She simply would, because she had to. Having her temporary commanding officer naked in front of her was not beyond the call of her very special duty. After all, she’d seen Grace naked a lot when her superior had shapeshifted into wolf form and back.
Now it was time for Quinn to do the same.
Yeah, but Grace was a woman, argued Kristine’s logical mind. She’d seen nothing different from what she saw in the mirror, just in the unique configuration that was Grace’s instead of her own.
But Quinn? He was all man. Well, almost all man, except for what she knew about him and what he was about to accomplish here.
After she saw him naked …
“Tell you what,” he said. “Let’s do it all backward. You give me some orders. What do we do next?”
“I assume this won’t be your first time shifting outside a full moon,” Kristine said, buying a little time. Plus, she was curious. This would be his debut shifting as a member of Alpha Force, but he’d had other resources before.
“That’s right. I’ve taken some of the shifting pills that Simon developed, so I’ve already changed now and then at different times. I’ve even taken his medication during a full moon because it helps to keep us from changing automatically then. Mostly. My bro’s a smart guy, but his pills need work.”
“You probably know that some of what he did has been incorporated into the new Alpha Force formula,” Kristine said. “It was already good stuff, but now it’s better.”
That wasn’t her area of expertise, of course. But she, like all Alpha Force members, knew that the basis for what Quinn would be drinking here was the most current version of the Alpha Force elixir that had first been developed by one of its commanding officers, Maj. Drew Connell, even before he had helped to form the very unique, very covert military unit composed partly of shapeshifters.
The formula had been modified over the few years of Alpha Force’s existence, improved by development and experimentation.
And now, Kristine had heard, they had also made some initial modifications to the elixir that were triggered by the formula first developed by Quinn’s brother Simon. That blend was still in experimental stages and not yet in common use. Simon’s prior version was not as sophisticated in most ways as what Alpha Force was using—but it contained some very desirable qualities.
“Bring it on,” he said. “I’ve been waiting to try it.”
Kristine inhaled deeply. “Okay, then.” She kept her tone crisp. “I’ll give you a dose of the elixir. You remove your clothes, then I’ll shine the light on you.”
“It’s supposed to mimic the intensity of a full moon, right?” Quinn asked. He didn’t even comment about the fact that he was to completely strip in front of her. Maybe it was no big deal to him.
She wouldn’t let it be a big deal to her.
“That’s right,” she said.
“Fair enough.”
Kristine removed a vial of elixir from the backpack where it had been carefully stowed. As he drank it, she also extracted the moderate-size battery-operated light.
She pretended not to be especially aware of what he was doing as he removed his shirt, then his slacks. But she did sneak a glance in his direction. Damn, but his body was as buff as she had anticipated from seeing him fully clothed.
Then he removed his black boxers. She felt her face redden as she turned the light on and aimed it toward him. She had no choice but to look then. Oh, yes. His male parts were as large and enticing as she had imagined, too. She quickly lifted her gaze toward his face.
He obviously was aware of her discomfort. As she bathed him in light she could see his masculine expression that clearly said, Like what you see?
And then, as anticipated, his shift began. Kristine watched, as always amazed yet accepting of the miracle she observed so often.
Quinn’s body writhed, and he dropped to all fours on the ground. His limbs contorted as fur erupted from his skin. His grimace elongated into a canine muzzle.
Soon, he would be, for all intents and purposes, a wolf.
Standing still, paws grounded on the soft dirt of the earthen path, he stared at the beautiful human who had aided his change. She had turned off the bright light and stood watching him in the darkness, eased now only by the distant lights of the military base. She remained unmoving. Her head was tilted, as if she studied him. Wondered about him.
Except for his family, he had never had any company while shifting.
The fact he could think about that now was astounding. Always before, even when using Simon’s treasured pill that helped to control shifting nearly anytime—at least somewhat—his thoughts while changed had been as wild and uncontrolled as his wolfen body.
But this Alpha Force formula allowed him to keep all his human awareness. He loved it!
What else was different now? He had to know.
He would not find out by remaining here.
He dragged his gaze from the wide blue eyes watching him, bared his teeth for an instant to convey his intent to be on his own and began to run.
The late summer nighttime breeze wafted around his long silver-black pelt. Smells of trees, of large birds of prey, of small squirrels sleeping in branches above, filled him with a sense of belonging.
He circled the vast area inside the fence, remaining within the confines of Ft. Lukman.
He had an urge to run and never return. But his alert mind acknowledged the wish while ensuring that sensibility and caution governed all.
Wise or not, he had taken an oath to become a soldier. With his new ability to think as consciously as a human, he remained aware of the penalties for a soldier’s going AWOL, no matter what his assignment. Or the form of his body.
Besides, he wanted more access to the formula.
For a long while, Quinn ran in loops, circling the perimeter of the military base, staying far from the buildings. He watched for people to ensure he got nowhere near them—though he was fully aware that many among this group of humans, more than any other, would understand what he was. Accept it. Accept him.
Yet he preferred being on his own, absorbing every nuance of the sights and sounds and smells utilizing his enhanced senses and his maintained ability to understand.
He didn’t feel he would ever grow tired. But he had not taken a large quantity of the changing formula for this, his first experiment with the medication that was so new to him.
For the first time since reluctantly agreeing to join his brother and enlist in this unique military force, he started to believe it was not a mistake.
Yet would this new environment, this new job, ever feel important enough to quell his natural curiosity? Would he ever be comfortable acting like a soldier, taking orders, especially if there were any he felt to be needless or ludicrous?
Could he, as he had been promised, ever use all the prized abilities that he had carefully honed over his years as a private investigator?
He would have to wait and find out.
Eventually, he began to feel tugs beneath his skin, a sure signal that he would soon change back. Reluctantly, he turned in the direction from which he had come.
The woman who had helped him remained there, sitting on the ground near where he had left her, a softly lit electronic reader on her lap. She was reading. Waiting for him.
He wanted to greet her. Thank her.