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his shoes without bothering to tie them. At least his feet hadn’t grown. He knew he was acting like a spoiled brat, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He was scared of the damned lunatic wolf inside him, damn it. He’d explained all this carefully to Marco before, but he didn’t seem to care. It would serve him right if the thing inside him did rip out Marco’s damn throat.
    The second the idea formed in his head, he pushed it right back out again, horrified at himself. He loved Marco better than anything, better than he loved himself, and that was saying a lot. According to Rory, nobody meant as much to Nicky as Nicky himself. Rory was wrong, though. He’d give up his life for Marco and never look back. How could that horrible thought have even come into his mind, however momentarily?
    Marco nodded at him when he was fully dressed and then led the way outside. Nicky hugged himself as he looked up at the night sky, beset with stars. The moon slid across the sky like a silvery bangle on a midnight band of silk, the stars little inset diamonds in the cloth. It was absolutely silent—no, just there beyond the edge of the woods, Nicky could hear the trees murmuring softly to themselves. He shivered as a cold breeze slipped across the lawn and touched his back.
    Marco caught hold of his hand and leaned over to brush his lips across his cheek. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”
    Marco led him along the trail that reached from Mountainwood to the new lodge built by Cade and his mate Jax higher on the mountain. Their lodge was some two or three miles away as the crow flew, but more than six miles along this meandering path that wrapped itself around the mountain with a much gentler incline. Marco kept up a steady pace, so that Nicky was easily able to keep up. Nicky kept his eyes on the ground, though, because after that first glance up at the moon, the beast inside him was stirring restlessly, eager to get out and run under the nighttime sky.
    Nicky had hoped the running would wear him out to the point that he could avoid even the idea of shifting into that monster inside him who wanted nothing more than to hurt Marco. But as he jogged along behind Marco, he found himself getting energized again, the same way he’d been earlier in the day. This time it frightened him. A short way down the path, Marco stopped and began taking off his clothes.
    “Come on, Nicky. I want to see you shift.”
    Nicky stopped beside him, breathless and nervous. “No, not tonight. You go ahead and I’ll wait for you.”
    “Bullshit,” Marco said firmly. He stepped closer and skinned Nicky’s T-shirt over his head. “Off. You’re going to let me see your wolf. I can’t help you if you keep him inside, Nicky. And it won’t work for long. You remember that day in the garden when you just lost control and the wolf came out, don’t you? Do you want that to happen again?”
    Nicky pushed his hands away from the snap on his jeans and took a step back. “No, and it’s not happening now. Leave me alone.”
    “The hell it isn’t happening.” Marco stepped aggressively toward him, crowding him on the narrow path. “This is why we came out here. Now shift.” He put a hand on Nicky’s chest and shoved him, not hard, but enough to irritate him and make him take another step backward.
    “Stop, damn it. Don’t you get it? This thing inside me wants to kill you. I can feel it right now, trying to get out and tear out your throat.”
    “And you think it can? You think my wolf will just stand by and let that happen? Bring it, baby. I’m ready for you.” Marco gave him another little shove and smiled broadly when Nicky snarled at him. To Nicky’s ears, it sounded completely inhuman. He could feel his gums prickling as his incisors dropped down and suddenly his mouth was way too full of teeth.
    “No, Marco!” he yelled, or meant to, but it came out as garbled and more of a howl than actual words. Marco kept coming, getting up in his face and