Bennett - Milly Taiden Page 0,30

of the lads, was playing a trick on him.

Mine.

There it went again. Bennett knew the voice, but it wasn’t his.

Mine.

The voice was positive that Dakota was his.

He let the thought roll around in his head, testing out how it felt. It was a wonderful notion, of course. He would have loved nothing more than to be able to claim Dakota.

Claim her?

That kind of thought wasn’t like him at all. There was a flurry of activity as Dakota peeled herself from his side. He had no time to call out to her before his eyes popped opened when light played behind his lids. He was fully expecting to have blurry sight. He had needed glasses since he was two years old. But the room around him was clear. He even saw Dakota’s beautiful face, her lips parted on a gasp. His suddenly clear vision made no sense to him.

“Wh—”

He sat up in the bed, and he immediately regretted the movement. His head was heavy and filled with lead. His hands went up to his temples, and he shut his eyes. There seemed to be too much going on in the room. Every light, every smell, every sight was an assault to his senses.

He didn’t have to see to know that Dakota had rushed to his side. He could feel her presence, he could smell the chamomile flowers from the shampoo she had used.

“Dakota,” he asked, his voice hoarse and dry. “What happened?”

She sat on the edge of the bed. He felt the dip in the mattress. Her hand went to his arm, and she gave him a gentle, comforting squeeze.

“What do you remember?”

He was frustrated for a moment because she had answered his question with one of her own. But he took a deep breath and remembered that they had been through an attack. She was most likely worried about him.

He searched his brain for the very last thing he remembered. “I recall that we were in the lab. We were kissing.” He opened his eyes, and they met hers. It was a crash of loaded emotions.

“Yes?” she prompted on a whisper.

The air was changed around them. It smelled like lust and desire. He didn’t know how he knew that or why the air had suddenly shifted between them.

“We were attacked by three men. They took the decoy vials. One of them shot me. And I…” His voice broke. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go on. “Then I died, I think.”

Dakota sniffled loudly, and her hand trembled. “It came very close to that,” she assured him. “You were losing so much blood, Ben. I didn’t know what to do… I had to do it. I had to inject you with the serum. It was the only way to give you a chance to live. Do you understand?”

He shook his head. “You gave me the serum? You injected me with the vials of Gray’s serum?”

Dakota nodded, but she looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. He leapt off the bed.

“But that could mean that I turn into a shifter. Like Gray. Like you.”

She bit down on her lip and sniffled again. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Are you saying I’m a shifter now?” His words were so quiet, he wasn’t even sure he had spoken.

“Maybe?” Dakota ventured. “There’s no way to know for sure until you shift into an animal. But…” She did look at him then. There were so many emotions playing on her face, and he didn’t know what they meant. “I think you should go to the bathroom. See for yourself.”

Bennett knew he was frowning deeply at her. “See for myself?” he repeated as he made his way to the en-suite bathroom. He flicked on the light, and his heart jumped. He turned around, not sure who the man reflecting back in the mirror was. Dakota was the only one there. He turned back toward the mirror.

This time, he understood.

The man in the mirror? It was him.

The muscular, naked man with the defined eight-pack and enormous biceps? That was him. He didn’t even recognize his jawline. It was square now, putting his chin dimple on full display. Had he grown a few inches? Or was the wide set of his shoulders playing a trick on him.

He looked every bit the Chad, just like Gray.

“What happened to me?” His voice was heavy with confusion.

Chapter Sixteen

Bennett

“What happened to me?” Bennett seemed to be asking himself that question.

Dakota bit down on her lip and gave him an encouraging smile. “My best guess is