Becoming Bad (The Becoming Novels) by Jess Raven, Paula Black Page A

spectacular. Lightly dusted in fine hair, his abs rippled in slo-mo as he tossed the shirt aside. Muscles danced and tendons flexed and her eyes may have been a little glued. She was female after all. Gold rings glinted through his nipples, winking at her in the candlelight. Ash blushed, desire suddenly riding her hard in spite of all her mental chiding.
    ‘Whoa there, big guy,’ she protested, ‘we can train with our clothes on!’ Her hands went up, warding off any further removals.
    He ignored her, popping the fasteners on his trousers, unselfconscious and oblivious to the havoc he was wreaking in her head. ‘Clothes are precious in Fomor. My men die to bring them here.’
    ‘I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning if I get blood on you, ok?’
Blood, or drool.
Damn it, she was affected by him and he wasn’t helping her by taking things off. Her eyes shut, her hands clenched. Ash aimed for a resolute, no nonsense tone, trying to hide the lusty hum in her blood. ‘Seriously, you start doing the Full Monty, and I’m out of here, Mac.’
    He was so blasé about stripping, it unnerved her, but he made no more moves to lose the trousers. Instead, his head canted, smirking as he looked her over. ‘Get comfortable with nudity, woman.’
    Seriously, did he just ‘woman’ her? A protest bubbled on her lips, only to be silenced by the bomb he dropped next.
    ‘Clothing doesn’t survive the shift,’ he said.
    Her voice shook. ‘You’re going to turn beast?’
    ‘Yes, Ashling, and if we do this right, so shall you. Trust me.’
    Oh God. It was one thing seeing Connal change, he’d been injured, but coming face to face with one of the creatures that murdered her mother? Hell, if what he said was true, she was
becoming
one of those creatures. She wasn’t ready. Panic cranked up with the quickening beat of her heart.
    He held her in his dark eyes, mesmerising, fingertips sliding the robe from her shoulders and letting it pool at her feet.
    Frozen by his revelation, she allowed it, letting the drugging incense flood her veins. Nervous fingers picked at the lace trim of her tank top and she squirmed as his gaze roamed her head to toe. Not much protection in a vest and panties.
    His voice was seductive as he circled her. ‘Do you know that the she-wolf is bigger and more powerful than the male?’ he said as he drew her hair back from her shoulders. The pad of his thumb stroked her pulse and it skipped for him. ‘It allows her to handle a branded pair, and to protect her young.’
    Damn if that wasn’t one hell of an image. The coiled energy within her purred. ‘You’re saying I could hurt you?’ She spoke quietly.
    ‘I can handle you, Ashling.’ His arrogance was like a scent.
    ‘What I did to that girl was accidental, but it’s stronger around you.’ Ash hid the tremor in her voice with a growl. ‘I don’t want to hurt anybody else.’
    Mac hummed, as though tasting words before he spoke them. ‘Would it ease your mind if I restrained you? For my protection.’ A smirk played on his mouth. ‘It’s true, you don’t yet know your own strength. I can summon the ouroborus roots to restrain you.’
    Ouroborus? Wasn’t that a snake symbol? Oh shit.
    Mac raised his palms and the walls came alive. Writhing vines reached out to wrap her ankles and slither up her body, coiling around her wrists.
    Her body thrashed instinctively, claws extending in defense as the bindings tightened. She’d asked for this, why was she fighting? Ash took a breath, allowing the roots to collar her throat. Another growl escaped her lips and she couldn’t swallow the tremulous warning.
    ‘I swear, if you try any funny stuff, none of your little vines will be able to contain my degree of pissed off.’ Ash couldn’t put her finger on where the surety came from, but she knew it was truth. The energy inside her could break free, if he pushed.
    Mac made no indication that he’d heard her, he just watched, coal-black eyes fixed on her every