(Kieran POV)
The change back to human form left me raw, exposed in ways that had nothing to do with the blanket I'd wrapped around my shoulders to preserve what remained of my dignity. Catherine sat across from me in the chair she'd occupied while tending my wounds, her dark eyes holding mine with steady focus that made my chest tight with emotions I couldn't name.
She'd seen me. The real me, stripped of every careful facade I'd maintained since her arrival. The monster that lived beneath human skin, the creature that had been calling to her from shadows with voices that spoke of hunger deeper than physical need.
And she hadn't run.
"The curse," I said finally, the words scraping my throat raw. Speaking of it aloud felt like tearing open wounds that had never properly healed. "It wasn'
