Changing Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 2)

I laugh while he starts tugging his jeans back on. I can hear people on the lake beach not too far from where we are, so I decide he needs a shirt. His deep rumble of a chuckle finds my ears when one suddenly appears on him, and I shrug innocently before walking out.

I’m a little worried about dematerializing us. His blood is strong, and it makes me so much stronger. I didn’t mean to sling us outside yesterday. I meant for us to land in the kitche

n. I used the same power as I normally would have, but the distance was a lot farther.

“You’re in your head,” he says, putting his arm around me. “Worried about today? You don’t have to go. I probably wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I don’t want lies or secrets between us.”

Lies or secrets. That makes my stomach clench with unbidden guilt. Could he handle my secrets? Or would Slade be right?

“I was just thinking about how much stronger your blood makes me,” I tell him, deciding to stick with the more innocent secrets. “I can feel it in my veins, almost as though it’s humming with more energy.”

“Me, too, sweet girl,” he says with a smile, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “I feel a lot stronger today. Maybe we should look into that.”

“It makes my power a little off because it takes less to do more. I need to be careful until I adjust.”

His smile blooms, and he picks me up, swinging me up his body until my legs clamp around his waist.

“I like seeing you work magic, so we’ll go to a practice field after we finish up with this. You can fire away, take my blood, and do whatever in the hell else you want to. As long as I get what I want when you’re done.”

He waggles his eyebrows, and I laugh while leaning against him a little farther, brushing my lips against his. A confession of love is a little premature, but I really do think I love him.

I just worry he won’t feel the same when he finds out everything.

“I want to help. Let me go with you.”

He doesn’t even hesitate to nod, which means he trusts me. Another pang of guilt stabs me, but there will be time for sin confessions later. Maybe I should wait until he feels closer to me. Or would that make it more of a betrayal?

Thad carries me all the way back to Gage’s house where everyone is loading up in a Hummer.

“Was just about to come find you,” Zee says as he takes the driver’s seat. “Dice is sleeping if you know what I mean.”

He eyes me before turning his attention back to Thad. I’m not stupid. The way he said it lets me know he just put a sleeper spell on Dice. Or maybe Gage did it, since Zee seems to be struggling with his power.

“I can help you get control,” I tell him while hopping down from Thad’s waist.

Zee’s eyebrows go up. “You? How? Gage is old as fuck and can’t help.”

“Gage can hear your sorry ass from in here,” Gage calls from inside the house.

Thad laughs under his breath while Zee flips off the vacant doorway.

“Gage has probably never had to deal with using magic with a werewolf temper. Having another creature inside you changes everything. You’re two people trying to merge into one, and each half is struggling for dominance. It’s a matter of learning balance. Once you can control both sides, you can control your power.”

He tilts his head, studying her. “How do you know I’m—”

“Your blood hit me in the first fight with Slade. I didn’t remember it at the time, but it’s clear now. I know the taste of a night stalker. But I also know the taste of really strong magic. You have both. I’m assuming you were born hybrid like me.”

Thad groans, and I look up just as he says, “You’re even sexier when you talk, sweet girl. Especially when you prove you’re all smart and shit.”

Yeah—blushing and grinning. Apparently that’s my thing to do any time Thad gives me a compliment.

“Actually it was something freaky Gavin did to me.”

My blood runs cold, and my head snaps back to him.

“We have him chained up somewhere so he can’t do anymore damage,” he adds quickly. “But he did some transferal of power.”

He tugs his shirt over his head and motions to all the ink running up and down his arms and across his sides and chest. “It seems to have stop growing, but these weren’t here before he did whatever he did to me.”