Read Shifted for Free Online

there?”
    He hesitated for a moment. He had no choice. There was no time to waste, and his secret wasn’t worth a human life. 
    Concentrating, he began his transformation. Briar was still talking, and her voice grew ever more pitched as he went on, but he couldn’t follow the words. He was too focused on forcing his body to reform to hear her. 
    His bones and muscles crushed into their normal shape, including the ruined portion of his left leg. He had been standing, which was a mistake, and he staggered forward without the support of his cane. Before he could fall, Briar caught him in her arms. 
    “Charlie!” she gasped. “Charlie, you’re … you ….”
    “There was a rockslide,” he rasped. His voice always took a while to regulate after the transformation. He swallowed hard, then continued. “On the road out of town.”
    She was still gaping at him. “But you were … how did you …?”
    He straightened, putting most of his weight on his right leg so he could look down at her. “Briar, listen to me. There was a rockslide. The whole road is destroyed. We need to get back to town. We need to tell people what happened. Go get your aunt, tell her to bring any medical supplies she has.” 
    She was staring at his chest, and he suddenly remembered that he was naked. 
    A flush of embarrassment rushed over him. He was suddenly aware of how close they were. She still smelled sweet, but her hair was tangled and her neat blouse and floaty skirt were torn. There was a smear of dirt on her lovely cheek. 
    That was his fault. He had knocked her to the ground, played with her on the ground like an animal. He’d let her touch him all over. The memory rushed back, except for in his imagination she was stroking and rubbing his human form. The idea had him growing hot and hard in an instant.
    Even in the dying light, Briar must have seen something because her eyes went wide. She glanced up at him, and the interest he saw there sent a thrill down his spine. Her lips were parted, and he wondered if she would taste as sweet as she smelled. As if in a trance, he shifted her closer. 
    The change in weight sent a bolt of pain shooting through his leg. Reality came rushing back. Someone could be dying while he thought about kissing Briar. He pushed her away, taking two stumbling steps before he could grab hold of a tree branch. “Quit staring at me.”
    “Well, you’re naked,” she said softly. 
    Her husky voice did nothing to quell his arousal. “We don’t have time for this,” he said, as much to himself as to her. “Someone might be hurt.”
    “Are you okay? I mean, your leg looks terribly painful.”
    She was still staring at him, and he realized that she hadn’t been admiring his body. She’d been cataloging his scars. A bitter fury rose up in him. Of course. As a mountain lion, he was fascinating and powerful. As a man, he was nothing but a cripple.
    It was illogical, irrational, but he couldn’t stop himself from venting his rage. “I don’t need your sympathy. I need you to listen to me. Jesus Christ, I knew you were stupid, but this is ridiculous.” 
    She flinched in shock. Her wide, staring eyes shot up to his, and the hurt there had regret fluttering through him. 
    Dammit. This is why he was better off in the woods by himself. He had never learned how to be honest without being rude. 
    In defense, he growled at her. “Look, just get your aunt, okay? Can you handle that?”
    It was probably cowardly, but he started transforming before she could answer. Slipping into the form of a cat had never felt better.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
    Briar
     
    “I can’t believe you missed it,” Norine said for the third time. After Briar had driven frantically down the mountain and back into town, she had discovered Aunt Patrice already loading medical supplies into her trunk. It seemed Gail Goodman had interrupted the town meeting with news of the rockslide. Dr. Porter was already on his way to