Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (41 page)

               
Jackson laughs. “Deal.  Okay, so what are the characters, childhood
friends?”

               
“Yeah, they could have been in love with each other forever, but something
catastrophic happens and they finally fess up to it.”

               
Jackson taps his chin.  “They are aliens from a different planet. 
What if they were on a spaceship and it crashed?  They think they’re going
to die, so they confess their love to each other because they may not have
another chance.”

               
“Ooh, that’s good.  How will they tell each other?”

               
He grabs Kayla and pulls her against him.  Jackson puts one arm around her
and takes her hand with the other.  “They should be dancing.”  He
starts to move with Kayla.  She blushes.  “Because she has never
danced before, and she wants to do that before she dies.”

               
“I know what I would want to do before I die,” Kayla whispers.

               
Chuckling, Jackson notes, “I don’t think they would find that appropriate for a
homework assignment.” 

               
“Just saying.”  She looks up at him.  “This sounds like a nice
story.”

               
With a soft expression, Jackson says, “It’s a great little tale.”

               
They sway back and forth, never moving their gaze.  Kayla finally murmurs,
“I wonder what it will be like to fall in love.”

               
“I think you’ll just know.  Like the guy takes your breath away every time
you see him.”

               
“It will be great if someone feels that way about me.”

               
Staring at her, Jackson says, “When someone falls in love with you, you will be
all they can think about, your face, your smile…your ass.”

               
“What!”

               
“You have a cute ass.” Jackson laughs.  “It’s nice to look at.”

               
Kayla’s face flares.  “Thanks.”  She looks up at him and says, “Every
part of you is hot.”

               
Jackson smirks. “Thanks, I feel the same way about you.”  They continue to
dance.  Then, as Kayla is staring at him, Jackson bends down.  He
brings his lips to hers and Kayla closes her eyes. Jackson tenses and breathes
out, “Damien.”

               
“What?”

               
Jackson lets go of her and backs up.  “Damien is here.”

               
A second later, Damien appears next to them.  “I was coming to see if you
were done doing your homework. It looks like you are.”

               
“Yup.” Kayla gulps.  “We were just coming up with our story idea, but you
know what, I’m actually tired.  I kind of want to read before I go to
bed.  It’s usually what I do at home.  I need some time to
decompress.”

               
“All right, let’s get you to your room then.”

               
An hour later, Kayla crawls into bed.  She picks up her book and starts to
read.  It’s not long before her eyelids droop. She yawns and closes her
eyes.

               
She appears in a field of wheat.  Kayla looks down and sees she’s in her
pajamas.  “Weird, I usually dress better in dreams,” she mumbles.

               
“Could be because this isn’t a dream,” a voice says.

               
Kayla looks up to see William.  She quickly backs up. 
“What…how…what’s going on?”

               
“You’re in Shima, and I’m here with you.”

               
“I-I fell asleep,” Kayla stammers.  “I’m not meditating.”

               
William shrugs. “People who are new to shifting will sometimes come here
instead.”

               
“Well, I’m leaving.  Bye.”

               
“No wait!  Aren’t you curious at all why I am here?”

               
She stops her retreat. “Why are you here?”

               
“I want you to see the truth, for what it’s worth.  Damien isn’t the
shining light you think he is.  You’re limiting yourself.”

               
“No I’m not.  Stop talking about him like you know him.  He has no
idea who you are, and I know very well that your name is not William Caster.”

               
He laughs lightly.  “No, but my first name is William.”

               
“What do you want, William?”

               
William chuckles.  “I just wanted to talk.  It’s not like I could
come to your door.  I know you’re at Jackson’s.  I still want to know
why his family wants you so badly.”

               
“I’m never going to tell you, so we can just drop the subject.  Jackson is
definitely off limits!”

               
William narrows his eyes. “Such a strong reaction.  If I didn’t know any
better, I would suspect that you have romantic feelings for Jackson.”

               
 “He’s just my friend,” Kayla mumbles,

               
Stepping forward, William asks, “Do you want him to be more than your
friend?  That’s what your tone sounds like.”

               
“No,” Kayla snaps.  “I’m dating Damien.  It’s none of your business
anyway.  Why don’t you just leave me alone?  I don’t want to talk to
you!”

               
“Then leave,” William retorts, crossing his arms.

               
Glaring at him, Kayla releases her energy, but she doesn’t go anywhere. 
Frantic, she does it again.  “What in the hell?  Why can’t I
leave!
”

               
William quips, “You aren’t strong enough mentally.  I can hold you
here.  One day you’ll be powerful enough to knock me out of your head, but
not yet.  I have been patiently waiting, hoping the next time you were
here, you would be alone, and look.  No Damien or Jackson.  They are
both very powerful shifters.  Damien’s a lot more daring, but Jackson is
stronger in shifting ability.  And yet, neither of them is here now. 
What would you like to do?”

               
“Are you going to hurt me?” Kayla whimpers, backing up.

               
With a disgusted look, William says, “No, of course not.  I want you to
understand and see things from my side.  The Merjyet doesn’t need any more
power.  Even though they are the head family, there are four other
families to consider.  You should keep your options open.  All of
them have money and things to offer you.”

               
“I take it you’re part of one of those families.”

               
William seems angry when he replies, “You could say that.”

               
“Gregory Caster didn’t have a son,” Kayla points out.

               
“Mmm, yes well, that is neither here nor there.  I just want you to know
that I am an option.  I have a lot to offer, and I could give you
anything.”

               
“I’m not a materialistic person, but if I were, Damien would be the perfect
candidate.  He has more money than I could ever need.  He is
intelligent and attractive and generous.”

               
William rolls his eyes.  “There is more to a guy than his money and
looks.”

               
“Yeah, I agree, but it’s a bonus when the guy is gorgeous.  You are the
last guy I would ever consider being with.  I would rather be with a
human.  You invade my mind without permission.  You’re controlling
and manipulative—neither are very attractive qualities.”

               
Abruptly, William is inches from her face.  He puts his fingers through
the back of her hair and then grips.  Kayla’s head tilts back and her
pulse skyrockets.  “I can make you happy, Kayla.  You just have to
give me a chance.”

               
“Pulling my hair will
not
make me give you a chance.  Let go!”

               
He loosens his grip.  “Kayla, we could be a powerful couple.”

               
“What do you have to offer?  It sure isn’t your looks.”

               
Narrowing his eyes, William says, “Someone needs to teach you how to speak
properly to others.”

               
“I know a few explicatives that come to mind right now,” Kayla growls.

               
“Maybe I should shut that mouth up,” William whispers.  He bends down and
kisses her.  Kayla flinches and tries to pull away, but he pulls her tight
against them.  She feels his energy unfurl into her.  Kayla pushes
and fights as much as she can, but it feels so good.  Her mind is in a war
with her body.

               
Finally, she pushes away and screams, “NOOOOO!”  She bolts upright. 
Kayla frantically feels the bed around her. No one is with her.  She
reaches over and turns on the lamp.  The light shows an empty
room.   She puts her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat
rapidly.  She feels sick to her stomach.  She jumps out of the bed,
and with fear burning inside of her, Kayla races to Jackson’s room.  She
hysterically starts banging on the door.  “Jackson!  Jackson! 
Oh God, Jackson, wake up!”

               
His door flies open.  “Kayla!”

               
She rushes into his arms.  “Oh God, Jackson, he was kissing me and it was
horrible.  I couldn’t do anything!  I couldn’t leave Shima!”

               
“Calm down!  Calm down!  What are you talking about?”

               
Kayla starts to cry.  “I thought I fell asleep, but I went to Shima. 
William was there!”

               
“Are you sure you weren’t sleeping?”

               
“Yes, I’m positive,” Kayla cries.  “He forced himself on me.  He
kissed me and I couldn’t stop him.  I didn’t want to do it, but it felt so
good because of the stupid specie hormone thing.  I couldn’t control
myself.”

               
“HE WHAT!” Jackson yells.

               
Nodding, Kayla whimpers. “He was saying that I should be with him, and I said
something cocky, and he said he was going to shut me up.  He kissed me,
but the worst part is that it felt good.  I pushed him away, but my body
wanted it.
”
The
realization of her admittance hit full force.
“
I think I’m going to throw up.”  She darts to the
bathroom and vomits into the toilet.

               
Jackson kneels down next to her and rubs her back.  “It’s all right, get
it out.”  Kayla cries while her stomach continues to empty itself.
 She finally stops and falls over to the side.  Jackson grabs a
washcloth and wipes her mouth.  “Hey, okay, calm down.  You’re having
a reaction to him forcing his energy into you.”

               
“It was horrible, Jackson, completely horrible.  I couldn’t do
anything!  Why did it feel good?  I didn’t want it!”

               
He pulls her into his arms and says, “He forced his energy into you.  It’s
against the law for our people.  We need to find out who he is, so he can
be taken care of.”

               
“I’m afraid to fall asleep now,” Kayla whispers.  “What if he’s waiting
again?”

               
“I’ll sit with you and make sure you’re actually asleep.  Do you want me
to go wake up Damien so he can sit with you?”

               
Kayla shakes her head. “No, he would just be upset.”

               
“Well, I’m furious, so I think we would be in the same boat.”

               
“I just want you,” she whispers, putting her head on his chest.  “You make
me feel safe.”

               
Jackson kisses the top of her head. “Okay, let’s get you back to bed.”

               
“No, I don’t want to be back in there, not right now.”

               
Jackson is quiet for a moment before inquiring, “Are you suggesting staying in
here?”

               
She shrugs. “I don’t know.”

               
“Maybe I should get Damien.”

               
“No, I wouldn’t trust myself or him to sleep in the same bed.”

               
Jackson softly chuckles.  “But there’s nothing to worry about with
me.  I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or an indication
that we have no chemistry.”

               
Scoffing, Kayla says, “You know that’s not the problem.”

               
“I know.  Damien will flip out, though. He’s seriously going to kick my
ass.”

               
“He doesn’t need to know.  You and I aren’t doing anything wrong.  If
it comes up, I’ll be honest, but I need a friend right now, not a boyfriend.”

               
Jackson rubs his hand on her back.  “Most girls would run to their boyfriend.”

               
“He isn’t my boyfriend yet, so I don’t think I should go running and jumping
into bed with him.  I think my parents would flip more about that, than me
being with you.”

               
“That’s because you’re going to have my baby, Macon Blakely.” Jackson laughs.

               
With a giggle, Kayla agrees, “Yes, our little Macon.  He will, of course,
be raised as a vegetarian bred to hate bacon.”