Chapter 9

• Her legs gave out completely and she found herself sitting in the middle of the floor. Gage dropped down in front of her, close enough she could smell him. “I…” She fought to take a deep breath, but her chest was so tight she couldn’t. “I can’t…”
• He slid closer, his knees brushing against her legs. With a gentle touch he grasped her shoulders and leaned down so his face was level with hers. “Take a deep breath, honey. It’s going to be okay.”
• “Okay?” She struggled to inhale. “How is any of this okay?” Her world wasn’t what she thought it was. Her friends, her parents, they were people that changed into animals. Her parents were tigers for god’s sake. She took a shaky breath. Tigers. It made sense in some small corner of her mind; they were always rubbing against each other. She’d always thought it was cute that they were so affectionate. “Can I …” she finally lifted her eyes and looked at him. “Will I…” she couldn’t say it.