Change of Darkness (The Change Series Book 3) by Jacinta Jade (best new books to read txt) 📕

electrified as she realised what she had glimpsed when the male had turned.

A flash of silver.

***

Siray shot up onto all four feet to find darkness surrounding her. And someone had a hold of her shoulder. She twisted quickly around, her movements silent as she extended a large paw to shred the person gripping her. She breathed in, ready to attack—

And stopped. She knew that scent.

‘Ssssshhhhh, it’s me,’ came Baindan’s voice.

Siray sagged, then Changed. And silently punched Baindan in the arm. ‘What are you doing grabbing me like that in the dark?’ she hissed quietly. ‘I almost tore your arm off!’

She felt warm breath on her cheek as Baindan leaned in closer. ‘I didn’t have much of a choice. You were squirming away madly right next to me.’

Siray stilled, her body going cold as she remembered her dream. Even though it seemed to be nothing more than some random creation of her mind, she didn’t know … There was something similar about this dream to others she had had, although, try as she might, she was having difficulty recalling their particulars.

Baindan’s breath tickled her face again. ‘Bad dream?’

He was so close that Siray could smell the dried sweat on his clothes, and that slightly wild, grass-and-animal scent that seemed unique to him.

‘Yeah, something like that.’ Was it more than a dream—more than a nightmare?

Baindan seemed to sense something in her answer. ‘Want to talk about it?’

Did she? She thought for a moment. ‘I’m not sure what it was even about. It was just two people talking. Or rather, one talking, one yelling.’ She shook her head, then realised he couldn’t see her in the darkness. ‘It probably doesn’t mean anything.’

‘Okay,’ Baindan said easily. She heard him move slightly in the dark and heard the quiet rasp of his shirt against the stone wall as he slid back down to settle against the floor, the heat of his hand on hers inviting as he pulled her to the ground to sit beside him. He leaned his chin in close to her. ‘Then do you want to tell me about what your trigger was today?’ he whispered.

Siray stilled, her body going cold even with Baindan so close. No, she absolutely didn’t want to talk about what had made her almost run out to attack Raque with Tamot that afternoon.

Yet, from his expectant silence, Siray knew that Baindan had already guessed what it was.

She breathed out slowly. ‘It was remembering Deson, and how he died right in front of me.’ Baindan didn’t say anything, which Siray was grateful for. This was hard enough without interruptions, for a number of reasons.

‘And it was everything he represented,’ she continued. ‘Our fight against the Faction, the team we were.’ She stared into the dark, remembering the deep, endless brown of Deson’s eyes. ‘We shared the same form, a kind of … special connection.’ She narrowly avoided telling him about the way she and Deson had been able to communicate silently. ‘And I miss him.’ A simple way of stating the hole his death had left in her life. In her soul.

‘If I could alter what happened, I would,’ Baindan said softly. ‘Even if my greatest wish would be to have you for myself, to be with you always, I would want you to have the opportunity to make the decision. To be happy with your choice.’

The pounding of Siray’s heart increased as she felt Baindan’s shoulder shift against hers. Felt the heat from his hand before it even touched her face, his calloused fingertips light against her skin as he brushed his hand down her left cheek.

‘I hope you have no doubts as to my affection, my loyalty, and what I will do to protect you,’ he breathed.

Siray felt as if her very skin was tingling, and she heard Baindan’s intake of breath as she leaned into the hand he had placed against her cheek. He shifted just slightly again, and then his other hand was cupping her chin, drawing her forwards so they exchanged breath.

‘You’re my only trigger,’ he whispered to her before guiding her mouth slowly to his.

The press of Baindan’s lips against hers sent Siray’s heart racing, and some small part of her wondered if the sound of its erratic beat might actually wake Kovi, who had Changed into his cripwof form again. Automatically, her hands reached up to wrap around Baindan’s neck, wanting to hold him.

After a long, heated moment, their lips parted for an instant, and Baindan gently sighed her name. ‘Siray …’

Then his lips were back on hers, his arms crushing her to him. She could feel the muscles in his chest tighten as she pressed against him, wanting to be closer.

Eventually, the sound of someone shifting in their sleep—probably Kovi, given the soft, guttural grunt—made them break apart. Made Siray recall where they were. What they faced, every day they were here. She couldn’t make any promises to Baindan. If they made such a commitment, and one of them didn’t make it … well, it had driven others mad. Had almost claimed Tamot. Once a promise of mating was made, once the female decided, it was final for them both. It was something she wouldn’t risk doing to him.

So she carefully drew her body away but shifted her head to point her lips at where she knew his ear was in the dark. ‘I care for you, Baindan, really I do,’ she whispered. ‘But where we are …’ She swallowed. ‘I can’t …’ She trailed off, not sure if she should even say the words here, given the danger.

She felt a searching hand touch her knee before Baindan found and clasped her hand.

‘I understand. We’ll get through this, though, Siray.’ He squeezed the hand he was holding. ‘Tomorrow. We just need to get through one more day.’

She squeezed back. ‘One more day.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE CLUNK OF the cell door unlocking and swinging open a fraction, letting in dim light, awoke Siray the next morning. She stretched, sliding her