Stone and Earth by Cindy Spencer Pape Read Free Book Online Page B

transform. The first time can be…difficult. I’m sorry, mon coeur . I’d spare you that if I could.” He sounded so worried, she couldn’t help trying to tease him out of it.
     
    “Well, they say the first time is always painful,” she joked. “Then what?”
     
    “Then your body will try to recover, by sending you into the stone state. You will be conscious, aware of your surroundings, but unable to move or speak. You will remain a statue until your body recovers.”
     
    She kissed his neck. “Okay. So when I transform, will I look like you?”
     
    He shook his head. “We each have our own unique shape. There is no way of knowing what form the magic will choose for you.”
     
    “Will I be gray?”
     
    “I have no idea, my love. We shall have to wait and see.”
     
    They didn’t have to wait very long. When the first rays of dawn began to peek through the blinds, Damien stood and helped Katie to her feet. He gathered her close in his arms and stood near the window, his face buried in her hair.
     
    “Don’t worry so much,” she told him, as she felt something like a thousand needles begin to penetrate her skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
     
    “I love you.” He held her tightly as her body began to change.
     
    It hurt. He hadn’t been kidding about that. Katie clung to Damien’s arms as she felt every bone and muscle in her body shift and pop. She tried to keep silent, but she couldn’t stifle a cry when she felt something burst from the skin of her back. When the racking agony finally stopped, she panted, trying to catch her breath. Without Damien’s strength, she would have fallen.
     
    “You are beautiful, cherie !” His awed whisper soothed the worst of her fears. Slowly she allowed him to help her pivot toward her full-length mirror. When she saw what she’d become, it was all she could do not to laugh.
     
    “Catwoman.” The word sounded strange coming from lips that were now feline in shape. She still looked like a woman from the neck down, except for the fine dusting of auburn fur that now covered her skin. Since Damien was stroking it with a look of intense desire, she decided that fur was okay. Her ears were pointed and furry, poking just above her normal mane of red hair which hadn’t changed a bit. But her face was an almost Hollywood-style blend of human and cat. She tried to smile and was glad to see it worked.
     
    “You have wings and a tail, just like me.” Damien turned her to the side so she could see. Sure enough, she had a pair of dainty pointed wings in what looked like grass-green leather. The tail was feline though, twitching and furry and red. She laughed, then felt herself stagger. Her feet were suddenly leaden. She was unable to move.
     
    “Shh. You are entering stoneshape now so that your body can recover. I will be right here with you, my love. Do not be afraid.” He feathered tiny kisses on her cheeks. His tail wrapped around her legs to stroke hers. “Here.”
     
    He sat her in the chair by the window as the paralysis crept up her legs to her hips. She leaned forward, her tail draped over her lap, her hands on her knees. Damien continued to touch and stroke and soothe.
     
    “I love you, Kathleen Calhoun, soon to be St. Pierre. Right now you need to rest. In time, you will adapt and think nothing of this. If you can sleep, the time will pass more quickly. It is something we all learn to do sooner or later. Meanwhile, I will be right here by your side until you can move again.”
     
    She felt the stone creep up her neck toward her face. She looked at him and smiled one last smile. “I love you.” She barely got the words out before her lips refused to move. Even after she was completely frozen, she felt the touch of his hand on her hair, his tail on her ankles. He spoke to her and assured her that all would be well. Then amazingly, Katie slept.
     
     
     
    Damien stared at his petrified mate. He hadn’t expected to be able to tell when she