Changed

by Jean Booth

  “MISS NATASHA, we have to get going. I’ve arranged for people to meet us out at the house in two hours for your orders. They’re going to be irritated if they have to wait for you. We have to get going.” He shook my shoulder again, and I blinked up at him. It looked like John but seemed different somehow. John wasn’t usually so blunt with me. I must have really overslept.

  “What time is it?” I asked, voice thick and groggy with sleep.

  “Seven.” Great. I’d had about three hours of sleep. It felt like five minutes. “Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs. You need to hurry, or you won’t have time to look at the house before the crew gets there.” He left me to bathe and dress in private.

  I was putting my shoes on when he returned. He walked in, not bothering to knock. I was surprised at his rude behavior; it wasn’t something I was used to from John. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person.

  “Are you ready yet? I had the cook put breakfast in a bag so you can eat it on the way. Let’s go.” He left without waiting for an answer, completely missing the growl I gave him.

  I didn’t think it was possible, but he drove faster than Stephan. Usually, I liked the speed, the wind blowing my hair all around and the trees whipping past us, but today, I was terrified. I couldn’t eat as he moved through the city at speeds unsafe even for closed circuit racing. He didn’t slow for lights, swerved around pedestrians, and took turns on two wheels. My knuckles were white from the tension. When we returned to the club, I was going to have to figure out how to explain to Stephan why his car door handle had fingerprint dents in it.

  I leapt out of the car as it skidded to a stop in front of the house, collapsing on the grass, grateful to be still at last. John laughed and tossed a flashlight toward me. Without even a glance back at me, he went up the stairs and into the house. I was never going anywhere with him again. I sat on the grass for another minute before my legs stopped shaking enough to hold my weight. Grabbing the flashlight, I headed up the steps to the massive entryway.

  It was even more spectacular in the light of day. John had left the double doors cracked open, and I pushed them as far open as they would go. I pulled open the heavy curtains, letting in more sunlight, setting the dust motes sparkling. It was beautiful. Cobwebs glittered in the sun’s rays, and bats screeched as they flew toward a darker habitat. It was the perfect house from an old horror film. I loved it.

  Smiling for the first time that day, I went over to a door on the left, pushing it as far as it would go. With the flashlight’s dim glow, I saw more curtained windows. I sneezed as I opened them. This room was huge and lined floor to ceiling with books. There was space only for a fireplace and a bay window, with books covering every other available surface of wall. It was heavenly. My steps echoed on the hardwood floors as I walked through the dusty library. There were three candlestick chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each with dried wax dripping from the holders. I was afraid to touch anything for fear I’d destroy some valuable tome.

  I wandered through the rest of the house, as though in a dream. I found the kitchen that housed an old wood stove, a tub for water, and a large pantry. In the dining room, I discovered an old-fashioned high chair that made me shiver. Something horrible had happened here that Stephan didn’t want to discuss. Dinner plates still graced the table.

  The first floor also had a ballroom, the mudroom that I’d changed in yesterday, and a door that I assumed led to the basement. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

  Once I was satisfied with the first floor, I headed up the ancient staircase. The wood creaked under my feet, threatening to collapse with the added weight of my body. The staircase ended in a hall with a balcony that overlooked the downstairs foyer.

  Each door opened into a large bedroom. I noted a bedroom with a crib, but didn’t go in. I opened all the curtains in the other bedrooms and checked out the stability of the two balconies I’d found off two of them. Ideas were hitting me in every room as to what I wanted to do with the renovations. I had no idea where John had scampered off to, but after dealing with him that morning, I was glad he’d left me alone.

  I started hearing voices outside, so I headed back down the staircase. John was there, rounding everyone up. He’d gathered an architect, an electrician, a plumber, and a carpenter. John himself held a clipboard and pen poised for instruction. It was the first useful thing I’d seen him do all day.

  “Hi. I’m Natasha.” I smiled and waved at the men. They all gaped back. I turned to see what had their attention, and all I saw was the foyer. It was amazing, so I didn’t blame them for gaping. “Okay, then. I guess we should get started. I’ll tell you what I’d like done, and you tell me if you can do it. First, the entire house needs electrical and plumbing. It will also need a septic system. Now, in here,” I walked into the foyer, “I’d like to convert this closet into a small half bath.”

  No one was paying attention to what I was saying. John was writing furiously, but the other guys were scrambling over themselves to be close to me. I thought one of them was even starting to drool. I scrunched up my nose and walked over to John. He didn’t even glance up as I came over.

  “What’s going on?” I asked in a stage whisper.

  “It’s your aura.” He didn’t so much whisper as sigh, acting as if it was something I should already know. When I didn’t say anything more, he looked up to see my confused expression. “Stephan didn’t tell you?” He sighed again at my headshake. “Everyone has an aura. Now that you’re…different, your aura’s different too. It packs more of a punch.”

  “Why aren’t you affected by it?” He sighed deeply, a look of irritation plastered on his face.

  “I’m a servant.” He said the word as if he’d eaten something rotten. “My family grew up with your people. We’re bred to basically assist you with the things you can’t do. My ancestors all helped Stephan, and now it’s my job. We’re immune to your aura. I’ve been around the clans since I was a baby and can ignore the pull you have. Stephan should’ve explained all this to you before allowing you out in public.”

  “Well, it seems as if we haven’t gotten to that particular lesson yet,” I explained, my tone getting bitchier by the minute. “He’s been kind of busy teaching me to not eat people. How do I turn it off?”

  His lip curled in disgust. It was an expression I’d never seen John make, especially directed toward me. Gone was the sweet kid I’d met the first night I was here. If this was how he normally behaved, I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I didn’t trust myself around him. I held too much anger to deal with an attitudinal jackass.

  “How should I know? I’m not one of you. You should figure it out, though, if you want anything accomplished today besides making drones.” He lifted his clipboard back up, effectively dismissing me.

  I tried really hard to hold back my growl. Closing my eyes, I thought about my aura. I thought about the things I’d heard about auras in passing. From what I knew, auras were colorful shields that covered the body. I imagined mine as a light of sorts that pulled men to me like a moth to a flame. I pictured the flame dimming. As the sweat started breaking out on my skin, I pictured a cover on the flame, hiding it from everyone. My eyes flew open in surprise when I felt a noted difference in my body. I felt hidden, like I was only a partial person. It was awful.

  I looked at the men around me and sighed in relief. It seemed to be working. They were no longer looking at me as if I was a raincloud and they were parched. In fact, they now held expressions of mild annoyance.

  I was going to have to make this quick. Sweat was already trickling down my back. Suppressing my aura was actually harder than my initial experiences with changing. I had to remember to talk to Stephan about this. I sighed as I thought briefly about everything Stephan still had to teach me. The list seemed endless.

  “As I was saying, I’d like that closet converted into a small half bathroom. Through here,” I went into the dining room, walking stiffer than normal, “I’d like thi
s room shortened a bit, to make the kitchen larger. I’d like recessed lighting and a place to hang an upgraded chandelier.” I directed the workers throughout the entire house, dictating what I wanted done and discussing possible variations that would work better. I was drenched in sweat when we finished and visibly trembling. I needed them gone. “When do you think we can start?”

  “We can start with the gutting tomorrow. It should take about six to twelve weeks to complete the renovations.” The architect seemed to be the one in charge, and I watched as the others nodded in agreement. I was both excited and disappointed at the same time. It wouldn’t be finished before the party, and I wasn’t looking forward to holding back my aura for another twelve weeks. I was about to thank them when John piped up.

  “As was explained during our phone call, with what Mr. Stephan is paying you for these renovations, you will complete them in two weeks. Good day, gentlemen.” My jaw dropped. He turned and walked out of the room, effectively cutting off the complaints that were starting to rise out of the workers.

  They grumbled as they left, each casting a stressful look back at the house as they drove off. I barely held onto my anger and my aura until the last of the cars rounded the bend.

  “John! You pompous, arrogant ass. How dare you treat people like that. I thought you were nice when I first met you, but now?” I whirled on him, screaming in his face. He held up his hand.

  “You can’t be serious. You don’t actually think I’m that sniveling waste of space, do you? Stupid, ignorant woman! Use your nose. My brother was too busy today serving Victoria to be bothered with you. I’m James.” He shook his head, his disdain for me and for being here plainly evident on his face. Muttering about useless females, worthless Atlanteans, and something about my lineage, he turned his back on me. As he walked off, he made one last comment under his breath. “Stupid, useless, Atlantean bitch.”

  I lost it. After no sleep, no breakfast, and an entire morning of holding back a part of myself, my control was slim as it was. Add to it the constant rude comments and disrespect, and I completely lost it. Without thought, I changed into a panther in the blink of an eye, seeing red as I let out a deafening roar. He turned just in time to see me with fangs bared and claws extended as I pounced.

  Landing firmly on his chest, my front paws pinned his upper arms while my back paws straddled his legs. He squirmed underneath me until he felt the tips of my claws graze his skin. I growled, spittle dripping from my jaw. As I bared my fangs inches from his face, he finally understood how stupid it was to piss off a newly transformed Atlantean Changer. Fear clogged the air as the sharp tang of urine wafted from his groin. My growl deepened with the growls of my stomach.

  I was starving, and he smelled like dinner. I wanted to rip him apart, taste his blood, and feel the tender flesh as it split in my mouth. I had to know if he tasted as good as he smelled. He sure wasn’t worth anything else to me. I licked his face, catching his salty tears in the process.

  “Natasha, no! James, what the hell did you do to her?” As John’s familiar voice came closer, I growled again. I wouldn’t be distracted from my meal. Not when it smelled this good and I was so unbearably hungry. I could barely think past the stench of fear. A small trickle of drool slipped from my jaw as I forced myself to focus on John and not the hunger or the delicious, warm body beneath me.

  “Gods be damned, Natasha, stop! You don’t want to do this. You’re not a man killer. You don’t want to do this.” John pleading voice held a tiny thread of fear as he started opening something. Hearing a faint click followed by a slight scraping noise, I looked over. It was a sound I was all too familiar with. Stephan’s thermos was being opened.

  “I have something for you, but you have to come here to get it.” Firm resolve covered the slight tremor in John’s voice.

  He had a platter on the ground, next to a cooler. Seeing that he had my attention, John bent down and opened the cooler. A smell was released that was even better than the stench of urine-soaked fear. Fresh, unsoiled, bloody meat. I stopped growling. As John placed the slab of beef on the platter, I stepped off his brother.

  John held up the thermos again. My stomach clenched in anticipation. Warily, I looked at him, this boy who looked exactly like the one I’d wanted to eat, and I waited to see what he was going to do with the thermos. He poured its contents onto the slab of raw beef like barbeque sauce. I leapt over to the blood-soaked treat, purring in contentment as I lapped up every drop of the delicious, still-warm blood. I glanced up at John in between bites, hoping he realized how thankful I was to him.

  “What the hell man? That bitch almost ate me,” James screeched at his brother, stupidly drawing my attention back to him once more. I growled at him, hackles rising in warning, pausing as I licked the blood from my whiskers. John placed a restraining hand on my head, gently scratching behind my ear and distracting me once again from his idiot brother.

  “James, I think you’d better go before she really does eat you. I’m out of treats and she doesn’t seem to like you very much.” John deliberately kept his voice low, calm, and soothing so I wouldn’t become more agitated. He never let up on the scratching.

  James finally took his brother’s advice, sending one more hate-filled glance my way as he walked by us. I bared my teeth and pretended to jump at him. He ran the rest of the way to his car.

  If I hadn’t been enjoying the attention from John so much, I’d have run after James and finished the job. He should’ve known better than to run from a predator, especially when he reeked of fear. It was a temptation I wouldn’t have been able to resist five minutes ago.

  I closed my eyes as I heard James’s car start and peel out of the driveway. Leaning into John as he rubbed my shoulders, I purred in contentment. My shoulders arched and my purr deepened. This was heaven. He laughed as my tail wrapped protectively around his body.

  “Like that, huh? Would you mind joining the human population again so we can talk?” I sent him a sad-eyed look. He laughed again. “You make a beautiful panther, and this is certainly not something I do every day, but I would very much like to have a conversation with you that’s not one-sided.”

  I sighed, licking his cheek just before trotting into the library to change back. Clothing was still somewhat of an issue. I made absolutely certain my clothes were in place before heading back into the foyer.

  “I’m sorry about trying to eat your brother,” I started as I walked out of the room. “I’ve never attacked a person before. I’ve never wanted to. I’m still not entirely certain what came over me.” I blushed, feeling guilty for causing John stress. I didn’t really care that I’d scared his brother. I only cared that I’d upset John. I liked him. He was a good guy, one that I was starting to respect.

  “I’m sure he deserved it. I know Stephan’s had to put him in his place a few times. I came out here as soon as I found out he was with you. I’m sorry for the way he treated you. He doesn’t really like anyone except Victoria. She can’t feed off him every week though, so she rotates. Last night was supposed to be one of the other servants, but he’s sick, and she doesn’t like the taste of medicated or ill blood. Not that I blame her. I’m rambling, sorry.” He blushed and grinned. I grinned back.

  “All of this is still so new and fascinating to me. You can ramble all you want. I never realized how much everything affected the taste of blood.” I laughed. “Thank you for stopping me. I wanted to kill him. I was getting ready when you arrived. Whose blood did you bring?” I shuddered to think what would have happened if he’d arrived a minute later.

  “It would have been his own fault if you had eaten him. I’m glad you didn’t, though. I’ll have a talk with Stephan about him again, make sure he doesn’t ever allow James around you. When I realized James was with you, I told Stephan.

  “He couldn’t come, but opened a vein and filled the thermos, knowing it was a sound you’d recognize. We both hoped you wouldn’t need the contents. He had to finish his meeting and feed be
fore leaving. The blood loss is never easy for him, but he’ll never admit it,” John said. “You should learn my scent so you can tell us apart. James and I are perfect identical twins. We even have the same birthmark. I don’t know what Stephan’s going to do with him, but I know you can’t mistakenly go out with him again. You aren’t safe around him.”

  “I feel stupid for asking this, but how? I’ve only scented someone as a cat, never as a person. I know your smell, I think. James smelled like you, but off… I thought it was just me being tired.” I focused on the conversation at hand, at the new experience, being able to learn something else about my life now—anything except that I’d drank of Stephan’s essence and the warring emotions that brought out in me.

  He smiled. “It’s great that you’re familiar with my scent, but getting to my base scent, the heart of who I am, is different. I’m sure you’ve done it before without realizing it.” John grinned. “I’ll walk you through it. It’s basically the same concept as scenting when you’re an animal, but you don’t sniff my crotch.” I blanched at that idea, and he laughed.

  “I don’t even do that when I’m a cat!” He didn’t hear me over his laughter.

  “I feel the same way, so we do this a little differently than animals. You have to get very close to me, bring your nose so that it’s touching my neck, inhaling at the vein and my hairline. The sweat glands are potent there, so you can get a good whiff of my personal scent, not my cologne. I also left without bathing, so that should help.” He laughed again at my disgusted expression.

  Walking up close to him, I could tell he was as nervous as I was. I tried to think of it clinically, ignoring the fact that I was pressing my body tightly against his. Placing one hand on his shoulder and the other behind his head, I pulled him to me. He wasn’t that much taller than me; my face fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. Feeling the pulse thundering beneath my lips, I inhaled. I breathed in his scent, gathered it inside me so I would remember it always.