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hawk and felt the familiar vibration begin in my toes, then shimmy up my legs, stomach and arms. I glanced down. My hands had all but disappeared.
    For the tiniest measurement of time, I was nothing and weightless. An instant later, I exploded into a physical presence again, long feathers lifting me off the ground and my wings cutting through the air until I soared above the treetops. Wind ruffled my feathers and tickled my skin.
    Freedom.
    From high above, I scanned the woods for movement. For Charles or Renzo in their human or wolf forms. Other than a couple deer, a coyote and a family of raccoons, there wasn’t a soul in sight. All clear. I’m going to change into a wolf while we’re still alone .
    Don’t forget to go human first , he reminded me, then he morphed.
    Yeah, like I need reminding. Last time I’d tried to turn into something else without first going human, I got violently ill. I could become any animal I wanted, but my primary form was human so I needed my foundation between morphs. It grounded me.
    As I drifted down toward the treetops, my eagle eyes spied a rat scurrying along a tree branch. The urge to swoop and snag my prey rose up and I stifled it. I could give in to the desires of whatever shape I held, but once I turned human, I knew my belly would regret eating a rat, especially a raw one.
    I glided down toward the soft dirt near Zack. As soon as I touched ground, I mentally shed myself of my bird skin. The trembling began, and then the floating sensation. And, finally, nothing. For a split second, I was myself again before I shifted right into a wolf.
    I took off after Zack, following his scent toward the heartbeat of the forest.
    A rabbit scampered in my path. Instinct drove me to hunt it down and I almost veered off to follow. I made a mental note to have a snack before going out next time and morphing into a carnivore.
    The forest echoed with paws pounding against the dirt floor. In the distance, leaves crunched and I wondered how far ahead Zack was. A moment later, I practically collided into him as he whooshed across my path. I skidded and turned to follow. As I trailed behind him, the scent of the rabbit invaded my nose.
    You’re not going to eat that thing, are you? I asked.
    I’m hungry , he told me. In the near pitch-black night, all I could see was his bushy tail.
    Zack, really ? I asked. He slowed to a trot and I caught up, eyeing him. Gross . Maybe you don’t think so right now, but when you’re human again, you might regret eating raw meat. Not that I was one to talk since I’d almost snagged it for myself.
    He spun to face me. You’re probably right.
    I moved alongside him, rubbing my fur against his.
    Zack licked my ear and I nuzzled against him. Why did that feel so good? Made me wonder what else would feel different as a wolf…
    If we were both in our wolf form, then technically we were the same species. At least for the moment. Would the mixing species thing still apply? I nudged him with my shoulder and he nipped the fur at my neck.
    I turned into him, my tongue whipping out to lick his muzzle, then I rolled over onto my back. He stalked closer, his eyes dark as his throat rumbled. With a paw on my chest, he nuzzled my neck, his breath coming faster.
    Zack froze, hovering over me. He waited a beat as if contemplating his next move, then he slowly backed away. Fooling around like this is a terrible idea. When I almost ate that rabbit, didn’t I just prove I couldn’t be trusted in my wolf form?
    Yes, and obviously, so had I.
    † † †
    On the drive home, I didn’t say much. I was too shocked at how close we’d come to having wild wolf sex. Zack was quiet too, which made me wonder if he was holding back again.
    I swiveled in the passenger seat to face him. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
    “Well…” He looked at me uncertainly.
    Oh, geez, how bad was it? I inwardly groaned. “You promised no secrets.”
    His gaze left the road, long enough to eye me.