thought seemed very small and quiet. She filled the reservoir and turned on the pot, still not looking at Van. That was for me .
“ I left to get a better grip on my powers,” Van explained. “I never wanted to leave you. We’re better off together. Page, don’t you still love me?”
Page raised and lowered one shoulder. “Three years is a long time, Van. I moved on. You should too.”
“ I don’t want to!” Van growled, and this time it really was a growl. Page turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. His eyes had gone flinty and hard, and cords were standing out on his neck. She tried to take a step back but found she was already at the wall. Van placed both of his hands just above her shoulders and leaned in, so close she could feel his breath on her face. “You’re mine,” he said, very slowly and patiently, though the words still vibrated unnaturally low in his throat. He leaned even closer, moving as though to kiss her.
Page flailed desperately with her right arm and grabbed the first object that came to hand. The half-full coffee pot. She swung it sideways, dumping the contents down Van’s side. He leaped back, hissing with pain. Page held the now-empty pot before her like a weapon.
Van shook his head sadly. “Did you really think a little hot water could stop me?” His eyes had more than narrowed – they’d elongated and turned golden. His teeth had also started to grow, and Page could literally see his hair growing, moving to cover his neck and face.
“ Not really,” she said, and swung the pot as hard as she could at his face. The pot shattered and the impact numbed her arm up to the shoulder. Van reeled backwards, clapping his hands to his face. Page tried to duck underneath him and make a dash for the door, but he swung out wildly and sent her sprawling over the floor.
“ You little bitch ,” he said thickly, blood streaming from cuts over his face. He reached out for Page, who found herself suddenly paralyzed on the floor.
The door burst open then, and something leapt over Page and barreled into Van, knocking him into the same wall Page had been cornered against.
“ Don’t you dare touch her!” Nicholas’s usually calm, quiet voice was contorted with cold fury. “Ah. . . .” Van had stood up a bit straighter, and there was very little that looked human about him now. His face had elongated into a muzzle filled with sharp teeth, and his entire body was covered with fur and had also grown much larger. He was now broader than the refrigerator next to him, and so tall he had to stoop in order to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling of the apartment.
Nicholas took a couple light steps backward and easily scooped Page up in his arms.
“ Hang on,” he said grimly, and bolted for the window. Page didn’t even have time to scream before Nicholas turned slightly sideways, plowing straight through the glass shoulder-first. The subsequent fall seemed to take forever before they met the ground with a jolt, Nicholas stumbling and nearly dropping Page.
His blue Volkswagen was parked just a few steps away. Nicholas halfway set Page down to unlock it and pushed her inside before rushing to the driver’s seat. He started the car and peeled out of the space, knuckles white on the wheel.
“ Are you okay?” he asked finally.
Page wasn’t sure. She was breathing hard and her heart seemed like it might pound right out of her chest. Her face felt wet, and when she tried to wipe it away her fingers came away red with blood. “I’m bleeding,” she said softly.
Nicholas swore. “The glass. I’m so sorry, but I wasn’t sure if he could catch me on the stairs. I’m certain he jumped down after us.”
Page looked back nervously, expecting to see a massive wolf bounding after the little car. Seeing nothing, she turned forward again, gently probing the cut on her face. It was long but didn’t seem to be very deep.
“ Don’t touch it,” Nicholas said. He seemed agitated.
“ Is the blood