by Sarah Carter
With a heavy, amused sigh, Claire writes him back.
Ben, you’re such a dork. Damien has been nothing but a gentleman. You don’t know him, so please don’t be judgmental. He’s really nice and I like him…as a friend. You know very well it couldn’t go anywhere, so I wouldn’t even put myself out there. I’m fine. As for staying with Alex, I don’t think that’s necessary. If anything starts to happen, I can handle my own. I’ll be alright. On a side note, I’m not going to be a virgin until I’m 40. Sorry to burst your bubble. Love you anyway, Claire.
“Did your brother say anything else that I should take offense to?” Damien grins.
“No,” Claire replies. “He just wants me to stay a virgin until I’m 45.”
“Interesting, he really must not have a clue about you and Alex.”
“No idea, and I want to keep it that way. No one needs to know.”
“Okay,” Damien says. “I want to get a bottle of water, so let’s head down.”
“Sure,” Claire replies. “I want one, too.”
A little while later, everyone is standing in the same gym room where the class was held the day before. Alex rubs his hands together. “Ready for this?”
“I am,” Claire cheers, and Alex laughs.
Kayla nervously wrings her hands and says, “How bad is this going to be?”
“Well, it’s a boot camp workshop, so that should give you a clue,” Jackson retorts. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I want to give it a try. I can pass out if need be.”
“Alright. Time to put on music,” Alex says. “Something to get your blood pumping.”
Claire smirks. “And what’s on the playlist?”
“A little bit of Chemical Brothers, Linkin Park, Prodigy. You should know—you made the list.”
“Yes!” Claire yells. “I didn’t know you actually listened to that.”
“Of course I do,” Alex replies, giving her a thoughtful look. That shuts up Claire quickly. “Well, let’s get started then.”
Kayla, Jackson and Damien stand in the front line. Claire takes off her shirt. She has a sports bra top on again. Most of the guys are staring at her. Claire rolls her eyes, but when she moves her gaze to Damien, he stares at her with a smirk on his face. She narrows her eyes and sticks out her tongue. He laughs.
“Alright,” Alex shouts. “We’re going to start with a few stretches, then lunges, and then we’ll really get into it. Are you ready?” There are a lot of yeahs from around the room. Alex turns and presses play.
The music starts and Claire says, “Alright, bend over and touch your toes. You want to feel the stretch in your legs.”
Twenty minutes into class, Claire is leading them through the current move. They drop from a standing position down into a pushup and then back upright again. Lots of them groan, and a few people have actually laid down in exhaustion. Kayla is one of them, but Damien seems to be able to keep up with them.
Finally, ten minutes later, they finish. About three fourths of the class falls down. Claire walks over and takes a towel; she wipes off the sweat on her face. Alex comes over to her. “Feel good?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Claire exhales. “I love the workout you give me.” Alex’s eyes widen, and Claire glares at him. “You know what I meant.”
Alex grins and just hums. “Mmhmm. We need to talk today.”
“If we have a free moment,” Claire replies quietly.
Damien comes up next to them. “You do that every day?”
“Well, not every day. Maybe a few days each week. I train every evening, though. I need something physical or I go crazy.”
“Wow,” Damien exhales.
“Ready to quit?” Claire asks with a grin.
Damien smiles. “Not on your life.”
With a nod, Claire retorts, “Good.”
Kayla and Jackson come up by them. Kayla moans. “That was insane.”
“I think it was awesome,” Jackson counters. “I need to remember those moves.”
Alex chuckles, “That isn’t even close to the most intense stuff that we do, but it’s a good workout.”
“You’re incredible,” Kayla says. “I want a body like Claire’s.”
“Honey, you have a beautiful body.” Jackson kisses the top of Kayla’s head. She grins.
Claire looks at Kayla. “Listen—my grandfather started training me when I was a kid. I grew up with this stuff. That’s why I can do what I can do. You can shift into anything. I think that outdoes everyone. I mean, you did change into a dragon. I can’t do that. I don’t know if anyone can.”
“True,” Kayla chirps, holding her head up. As sore of a subject as it is for Claire, she doesn’t feel jealous for some reason. Kayla sighs. “I need to shower.”
“So do I,” Jackson murmurs, looking down at Kayla.
Kayla returns his gaze and then says, “No.” Jackson snaps his fingers. “I’m sweaty and everything. That’s not a sexy shower moment.”
“I think it is,” Jackson counters.
“No.”
Damien groans. “I’m going to go get cleaned up. I don’t need to hear what you two are going to do.”
“Yeah,” Claire agrees, with a smile. “You guys can have your personal sex conversation somewhere else.”
“Sorry. I can’t help myself,” Jackson declares. “I’m desperately in love with her.”
“I’m going to take a shower now,” Damien interjects. “I’m gross. Are you coming Claire?”
“Yeah,” Claire answers. “See you guys in a little while.”
She turns and starts to walk with Damien, but Alex grabs her arm. “Hold on a second.”
Claire moans in her head. She turns and looks at Alex.
“Will you please come stay with me? It’s weird that you’re staying with Damien. You’ll be showering in the same room.”
“Not at the same time,” Claire retorts. “Please. I’m not a skank.”
“I just…I don’t want anything to happen,” Alex mumbles.
Claire bites her lip, but doesn’t look at him. “Alex, we both know nothing would ever happen, so just trust me, okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. I just worry.”
“Thank you for that.” Claire kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while. I’ll text you when I’m done.”
“Okay.” Alex exhales.
Turning back to Damien, Claire walks past him. He follows her. When they get to the elevator, Damien turns his gaze to her. “Alex has a serious problem with me, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing personal,” Claire replies. “It’s circumstances. He needs just to realize nothing will ever happen.”
“You need to have more faith in yourself,” Damien says as they get into the elevator. “I’m going to work with you.”
Claire turns to him and gives him a look. “It doesn’t matter if I did learn to change into other things. Your family wouldn’t want us together.”
Damien narrows his eyes. “Do you think I’m going to let them dictate to me who I date?”
“Don’t you?” Claire retorts. “I mean, would you really be with someone dysfunctional? You have to think of your bloodline. You’re the only son. You need to bring a female with as many assets as possible.”
He opens his mouth and then closes it. “Honestly, it all depends on who I fall in love with. My family will just have to deal with whoever it is. I’m not going to put aside my happiness to make them happy.”
“Well, good for you, then.” Claire sighs. “Still doesn’t mean anything will ever happen, so Alex doesn’t need to worry.”
“Mmm. I’m a little disappointed with your impression of me.”
“Damien, we just met. I know nothing about you. You keep surprising me, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re nothing like what I expected. I thought you were a smug womanizer.”
Damien scuffs the floor with his foot. “I used to be, I guess. Things
have changed. I grew up.”
“Well, I like the grown-up Damien,” Claire declares. “He’s a good guy.”
“Thanks,” Damien retorts. They stand there for a minute just staring at each other. When the elevator stops, a group of girls get on. Damien grabs Claire and pulls her to the side, next to him. He leaves his hand on her hip, and Claire tenses up.
“Hello, Damien,” one of the girls says.
He smiles. “Hello Violet.”
Violet looks at Claire and eyes her up. She smirks. “Are you having a good time?”
Damien nods. “Yes, and yourself?”
“A very good time, but now that I see you’re here, it’s gotten a lot better.”
Claire raises her eyebrow. Violet returns the expression. Claire narrows her eyes. Damien pulls her tighter against him. “Yes, well, we have a lot of plans while we’re here. It’s good to see you.”
“Who’s your friend?” Violet inquires with a little bit of venom in her voice.
“I’m his girlfriend,” Claire retorts. Then the realization of what she said makes her stop dead.
Damien laughs. “Yes, this is my girlfriend Claire. Claire this is Violet Wilds.”
Getting a very unamused expression on her face, Violet says, “I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.”
“It’s new and we’re keeping it on the down-low,” Claire replies with a grin. “We’re sharing a room here, though, so I don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep it a secret.”
Damien has to turn because he can’t hide his laughter anymore.
“I see,” Violet seethes.
The elevator dings. Damien grabs Claire’s hand. “Well, it’s our floor. You ladies have a nice day.”
When the elevator doors open, Damien quickly darts out into the hallway, and Claire waves at Violet, who just glares at her. When the doors close, Claire looks at Damien. “I’m so sorry. I have no idea what came over me. How pissed are you?”
“Are you kidding me? That was awesome! That chick drives me nuts. She’s a distant cousin of the Jefferson line and wants me only for my rank.”
“The Jeffersons are one of the five families, right?”
Damien nods. “Yeah.”
“Won’t that be mixing the bloodlines?” Claire inquires.
“No, she’s a far enough off cousin. It would just move her status up. She’s a certified bitch. Money hungry…yeah, anyway.”
Covering her face, Claire mumbles, “I still don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry. Rumors are going to fly now. I should go stay with Alex.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. Who cares what people here think?”
“You should,” Claire retorts. “Do you always forget who you are?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m reminded every day of who I am, multiple times a day. I’m just starting to not care. I’m here to have fun, and if it means you pose as my girlfriend to keep the tramps away, so be it. Just relax. It’s not a big deal.”
“If they ever found out about me, it could ruin you.” Claire exclaims.
Damien’s voice hardens. “It’s fine. Come on, let’s go get cleaned up. I want to work with you a little bit before we do anything else.”
“Are you sure?” Claire asks.
Playfully glaring at her, Damien articulates, “It’s fine. relax. Come on.” With that, he takes her hand and they walk to their room.
Chapter 5
After they both shower and get dressed, Damien points to the floor. “Sit, please.”
Claire eyes him. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. Sit down. I want to see if I can help,” Damien reassures her.
She plops down on the floor and Damien takes a seat in front of her. “Okay. What are we going to do?”
“If you have problems with your energy, we need to concentrate on getting you to shima. Now, how do you usually get there?” Damien asks.
Claire clicks her tongue. “I don’t.”
“When you have, what have you done?”
“You don’t seem to understand…I’ve only been to shima twice and couldn’t hold myself there,” Claire replies.
With a slightly dumbfounded look, Damien says, “What do you mean you couldn’t hold yourself there? We’re sucked in.”
“Not me. I just can’t do it.”
“Let’s try anyway,” Damien sighs. He looks at her. “Close your eyes.” Claire does. “Start to take really deep breaths and then exhale slowly.”
Her stomach twists with discouragement, but Claire starts to do it. It’s calming, but she knows it’s not going to help.
“Okay, now try to feel the energy inside of you. You should feel it coursing through you, almost like a current of electricity.”
Claire concentrates, and she feels the drum of power in her body. She tries to harness it and concentrate.
“Okay. Take that energy and open your mind,” Damien instructs.
Claire tries really hard. It’s not a problem feeling her energy—it’s doing something with it. Finally, after a minute, Claire exhales heavily and opens her eyes. “I have energy. I know how to shut it down, but it’s like…I can’t harness it at all.”
“Alright. Give me your hand,” Damien says. Claire hesitantly sticks it out, and he takes it. “Push your energy into me. I want to see how much you really have.”
“Isn’t that going to be…a little…overwhelming in the…sex department?” Claire asks, totally embarrassed.
Damien chuckles. “I can handle it. Just try.”
A little scared, Claire pushes her energy into Damien. He buckles over and then spits out, “Holy…what do you mean you can’t harness your energy? Do you feel that?”
“No. I don’t feel anything.”
“Here, what about now?”
A wave of pleasure runs through Claire. She gasps and yanks her hand away. “No.”
“You didn’t feel anything?”
“No, I did,” Claire retorts. “But I don’t want to do that.”
With a heavy breath, Damien says, “Well, you have energy. That’s for sure. What do you do to try to shift?”
“I think of the animal and then push with my energy. That’s what my grandfather told me to do.”
“Yeah. That’s what you should do. Here, stand up.” He gets up and sticks out his hand, and Claire takes it. When she’s standing in front of him, Damien says, “Now, try to shift.”
Biting her lip, Claire says, “I don’t know if I want to.”
“I want to help you Claire, but you need to follow my instructions.”
“Okay,” Claire sighs. She closes her eyes and tries to shift. Her skin tingles, but it stops after a few seconds. Groaning, she mumbles, “Nope, nothing.”
“Here,” Damien says, putting his hand on her. “Try to shift. I want to see what your energy does.”
Weary, Claire closes her eyes. With some concentration, she tries to shift. Again, her skin tingles. Claire pushes. There is a glimmer of light, so she tries harder. Then it swirls away into a vacuum and the feeling is gone. Claire opens her eyes back up.
Damien stares at her with furrowed eyebrows. “That’s really weird.”
“What wasn’t weird about that?” Claire retorts.
“No, it was like…the energy was pulled inside of you versus out. I felt it. I’ve never encountered anything like that before.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Claire says, “No one knows what’s wrong. I don’t think you can help at all.”
“Let me do some research,” Damien suggests, looking deep in thought.
“No,” Claire exclaims. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone anything. I can access the archives freely. No one needs to know. You’re a mystery, Claire. A mystery that I will solve.” He looks at her with a smile.
Claire shifts her weight. “So…how many things can you change into?”
“Oh, I think it’s roughly 37 right now.”
Claire gives him a dum
bfounded look. “Seriously?”
“Mmhmm. I think I’m reaching my max though. Shifting into the last couple of things took some effort. 37 is a good number, but I’d like to round it off to 40 so it’s even.”
“Oh, please,” Claire groans. “I can turn into one. Barely.”
With a grin, Damien asks, “And what do you turn into?”
“You’re going to laugh at me.”
“Have I laughed at you yet?”
She shakes her head. “No, but…it’s horrible.”
“A skunk?”
Claire laughs. “No, not a skunk. That would be cooler, I think, especially around people I don’t like. No, I turn into a rabbit.”
Damien stares at her for a second and then blinks. “Well…I guess it could be worse, you could be a guinea pig. Rabbits are fast, at least. Are you a fuzzy white bunny?”
“See?” Claire tries to not laugh. “You are picking on me.”
“Not picking, just asking.”
Crossing her arms, Claire pouts. “Yes. I’m actually a white rabbit.”
“Oh. Well, I’m not laughing at you. I promise. Rabbits aren’t so bad. I just wouldn’t do it outside because there are many ways to die. A car, a hawk—anything could come along and sweep you away.”
Her jaw drops. “Damien, that’s horrible. Way to make me feel bad for what I turn into.”
“I’m just saying you should be careful. I tell that to everyone who can turn into small animals.”
Claire sticks out her tongue and snaps, “Whatever. I can’t even shift, so it doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll figure out how to get you to shift. I promise that.”
Claire frowns. “Don’t make promises on impossible things.”
“Listen,” Damien says, stepping forward and grabbing her hands. “I’m going to try my hardest to figure out what’s going on with you. Okay?”
With a curt nod, Claire whispers, “Thanks.”
“Well, maybe we should go find everyone,” Damien suggests. “I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help right now.”
“Thank you for trying. It means a lot, even though I don’t think it’s going to work.”
A wicked grin curls Damien’s lips. “You’d be surprised at what I can accomplish. I usually get what I want.”
