“Is it possible to stop? If it’s in me, won’t it come out as it does with you?” She was outwardly calm, but inside a mixture of excitement and fear were beginning to blend. She scented the wind and understood the messages it carried. She heard the notes overhead in the canopy and knew the song. She saw small lizards, insects, a preying mantis, hidden among the leaves of the trees as if they stood out in bright images.

The radio in Rio’s hand crackled. A burst of static followed. “We’re in. We’re in.” The voice was a mere whisper.

Rachael knew the radio was important. She could hear the tension in the voice. She could feel it in Rio, but the wildness in her was blossoming, spreading like a savage heat through her body. With it came sight as she’d never known it. Thermal images rippled in reds and yellows as she stared out into the darkness. Night had fallen completely and the ghostly mist once more shrouded the canopy. White tails drifted in and out of the trees. They looked like white lace. She inhaled sharply and drew the night into her lungs.

“Damn it, Rachael, I’m closing the door.” Rio bent down to peer at her face. “Your eyes are changing, your pupils dilating. You have to fight it.”

Rachael blinked up at him. Rio sounded urgent, worried. She smiled at him to reassure him she wasn’t afraid. Well, maybe a little, but it was a good kind of fear. She wanted to reach for that other side of herself. She felt it strong now, purposeful, growing inside of her. She could shake off the anguish and pain and feel the sheer joy of living free. No responsibilities. No ties. There would be nothing but being alive to the sounds and scents of nature.

The temptation was so strong she pushed away from Rio, back toward the door. Rio’s hands nearly crushed her shoulders. “Rachael, look at me.” He dragged her into his arms, held her tightly against his chest. He could feel the wildness rising in her, see it as she looked at him with eyes no longer entirely human. “Fight it. Stay with me, now. You can’t risk the change with your leg in such bad shape. Not the first time.”