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"We won’t hurt her"

Skye slipped out of his hold as Kara stepped into his sloidening field of sight Kara came to him, her blond hair in its usual ponytail, her eyes worried as she curled her slender fingers around his wrist

"Ready, Paenther?" she asked softly

"Do it"

Kara closed her eyes Within seconds, her hand began to warm on his wrist With a flash, her skin erupted in an iridescent radiant glow But instead of the wary he usually felt, a bolt of power shot into his wrist, raainst the stone wall

The last words he heard as he lost consciousness were Kara’s

"Lyon, look at his eye! His Feral "

Chapter Sixteen

Paenther hit the wall He felt Tighe grab hiy shooting through his body and into his li over the pain that lived within his flesh With a surge of renewed strength he pushed hirimace

"You okay?" Tighe asked worriedly

He shook his head fast and hard, clearing it "That was ahim ide, worried eyes from the other side of the cell He held out his hand to her, and she flew into his arht helped ease the turh

He aze "The shackles are off I’m ready to find that cavern"

Skye made a sound of dismay

Lyon acted as if he hadn’t heard hirowled "You think I can’t shift?"

"Your feral , BP I don’t knohat in the hell that e"

"Fine" He thought about stripping so he didn’t ruin his clothes, but a quick glance down told him that ship had already sailed Even his leather pants were half-shredded fro in this cell"

With a gentle squeeze, he released Skye Lyon stepped back as he brushed by him to stand on the stone floor in thehimself for the rush of pain that always accompanied his shift, he pulled on the power of his animal, the power that had been as natural a part of hi happened

Dalare "Givehis hair back with both hands, he pulled, visualizing his beast, straining to reach that rush of pain and strength until his neck and back were damp with sweat

"Paenther?" Skye’s soft voice had hih the bars of the cell "Let me touch you"

"Why?" Lyon deaze and answered without hesitation "His animal responds to me I believe Paenther and his animal spirit have always had a disconnect, but the shackles have wrenched them apart to the point they can barely function as one anyaze swung to the Shaman "Is that possible?"

The Shaman nodded "I’ve always sensed a trauic, and there’s no denying it’s gotten worse as evidenced by his fading Feral marks Whether or not the witch can help him, I don’t know"

Paenther held his hand out to her "Then we’ll find out"

The others stood back to let Skye go to hiaze, uncertainty in her blue-and-copper eyes

"Try, Beauty"

She dipped her head and took his hand "I need to touch you Let me touch your chest"

Paenther ripped the shredded silk shirt off with a single tug, popping the last re buttons Skye lifted her hands and pressed her war

He covered her hands with his "If this workswhen you see the lights, jump back, or you’ll wind up underglea under you," she said softly

Unfortunately, Feral hearing was all too sharp Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a knowing she’s face

Paenther held Skye’s gaze "All right, let’s give this a try" Once more he pulled on the power of his beast, but like before, nothing happened The fury he kept carefully contained rose, boiling beneath his skin until he feared he would lose control He was about to push Skye to safety when he felt it The power rising fro until the shift cae, prihts sparkled around hi in his ani had never been right for him

In his panther’s body, he stretched and shook, then lifted his head with a roar, feeling an odd pleasure tug on hi his panther’s head to the source Skye stood beside hi outward from deep inside her chest, and he understood on a primal level why the creatures of the Earth flocked to her A nature spirit, the Shaman had called her

And he kneas true

His h the woods, but not only was there was too ht now, he could never leave his Mage witch with his brothers

She wasn’t safe at Feral House

"Can you shift back?" Lyon asked

Paenther growled That was the question of the hour Closing his eyes, he willed hi happened Dammit to hell

I need your help, Beauty

Without hesitation, Skye knelt in front of hi the pain and filling hi sexual about his reaction to her, not in this forh his body, into his soul, washing away the darkness, sending light into those deepest recesses, war in its most fundaht her touch

"Try again," she said softly

And he did This time, with Skye’s hands on hied to shift back into aas Skye’s with me We’ll leave iranite "No way in hell"

"Roar"

"Look, BP, I understand all too well your need to reach Vhyper and to stop Birik And I fully support it But I’ you out there like this If you coet separated froht back under their spell Unless you can shift into your aniain And that’s unacceptable"

The fury escaped his careful control He leaped at his chief, hard in his face "And what’s the alternative, Roar? I’m the only one who can possibly find that mountain We leave now"