Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Kay Carter

“I guess you’ve snagged yourself the Merjyet line,” Natasha says. “Good for you. It’s a hard task.”

  “None of that matters to me,” Kayla retorts. “I care for Damien. I wouldn’t care if his family name was different.”

  Natasha smirks. “Yeah, I believe that.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you think,” Kayla growls. “You need to leave.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” Natasha counters.

  “I bet if I went up to security and told them you were bothering me, they would kick you out on your skanky ass, since I’m Damien’s girlfriend and everything. So step off.”

  Natasha’s jaw drops. “Watch your back,” she seethes.

  “Are you threatening me?” Kayla snaps. “I’ll make sure Damien knows about that. He doesn’t take kindly to threats, trust me.” Natasha casts her a stony stare before she finally leaves. Kayla exhales loudly and looks at Jackson who is just staring at her. “What?” she says.

  He leans down until their faces are inches apart. “Is this what you want?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did you say you’re his girlfriend because you want to be or because you were trying to get under her skin?” Jackson hisses. “Because Damien just declared his love for you.”

  Kayla looks at him, and tries not to express the doubt that she feels. “No, I want to. He loves me.”

  “Do you love him?” Jackson counters hotly, looking her dead in the eyes.

  “I don’t know, I don’t know what love feels like.”

  “Remember you want every moment with him to take your breath away and every second apart serves as a painful reminder that part of you is missing.” Jackson pauses and looks deep into her eyes. “Your every thought is consumed with what he’s doing and what he’s thinking and you don’t know how in the world you survived a second of your life without him. Is that what he does for you?”

  Kayla doesn’t know how to answer him because she knows she’s conflicted. “A little,” she finally replies. “I don’t know if I’m in love with him, but I think I do love him in ways.”

  Jackson looks away. “I guess that settles that.”

  “What does it settle?” Kayla asks. “I am allowed to be with someone who loves me, right?”

  Jackson stares out into the crowd, the muscle in his jaw tensing. “Yeah, you are.”

  Damien returns unexpectedly. “Oh good, she’s gone. I’m really sorry about that, baby.”

  “That’s all right. I told her I would have security kick her out of here,” Kayla quips back.

  Damien bursts out laughing. “That’s why I love you, you rock.”

  “She wasn’t being very nice,” Kayla replies. “How did you ever date her? Oh wait, I saw her body. I know why, which doesn’t make me very happy.”

  “Kayla, she meant nothing.” Damien sighs. “It was just a physical thing.”

  “Ech, that doesn’t make it any better! How would you feel if I said I was only with some guy because he gave me a good time?”

  He puts up his finger. “Good point. Does it matter that I would have rather waited for you? I would give up every experience with her if I could.”

  “Okay, that helps a little,” Kayla replies. “Only a little bit.” The music changes again, and the crowd catches her eye. People start to hang from the ceiling, and real dancers move on the stage. “Holy cow,” Kayla says.

  “Yeah, they put on a show throughout the night,” Damien states. “That’s a cool part.”

  Kayla watches with fascination. The people hanging from the ceiling perform acrobatics on long ropes. The dancers must all be professional because their movements are fluid and complex, all working together to create an amazing show. “This is awesome,” Kayla exclaims.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Damien says, kissing her on the cheek. Kayla turns to him. Their eyes meet and Damien leans in to kiss her on the lips. Kayla lets him, and it is long and sensuous.

  “Will you guys please stop?” Jackson snaps.

  Damien pulls away. “Sorry. I didn’t know kissing my girlfriend would bother you so much.”

  “Whatever,” Jackson retorts. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

  “Have fun,” Damien quips back. After he’s gone, Damien grabs Kayla and pulls her against him. His lips find hers, and he proceeds to kiss her passionately. The energy from him runs across Kayla’s skin. She inhales sharply.

  Kayla eventually pulls away. “We need to slow down.”

  “Mmm,” Damien hums back. “I don’t want to. Tell me you want to and I will.”

  “No, we should,” Kayla says, pushing him away gently. “The pheromones in here are going to make me lose my morals.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Damien says with a laugh. Catching the look on her face, he backpedals. “I’m only kidding.” He pulls her back and wraps his arms around her. “I just want you close,” he whispers in her ear.

  She lays her head on his chest. “That sounds good.”

  They sway back and forth to the music for a minute, just holding each other. “I meant it you know,” he finally says.

  “I know,” Kayla replies, not looking up at him or needing verification of what he is talking about.

  “I don’t expect you to say it back to me, and I don’t want you to feel forced to reciprocate the feelings either.”

  Kayla looks into his eyes. “I do care for you a lot. I hope you know that.”

  “That I know.”

  Suddenly, they hear. “Ladies and gentleman, I feel it’s only appropriate for us to honor Master Damien, since he is here tonight.” Damien and Kayla look at the stage. A girl meets their gaze from her elevated position on the platform. In one hand she holds a microphone to her mouth, and the other hand gestures in their direction. “From what has been reported, his lovely girlfriend is with him, so I think it’s only appropriate that we bring her on stage.”

  Kayla’s wide eyes snap to Damien’s, and she shakes her head. “Oh, no, no, no!”

  Damien laughs. “I think you should do it. Go ahead.”

  “No,” Kayla yells.

  He leans toward her. “As the son of the Merjyet line, I demand that you go up there.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I think it is,” Damien urges. “Go up there, for me, please?”

  Kayla shakes her head vigorously. “No!”

  “How about it?” the girl on stage says. “Are you coming up on stage, Kayla?”

  Damien starts to push her toward the crowd. “Damien,” Kayla snaps, straining against him. “I will hurt you!”

  “Just go.” He laughs. “I promise you’ll be safe.”

  “No!”

  “I will donate twenty thousand dollars to any charity that you want if you go up there,” Damien declares with a grin. “Homeless children could really use it.”

  Kayla glares at him. “That’s not fair.”

  “It’s a proposition.”

  “Fine,” she finally spits out. Turning to the stage, she awkwardly walks over to it. The crowd erupts into applause. Her face turns a brilliant shade of red as her cheeks start to burn.

  The girl sticks her hand out at the top of the steps. “Hi, my name is Nicole. Your boyfriend is the one who suggested this.” Darting her gaze to Damien, Kayla sees him wave. She glares at him. “All right, this song is especially for you.”

  The music starts to play and Kayla immediately bursts out laughing. The girl starts to sing, “I Kissed A Girl,” by Katy Perry. She grabs Kayla’s hand and sings the song to her.

  When she sings, “I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it,” the singer turns to Damien and winks. He laughs. It’s then that Kayla sees Jackson walk up beside him. He looks at her with raised eyebrows.

  Feeling a little daring, Kayla looks at the singer who is dancing around the stage, and Kayla starts to follow her. The whole crowd erupts in cheers. They dance around and with each other. The applause is thunderous. Kayla laughs the
entire time but tries to play off the sexy moves as much as she can.

  When Kayla looks over at the guys, their mouths are gaping. Kayla tries even harder to dance the sexy moves that Tracy taught her. The crowd screams now. The singer plays along the whole time. Finally, at the end of the song, she leans forward and kisses Kayla lightly on the lips. Kayla pulls away after a second in shock.

  The crowd continues to cheer. Kayla turns to look at Damien. He is clapping and laughing with everyone else as Kayla blushes. Over Damien’s shoulder she notices a security guard approach him. Damien rolls his eyes but leans in to hear the guy talk. Nodding, he starts to follow the guard through the club.

  Kayla smiles at the singer and leaves the stage. The crowd claps at her as she passes. When she gets to Jackson, she asks, “Where did Damien go?”

  Jackson shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m not his keeper. That’s your job now.”

  “Ha, ha, funny,” Kayla sarcastically replies. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  Jackson leans close to her and whispers, “So, since you’re Damien’s girlfriend now, does that mean I don’t get to participate in your girl-on-girl experiences?”

  “Shut up!” Kayla laughs. “There will be no girl-on-girl anything!”

  “Oh, come on.” Jackson chuckles. “That was hot.”

  She shakes her head. “No, no, no, that will never happen.”

  “I don’t know,” he murmurs. “You’re making it really difficult not to fantasize about you anymore.”

  “You can do whatever you want. You’re a grown boy.”

  With heat in his eyes, Jackson only returns with, “Yeah.”

  They stand beside each other for a second. When Kayla can’t endure the closeness anymore, she nervously steps to the side. “Where did my boyfriend go?”

  “I don’t know, we can go find him if you want,” Jackson replies quietly.

  “Okay.”

  He tilts his head and they meander through the club. Jackson approaches a security guard. “Where is Damien?”

  “Master Damien is in the back office on a phone call,” the guy replies.

  “Where’s that?” Kayla inquires.

  “You can’t go back there,” the security guard replies.

  Kayla raises an eyebrow. “Are you going to stop me?”

  The security guard shakes his head. “Go through that doorway and down the hall.”

  “Thanks,” Kayla chirps. She grabs Jackson’s hand and pulls him through the crowd. When they get through the door, the hallway blankets them in darkness. “I guess it’s down here.” They walk toward the light at the end of the hall. When they get there, Kayla’s eyes fall into the office and her heart drops.

  Damien and Natasha are standing close together. Natasha grabs Damien’s tie and yanks him toward her. Kayla can’t breathe. She reaches out and clutches Jackson’s shirt. He grabs her arms to steady her. Damien exchanges words with Natasha, but Kayla can’t hear them. She spins around and sprints down the hallway. “Kayla!” Jackson yells.

  She doesn’t listen to him. She runs out the door, thrusting her body into the masses of people. The crowd is almost impossible to get through. Her heart pounds out of her chest and the club blurs around her. She breaks through the people and falls against a table, trying to steady herself.

  Hands grab her. Kayla spins around to find Jackson. Her throat closes and she chokes on a sob. “He’s a bastard!”

  “Kayla, stop, he pushed her away,” Jackson emphasizes.

  “Yeah right,” she screams. “What is he doing back there with her anyway?”

  Jackson shakes his head. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t cheat on you, though.”

  Her eyes frantically search Jackson’s face for the truth. “I don’t believe you! She gives him something I don’t.”

  “Kayla, it’s not like I want you to be with him!” Jackson urges strongly.

  Her shoulders sag as she looks up at him with pleading eyes. “Why?”

  His eyes stare into hers. “You know why.”

  “But you won’t let us be together,” Kayla replies. He averts his gaze. With a glare, Kayla says, “I am done with both of you. I want to go home. Right now, and I mean to my house, to my life! Away from you guys and this whole thing!”

  Damien appears next to them. “Kayla, stop.”

  “No! You jackass! I saw you!”

  “You don’t know what you were seeing,” Damien replies. “I went back to answer a phone call from my dad. She just showed up. I told her to go to hell.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she seethes.

  “Kayla, please, I didn’t do anything,” Damien states strongly. “I swear on my sister’s life. I pushed her away.”

  “I saw that,” Jackson interjects kindly. “He did.”

  Kayla just looks at Damien. “She gave you something I am not ready to give.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me,” he replies. “When you are ready, we will take that step. You mean everything to me and she means nothing.”

  A lump forms in her throat and her eyes glisten with tears. “I thought you were going to have sex with her.”

  Damien pulls her into his arms. “I don’t want her here. I had her escorted out. You mean the world to me. Please understand that.”

  Jerkily, she nods her head.

  “I’m going to give you guys a minute,” Jackson murmurs quietly before turning and walking away. Kayla wants to call out after him but doesn’t.

  Turning, she looks back at Damien. He stares into her eyes. “I love you, Kayla. I wish you could believe that.”

  “I know,” Kayla replies. She tilts her head and steps closer to him. Damien meets her, pressing his lips on hers. Kayla grasps his shirt and pulls him tight against her. They kiss each other slowly. Energy starts to run over her nerves before she finally pulls away from him. “I want to dance with you.”

  “Okay,” he breathes out. Damien grabs her hand and leads her onto the dance floor. He pulls Kayla against him. She wraps her arms around his neck, and they begin to dance. The pheromones and energy are thick in the air. They tickle every inch of Kayla’s body. With their bodies pressed against each other, Kayla can’t even think straight.

  Damien brings his fingers up under her chin and moves her face to his. When their lips meet, it’s like a volcanic eruption. They kiss each other frantically. The energy pushes and pulls on Kayla until she’s breathless. “I want you,” she whispers to him.

  “Okay,” Damien replies. Bending over, he lifts her into his arms and Kayla breathes him in. Everything is a blur in her head. He carries her into an enclosed area where a heavy curtain blocks out the rest of the club. Damien sets her down. Looking at him, she feels his energy whip inside of her like an electrical current.

  She fervently starts pulling on his clothes. Damien bends down and starts to kiss her hotly. Kayla’s fingers fumble around with the buttons on his vest. He reaches down and undoes them for her. Next, he takes off his tie, only pulling away from her for the briefest of seconds. When their lips meet again, Kayla wraps her arms tightly around his neck, rising onto her tiptoes. Damien lifts her up and her shoes fall off of her feet.

  They stumble their way to the couch in the corner. Damien lays her down and then crawls on top of her. With the energy boiling in the room, Kayla can’t breathe. Damien runs his hand up her leg and under her dress.

  Suddenly, he is pulled away. Kayla looks up just in time to see Jackson deck Damien in the face. “Jackson!” she yells.

  Damien falls backwards and hits the wall. “Oh, it’s on,” he spits out, blood coming from his mouth. He jumps up and kicks Jackson in the face. Jackson partially ducks out of the way, and sweeps Damien’s legs out from underneath him. Damien lands hard on the floor, but he instantly does a kip-up and lands back on his feet.

  “She said she didn’t want to,” Jackson bellows. “But you still had to go ahead and try.”

  “Jackson,” Kayla yells. “Stop!”

&n
bsp; Damien reaches out and tries to punch Jackson. Jackson spins out of the way, darting behind Damien. He grabs Damien into a headlock. “You have gone too far,” he growls at Damien.

  The curtain is thrown back, and a security guard points something at Jackson and shoots. Jackson screams out in pain and drops to the floor. The security guard doesn’t do anything to stop Jackson’s pain. Unable to endure Jackson’s screams, Kayla knees the guard between the legs. One of the other security guards grabs Kayla as his partner falls to the ground. She screams at the top of her lungs.

  “Put her down,” Damien shouts. “Or I will have you executed!”

  The guard quickly lets Kayla go. She darts over to Jackson. “Jackson, are you okay?” He moans and rolls over. Kayla starts to cry. “Talk to me, please!”

  “Kayla,” Damien says, stepping towards her. “He needs to be looked at.”

  “You stay away from us,” she yells, trying to shield Jackson from his cousin. “You did this!”

  Hurt fills Damien’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to do anything.”

  Jackson rolls over onto his knees, which causes Kayla’s attention to snap back to him. “Are you okay?”

  “I think I’m going to die, but yeah,” Jackson groans.

  “We should really have him looked at,” Damien says.

  “Shut up,” Kayla screams. “Leave us alone.”

  Damien faces the guards. “Get out of here. I didn’t ask for this.”

  “We are your security, Master Damien,” one of the guards replies.

  “Heads will roll,” Damien spits out.

  Jackson half leans on Kayla as he attempts to sit up. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Where’s the bathroom?” Kayla growls.

  “Around the corner,” Damien replies.

  Kayla starts to pull Jackson into a standing position. “Come on, let’s get you to the bathroom.”

  He falters a bit but manages to get his legs somewhat stable beneath him. Kayla holds onto him and starts to lead him from the room. Damien steps with them. Kayla looks at him. “No, you need to stay here.”

  “Kayla, please,” Damien pleads.

  “You knew what you were doing,” Kayla spits out. “He was just trying to protect me.” She turns to Jackson. “Come on.”