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Nothing After a full minute of intense concentration, her face was still the sa colors was e She had to be capable of more than that She was called Shifter

She closed her eyes and tried again Maybe a bird was beyond her powers--but then why did she reht of a wolf, a cat, a deer, and tried and tried and tried When she finally threw herself onto her bed in exhaustion, her body was drenched with sweat

She fell asleep instantly and dreah the snoith the scent of blood in her nostrils, of sliding her long, cold body around a rock She woke up with her blankets thrown off her bed, her hands throttling her pillow

When was the last time she had shifted? The prince had found her in hu Why had she been hu had she been hu her, trapping her into the limited movements of which it was capable She wanted to fly She wanted to run for days without tiring, to have round

What rong with her?

She thought she kneho could answer that question Rokan had knohere to find her, what to say to her, had known to clasp the Shifter’s bracelet around her wrist She had determined not to trust him, not to let him see any weakness, but now she needed answers too badly to care Her loyalty was to him, anyhow If she could not protect hiht to know

Her roo in through the still-open as cold It wasn’t much past dawn, but she couldn’t wait Rokan would be in the king’s bedcha to think about it, she knew exactly where that was

When the door to his roo He had stayed up late last night, waiting for that very creak, and had finally gone to sleep iven Daria had been clear enough, though couched in courtly hints, and the look in her eyes had made him hope she would take hiiven his guards orders to let a wo now, but they wouldn’t be disturbed; the chauards His father had gotten rid of all the people who attended the king in theto the startled courtiers that he was partial to pissing and dressing all by himself That was one decree Rokan had no intention of rethinking So ure slip through the door and turn to close it But even before she turned to face hirace, without a single wasted ed his features into what he hoped was a friendly expression "Hello, Isabel What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you" She walked over to his bed and pulled herself up onto the foot of it, apparently seeing no ih thelet hi the strange, dangerous creature he had resurrected In a yelloith her golden hair spilling down her back, she could have been an ordinary noblewo in the way she held her head, the way her eyes darted around the room, made him wonder hoas the entire court didn’t know that a wild creature walked a the souards Rokan cursed his fair skin as he blushed "Not anymore I wasn’t," he lied

The Shifter tilted her head, and her eyes caught theShe didn’t have to

Rokan’s face was on fire He reminded hiht I was still waiting for her But she’s not co"

"That’s all quite obvious," Isabel said, a a sense of self-respect" Rokan pulled hiainst the polished wooden head-board It was obviously too late to act regal, but he did his best "I was not expecting you, either"

Those green eyes ide now, but no less feral; the neat line of lashes fra them looked out of place Too human "I want some answers"

Rokan’s heart thudded almost painfully, but hethis He still hadn’t decided how much to tell her "What do you want to know?"

"I want to knohy you brought e Rokan forced his face, his voice, to stay calm He wished Clarisse was there "Why is the Shifter ever here? I need your protection"

"You don’t seeh--Your Majesty"

"I can’t be called ‘Majesty’ yet," Rokan said "Not until htened i "But yes, in truth I was king the er"

"If you are," Isabel said, leaning forward, "then no one at court is aware of it"

He resisted the urge to lean away fro his shoulders slouch so he wouldn’t sees fro"

"No," Rokan ad his lip "Besides, the court may know It keeps secrets better now than the last ti People learned to be wary"

She nodded Rokan spent a ave up and continued "Soends say that the Shifter’s memory fades every time she retreats to her woods, so she returns with few specificshe served Is that true?"

"Yes," Isabel said

He pursed his lips so he couldn’t smile "So you don’t know the circuers dug into the bedspread, but aside fro cat’s "Do you?"

"Not really" Suddenly there was no reason to be afraid of her--for the iddy "I was only seven years old at the ti’s life, and you disappeared right afterward Some said you fled from shame I don’t knohat"