Emily opened her eyes and immediately closed them again with a slight groan. Light seemed to be everywhere. It was far too bright, though it wasn't sunlight. The bedrooms in the castle were all blocked against sunlight, Paoli had told her.She lay there a moment, taking in her surroundings without opening her eyes again. Sounds were everywhere. She found if she focused on too many of them, they became a dull roar in her head that seemed to press against her mind. It didn't take much effort to block them out, though.Eyes still closed, she took stock of her own body. She decided everything seemed to be in working order once she wiggled her toes, legs, and arms. A smell wafted across her nose and slowly seemed to saturate her. It was vaguely familiar and comforting. Warm and slightly musky, with just a hint of something…Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head to find William sitting beside her bed. She opened her mouth to tell him to get

They went straight for the plane at full speed ahead. They needed to get the hell away from the Coven.Immediately.If Lycaon had time to gather his guards, they wouldn't get away at all.A few miles separated them from the runway, but they never slowed. They hit the front door of the castle and just kept running. Emily was worn out enough when they neared the plane, she stumbled and almost went head over tail when her body began to regain human form of its own volition.William looked behind them and saw no one in pursuit, so he motioned for Paoli to halt.A quick glance told Paoli what was happening. He stood with his back to them; clearly on the lookout for enemies while one of their party was so vulnerable in the midst of a shift.It took just a few minutes for the wolf to basically melt away. Emily was left too exhausted to stand.William pulled his shirt off and threw it around her naked form. He swung her into his

“Brace yourself,” William whispered, one hand on the car's door handle.When she looked at him questioningly, he pointed through the windshield at a couple in the distance. "You're about to get your first scent of a human. Be ready," he cautioned.She rolled her eyes dramatically in response.He didn't reply.As soon as his door opened, the distant scent of humans wafted into the car and saturated them both with the sweet, siren scent of fresh blood.“Emily,” William said questioningly, watching her reaction closely.Her lip curled up to display fangs that were suddenly prominent, and her eyes became unfocused. His mind went back to the first few days after her change. Days she thankfully had no memory of. It had taken all four of them; he, Paoli, Sekhmet, and Empusa to keep her under control. Could he restrain her alone if it became necessary?"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.

Over the next few weeks, Emily and William spent days at a time in animal form while she became comfortable with her wolf. She spent much of her time flying just over his head as he loped lazily through the trees, going nowhere in particular.It was amazing to watch her become more comfortable in her giant shape. On several occasions, they included Paoli in her training; having him hide in various places in the woods for her to track.William took Paoli's advice and they spent most of one hilarious afternoon on shifting natural fibers so she could be dressed when she regained human form. It was hysterical to see a wolf in a blouse and jeans. She did eventually start to get the hang of it, though she panicked when she shifted her jeans over her face and had her head stuck in the pant leg. William's levity with the situation was not appreciated.Some days they went back into town for brief trips to give Emily more exposure to humans. She was growing more

With Emily safely settled away from the house, the men prepared for battle. They packed the blood mobile and made plans. Then they each took up a post to wait. Dawn was only a couple of hours away. If the attack came tonight, it needed to come before then. As Paoli said, it was possible they planned to wait until tomorrow during the day. If so, they'd be long gone because William wasn't waiting around after dawn. He was good in battle, but not take-on-twenty-werewolves-single-handed good.While it hurt Paoli to leave his little bookstore again, he'd reopen in a new location when things got a little more back to normal.For William, the situation was much more dangerous. His wolf was a natural hunter. Even though he made sure to run at least once during the week of the full moon to chase rabbits and deer, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as tearing apart a humanoid creature. He had a long history of losing control and going on what Paoli referred to as 'benders', though h