All Chapters of THAI Yound and Graceful: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Emily opened her eyes and immediately closed them again with a slight groan. Light seemed to be everywhere, and 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, and 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. Everything seemed to be in working order, she decided after having wiggled her toes, legs, and arms. A smell wafted across her nose and slowly seemed to saturate her. It was vaguely familiar and comforting somehow. Warm and slightly musky, with a just a h

They hit the front door of the castle and just kept running, heading directly for the runway without looking back. They needed to get away, and fast. If Lycaon had time to gather guards, they’d never make good their escape.Emily was worn out enough when they neared the runway, she stumbled and almost went head over tail. Her body began to regain human form of its own volition, twisting into awkward shapes that weren’t conducive to movement.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 fe

“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. Even braced for it, William still had to work at blocking the instinct to feed. “Emily,” he said calmly, watching her reaction closely.Her lip curled up to display fangs that were suddenly prominent, and her eyes became unfocused. His

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 and reminded him fondly of his own youth. 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 pantleg.Wi

With Emily safely settled away from the house, the men prepared for battle, 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. William wasn’t waiting around after dawn. He was good in battle, but not good enough to take on those numbers single-handed unless he gave the darkness inside him full reign. If he did that, there was no guarantee he could get it controlled again.He knew how addictive the kill could be and the danger of giving in to the impulse.While his link to Emily softened the urge, he wasn’t ready to test the limits yet. Between his wolf’s need to hunt and his vampire’s requirement for