Free The Lycan and His Witch by Anastasia Maltezos Page A

chances. She’d prepared
for this moment most of her life and if he was out there,
she had to follow through with her plan.
    Grim-faced, she turned and ran
into the house, her heart racing. She grabbed her gloves, slipped
them on and ran to the door. She paused on the porch and prayed the
animals weren’t hurt.
    She even prayed for the other
animal, the two-legged one.
    If there was one thing Zora had
feared all her life, it was Lycan, and with good reason.
    With a swift movement of her
hand over her face, she whispered the enchanted words. Slowly, she
began to feel her face and body tingle. She touched her face,
wincing for a moment as her nose grew to a bulbous shape. Her skin
turned scaly and rough. She grabbed a lock of her hair and brought
it over her shoulder, satisfied it was no longer a silky gold, but
a thin, dull grey. She looked down and saw the added pounds to her
body. Her breasts were now droopy and limp, her previously flat
tummy, a rounded girth. She was now transformed into a hideous
looking hag.
    If he was out there, her
gloves and unsightly appearance were going to protect him.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Bryce snarled as the biggest
wolf sank its fangs into his back. He growled, whipping his head
back and snapped his jowls at the animal. The two other wolves
pounced on him, ripping through his fur as they bit him. He had had
enough. He didn’t want to kill them. They weren’t human. They were
innocent animals acting solely on instinct. Their need to protect
their lair, which Bryce suspected was close by. With a deep growl,
he shifted into his massive, nine-foot Lycan form and grabbed two
of the wolves, one in each of his taloned hands, flinging them far
away from him. The wolves yelped as they flew through the air,
landing with heavy thuds on nearby boulders. They rose, whimpered,
and sped away.
    Bryce faced the remaining wolf,
the biggest one, and growled at it. It growled back, but didn’t
advance. Smart beast, Bryce thought.
    “Go!” he snarled
    The wolf backed away slowly,
snarling, and then turned and fled.
    Slowly, Bryce transformed back
into his human form, naked. Grimacing, he glanced at his shredded
clothes strewn around him and cursed. He was down to one shirt and
trousers. Travelling through villages in close proximity to each
other was always ideal for him so he could purchase clothes every
time his turns destroyed what he wore, but he was in the middle of
the damn woods and he doubted a merchant lived close by who could
sell him trousers. Dammit, he couldn’t afford another shift unless
it was a matter of life and death.
    The sound of a startled gasp
snapped his gaze to a clearing. His eyes narrowed on the hag who
stood there, her gloved hand raised to her mouth, her eyes wide as
saucers as she stared at him.
    “Oh no!” she whispered, gaping
at his cuts and gashes.
    He knew they were fading and
disappearing right before her eyes. Her horrified gaze darted to
his shredded clothes.
    Hell and damnation! She looked
like she was going to faint. He grabbed his bag from the ground and
pulled his remaining trousers and shirt out. “Do not fear me,” he
said as he shoved them on. “I was attacked by wolves.”
    She backed away. “No! Stand
back!”
    “I will not harm you. I need
assistance. I seek a woman who—”
    “You seek me ,” she said,
raising a gloved hand.
    He narrowed his eyes as
realisation dawned on him. “You are Zora, the witch who lives in
these woods.”
    “Yes. Forgive me. I do this only
to protect you.” She mumbled a string of words he could not
understand.
    Stunned, Bryce felt himself grow
cold and then numb. Unable to hold himself up, he collapsed to the
ground as darkness surrounded him. She was doing this to
him!
    “I mean you…no…harm…” he said
hoarsely, trying to hold onto his last shred of consciousness. He
stared at her unsightly features, tight and drawn with regret, and
rested his gaze on her eyes.
    They were the colour of the
ocean, fringed with