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cool hand touched my cheek, settling me. “I know it hurts but it will be over soon.”
    “W-what did they do to me?”
    “My guess is that they dipped the probes in something meant to slow you down even after the effects of the taser wore off. The problem is that the probes broke off when you and Matt made your escape, so the effects continued to magnify.” He paused and a cool cloth replaced his hand as he bathed my face. “I need to make sure the other probes are out. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt.”
    Damn, but the man had a way with the understatement. When he finished removing the next probe, I was shaking and sweating. I’m pretty sure I’d dug holes into the mattress with my fingers. By the time he removed the third probe, I knew I’d gone to Hell. On the fourth probe, I think I cursed. Maybe I’d cried. Then everything went mercifully dark.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    “You’re sure?”
    There could be no mistaking the anger in the clan leader’s voice. It penetrated the fog that held me and I opened my eyes. I lay in a darkened room, a sheet covering me. My mouth felt like cotton and my head throbbed. But the pain in my back had subsided and my neural system no longer did its imitation of the worst electrical storm imaginable. Whatever Stefan Kincade had done, it seemed to have worked.
    Thankfully.
    Another voice murmured something. From the sound, they weren’t in the kitchen. They were further away than that. I carefully sat up and lifted my head, sniffing. I caught the scents of five shape-changers: Matt Kincade, his uncle and three others. So much for having a few minutes with the clan leader to find out what he planned to do about me.
    Swinging my legs off the bed, I sat up. For a moment, the room swam around me. When it settled, I carefully climbed to my feet. This time, at least, I didn’t instantly fall back. Better still, I could feel my strength returning. Whatever Stefan had done, it seemed to have worked. All I needed to do now was find my clothes and get out of there before the trackers found me.
    I looked around the bedroom, searching for my clothes. Wonderful. They were nowhere to be seen. Well, I couldn’t go traipsing through the house in nothing but skin. Surely there was something in here I could wear.
    Before I could start searching, a soft knock sounded at the door. It opened almost instantly. The reprimand that formed on my lips for entering without waiting for permission died as Stefan slipped inside. It was replaced by a blush that I swear started at my toes and went all the way to my hairline. Damn it, I shouldn’t be embarrassed. He’d already seen me without a stitch of clothing on. Hell, he’d undressed me.
    God, I’d been away from our kind too long. There had been a time when being nude hadn’t bothered me, at least not when I was with other shape-changers.
    “I thought you might be awake,” he said as he moved to the closet. A moment later, he turned, a thick white robe in his hands. “Feeling better?”
    “Much. Thank you.”
    He watched as I took the robe and quickly slipped into it. I felt better, less vulnerable, as I belted it about my waist. It really is amazing how much more capable and competent you can feel once dressed.
    “If you’re up to it, Matt would like you to join the rest of us in the den.”
    I ran my hands through my hair, hoping it didn’t look as bad as I feared--okay, I admit it, I can be as vain as the next person. I also remembered all the lessons my parents had given me growing up. You didn’t present yourself to a clan leader looking anything but your best. Not only would it be an insult to him and to his people to come looking like a slob, but it put you at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, all I could do was hope he understood.
    What was one more insult, after all?
    At least I knew what I had to do first. When we entered the den, I moved in Matt’s direction, stopping several feet from where he sat on a comfortable