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interval before he would be able to get a hold of his body enough to change again.
    As soon as his cock slipped from her body, he released his hold on his beast. The change was a quick thing. As if the beast had been waiting just below the surface of his skin. He laid there not moving. He didn’t want her to wake up and see him in this changed state. She might become frightened and hurt herself trying to get away from him.
    When she opened her eyes, they were still glassy. Would she scream? She smiled a watery smile at him then ran her hands along his hind leg.
    It felt wonderful the way her hand softly stroked his coat. Too good. Her eyes flitted closed again, but this time her breathing was even.
    Her temperature was more normal. It was over. Thank goodness. He needed to get away from her. To think. Right now, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The feel of her. The smell of her. It was all swirling around him, stealing his focus. Turning him into something he didn’t recognize.
    He needed to figure this out. Figure out what she’d done to him. When had she become so important? Things were changing so fast he didn’t know what to make of it. What to make of her.
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    The Pearl Heartstone by Leila Brown

Chapter Eight
    Ally awoke to an extremely dry mouth and sore body. She didn’t remember much. A quick look around the room told her that she was alone. She lifted her head and then let it fall back onto the bed. Damn. Her head felt as if it weighed a ton.
    There was a knock at the door, and before she could say come in, it opened. If it was another giant rat, or assassin, she was dead.
    “So it’s true you did suffer from devilmite fever. Nasty stuff.” Fi’on strode into the room and over to a corner seat. “Don’t know why I didn’t think that they would try something like this. Whoever it is has a lot of access to the palace and royal family.”
    “Maybe we should figure out who it is before they try again.” Ally sucked in her breath and sat up in bed. Her vision swam before her eyes, but she refused to show any weakness in front of Fi’on.
    There was another knock at the door. The sound made Ally jump and whirl her head toward the sound. Pain stabbed at her eyes.
    “The water bearers. I figured you might like a bath.” Fi’on tried to smile at her, but it looked more like a sneer. It would be funny if every muscle in Ally’s body wasn’t screaming at her.
    “Thanks.” How the hell she was going to walk over to the tub was
    a mystery to her. She wasn’t about to ask for help. That was for damn sure. The water bearers quickly filled the tub then left. Ally bit down on her bottom lip and slowly made her way to the tub. It was by no means elegant or graceful, but she’d done it under her own power.
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    The Pearl Heartstone by Leila Brown

    “Damn, you are stubborn.” Fi’on laughed.
    “Do you mind standing by the door?” Ally smiled as she sank down in the heated water. It felt as if her entire body sighed as she relaxed into the tub. The fact that this was how the first attack happened, and the news of the second attack had no doubt already made it through the palace gossip mills, wasn’t lost on her. She wasn’t taking chances she didn’t need to.
    “We need to find this guy quick because the second attack could have taken both you and the prince out. Whoever it is has become truly desperate. The moment you start to breed, they will lose everything.”
    Fi’on leaned against the wall. “And with that fool of a doctor bragging that fucking is as good a cure as fighting, I am guessing that the next attack will be the last. They have to know that after the last three days, chances are almost one hundred percent that you are pregnant. But if they kill you before the prince announces it formally, they could still win.”
    “Wait a minute. Did you say three days?” Ally shook her head and
    sat up in the tub. “I’ve been out of it for three days? And what do you mean