#Chapter 10 The Invitation

"Claudia." Evan's voice. But I couldn't open my eyes. So tired. "You're a little white wolf, Claudia," he said softly. So it was true. I'd shifted... I had really shifted. Cassiel had found me in my dreams the other night, and now she had even come out into the world. But the thought had only just formed in my sluggish mind when my body twitched, the shifting energy dissipating within it like smoke. Wait, not yet... I didn't want to turn back yet. I was stronger in this form, and I wanted to keep it. I wanted to stay. But it was impossible. My body was already changing back. Claws became soft fingertips; paws turned to bare hands and feet. The warmth of my fur faded bit by bit, and the chill of the air came over bare skin. I was turning human again. And I couldn't stop it. Strong arms lifted my upper half from the ground and cradled me within them. Something wrapped around me. Soft. Warm. But borrowed warmth, like something that had been placed against heat f