Page 37 of Their Fierce Little Monster

Shit, shit, shit!

Am I going to be stuck like this forever? The more frantic my head gets, the faster the dragonfly attacks me.

“Hey, enough.”

Except, it swoops toward me, and I duck, my shoulder clipping the door, rattling the thing. A quick glance in the mirror, and it’s still the monster side of me glancing back.

Fuck!

A loud knock erupts from the door, shaking the whole frame, and I jump. “Dawn,” Corvin barks. “What’s going on there? Let me in.”

“H-how did you know I was in here?” I snap.

“Saw you go in.”

I duck from the dragonfly once more. “And, what, you’ve been just waiting out there for me?”

“Something like that. So, how about I come in and find out what the commotion is about?”

“Don’t you dare!” I shout while swatting at the pesky thing coming for my face. “You belong back on me,” I whisper, or I’ll never change back.

“Dawn,” Corvin growls, banging on the door louder. “Stand back. I’m coming in.”

“Hell no, don’t.” He can’t find out that I’ve changed and how little control I have. Because then, like Kazak, he’ll want to take over and make all the decisions for me. But I can manage it on my own. That’s once I get this savage bug under control.

All right, focus. My heart slams into my rib cage as Corvin begins to crash against the door. He’s a psycho.

Change back now!

My body instantly tenses, and something stings like tiny bites all over my body. The dragonfly is suddenly being tugged toward my chest by an invisible grip, its wings beating furiously. I almost feel pity for it when it smacks into my chest, driving me backward into the wall.

It’s exactly when the bathroom door is ripped right off its hinges, and I scream.

Seconds later, Corvin stands there, grasping the whole damn door.

He shoves it aside and steps forward, one hand perched on the frame. His chest rapidly pumps for breath. His gaze roams over me, and it’s his fear that stares back at me.

I’m flat against the wall near the sink, barely breathing myself.

“What the fuck’s going on in here? Are you hurt?” Something primal crosses his face.

I blink, pull myself together, and push off the wall. For a moment, I can’t move from how fast my head spins. Finally, I take a quick look in the mirror, and it’s me in human form again. Thank the Gods. I breathe easily.

Let’s never do that again.

Then I straighten my posture as I yank down my rucked-up shirt and glance up at the monster heaving like a beast.

“You always break into a bathroom like a madman?” I say and step out of the room as he gets out of my way. “It’s just rude, you know.”

But halfway down the hallway, he rushes ahead of me, then pivots toward me. The move drives me back until my heels kiss the wall.

Before I know it, he’s got me caged, one hand placed flat over my shoulder, and he’s staring down at me.

Already breathless, I now struggle to fill my lungs.

His masculine scent that comes with a hint of something almost spicy floods over me. I try not to be impressed by the beauty this dangerous man carries—that sharp jawline or the blond strands that tumble over an eye. But I’m madly burning up.

“I don’t care what happens to you,” he tells me, yet he lifts his hand and drags his knuckles down my cheek and along my neck.