying the feel of the wind in my fur, the air in my lungs, and the dirt beneath my paws. Eventually, the trees thinned, and the scent of the sea grew stronger. I slowed, crossing a meadow of thin reeds taller than me. The land dipped and then rose again as the sky above continued to lighten. I rushed up the hill, spotting a faint mist at the top—

Dirt crumbled under my feet. Hissing, I scrambled back from the edge of a cliff—a bluff. Staying on much more stable ground, I sank low to the ground and squinted. Through the mist, I saw blue.

A new scent reached me. I swung around, tracking the movement of the reeds several yards away. I prowled to the left. The stalks shuddered, foot by foot.

Throwing myself to the side, I dug into the ground and ran again, racing along the bluff. I picked up speed. It didn’t feel like I even touched the ground. I ran until the mist seeped over the cliff, forcing me back a few feet and into the reeds. Then I kept running, bursting from the reeds and onto a road.

A wall of thick, swirling mist rose in front of me. I skidded, kicking up loose dirt. The thick hairs all over my body stood on end as I eyed the mist. I knew this place.

I crept along the barrier, picking up the sound of something else in the reeds, moving closer. My muscles tensed. I’d been here before. This was a gateway to the mortal realm, to my…

To my lake.

Home?

Yes.

And no.

Pieces of me started fusing back together. Pieces I wanted. Others I didn’t as I stopped in front of the thickest part of the Primal mist. Behind me, the reeds continued brushing against one another, swishing in time with my heartbeat.

I could will the Primal mist to part. I could open the gateway. I could because I could do anything I wanted—

A scent reached me. Fresh and citrusy and stronger than before. I spun, a low growl rumbling from my throat as the reeds shook and parted.