Second Chance with the Shifter

by Leela Ash

  “That’s better,” she grumbled, now able to keep up stride with him. Her voice so near to his back startled him, and he realized that a part of the reason he was moving so quickly and keeping such a huge distance between them was because he felt uncomfortable near her. It wasn’t that she was weird, but she stirred something within him that he had never experienced before. She was intoxicating, and it made it hard for him to trust himself with her.

  “So,” he said, trying to distract himself from the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them and the forbidden things it seemed to suggest to his mind. “Have you been able to remember anything yet?”

  “No,” she said miserably. She was in a bad mood, and he wasn’t sure if it had everything to do with him or if she was just upset about her situation. Either way, she had been making for lousy company and both of them were on edge. He was eager to smooth things over.

  “Has anything seemed familiar?”

  Kala was quiet, and a fire crept across her cheeks as she thought about how the only familiar thing she had seen had been the shooting star. And the way that Zaden smelled and moved. She couldn’t help but watch him as they traveled, his body lithe and agile as they wandered briskly across the wooded landscape.

  “No,” she lied. “But there are things that are unfamiliar.”

  This seemed to capture his interest.

  “Like what?” he asked, pausing briefly.

  “The trees, for example. They strike me as strange. Sickly. Are you sure it’s safe to be near them?”

  “Of course it is,” he said pompously, raising his chin knowingly into the air as if she were stupid. “They’re just trees! What could possibly be wrong with trees? We have one of the lushest forested areas for miles!”

  “I see,” she said, pursing her lips in an effort not to laugh at him. She tried to hide it, but she was too late, and he scowled at her.

  “What?” he asked, jutting his chin out. Handsome even when he pouted, Kala noted. This man was exhausting.

  “You’re just so proud,” she said with a small smile.

  “Haven’t you ever had anything to be proud of?” he demanded.

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  The answer seemed to sober him and he was quiet for a moment before turning away. “I’m sure you have,” he said. “You seem like a really capable person. There are probably a lot of great things about you.”

  He continued on without waiting to see whether or not she would follow. She sighed deeply to herself and followed, trying not to let his compliment go to her head.

  Chapter Ten

  That night, they were too tired to go on so they made camp.

  “I must have gotten us lost,” Zaden admitted as he built the fire. “I don’t have any rations left. We’re going to have to hunt.”

  “I’m not sure I’d be any good at that,” Kala said. In truth, the idea of harming any of the delightful forest creatures they had met nauseated her.

  “Well, I’d keep feeding you the good stuff if we had any,” Zaden said, glowering down at the ground. Maybe Clayton and Janes were right. He should have paid more attention to training.

  He had always thought he would be able to smell his way back home and had completely disregarded the classes in navigation. He hadn’t realized how quickly he could lose the scent. The elements must have been working against him. Strong winds and light sprinkles of rain that hadn’t turned into anything substantial had been enough that he lost the trail. Still, he had forged on ahead, assuming that he would catch the scent sooner or later. He had only served to get them more lost.

  “I know,” she said, her voice low. She had been quiet most of their time together, but the more she spoke, the more he noticed that she spoke with a musical quality in her voice. It somehow made him feel instantly at ease. Happy, even. Or as happy as he could be anyway.

  “Okay. I’ll do the hunting then, your highness,” he said with a low, sarcastic bow. He wasn’t angry at all, but he did feel exasperated. He had no idea what to do with the likes of her, and it was clear that she had a hard time simply tolerating him. Her attitude made him feel resentful, particularly because for some reason, he seemed to want her to like him. She scoffed as he took off into the dark woods, leaving her alone by the campfire.

  She watched him go, her face wrought with emotion. Why was it so impossible to spend time with this man? Was it his arrogance or was there something more to it than that? And why had the only people she had seen so far been a vile man who wanted to capture her for some reason and Zaden, who, for some reason, never seemed far from her thoughts. He got under her skin, but part of that was because her attraction to him made her edgy. She couldn’t let herself become vulnerable to anybody. Especially not when she couldn’t even remember who she was or where she came from. She would stick around until she had a better option, but until then she would just have to play it smart.

  Her thoughts returned to the beautiful shooting star she had seen. What had happened to her? Why had she seen those colors in the sky when they were nowhere else?

  The fire was dying, so she busied herself collecting firewood while Zaden was hunting. It seemed like he had been gone for too long, and she began to worry. What if he decided that taking her with him was too much trouble? It seemed to be right along with his character to leave her there instead of keeping his word. Or maybe something had happened to him.

  She felt a jolt of panic. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. And if something did happen, what would she do then? She would be alone again, vulnerable to the men who Zaden referred to as ‘guardians’. She knew that they were bad news simply from the way they smelled. She couldn’t tell how, but her intuition was telling her to stay as far away from them as she could.

  “Zaden?” she called meekly out into the woods. There was no sound except the wind rustling through the trees, and she bit her bottom lip, wandering away from the comforting glow of the campfire and into the unknown darkness of the woods.

  The fire had all but disappeared when something grabbed her arm. She shrieked and struggled away.

  “What are you doing here?” Zaden asked, his voice stern. “I told you I would do the hunting. It’s dangerous out here! You’re not even that strong!”

  “Even if that’s true, it’s rude of you to say it,” Kala exclaimed, pulling her arm away from him. She was suddenly furious, both from being startled and by the way Zaden spoke to her.

  “So what? I’m not going to lie to you about it! It would have been helpful if you would have gone in the first place, but as of now, it’s just stupid! I already got what I came for.”

  He held two rabbits out in front of him, their dead bodies dangling limply in the air. Kala looked away, her stomach in knots, and she took off running toward the campfire.

  “Ugh,” Zaden groaned, following her. Why was it so hard to talk to women?

  When he got to the campsite, Kala was sitting on the ground facing away from him, her face hidden in her knees. He sighed and didn’t say anything as he began to skin the rabbits and set them up to cook. She didn’t budge until the smell of the rabbit meat began to waft in her nostrils.

  “That smells good,” she said quietly.

  “Don’t know if you’ll like the taste,” Zaden said grumpily. “But I’m trying.”

  Kala sighed, secretly staring at the handsome man as he cooked the meat. His long hair was down now, and his chiseled face looked even more handsome in the golden glow of the firelight. He was pensive, giving his task his full concentration, and she realized suddenly that there was a sort of comfortable simplicity by which he lived his life. Maybe she was over thinking everything. Maybe she could trust him.

  She sat down beside him when the food was finished and he handed her a skewer with the rabbit on it. She took it, examining the meat curiously. It looked nothing like the cute creatures she had seen living, which made it easier for her to stomach the idea of eating it. Her stomach rumbled loudly and Zaden chuck
led.

  “Sounds like you’re ready for this,” he said, nudging her playfully.

  She allowed herself to smile at him. Maybe she had been too hard on him. All this time he had just been doing the only thing that he knew to do to help her. What kind of person would automatically know what to do with someone who had lost their memory? But he had saved her from men who were trying to take her, men she had a negative physical reaction to, and had simply been doing his best to take care of her, even though he was just as lost as she was.

  “Go on, take a bite,” he said with a small smile playing his lips. She gazed at him for a moment, feeling embarrassed by his attention. In an effort to distract herself from her feelings, she sunk her teeth into the rabbit’s flesh and chewed, shocked by how well he had prepared it.

  “This is good,” she said, eating as if she hadn’t eaten in years. In truth, it had only been a day since they had run out of rations, but that was long enough for her stomach to rumble violently.

  “I know,” he said with a smirk, before he started to nibble on his own rabbit.

  She was already finished by the time he made his way through a third of his, and she watched him eat, her eyes intent on the delicious rabbit flesh. She was still feeling starved, but she didn’t want to tell him that. He could tell by the way she was staring at him like a dog begging though, and smiled.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the rest of his rabbit. “I feel done for the day. Don’t want to sleep on a full stomach.”

  “But-“

  He stood up and headed to the edge of the camp. Her eyes once again secretly roamed the defining contours of his muscular body. She felt safe enough to do it while he wasn’t looking, but she would be horrified if he suspected any of what she was thinking.

  “I can’t keep watch if I’m full enough to sleep,” he said, sitting cross-legged with his back to her. He stayed poised there, his ears alert for any signs of danger. Kala sighed, looking from his silhouette to the rabbit he had left for her to eat. Being a man, she was sure he had a bigger appetite, but he had been generous enough to give her his meal. She was half tempted to join him across the campsite and give it back to him, make sure he ate it, but it felt taboo. A man and his pride shouldn’t be crossed. She had heard that somewhere.

  And so she ate, her thoughts in a flurry of emotion as Zaden perched at a distance, fearless and ready to protect her at any sign of danger.

  Chapter Eleven

  Zaden gazed at Kala as she slept. Her cheeks finally had some color to them, he noted. The rabbit meat had done her good. It was always nice to have a good meal, and she seemed to be in higher spirits, even as she dreamed. Her gentle eyelids fluttered as she slept, and her lips curled into a smile that brought a surge of longing through his body.

  He frowned. What in the world had happened to that girl? Where had she come from? If the Guardians knew who she was, that was a bad sign. But maybe he could go there to find out after he got her to safety. He could help her get her identity back.

  He knew it was a dangerous move. The Guardians had weapons and technologies that the dragon clan feared more than anything. As time went on, their intelligence and malicious intent simply evolved and continued to become more and more lethal. But he would face it. And if nobody else would go with him, he would go alone.

  Morning finally rolled around, and Zaden sighed to himself. He didn’t want to wake Kala up for another day of trudging through unfamiliar ground. Neither of them were any good at navigating this terrain and he didn’t want to disappoint her by being unable to get her the answers she needed as soon as possible. He would do whatever it took to get her back to the Kersh clan in one piece.

  When Kala finally awoke, Zaden had breakfast ready for her once again. She seemed to notice the determined look on his face, because she looked at him inquisitively.

  “We’ll get there soon,” he said simply, and her face softened. However, she said nothing and ate quietly. She wasn’t very talkative in the mornings, and chose to spare her words for when she truly needed them. It was strange to Zaden, who was used to being around the boisterous soldiers, but it was also refreshing. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that she was keeping him at a distance and wished there was some way they could get closer without having to overstep any boundaries.

  They set off, and instead of trying to make empty banter this time, he remained as focused as possible. Something had changed in him during the night. He realized that he didn’t necessarily know what he was doing automatically by being a strong dragon shifter. He would have to read his environment carefully. He’d seen the sun rise and knew that he had to lead her to the east, which is what he did.

  Kala, who hadn’t been expecting the grim, silent hike, fell into step beside him. He could feel her lavender eyes examining him, and wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or self-conscious. He settled for a mixture of both and pretended he didn’t see her watching him.

  “Thank you,” she finally said. “For taking such good care of me.”

  Zaden glanced over at her, sure she was teasing him or pulling his leg, but her eyes were serious and the ghost of a smile was on her lips. His heart hammered wildly, but he didn’t want to betray the way she made him feel. It wasn’t right. A woman like her was sure to have a husband or boyfriend in the life that happened before they had wound up together. He was sure of it. What kind of man would he be to ignore that?

  “You don’t have to thank me,” he said casually. “I just know of a lot of people in your shoes. It’s not a big deal.”

  It felt good to man up and stop goofing around. He felt different with a purpose. The determination and drive was exhilarating. Maybe that was the feeling that kept Clayton going, always thinking of what was best for the whole group. Putting himself last and working toward a greater purpose. He would never be Clayton, and wouldn’t choose to be, but for now he was having a good time.

  “Whether I have to thank you or not, I’m grateful. Even if I don’t act like it.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  They continued on in a comfortable silence, until Kala spoke again.

  “You remember your life, don’t you? Can you tell me about it?”

  It seemed a simple request, but the thought of describing the torture of his formative years made his chest tighten painfully. He looked away from her, not sure what to do. He wanted to do whatever he could to please her, but his secrets were his own.

  When he looked at her to tell her so, he was caught off-guard by the gentle nature of her lilac colored eyes and the pure beauty of her face. She didn’t look like she was capable of harming another living soul. Instead of the prying look he had expected, she seemed only to be curious to know more about him. Maybe she was beginning to trust him.

  “Let’s see,” he said, searching his mind for any of the lighter moments of his life. He had a ridiculous urge to protect her from the muddied despair of his past and give her only things to smile and laugh about. If her face looked wounded on his behalf, he felt it would be too much to bear. “I was more or less brought up by the leader of the Kersh clan. He taught me how to fight better than most of the sorry sacks he calls an army.”

  “That’s fortunate for me, it seems,” she said with a soft laugh.

  He grinned. “It seems that way.”

  He had hoped this tidbit of information would be enough to sustain her, but she pressed on.

  “What of your parents?” she asked, looking down at the ground. She looked sad. She couldn’t remember anything about where she had come from. Perhaps it was giving her comfort to hear somebody else’s story when she couldn’t remember her own.

  He wanted to cry then. To tell her every heart-wrenching detail about the death of his parents, but instead, he pursed his lips in a pained smile. “They died when I was little.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  She seemed horrified, even though he hadn’t told her how they had been killed by the Guardians. He decided not to tell her anything
about that though. She deserved to have her peace of mind.

  “It’s all right. I was raised well enough.”

  He was shocked when Kala laced her arm through his and laid her head against his bare shoulder. It was as if she were agreeing without vocalizing it. Her nearness brought the thudding of his heart to his ears. He had never felt so close to anybody before, and he had half a mind to tell her so. But he was embarrassed by the way he felt. She might misunderstand and think that he was trying to seduce her. Although the thought had crossed his mind more than once, after all, she was strikingly beautiful, he would rather die than make her think he was a dishonorable man. They walked that way for a while until suddenly, Zaden smelled something familiar. His eyes widened and he looked around.

  “I know where we are!” he exclaimed, beaming down at her. She seemed surprised, but pleased. “It’s this way!”

  He broke off into a sprint, and this time Kala kept up, laughing this time instead of scowling.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kala stared at the settlement, her eyes wide. She had been expecting something glamorous when Zaden described the Kersh clan. He seemed to really revere his home, and their leader Clayton. But what she found was a dingy collection of underground tunnels that were hidden by entrances made of trees and carefully fashioned turf.

  “This is where you live?” she asked, trying not to let the disappointment show through in her voice.

  “Yes,” he said, standing in the entrance of one of the tunnels. “Don’t worry, you get used to it.”

  She sighed inwardly, not sure that this would be true for her. He turned and began walking through the dark tunnels, and she had to run to follow him lest she lose sight of him in the dark. She was nearly ready to turn on her heel and head back into the open air when something froze her in place. A smell, full, almost musical in its goodness, wafting through the tunnels. Something like what Zaden had cooked for her on her first meal but even more intoxicating.