Authors: Carmella Jones
Kassie started to speak, but then she felt like it was useless. He clearly didn't want to talk about it so there was no point trying to further the conversation.
“Well, I’m glad I met you. I was so surprised you gave me your number that day,” she said, segueing away from the previous conversation.
“What can I say? You were cute, friendly, and seemed really nice. Let's not let what we just spoke about get in the way of enjoying each others company.” He said smiling.
She nodded in agreement.
“I get it. I won’t push the issue then,” she replied.
They then moved onto other topics, such as their taste in movies, music, and their plans for the future. It was easier talking about this because Kassie didn’t feel like she had anything to hide.
“Well, I’ve been here since I was little. To be honest, I want to leave eventually once I have everything planned out. I'm finding my art degree to be pretty useless, so I should probably go back and get a degree in another field. I’ve been working at the diner for years. The place is okay, just not my thing. By the way, what do you do for work, you know, outside of writing?” Kassie asked.
“Well I’m going to probably work at the state park nearby as a park ranger, but I do really want to focus on writing. I just like the fact that this place is tranquil, I do some of my best writing when I'm surrounded by nature.” he said.
“Yeah, I feel you. To be honest, I wish I could paint more but the work schedule kills me,” Kassie explained.
“Yeah. Well I hope that someday you find out what you want and figure out how to achieve it. I do think there is more out there, but for now, I’m happy with where I am,” Brandon replied.
Kassie smiled and the two of them continued talking about their interests and shared a few laughs. They hung around outside until it started getting dark and then headed back to the house.
“I had a great time,” Kassie admitted.
“You and me both. Let’s do this again soon,” he offered.
Kassie couldn’t agree more. They paused, gazing upon one another for a moment before Kassie turned around to walk back to her car. As much as she liked Brandon, she wasn’t ready to kiss him yet. She felt like there was something holding her back, something she needed to know first.
As she left, Brandon glanced once more at her tight pants and stared as she moved almost hypnotically back to the car. He proceeded to let out a long and pleasant sigh.
As she settled in back home, she reflected on their conversation. What was his secret? Why wouldn’t he tell her about his past? What should she do about it? All of these questions flooded her mind, and Kassie definitely felt ill at ease. The only thing she could do now was rest her head, hope he opened up, and pray for the best.
*****
About two weeks had passed since their initial meet-up, and Kassie wondered if he really liked her. It seemed odd that he would ask her out, and then after their first meeting wouldn’t even answer her messages. Did she do something wrong? A feeling of apprehension coursed over her body, and she wondered if she offended him in some way.
Kassie decided that she was going to go visit him after work. He was probably at home, since it was about ten at night. She hated working the evening shift because of all the kids that would come in and terrorize the place, but she didn't mind the pay. She needed the money after all if she was ever going to leave this place behind and pursue something new.
Kassie went over to his house afterwards, stopping in front of the driveway and taking a deep breath before approaching the front door. The forest looked creepy at night, black as ever and almost devoid of anything. She wondered if Brandon got nervous around this place, or if she just wasn't used to it. As she got closer though, she heard a rustling and felt apprehensive. There was something out here, something that wasn’t normal.
A part of her assumed that it was probably just some squirrel or small animal. After a few knocks without answer, Kassie headed around the back of the house to see if he was even home. The place was dark with very little lighting. The only decent illumination Kassie had was the flashlight app on her phone, which did little in the grand scheme of things. Suddenly, though, there was a roar, and then something jumped, attacking her outright.
Kassie fell to the ground with a thud, screaming out as she felt some sort of creature against her body. She tried to push it off, but it seemed to be at least three times her size and very powerful. The creature's thick fur enveloped Kassie's body. She could make out the outline of ears on top of its head, and after a moment, Kassie realized what it was.
It was a bear. She was being attacked by a bear!
She struggled, but it was no use. The bear had her pinned, and she was defenseless. The bear revealed its teeth, getting closer to her neck and getting ready to bite down. With her hands unable to move around, she felt at the mercy of this terrible creature. She continued to snake around, but it was no use.
She was going to die. Kassie was going to get brutally murdered by a bear. She noticed that this bear seemed to have more of a conscious intent than normal wild animal would and that freaked her out even more. It looked her in the eyes and seemed to smile before it lunged in for the fatal bite.
Suddenly, as soon as Kassie was about to close her eyes and accept her fate, something leapt full speed at the bear knocking it off of her. The roars were as loud as thunder as the creatures rolled and clawed at each other.
Kassie was shocked, unable to see the creature. She reached for her phone and illuminated the scene.
It was a mountain lion. She was attacked by a bear and rescued by a mountain lion? Boy, this would be quite the story tomorrow. But there was something strange about that lion. It seemed almost human in a sense too.
The two animals continued to fight, gnawing and clawing at each other. Their roars sounded like loud screams of rage. They disengaged and reengaged a few times before stopping and staring at each other.
What she saw next caused her to drop her phone and nearly faint. The lion and bear changed, turning into men. Kassie wondered if maybe someone spiked her coffee with a hallucinogen or something, because was the strangest thing she'd ever seen. The two men continued to stare each other down. After shaking her head in disbelief, she recognized the man who was previously the mountain lion.
It was Brandon.
Kassie didn’t know what to do. She quickly went back to her car, but not before Brandon stared directly at her, a look of shock and fear plastered on his face. This time, he wasn't watching her figure, but rather staring at her with sorrow and regret.
*****
Kassie felt petrified. She pulled into the parking lot of her apartment and sat there unable to move. What the hell was going on?
She wanted answers, but she didn’t know how to get them. As a bit of time went on, her fear slowly transitioned to a sort of curiosity. It made her want to know more about Brandon and what he really was.
She attempted to call him the next day, trying to figure out what to say if she waited for the first ring. But he didn’t have his phone on, and despite the numerous voice-mails, he wasn't returning her calls. She knew that he was probably mad that she saw him like that, or scared even. Kassie decided that given this absolutely bizarre and dangerous turn of events, she was going to try to forget Brandon all together and focus on saving some more money and getting the hell out of this town.
*****
The problem was, she couldn't. Kassie spent the next month brooding over Brandon. She worked her shifts, but her actions and conversations were robotic and lifeless. She simply went through the motions with a half-hearted plastered smile. Finally, after a few weeks, Bianca brought Kassie in the back room after work to talk.
“Something’s the matter. What’s going on?” she asked in an almost demanding tone.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Kassie replied.
Bianca arched over, slipping in front of her and looking at her with a fixed gaze.
“Bullshit. I know something happened a few weeks ago, and it’s put you in this mood. This isn’t the Kassie I’m friends with, so cut the crap and tell me what’s going on,” Bianca demanded.
Kassie knew this was the way Bianca showed she cared, but it still felt harsh. Kassie thought of how the hell she was going to tell Bianca what happened. She didn’t want to tell Bianca about the lion shifting thing, but wanted to get this anxiety off her chest.
“Well, I found out a secret about Brandon that he didn't want me to know and I think this might be the end, just when I was really getting to like him. I want to be there for him, to tell him that I understand and that everything will be okay, but I’m scared. I’m worried that things will be weird between us now,” she stated.
Bianca looked at Kassie and sighed, finally speaking once again.
“You know, you can be pretty stupid,” she stated.
“Well sorry, I’m not used to being like this over a guy. What should I do though? I mean, I’m worried that this might be the end of us, and I don’t want that. He’s the first guy I’ve had a connection with in a long time, and I don’t want to lose him,” Kassie stated.
“Besides for this 'secret', do you guys like each other and get along?” Bianca said.
“Yeah. We get along great, and although he has a strange secret, I’m still willing to be there for him,” she admitted.
“There’s your answer. There are some problems and some skeletons in the closet that will surface in any relationship – But let me tell you something, if you’re not accepting him for who he is, you’re not going to get anywhere. I know it’s hard, and I know there are probably more secrets waiting for you, but you should go to talk to him and show him you care,” Bianca said.
Kassie listened to this, and although she hated to admit it, but Bianca was right.
“I would suggest heading over there. Has he answered your calls or texts?” Bianca asked.
“Nope. Not recently.”
“Well you should see him in person then. He might be too embarrassed to talk about it, or he might even be going through something else. Remember, we all have our own lives, and we have to remember that not everything is sunshine and rainbows,” Bianca explained.
“You’re right. Thanks Bianca,” Kassie said.
“No problem. Just hear him out, and if you still feel like you can’t deal with it, then that’s that. But I think if you take the time and show him that you accept him and really care that everything will work out.”
Kassie couldn’t help but agree with Bianca. She wanted to learn more about the whole animal shifting thing and was definitely willing to accept it. Maybe it would be best to head on over there, to talk with him, and to figure out what’s going on. After she finished up, she changed and headed out to his house.
When she got there, the lights were on. She pulled all the way up to the door and left her headlights on, not wanting to risk another encounter like last time. The woods seemed a bit more peaceful and tranquil this time around. She wondered why that was, but after two knocks, she knew she would get the answer.
Kassie heard the sound of shoes trudging to the door, and after a moment or so, Brandon opened the door and gazed at her.
“Kassie,” he breathed, almost like a mantra. He didn’t seem angry, just a bit surprised.
“Hey there Brandon. Can we talk? I feel like there’s a lot we should go over,” she said.
“I think so too. Come on in,” he said.
She moved into his home, and that’s when she saw it. There was blood on the floor, and after looking at Brandon, she noticed there was blood seeping out of his side.
“What happened?” she said.
“Well, I’ll get to that in a second. Can you help me out? I just need this to be held together while I stitch it up,” he explained.
She looked at him with wide eyes, realizing he was going to put stitches into himself. She didn't know if she would faint or not, but immediately rushed over and held the wound together. Brandon then started to thread the needle into the skin, bringing the parts together. It was gross to watch, and hearing the small cries of agony that echoed through Brandon’s mouth hurt her to hear. Still though, she persisted.
Once that was over, he put another couple of bandages on it, looking at her with a glance.
“Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to stitch that for a little bit. I really appreciate the help,” he said.
“What the hell happened that caused you to have that?” she asked.
He sighed, looking at her and assessing whether or not he should tell her.
“Are you sure you’re ready for the truth?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m not going to leave your side until you tell me,” she said.
There was a pause, and then he nodded. “Okay. Well to start, you know I have the ability to shift into a mountain lion. You saw it that night when I was fighting Artemisia. That bastard and I had some history,” he told Kassie.
“What kind of history?” she asked.
“Well, we knew each other from before my military days. The two of us were the only shifters besides our master shifter in our hometown, but we didn’t get along. He was a bully, a true asshole. He would hurt people for fun. He even hurt my family and killed our master right before my eyes when he suggested that Artemisia was misusing his abilities. I vowed to take him down, which is why I joined the military in the first place, to hone my combat skills. It was a valuable experience, and it helped me grow stronger.
I would sneak off the base and hunt enemy combatants for practice, until one day I got caught by my Lieutenant. When he found out what I was able to do, he told me that I had to get discharged for safety reasons. They were afraid that I would hurt my fellow soldiers, even though I viewed them like my brothers.”
“That’s horrible,” Kassie replied.
“Yeah, I should have never got caught, but I wasn't fully able to control my shifts and I couldn't switch back in time before getting spotted. After I got kicked out, I lived in the woods, perfecting my abilities on my own and hoping that one day I could take down Artemisia. Once I grew strong enough, I discovered his location, which was here, in this town. I came here solely with the intent of killing him, but then I met you. You cared about me, something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I wanted to let you in, but I was afraid to, because I didn’t want you to get in the middle of this. That’s why I didn’t let you in until now, until the deed was done,” he explained.
“What do you mean by deed?” she asked him.
“I killed Artemisia. Obviously not without a couple of wounds to my body, but I was able to finally put him to bed. He was planning on killing you tonight, and he was headed to the diner to get rid of you. I stopped him before any of that could happen. He bit me in the stomach, which is why I have this wound. It was pretty nasty to take care of, but I’m happy that I finally did what I needed to do,” he explained.
“I can imagine. That’s absolutely crazy,” Kassie said.
“Yeah, it was hard but it had to be done. I did the deed, and now I’m free. I’m happy to have finally told you this. It’s been eating away at me for a while, but I was scared to let you know. But I do care about you a lot Kassie, and to be honest you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he admitted.
“I feel the same way. It’s weird, but I feel okay with anything as long as it’s with you. I was scared to take a chance at first, but then I realized it was my own personal fear that was holding me back. But I'm not fearful anymore. I know you would never do anything to hurt me” she said.
There was a pause, and after a moment, Brandon nodded.
“So you’re not scared?” he asked.
“Nope. In fact, I think I’m falling for you. I’m ready for whatever it is that you throw at me. I’m not afraid anymore, and I’m willing to accept this whole shifting thing, even if I don't quite understand it yet. For you, and for me,” she replied.
For a brief moment Brandon took all of this in, and Kassie smiled. In a way, it wasn’t so hard to accept the fact that he was a lion shifter. Compared to the other redneck dudes in this town, it was a breath of fresh air.
“Well then, I guess it’s time that I give you this,” he said.
There was a moment of silence between them, and Kassie wondered what the hell he was going to give her. Then, he pressed his lips to hers, and soon the two of them let their lips push against one another, both of them not caring about anything else but the feel of their plush lips against the other person’s. At the moment, time had stopped, and the only thing that they could feel was the emotion of love, the emotion of desire, and the emotion of acceptance.