Nature of the Beasts by Trista Ann Michaels Page B

death of one of the hands to Sam.”
    Dmitry nodded in silence. She was right. They needed to get back to the ranch and check out the damage. He reached out and took her hand in his before transporting them back to Montana and the mortal world.

Chapter Nine
    Sarah stood in the middle of her bedroom and studied the shattered glass and wet carpet. The room looked like she felt: a mess. At least she’d had some reprieve, as Dmitry had gone to make the rounds, checking on the animals, ranch hands, and out buildings. She’d needed the moments of solitude. Unfortunately, despite the solitude, she still didn’t have any answers and doubted she would anytime soon.
    Dmitry stepped into the room. “The bedrooms on the other side of the house are fine. It was just this side.”
    Sarah nodded as she bent to pick up a piece of wood that had blown through the window. “Is this off the barn?” she asked.
    “Yeah, the twister went between the barn and the house, so this side of the barn looks like the house.”
    Sarah walked to the window, still holding the four-foot long piece of board. She tried to keep her mind on what happened to the ranch and the cleanup ahead, not the changes in her body. If she ignored it, would it go away? If she avoided sex with the shifters, would it stop?
    She had so many questions, but she wasn’t ready to confront her mother yet. Everything about her life had been a lie. Even who she was had been a lie. Some shifter out there who’d raped and beaten her mother was her father. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she squeezed them shut, trapping them behind her lids.
    She could not—would not—fall apart. Not now.
    “The animals?” she asked, still holding her eyes closed.
    “From what I can tell, the ones closest to the house are fine. All the horses are still here, and the equipment doesn’t appear to be damaged.”
    “The hands?”
    “All accounted for.”
    Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. Dmitry came up behind her and tried to put his hands on her shoulders, but she quickly moved away from him. The last thing she needed was his comfort. If he touched her in any way, she knew she’d end up on that bed with him. Even now, she wanted him. She wanted him so much her entire body ached for him.
    When Dastan got back, it would be twice as bad. How would she avoid them? How would she stop herself from giving in to what her flesh so desperately wanted?
    “Sarah,” Dmitry began.
    “I’ll take one of the rooms on the third floor that isn’t damaged,” she said, cutting him off. “Until we can get this one fixed. I don’t suppose it would be a good idea to use magic.”
    Dmitry shrugged. “The hands are never in the house, so I’m not sure the bedroom would really matter. We would at least need to make a show of getting the downstairs fixed.”
    “Is it bad?”
    “This side of the house is like your room, but because it’s so open down there, the damage spread farther.”
    With a nod, Sarah tossed the board out the shattered window, where it landed against the ground with a soft thud . “Well. I guess we better get busy, then.”
    * * * *
    Dastan transported back to the ranch and stared in shock at the damage to the great room. What the hell had happened? Sudden fear for Sarah overrode his shock, and he yelled toward the second floor.
    “Sarah!” he shouted, but when she didn’t answer, he called again, this time much louder. “Sarah!”
    She appeared on the landing that overlooked the main level. “Not so loud. Jeez, are you trying to get everyone’s attention?”
    Dastan let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. “What the hell happened?”
    “Twister,” she replied, then headed back to where she’d come from.
    “What?” Dastan murmured. “Dmitry!”
    “He’s in the barn,” Sarah called from upstairs.
    Dastan headed outside, but Dmitry met him on the front porch and shoved him back inside.
    “What the hell?” Dastan growled.
    “The hands think you were here the whole