Dolanâs eyes narrowed as he drank in the rising power of what lay between themâ¦
He let it swell within him instead of fighting it, until it verged on intoxication.
Below him, Meghan drew her sweatshirt together with one hand and shoved her hair back with the other, poised for flight. Suddenly vulnerableâand yet unable to keep from leaning towards him ever so slightly.
It was his undoing.
He leaped from the rock, invoking the shift along the wayâriding the flash and crackle of the change and landing human.
And damned ready to face this thing between them.
âMeghan,â he said, and his voice came out as more of a growl. He rode the pounding demands in his body, the ache of being so close and yet not touching her. Until she lifted her face slightly, leaning into what lay between them. She took a deep breath; she let it out on a single, quiet, âYes.â
He hesitated an instant longerâjust long enough to be sure of what sheâd said.
Doranna Durgin spent her childhood filling notebooks, first with stories and art, and then with novels. After obtaining a degree in wildlife illustration and environmental education, she spent a number of years deep in the Appalachian Mountains. When she emerged, it was as a writer who found herself irrevocably tied to the natural world and its creaturesâand with a new touchstone to the rugged spirit that helped settle the area, which she instils in her characters.
Dorannaâs first fantasy novel received the 1995 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall award for the best first book in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres; she now has fifteen novels of eclectic genres on the shelves. Most recently sheâs leaped gleefully into the world of action romance. When sheâs not writing, Doranna builds web pages, wanders around outside with a camera and works with horses and dogs. You can find a complete list of her titles at www.doranna.net, along with scoops about new projects, a lot of silly photos and a link to her SFF Net newsgroup.
Dedicated, of course, to the critters in my lifeâ
Jean-Luc, Cheysuli Jean-Luc Picardigan
OJP NAP OJC NAC, CGC
Belle, Cheysuliâs Silver Belle
CD RE MXP3 PAX EAC EJC, CGC
Connery, Ch Cedar Ridge DoubleOSeven
CD RE MX MXJ EAC EJC, CGC
and Kacey, Xtacee Carbon Unit, CGC, who was still
with me when I wrote this book, and Strider the WonderHound, who was there when it all started.
But especially to Duncan the Lipizzan, aka Pluto
Gladys, who has resisted critical injury, extreme distance and lengthy separation to always fulfil the task of keeping me humble.
And with thanks to Tashya Wilson and Tara Gavin,
for giving me a chance at all this fun!
Meghan crossed her arms over her flat ten-year-oldâs chest and gave her mother a defiant stare. âYou never listen!â
Her mother smiled. Her mother always smiled. Sometimes her smile hinted at a joke not yet discovered by anyone elseâ¦sometimes it was a cleverness sheâd seen in the world. Sometimes it was just because. Thus was the coyote shape-shifterâhard to pin down, cheerfully unpredictable.
Tonight, that smile broke Meghanâs young heart. âThe animals are worried! Listen to them!â
âAh, my sensitive girlâ¦connected with us all.â Margery Lawrence sat right where she was, cross-legged there on the ranch-house porch, and pulled Meghanâs resisting body into her arms. Lanky, coltish Meghan didnât quite fit there any longer, but her mother appeared not to notice. Her mother ran a hand along Meghanâs hair, smoothingâ¦petting.
Meghan wasnât fooled. She didnât relax into the embrace. âYou shouldnât go,â she muttered. It sounded sullen even to her own ears.
âMeggie,â her mother said, making the word a caress. âI wonât be alone. Thereâs someone coming to help, a fine young man who takes the jaguar when he shifts. Heâll watch for me.â
The demand burst out of her. âThen why doesnât he do all of it? Why make you go out?â
Her mother laughed in genuine amusement. âBecause heâs big and brawny, but heâs not half so clever as this nimble coyoteâ¦and heâs got no nose for the tricky things. Besides, he doesnât know this land the way I do. The way you do.â
But Meghan sat, stiff and resistant and still unable to keep her lip from quivering.
Her mother pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. âI might not really be one of them, Meggie, but I donât need the Sentinels to tell me how important this is. Neither do you. The animals wouldnât feel it, otherwiseâor the land. Or even you, for that matter. So the fine young man will meet me here, and weâll go take care of things. And then the animals wonât feel this way to you any longer, and neither will the land.â