The unforgiving and frosty wind of a late fall afternoon wasn’t kind to my bare ass. I shivered out in the cold on a blustery November day, Nandi’s unfortunate student.

“No. You need to feel it,” Nandi corrected me again. “You need to know what you are and feel it deep inside you.”

“Feel it. Right.” The only thing I felt was that I was an idiot because I was standing in the middle of Ian’s yard without a fucking stitch of clothing on.

Between the three of them, Isisa’s job kept her the busiest, Sasha a close second since the hospital actually needed her expertise for saving lives. That left Nandi, the homebody as they called her—my workaholic author—in control of my training. She’d taken the last few days off from writing to help me with shifting practice and concentration exercises to make it happen.

I glanced up and down the yard, taking in the height of the immense privacy fence. It stretched about eight feet up from the ground. “You sure nobody can see all this?”

“Private property for miles around and only shifters nearby. Anyone else would have to have a ladder or X-ray vision. Not shy, are you?”

“I’m not shy.”

A big grin spread across her face. “I hope not. Didn’t you have to shower with other guys in the military? You should be used to hanging free in front of other people.”

I scowled at her.

“Anyway, you totally changed the subject. Come on, Esteban. If you can’t get your shifting down, you won’t be able to help her, whether that’s today, next month, or next year.”

“I know.”

I tried to get my head in the game and think of it like any other skill that had taken time to master. Hadn’t it taken time to learn how to roof a house and install a floor?

Standing with my arms at my sides and spine straight, I closed my eyes and let the cool autumn breeze whisper through my hair. It caressed my skin, and the grass stirred against the tops of my bare feet. Three days had passed since my accidental shift, and nothing had occurred since then. Not a damned thing.

Being thrust from one form into the next, I landed on all fours amidst the grass and arched my spine. A thousand scents and smells assaulted me. Fat and sassy squirrels in the trees. Rich vanilla body lotion wafting off Nandi’s skin. Fuck, she was intoxicating, and everything about her smelled a thousand times better in this body.

“There’s my big, handsome lion.”

Nandi remained in her human shape and crossed over to me. Both of her hands caressed my face, and slim, articulate fingers slid through my mane.

“Now I need you to shift back.”

Shift back? Why would I do that? Everything smelled amazing, her especially, and the sun warmed my fur. The teasing scent of prey drifted on the wind, something small and delicious like rabbit. I turned my nose into the wind, imagining the delicious morsel in my mouth.

Nandi turned my head and forced me to look at her.

“Take control of it before it controls you, Esteban. Remember who you are inside here.” She placed her hand over my chest and touched above my heart.

I focused on turning paws into fingers and making forelegs into arms, but all I wanted was to rake my claws through the hard winter soil.

“You can do this,” she continued. “Think about Sasha and Isisa. About me. Think about your family and remember what you have to come back to. Ignore everything else. Which would you rather have? Raw rabbit or a grilled steak with a beer?”

Fuck, I wanted the steak.

Groaning, I tried to step forward onto two legs, shedding the shifter skin and leaving the lion shape behind. I lost my balance and face-planted. Nandi made it seem effortless and fluid, and I was a clumsy baby in the dirt with a mouthful of grass. She didn’t even try to catch me.

“See? You can do it. Shall we try again?”

“Already?”

Her cheek dimpled, and she leaned in, giving my cheek a light peck. “Easiest way is just to do it over and over a few times. It’ll get easier each time, I promise.”

It did. I barely wobbled by the fifth time, although I was exhausted, and my body resisted the idea of trying again.

Leigh brought us hot cider, oblivious to my nudity.

“I read your new book, by the way. Brilliant.”

Nandi brightened. “Really? I thought everyone would hate me for the ending.”

“What? No. That was a beautiful sacrifice. I’m sure there will be a negative Nelly or two somewhere in your reviews, but I honestly think that was the most lovely ending out of all of your recent novels. Will there be another?”

Nandi turned euphoric, forgetting I was beside her with my hands cupped around a mug of cider. An animated book discussion took place less than three feet away while I stood beside Nandi with my dick exposed, praying Ian didn’t wander out to greet us, too.

I shook my head and muttered, “Should I put on some pants again? I’m never going to get used to this.”

Leigh laughed, radiating the kind of maternal warmth I always felt from my mother. A hint of pink touched her cheeks. “It took a while, but I’m used to it. Being married to a shifter means it’s cocks and boobs all the time around here. Don’t work him too hard, Nandi, and come in if you both get cold.”

“We will. Thanks, Leigh.”

My muscles and my bones ached, a dull throb ebbing through every joint. After we sipped more cider, we returned to the grass and to the next level of her training.

“Now, I need you to shift while running, making a transition from two legs to four. The opposite is more difficult, but I won’t tax you like that since it takes more practice. Yet.”

“How the hell?”

For someone so shy and quiet, Nandi became some kind of wicked cross between a cruel taskmaster and a dominatrix once she decided to implement a reward-based system for completing her objectives. I received a kiss for each success, and a tease for the failures, but I couldn’t act on it or do anything in the backyard—once I mastered the objectives to her satisfaction, we could return to my place for the real prize.

Damn. An hour later, progress was minimal, and I was still shivering.

“I can’t come out of a shift while running, Nan. I’ll just end up eating grass again.”

“Then I guess you won’t be picking a special toy from Isisa’s chest tonight to use on me.”

“Goddammit, that isn’t even fair.”

“It’s totally fair. It gives you something to look forward to. I guess we can stop for today though since you have to do the work thing tomorrow.”

“Fine. Once more, then.”

I didn’t manage the shift gracefully, but I didn’t face-plant either. More like belly flopped in exhaustion. Nandi took pity on me at long last and massaged my aching back.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I guess you’ll want a raincheck on that toy box prize?”

“Please. I don’t think I’d give you the deserved attention.”

“All right. Let’s get you home then.”

Ian met us on the way out. He pulled his truck into the drive as Nandi and I were saying our goodbyes at the door.

“You look a little worse for wear,” he said.

“Nandi put me through the wringer.”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Ian teased, winking at Nandi. She dipped her chin and smiled. “Anyway, thought you should know the house is all put together again and no one’s the wiser about what we were really doing there.”

“Yeah, they all just think I have a bug problem.”

“Texas ants are notoriously stubborn beasties. But on the bright side, since we actually did lay down spikes and whatnot to appease your curious mother each time she wandered past, you should never actually have an ant problem.”

“That sounds like my mom. Thanks again, Ian, really.”

“It’s the least I could do. I’m sorry you were caught up in the fallout from our op.”

“Just keep me in the loop now, yeah? Whatever is going on with Sasha and these assholes, I don’t want to be stonewalled.”

Ian nodded. “Of course. And if you need more practice or the desire to hunt overwhelms you, you’re always welcome here. Any time.”

“I have to admit, this is all pretty damn crazy.”

“Well, Nadir has nothing but praise for you. If I’d identified you as a shifter earlier, I’d have pulled you onto the team years ago when you were still in. So if anyone can handle this new part of life, it’s you.”

“Thanks, man.”

Ian clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re welcome. Now go get some rest. You deserve it.”

Nandi drove while I dozed. Everything ached, and a satisfying post-workout burn settled in my muscles. It seemed like I’d barely closed my eyes when we pulled up to the house.

“Thanks, Nandi, for all of it.

She grinned. “No need to thank me. Watching you strut around naked is its own sweet reward.”

“You gonna strip down next time and join me? Maybe that would have been a motivational tool.”

“Maybe.”

“Did you want to come in with me? Stay the night? I can’t promise I’ll be good for much, but I have a comfy couch and a huge movie collection we could explore.”

“I’d really like that.”

Every indication of a gunfight taking place had been removed, save for the loss of a couple lamps I’d purchased out of town. I marveled over the spotless carpet, the pristine kitchen tile, and the immaculate fridge. The bullet holes were gone.

Ian’s people had even replaced the shattered patio doors.

“I’ll be damned. They actually did it.”

Nandi slipped behind me, arms around my middle, cheek to the back of my shoulder. “Ian always keeps his word. Anyway, why don’t you go get in the shower, and I’ll make you dinner. Okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

If I could remain awake long enough to enjoy it.