Free New Moon by REBECCA YORK Page A

breasts tingle. He stroked his hands up and down her arms, then slid lower, tracing the indentation of her waist and the curve of her hip, his fingers trailing heat over her skin.
    It felt right. And good beyond belief. Yet there was no way she could relax in this situation. And the spreading warmth in her body changed to panic when she felt the hard shaft of his erection rising between them.
    He was aroused. And his touch grew more urgent as he reached to stroke the sides of her breasts, then slid his hands inward toward her nipples.
    "Don't."
    He didn't seem to hear her, and that fueled her fear, so that she pushed sharply against his chest.
    As soon as he felt that pressure, be dropped his hands to his sides and lifted his mouth away from hers.
    Though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was looking down at her. When he spoke, she heard confusion and disappointment in his voice. "You wanted me to kiss you. You were enjoying it."
    This time she found she couldn't lie to him. "Yes."
    "It stopped feeling good?"
    "I…"
    She wanted to tell him she was frightened—of him and of herself. But admitting so much would put her at his mercy. And she knew what it was like to be at the mercy of a man.
    When she didn't speak, he went on in a gritty voice. "I wasn't planning to take advantage of you."
    Words rose to her lips. Words she wanted him to understand, yet at the same time, she couldn't speak.
    Unable to tell him what she was feeling, she turned the subject away from what they had been doing and to the danger around them.
    "We have to leave before more soldiers come. We should climb the rock wall and see what's on the other side. If you can get down as a wolf, then we should change," she said.
    To her relief, he agreed. "You're right, I guess I stopped thinking clearly."
    She had done that, too. But she didn't admit it.
    As they moved toward the light, he cleared his throat. "How did you do that trick with the cave entrance?"
    "You saw the image?"
    "Yes. How did you do it?"
    "In school we had classes where we learned to project scenes," she answered. "Sometimes I can do it."
    He tipped his head to one side, studying her. "What kind of school was that?"
    "For children with psychic talents," she answered in a clipped voice.
    "Magic school, like in Harry Potter ?"
    "There was no one in my school named Harry Potter."
    He laughed. "He's a character in a book."
    "Oh." She dragged in a breath and let it out. "Some people call it magic. I call it talent."
    "Okay."
    As they approached the entrance to the cave, he held her back, then stepped in front of her, inspecting the area around the hiding place before stepping out.
    Once they were in the open, he moved to his right. She followed and saw that there was a rough trail through the rocks.
    "We should change," he said.
    "We won't be able to talk."
    "Unfortunately. So tell me where we're going."
    "I'll know better when I figure out where we are. You stay here and wait for me."
    "I'll stay with you."
    Perhaps he could. And perhaps he couldn't. She'd find out in a few minutes.
    When he said, "I'll change first, then guard you," she nodded.
    She might have said she didn't need guarding, but she knew that was false bravado.
    He walked to the front of the outcropping and turned to face her—his gaze seeking hers.
    In her experience, changing was a private matter. But it was obvious he planned to do it in front of her—again. Was that the way with his people? The last time he had done it, he had gone from wolf to man. Now she heard him chanting low, unfamiliar words and realized they must be part of his ritual. Not her way of changing, but she hadn't really expected him to be like her.
    As she watched, his body began to (low and transmute into its wolf form. It was a strange—and fascinating sight. And somehow it made her feel closer to him because this change from human to animal was something few people understood. When he had completed the transition, the wolf turned so that he could