“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said quietly.
“I don’t.”
Then Saul stood, towering over me with eyes like twin moons. They glowed menacingly, almost as threatening as the growl building in his throat.
“My brother is going to die, which means you have no reason to stay here. To keep our secret.”
“He’s not going to—"
Saul cut me off, the growl building until it was like thunder rolling through the house. Eli stood too, backing away slowly, his eyes like copper coins.
“I can’t let you leave this bayou alive.”
Isaac’s eyes snapped open, equal parts green and gold as they shone brightly across my face. He jolted upright, his body swelling and growing so rapidly it knocked me back into the coffee table.
I jumped to my feet, backpedaling fast as eight feet of furious werewolf rose from the couch, muscles bunched before his attack.
Except—Saul and Eli were gone. The front door slammed, drawing Isaac’s wrathful snarl for only a moment before his lips fell over his sharp, sharp teeth and he whipped his head in my direction.
Be brave,I told myself.This is the same Isaac that protected you.
This is the same Isaac.
He didn’t look the same. The living room felt cramped and enclosed, trapping me with a bleeding beast that was very, very unhappy.
I forced myself to freeze. To keep my feet planted. My heel wobbled, bumping me back half a step, and Isaac lurched forward, as if he was seconds away from pouncing on me.
What would he do if I ran?
My eyes moved slowly upward, from the gashes across his belly to his neck, and then higher, to meet his gaze. The swirls of gold in his irises were brighter, but they were the same.
The same eyes.
The same soul.
ThiswasIsaac.
He was waiting for you.
This was the version of Isaac that knew who I was from the start.
“Isaac?” I took a tentative step forward.
He went so unnaturally still that I wasn’t sure he was even breathing.
“Are you in there?” Another step. Then two.
Finally, I was so close I had to tilt my head to look up at him. Hot breath gusted my hair. I lifted a trembling hand to the side of his face, fingers sinking into soft, dark fur.
Isaac—the beast—shuddered, his eyes falling closed.
“You’re not a monster,” I whispered.
He made a pained noise.
“I know who you are. I know what matters to you, Isaac.”
A huff of air tickled my face.