The Ganga Shift

Chapter 5

Chapter 5It hadn’t taken much convincing for Isabella to seek the sleep she desperately needed in Chase’s bunk. The smell of him surrounded her as she wrapped herself up in his sheets. An odd comfort for him, to know his scent enveloped her.

Brayden and Chase sat on the floor across the cell, watching their new tenant with curiosity. She hadn’t woken to shift during the midnight hour, not even with the pheromones of change stinking up the entire prison from the other inmates. It never mattered how exhausted the men were, even Chase couldn’t sleep through the urge.

Now, with the moon setting and morning creeping up, they had morphed back into their human forms.

“Look,” Brayden pointed at her unconscious body. Isabella started to twitch and convulse. “Is she changing or having a seizure? I can’t tell. Maybe we should get Shannon.”

Chase c****d his head and crawled toward her. Even though he was human again, the instincts of his feline side were still on full display. With the stealth of the creature that lived inside him, he approached her in silence until he sat on his knees, hovering over her.

He held his breath. Or rather, it was stolen from him. An unrestrained calm came over his spirit as he drank in the sight of the angel sleeping in his bed. The unshakeable feeling that he knew her only grew as he observed her delicate features.

Her cheeks beamed with a soft, natural blush . . . the only deviation from her perfect beige skin. Of all the things about this girl that could consume him, it was her aura he found irresistible. The elders of his mandir had helped him perfect his gift of reading a person’s heart when he was just a boy.

Chase was supposed to take over as their archaka—the temple’s priest—when they deemed him ready. Now that he was stuck here, he wondered if that would ever happen.

The light surrounding each person was unique and their own, but easily read. Their colors gave away their nature. Usually a combination of colors of varying intensity told him everything he needed to know about every person around him. He could then use that information to guide them in how to heal their heart.

But Isabella’s aura was entirely silver. She was the first person he had ever met with a single light without any variance in its shade. He didn’t know exactly what that meant, but the one thing he was certain of was that she was pure. Her deeds in this life were irrelevant.

Isabella’s destiny would be great.

He lifted his hand and ran his fingers through her silky hair. The urge to nuzzle his cheek against hers was almost too much to resist. He wanted his scent on her permanently, to mark her as his own. Something he couldn’t do in his human form. Something he would never do without her permission.

Isabella’s teeth chattered, and her tremors worsened. The pink on her lips faded, losing color until they appeared almost blue.

“She’s detoxing.” Chase clenched his jaw. The thought of Isabella’s heart being filled with so much pain that she would turn to that soul-destroying poison made him sick to his stomach.

“Dude,” Brayden’s voice squeaked. “Is she dying?”

Chase shook his head. “She’s freezing cold. Her body is going into shock from the withdrawals.”

“s**t. Wake her up then. I’ve got more cocaine.”

“Don’t you go near her, Brayden. I mean it. The sooner she gets past this, the better off she’ll be.”

“Whatever you say, feline. Look at her, though. At least give her my blanket.”

“No. She needs body warmth.”

“Yeah, okay. I can help with that.”

Chase couldn’t help but notice the sly look on Brayden’s face as he took a step forward, eager to jump into bed with Isabella. He held up a firm hand, stopping the kid in his tracks without a word.

He glanced out the small window on the other side of the cell, and decided based on the moon’s position he had a few more hours before the sun would rise. As much as Chase didn’t want to risk the change-burn, his animal form would help her the most. Without a second thought, his eyes turned white.

Chase stood and stripped off his clothing. He held his breath, preparing for the slight discomfort that came as his skin peeled away and melted under the white, smooth coat that replaced it. His canines ached as they grew several inches, hooking at a sharp point. Black spots appeared along his body, completing his transformation as he slumped over on all fours and dug his claws into the cement floor.

“Christ, Chase,” Brayden complained, pointing at the moon. “You’re cutting it close.”

Chase eyed him and offered a low, challenging growl. Brayden walked toward the feline, but leaped onto the stairs to climb on the top bunk.

“Relax, kitty-cat. I’m not after your new toy. I’m getting some shut-eye before the guards come in.”