“It’s so stupid. I’m not used to cooking, you
know that. I never cook. I was in such a hurry.” She looked at
Octavion. “I grabbed the side of the pot with my bare hands.”
“So, why didn’t you answer me?” Kira asked.
“I thought Shandira had found you.”
Lydia scrunched up her face. “I was
embarrassed,” she whispered.
Kira let out a huff of air. “Well don’t do
that again. You answer me, no matter what. Your brother almost
threw me across the clearing trying to get to you.”
Octavion’s head shot up. “I did not.”
Kira took both of Lydia’s hands and summoned
all her strength into healing the burns. It took a little more
effort than she expected—probably because her head was still
reeling from the leap. Or maybe it was the kiss. She’d need to do a
little more research to know for sure.
Kira stood and brushed the dirt from her
jeans. She hadn’t noticed before, but a wonderful aroma filled the
clearing. A cast iron pot sat on the fire. She picked up the large
spoon that rested on one of the rocks, and used it to remove the
heavy metal lid, setting it aside. As she stirred the pot the steam
rose into the air and Kira drew the aroma into her lungs.
“Lydia, this smells delicious.”
“It’s venison stew. I thought you might like
a
real
meal.”
Octavion helped Lydia from the ground and
stepped to the fire to see for himself. He took a whiff and
wrinkled his nose.
“You don’t like it?” Kira asked.
Lydia chuckled. “He likes his meat
fresh
.”
“Lydia!” Octavion chastised.
“What?” Lydia asked. “It’s not like she
doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” Kira asked, looking from one to
the other while waiting for a response. “What did I miss?”
“You missed nothing.” Octavion said.
Lydia stepped closer to the fire and propped
her hands on her hips. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. He hunts wild game
and eats it, ya know, like right off the bone.”
Octavion clenched his fists at his side. “She
gets it, Lydia. Now let it go.”
Kira had to admit she hadn’t given Octavion’s
eating habits much thought, but now that Lydia had explained it, it
made sense. Because of the curse, he needed to feed to satisfy his
hunger, so how else would he do that? She tried not to act too
surprised at Lydia’s revelation.
“So, what are you eating then, Octavion?” She
gave the pot another stir, replaced the lid, and propped her foot
on one of the rocks surrounding the fire. She slipped her hands
into her back pockets. “Aren’t you getting tired of fruit? I know I
am.”
“So am I,” Lydia added.
“It is none of your concern,” he said.
“Lydia, what did you do with the rest of this
meat?” Kira asked. “Surely you didn’t use the entire animal in this
little stew.”
Octavion glared at Lydia.
“Toran’s working on it,” Lydia said.
Octavion released the tension in his
shoulders with a sigh and leaned over the fire. He hooked the spoon
under the handle of the pot, lifted it from the fire and set it on
the ground. “It is done.” He stepped to the wood pile and withdrew
a log.
“Maybe you should go get something, Octavion.
That way we can eat together.” Kira knew she was pushing him to a
place he’d rather not go, but she also knew he needed to deal with
his fear of her knowing who he was and what he was capable of. It
was time he trusted her and learned she could handle his
transformation and the curse that controlled his life.
“Drop it, Kira.” Octavion threw the log on
the fire, sending sparks into the air. Kira had to step back to
avoid getting hit in the face.
Lydia stepped between them. “Knock it off,
Octavion. You could’ve hurt her. What were you thinking?”
His look softened, but when he tried to
apologize, Kira turned, leaving her back to him.
“Why don’t you trust me?”
“What?” he asked.
She turned to face him again. “Why don’t you
trust me? I’ve already seen you transform. I’ve heard you tell me
about the curse and how you have to feed to satisfy your cravings.
Don’t you think I have some idea of what that means? I do have The
Animal Channel you know—or at least I did before my mom took the
TV.”
Octavion’s shoulders widened and he hunched
forward, just enough that she noticed. He said nothing as he stared
into her eyes, tiny threads of yellow invading his. The muscles in
his arms rippled as he clenched and unclenched his fists, as if
trying to gain control.
“Octavion. Please, answer me. What are you
afraid I’ll see?”
“Leave it, Kira,” he said through clenched
teeth. “You will not like what you see. Trust me on that.”
“No. If you want me to be a part of your
life, then you need to get over this.
You’re
the one who’s
afraid—
not me
.”
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Kira wasn’t sure if he was trying to control his rage or releasing
it, but he didn’t make her wait much longer to find out. He took
one more breath and opened his eyes. They glowed with the fury of a
wild, savage beast. The rest of his transformation was
instantaneous as he leapt into the air and headed right for
her.
Kira stepped back to avoid him, but her foot
tangled on a fallen branch and she stumbled. Her back slammed onto
the cold earth, and a sharp pain shot through her left shoulder.
Octavion landed on top of her, supporting his weight on his knees
and hands. His face, only inches from hers, had morphed into a
stunning combination of human and ferocious lion.
The bridge of his nose was wider, his cheek
bones higher and more pronounced, and his brow seemed deeper,
setting off his piercing yellow eyes. But even with all those
changes, nothing compared to the change in his teeth—razor-sharp
canines that could puncture the flesh of any creature, including
her.
Kira was barely aware of Lydia screaming for
Octavion to stop. In response, he let out a roar that echoed
through the trees. His warm breath rushed over Kira as he bared his
teeth again and let out a deep rumbling growl. She fought to get
up, but he pushed her back down with the end of one finger—the tip
of which had a sharp claw.
Claws! He has claws!
She turned her
head away and tried to imagine what his face looked like before.
She had to be strong. She had to show him she was okay with it.
Kira pooled all the courage she could summon and turned back to
face him—looking him directly in the eyes. “
Get off me
.”
A shamed expression crossed his face before
he pushed away from her and vanished. The mist he left in his wake
settled around her like a warm blanket, engulfing her senses and
calming her racing heart.
“Kira, are you okay?” Lydia dropped to the
ground beside her.
“I think so.” But when she tried to sit up,
pain seared through her left shoulder, and down her arm. “Oh,
man.”
“Did he hurt you?” Lydia helped Kira sit
before pulling up the back of her shirt to see what caused so much
pain. “There’s a huge red spot on your shoulder blade. What did you
hit?”
Kira carefully turned to see the jagged edge
of a rock sticking out of the ground.
“That jerk,” Lydia said. “He had no right
doing that to you.” She stood and grabbed hold of her ruby.
“Lydia, don’t. He didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t
have provoked him like that. Give him a minute to cool off. I don’t
want him mad at you, too.”
Lydia hesitated for a few seconds. “He needs
to see what he did to you. His temper sucks.”
“It wasn’t his temper. He gave me what I
asked for. I just didn’t realize . . .” Kira hesitated for a
moment, not sure she should say how much it really scared her to
see him like that. “I tripped. It wasn’t his fault.”
“He still should have known better.” Lydia
helped Kira to her shelter and propped a pillow up against the side
so she could lean her uninjured shoulder against it. “Is that
better?”
“Yeah.” Kira held her left arm firmly against
her stomach. Even moving it a little caused her to cringe from the
throbbing pain that increased with each breath she took. She had a
big problem. Her shoulder blade was broken and healing it was going
to be impossible. She’d have to touch the injury to heal it and
there was no way she’d be able to twist her body so that her hand
could reach that spot on her back.
Lydia brought the stew pot closer and sat it
next to Kira. “You wait here. I’ll be right back.”
While she was gone, Kira examined the place
where Octavion had pushed her back to the ground with his finger.
There was a small scratch, but it wasn’t bleeding. She wondered if
his reaction and sudden disappearance was because it had stirred
his senses. Even without the presence of blood, it had somehow set
him off. Her stomach churned, creeping up into her throat. She
swallowed hard and tried to think of something else.
When Lydia returned with a couple of spoons,
they settled in around the pot and began to eat. It was all Kira
could do to hide the pain from her friend. It felt as though
someone twisted a blade into her back. The longer she sat there,
the worse it got.
After seeing him completely transformed, she
understood why Octavion didn’t want her to see him like that. As
much as she’d tried to hide her fear, she was sure he saw it in her
eyes. Why else would she have turned away from him? Why else would
he have left so suddenly? The shame she saw in his eyes nearly
broke her heart.
Desperate to get her mind off Octavion and
the pain that was now spreading across her back, Kira asked, “So
why do you like to eat like this, when he doesn’t?” Lydia spooned a
small bite into her mouth, then waited until she swallowed to
answer. “My spirit comes from the commoner blood in my mother, so I
tolerate these foods better. Plus I’ve grown accustomed to the way
you eat. Altaria wouldn’t touch this stuff.”
“So, does she crave raw meat like
Octavion?”
Lydia paused with her next spoonful a few
inches from her mouth. “It’s different for her. Octavion is a
hybrid and craves all the time. When the moon is new, he has no
control. Altaria can tolerate much more. She hunts during a new
moon to satisfy those cravings and help her resistance. It makes it
easier for me to live in the city.”
“Does she . . . transform?” Kira tried to
imagine Lydia changing into a smaller feminine version of her
brother and it didn’t fit. Even thinking about Altaria like that,
with her haughty attitude, felt strange.
Lydia nodded. “I’m sorry if that bothers you.
All this must be difficult to accept.”
Kira smiled. “I have to admit it’s hard to
imagine, but it doesn’t bother me. I need to remember to be careful
with sharp objects. I wouldn’t want my best friend eating me.”
At first, Lydia’s eyes widened, obviously
surprised Kira had actually said something like that, but when Kira
started laughing, Lydia joined in.
They spent the next few minutes filling their
stomachs. Kira finally conceded and tossed her spoon in the pot to
stay. She rubbed her stomach. “It hurts.”
“Your shoulder?” Lydia asked.
“My stomach. I think I just gained ten
pounds.”
Octavion appeared near the creek just long
enough to get his bearings. An instant later he’d traveled deep
within the forest where he could have his release without the girls
hearing him. How could he have lost control like that? He’d
intended to show Kira what she needed to fear and perhaps stop her
inquiries, but his wild display quickly turned into a complete
transformation when he caught her scent. It didn’t help that he’d
accidentally scratched her skin, sending his desires into
overdrive. When she opened her eyes and he saw the fear in them—the
fear in her soul—it set him back. What kind of a man was he?
He spun around and slammed his fist into a
nearby tree, no longer fighting the beast that raged in his heart.
Within seconds he’d made a kill, the final pulse of the creature’s
jugular throbbed against Octavion’s lips. The warm flesh was ripped
loose from the bone by his razor sharp teeth and strong jaws. There
was no mistaking it—tonight he was a wild animal and he had no
intention of holding back, even though his ravenous behavior was
exactly what he feared Kira would see.
When he’d had his fill, he went to the falls
to clean up. The cool water rushed over the raw abrasions on his
knuckles, and calmed him enough to bring his physical
transformation back to where it was barely noticeable. Only a
slight burning remained across his shoulders. It didn’t help that
Lydia’s thoughts pierced his mind, reminding him of what he’d
done—like he’d ever be able to forget. He could only hope that Kira
would find it in her heart to forgive him.
After their dinner settled, Lydia and Kira
took a seat near the fire to stay warm. With every breath the
muscles in Kira’s back tensed, sending ripples of pain through her
shoulder. She cradled her arm close to her body to keep it from
moving.
“Are you okay?” Lydia asked.
“Yeah,” Kira lied, using the hem of her shirt
to wipe the sweat from her brow.
As they sat in silence, Kira thought she
heard something move in the forest. A few seconds later, Octavion
appeared through the trees—his expression weary and regretful. He
stepped toward the fire, but stopped a few feet away before locking
his eyes on Kira’s. “Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
Kira didn’t know what to say. She knew he
felt bad about what he’d done, but as much as she wanted to forgive
him, she wasn’t ready to talk about it and certainly wasn’t willing
to accept his apology. She looked away and tried to stand, moaning
when the movement caused more pain in her shoulder.