Sharp Change_BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Read online

  Tryx’s eyes widened and a sour smell floated in the air. Sophia took that scent to be fear.

  “What’s wrong, Tryx? I’m okay,” Sophia reassured.

  “No, it’s…” Tryx glanced at Julia. “To start, you just think about your animal and let them do their thing. But, Sophia, you have two animals. I don’t know what will happen.”

  Understanding shone in Julia’s eyes. “We’re not doing this. Not without the alpha.”

  “Oh, this is such bull crap, and you know it,” Sophia spit out. “I’ll be fine. I can’t be the only person who ever had dual shifters.”

  Both ladies looked at her with their brows raised.

  “Okay,” she conceded, “never mind. Just stand back and let me handle this.”

  Sophia closed her eyes and focused on the entities within her. As her conscience turned inward, an image of a golden lioness and grey/tan wolf appeared in her mind’s eye. They lay beside each other looking up at her like she was a freak.

  Could she talk to them in her mind? Only one way to find out.

  Hi, gals. How’s it going?

  Two snuffs blew in her face.

  Guess that means you’re both doing great. She studied the two before her. Look, ladies, I don’t know how you want to handle this shifting thing. We’re in uncharted territory here.

  A word entered her head in a low whisper, and she instinctively knew it was her lioness speaking.

  Choose.

  Whoa, hold on a minute. I want both of you. Will one of you get mad if I pick the other? I mean, Julia hated when Mom let me go first because I was older.

  Two more snuffs peppered her face. She swore she could feel the moisture on her skin.

  This time, the wolf spoke. We don’t have penises to argue over whose is bigger. We work together like females do.

  Well, she knew who the feminist was in the group.

  Great, let’s get this going then.

  Her heart rate picked up and her pulse pounded in her ears. Oh shit, she forgot to ask Tryx if this was going to hurt.

  Suddenly, the animals were gone from Sophia’s mind. Had they abandoned her because she wasn’t a real shifter?

  Blackness surrounded her. The only thing she could hear was the blood pumping against her eardrums. Then the first sting hit her. Maybe a bit more than a sting. More like getting hit by a Mac truck.

  Sophia sucked in a sharp breath and bit down on her tongue to keep from yelling out. Another Mac slammed into her.

  Soft, warm hands cradled her cheeks. “Don’t fight it, Sophia. The first time is hardest. Let it happen. Let it roll through you like standing under a waterfall.”

  A waterfall. What a beautiful image compared to the pain rocking her body. She took another breath and imagined herself under the falling water, naked. And Chase was there, walking toward her, naked, too. And his rod was not for fishing.

  Hot damn, she liked where this was leading.

  She felt her body racked with the pain that went along with it, but it was dulled back to the point she could handle it. The power of the mind was amazing. But still, she’d probably never shift again. Her pain tolerance was the size of her big toe.

  Next she knew, she was looking up at Tryx and Julia. If she’d had her phone, she’d snap a photo of their faces and post it. They were so damn funny. She laughed, but it came out as a snuff.

  What the fuck? She jumped to her feet, all four of them. Oh my god, she yelled in her excited mind. She had shifted into a… Wait, she wasn’t sure what she was. Her two front legs were a golden color, but they weren’t cat paws.

  Mirror. She had to find a mirror. Bathroom. Go.

  Her body moved so gracefully. She tried to watch how her feet didn’t trip over each other. After hitting the recliner, she decided she didn’t need to know. Her animals did and she was happy with that.

  In the bathroom, she put her front paws on the counter and looked into the mirror. Well, her guess was that she was a lioness-colored wolf. Had a wolf ever had golden fur?

  The bathroom light came on. She didn’t even notice it was off. Wow.

  “You’re beautiful, Sophia,” Tryx said. “I’ve never seen that color before on a wolf.”

  She smiled and glanced in the mirror. Shit, that was scary looking—all those teeth. She made a mental note not to smile in wolf form.

  Outside, vehicle doors slammed shut. She heard the crunch of gravel as the visitors walked. Amazing.

  “That must be the guys,” Julia said, rushing out. Her sister stopped and turned to her. “Umm, don’t come out yet. Let me tell Chase. He won’t hurt a pregnant woman.”

  Sophia snorted. Chase would never hurt anyone unless they deserved it. Shifting did not fall in that category.

  While the two women went to greet the men, she sneaked to the corner and peered around. River was kissing his wife as she held the door for Chase who was jogging to catch up.

  Automatically, she dropped to a pounce position with her head lowered to the ground and butt in the air. She wiggled with anticipation. Waiting.

  As soon as Chase was at the door, she tore from around the corner and launched into the air. Her mate caught her from reflex alone. His expression was confusion.

  She took the moment to kiss him, which displayed in slobbery licks up the sides of his face. Then, she wiggled out of his hold and zoomed out the door.

  Running as fast as she could, she made for the forest. The feelings flowing through her were incredible. She’d never felt so alive, so a part of the planet around her.

  She glanced back to see if anyone was following her. Whoa—what was that? She wiggled her butt. OH MY GOD. She had a tail! Turning her upper body, she wanted to get a better look at it, but it kept moving out of her sight. She stepped toward it and it moved again. Dammit. Turning more, she almost got a good look until it slipped out of her vision again.

  Shit. She’d look at it later. Time to go on.

  Everything had a smell. Grass, dirt, air, dead leaves, pine needles, trees…bugs? She skidded to a stop and studied the tiny creatures scurrying at her feet. She heard their scuttle over the ground.

  She dipped her head down until her snout hovered over the animals. Then took a deep breath, which was a mistake.

  The small critters, very light in weight, went straight up her nasal passages. She stumbled backward, immediately sneezing several times. Dizzy from the sudden onslaught, she fell to a sitting position. Sitting for a wolf, which was partially standing up to her.

  Laughter came from behind her. Her head whipped around, a low growl emanating from her chest. Her eyes scanned the trees, searching for the culprit. She hesitated sucking in another breath to catch the smell.

  Then there he was, in all his wolfy glory. Her mate. Chase. His tongue hung out the side of his mouth. She recognized that as his gorgeous smile.

  Springing to her feet, she jumped at him, nipping at his shoulders and bouncing around. In her head, this time, she heard Chase’s human laugh.

  “Calm down, my love.”

  No way, Jose. She bowled into his center, taking them both rolling to the ground. Then she was up and sprinting away.

  “Catch me if you can!”

  A devilish feeling entered her mind from Chase’s thoughts. “Challenge accepted, little one. To the victor goes the spoils, which will be your body going to me.”

  “If you catch me.” She was already out of sight of him. She knew he was back there, following her scent. That made her run faster.

  Dodging trees and soaring over downed logs, Sophia felt as though she were flying.

  What was that?

  Off to the side, a squirrel jumped down from a tree. Both animals inside her zeroed in on it. The little thing swallowed hard, then ran for its life.

  Sophia peeled rubber trying to gain purchase to chase. Her animals chanted: gotta have it, get it, get it, get it. She wasn’t sure what they’d do if they caught it, but if they ate it, she’d throw-up for days.

  The small animal
leapt for a tree, its feet grabbing ahold of the bark and scampered up.

  Not a problem, her cat said. Her animal jumped for the tree.

  What the hell are you doing? Wolves don’t climb trees.

  We aren’t a wolf was the reply. Oh, so they were a lioness?

  No.

  No? What were they then?

  We are that which has no name.

  Oooh, how Voldemortish of you.

  Just before her canine paws touched the tree, her feet morphed to that of a cat and strong claws dug into the bark and wood.

  Holy shit! She clung. Not only that, but raced up the trunk after the critter. Sophia had forgotten about the squirrel already, too entranced with everything happening to her body.

  The small animal skittered out a thin limb and jumped to another tree. Sophia came to a sudden stop. Even her adrenaline-filled companions knew they couldn’t go out on that limb.

  That’s when she looked down.

  Bad move.

  A wave of dizziness hit her at how up she was. Thirty feet maybe? Enough to kill her if she fell. Sophia wrestled for control. She had to save them. Her cat and wolf fought like hell.

  “Sophia, stop,” Chase said in his human voice. She almost looked down at him, but changed her mind. Her mate probably wouldn’t appreciate puke landing on his head right now.

  “Sophia, don’t fight your animal. Let her take charge. She knows what’s she’s doing.”

  But, but…

  “Do you think you’re the first wolf to get stuck in a tree?”

  Yeah, she was thinking she probably was. She took a mental deep breath and stepped back. She’d trust her companions, until proven unwise. Her body descended while she held her breath.

  A couple yards off the ground, her animal, whichever was in charge at that point, pushed away from the tree. The claws changed back to wolf paws in time for her mate to catch her again.

  Her weight and momentum carried them backward and to the ground. She gave him a wet lick up the face and raced off. He didn’t really catch her yet. And she had a head start while he collected himself and shifted.

  This was the most fun she’d ever had in her life. Even her childhood couldn’t measure up to this sense of freedom. No wonder Julia was okay with staying a shifter. If Sophia would’ve known, she wouldn’t have wasted these past months locked up in the lab, looking for a cure.

  She slowed when she came to a creek. The embankment was rather steep and she wasn’t sure about getting we—

  A heavy weight slammed into her and she tumbled down the side along with another body. Her nose told her it was her mate. Oh yeah, she’d almost forgotten about him in her elation.

  With a huge splash, she and Chase landed in the water, drenched from head to paws.

  She got to her feet and shook her body like a canine would.

  “Great,” she said to his mind, “now I’m gonna smell like wet dog all day.” She was sure he heard the playfulness in her tone.

  He did. “Well, then,” he said, “maybe you need to clean up better.” At that, he jumped toward her, making her skip deeper into the water to not get squished.

  “Chase!” she hollered, “this is not funny.” But her animals thought it was. They recognized his wolf as her mate and the alpha of the pack. But he’d better not try to push the alpha thing too far or she’d have to bite his ass. Which sounded like a rather good idea.

  He snapped his head up and eyed her. “You smell too edible, my love. What are you thinking? Hmm.”

  She laughed. “You haven’t caught me yet.” She doggy paddled to the other side and climbed the rocky mud wall only to be promptly mushed to the ground.

  What the—

  Teeth clamped down on her scruff, pinning her. A scorching heat seared her veins, feeling so delicious.

  “No teasing with that smell, love,” Chase said. “I will hunt you down and take what I want. And you will love it.”

  Oh God. She could come on the spot with the power of his words swirling in her. Except as a wolf, that seemed weird. Did animals have orgasms? She never thought about it before, for good reason. Sex would be confined to human form only.

  The pressure on her back let up.

  “Come,” her mate said, “let me teach you some things.”

  She balked. Her animals knew what everything was. Her cat got her out of the tree, so…

  “Well,” he said in her head, “she didn’t warn you not to inhale deeply when a pile of ants were under your nose.”

  If an animal could blush, hers would be right now. “Oh. You saw that?”

  He gave her a lick up the side of her furry face.

  “Yup. Funniest damn thing I’d seen in a long time.”

  A growl came out her throat. “Shut up! It’s my first time.”

  “Exactly, love.”

  For the next several hours, he showed her the best way to stalk prey and hunt, put names to the new scents she experienced, and let her run after butterflies.

  With an exhausted breath, she plopped onto the ground in a patch of sun. She was pooped. Chase settled and snuggled up to her.

  “Enjoying being in nature in your shifted form?” he asked.

  She glanced at him. “I’ve never been so elated in my life. Never felt so free, so in tune.”

  He chuckled. “I’m glad. You are absolutely stunning. The entire pack will be in awe of you.”

  That tweaked a bit of uneasiness in her stomach. That whole thing about being the center of attention, again.

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “You should see you how I see you. I’ve never witnessed anything like it before.”

  “How so?” What was so different about her? Well, except the whole cat paws on a wolf body thing climbing the tree.

  “Your animals—for lack of better word—have melded. You have a wolf body, but you’re able to maneuver like a cat,” he said.

  “What’s the difference?”

  “It’s huge,” he answered. “Cats are much faster than any other animal. You noticed I didn’t catch you when you were running.”

  “I just thought you were letting me get away to prolong the chase.”

  “Okay, you can think of it that way.” He winked at her. He laid his head on his paws and stared at her with big, round puppy dog eyes.

  She started feeling antsy and uncomfortable under such scrutiny. But he was damn adorable.

  “It’s okay, love,” he said. “I’m just staring at your beauty. I can’t get enough of you. It’s like I want to squish you into my body so I can have all of you with me every second of the day.”

  Aww. She was going to cry. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her before. Growing up, she’d always been the geeky kid—short, overweight, glasses slipping down her nose, constantly reading a book, knowing all the answers on tests.

  But now, she was like everyone else, in a way.

  Another good thing—she was, for the first time in her life, a natural blonde.

  You’re welcome, her cat purred.

  “I have something to confess,” Chase suddenly said. The worst went through Sophia’s mind. He cheated on her already, he didn’t love her, he didn’t want her around anymore. She got a wet slap on the side of her face.

  “Stop thinking about whatever you’re thinking,” he scolded. “It’s not bad.” He sighed. “I just want you to know that before you were a shifter, I wanted to get to know you as much as I do now.”

  “Oh,” she said, “’get to know you’ as in nonstop sex for days?”

  “God, woman. You make me sound like a hound dog,” he complained. “But, maybe, yes, sex crossed my mind a time or two…hundred.”

  She laughed. Men. She asked, “Then why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because every time I entered a room, you’d walk out. I thought you hated me for what happened to your sister.”

  Memories of Julia’s attack came back. That seemed so long ago. A different lifetime.

  “No,
Chase,” she said, “I never hated you for any reason. In fact, it was the opposite.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I left the room because I was so attracted to you and knew you’d never want to spend time with someone like me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? You’re freakin’ perfect.”

  “Not compared to your last runway model girlfriend.”

  “Oh, her.” She heard the resignation in his voice. “She was a nice person, but not my type. I had to attend a human function for networking and somehow River came up with her for a date for me. He said it wouldn’t look good if I went alone.”

  “But I saw her with you another time,” Sophia said.

  “We hung out for a couple more days and figured out we weren’t a match. She wanted the glitz and glamor. I wanted simple and easy. Plus, she was way too skinny. She looked horrible to me. Skeletal.”

  Sophia had to agree with that. “So you’re saying I look good to you?”

  He nosed her under her neck. “More than good, baby doll. More like scrumptious. How many times have I eaten you?”

  Heat shot to her face. Thank God, he couldn’t see the blush. He laughed, though.

  Chase went on. “What I’m trying to say is you’re the one for me, Sophia. My true mate. I want you to be with me till the day we draw our last breath.”

  Both her animals sighed in her head. “You are the only one for us. Always have been since the night I saw you at the hospital.” Her stomach growled.

  Chase laughed. “Your stomach is either agreeing or telling us to get our butts home for dinner.”

  She gave him a big lick and took off in a sprint. “Last one home has to go ‘downtown’ first.”

  Her mate gave chase, but didn’t seem to mind coming in second place.

  7

  After dinner, Tryx said her goodbyes and Sophia and Chase bade her sister and River a good night to retire to their bedroom. The minute he got her upstairs he tried to tell her to go to sleep, but she would have none of it.

  Stripping down to nothing, she started pulling off his clothes while he grumbled that she was tired and needed to rest. Still, he didn’t try to stop her when she pushed him to lie on his back and straddled his hips.