Chapter 2Gaston came to himself, naked and shivering, on a hill high above the manor. For a few moments, he could not explain how he had come to be there or what had taken place. But slowly, the memories of the past hour returned. He looked at his hands, no longer the dark hooves that had pounded a man into oblivion, and saw hints of blood still clinging to his skin. He shuddered.
He recalled how he’d just released the horse he’d been riding when Colette’s soundless cry of panic touched his mind. The only thought he had was to respond to her danger. He had stripped and shifted in an instant, running with his equine self’s greater speed and strength, hoping with all his soul to reach her in time. With animal rage clouding his mind, he had intended only to save her from harm, but the passio
