Chapter 7

The heavy stone door of the cave scraped shut, sealing them in absolute darkness and silence.

Catherine dropped Amon's hand and let out a massive, shuddering breath. Her heart was still hammering against her ribs from the confrontation. She turned around, opening her mouth to explain that she only said those words to stop a bloodbath.

She never got the chance.

Amon moved faster than her eyes could track. He stepped into her space, his massive frame driving her backward until her spine hit the cold, rough stone wall.

He slammed both hands flat against the rock on either side of her head, caging her in.

The heat radiating from his body was scorching. His chest he heave, his rapid breaths ghosting over her forehead. In the dim light of the cave, his golden, slitted eyes burned with a terrifying, desperate fire.

"What you said out there..." Amon's voice was a broken, gravelly rasp. His jaw ticked violently. "Was it true?"

Catherine stared up at him. She was trapped. The sheer physical dominance of his body pressed against hers made her breath catch in her throat.

She looked into his eyes and saw the raw, bleeding vulnerability hiding beneath the predator. He was begging her for it to be true. If she told him it was a lie, it would destroy him.

Catherine swallowed hard. Her hands trembled as she raised them, resting her palms flat against his burning chest.

"Yes," she whispered. "It's true."

The word was a spark dropped into a powder keg.

A guttural groan ripped from Amon's throat. He ducked his head and crushed his mouth against hers.

There was no hesitation. No gentleness. It was a kiss of absolute, starving desperation. His lips were hot and demanding, forcing her mouth open. His tongue swept inside, tasting of wildness and a strange, intoxicating coldness that contrasted with his burning skin.

Catherine's knees went weak. The world spun out of control. She grabbed fistfuls of his hair, holding on for dear life as he devoured her.

Then, everything went wrong.

Amon's body violently convulsed against hers.

He tore his mouth away, throwing his head back as a horrific, agonizing scream tore from his lungs. It sounded like a beast being burned alive.

Catherine stumbled forward as Amon staggered back. "Amon? What's wrong? !"

He didn't answer. He couldn't.

A shockwave of pure, black energy exploded from his body. The temperature in the cave plummeted instantly. A layer of black frost crawled rapidly up the stone walls, freezing the moisture in the air.

Amon fell to his knees, clutching his head. The veins on his neck bulged, pulsing with thick, black energy. The human skin on his face began to tear, revealing thick, jagged black scales underneath. His golden eyes flickered wildly between round human pupils and the lethal slits of a snake.

His rut had triggered. The emotional extreme of her acceptance had shattered the dam holding back his unstable, violent energy.

"Amon!" Catherine screamed, terrified. She rushed forward, reaching out to grab his shoulders.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Amon roared.

He threw his arm out. The back of his hand struck her shoulder, sending her flying backward. Catherine hit the fur-covered stone bed hard, the breath knocked out of her.

She gasped, clutching her shoulder, staring at him in horror.

Amon was on all fours, his fingers digging into the solid rock floor until his nails cracked and bled. He was fighting a losing battle against the monster inside him. The black energy storm whipped around the cave, shattering the clay pots and sending shards of pottery flying like shrapnel.

His spine arched unnaturally. The sickening sound of bones breaking and reforming echoed in the cave. He was being forced into his full beast form.

He turned his head, his eyes bloodshot and wild, locking onto Catherine. The predator inside him wanted to tear her apart, to consume her entirely.

"Run," Amon ground out, his teeth cracking under the pressure of his clenched jaw. "Get out. I will kill you."

Catherine couldn't move. She was paralyzed by the sheer terror of the energy storm and the monster he was becoming.

Seeing that she wasn't running, Amon let out a sob of pure despair.

He raised his right hand. His fingers had completely morphed into long, razor-sharp black talons.

Without a second of hesitation, Amon drove his own claws deep into his left thigh.

Blood sprayed across the stone floor. Amon threw his head back and screamed, using the excruciating, blinding physical pain to force his human consciousness to stay awake for just one more second.

"RUN!" he roared, blood pouring down his leg.