by A. G. Wilde
“...flesh wound.”
She shot him another glare and she swore she saw his eyes lighten and a smile tug at his lips.
“Do you have like...the alien version of ibuprofen or something?” she asked as she walked back into the bathroom, out of habit, to search for fever medicine.
But there was nothing in there except soap berries and more poofy material for drying with. Taking another bit of the material, she wet it too.
“...you doing here?”
“I heard you were injured.”
“...didn’t have to come.”
“I know I didn’t have to come.” Evren paused. “I wanted to come.”
She watched his throat move as he swallowed, his gaze still trained on her.
Moving back to the bedside, she placed the second piece of material over his neck.
“I need to reduce your fever. What can I do?” Grabbing her datapad, she began typing.
“...you doing?”
“Calling a medic. There must be information on how to do that in here somewhere.”
Kyro’s hand shot up suddenly, grasping hers and causing her to jump.
When her eyes met his, his eyes were fully open. “No medic. The fever will go down in a few hours. This is normal.”
“This looks serious. I’d never forgive myself if I listen to you and you die or something. I—”
“No medic.” There was pleading in his eyes. “Please.”
Evren inhaled deeply, placing the datapad away.
“Okay. But what can I do, to make it go away?”
Kyro looked at her for a few moments.
“I am already starting to feel better now that you’re here.”
She could feel her cheeks warm at that.
“At least let me get you some water or something...”
“Okay. Water.”
Glad she could help, Evren smiled.
In the kitchen, she was busy filling the flask with water when she heard the front door hiss open.
Must be his roommate, she thought.
The sound of the door hissing closed came next, just as she was leaving the kitchen with the water in hand.
As she headed back across the living area toward Kyro’s room, as undeniable skunk-like tail went just around the corner and toward the other bedroom.
Evren cocked her head to the side. Had she just seen a skunkat?
She was sure of it.
There was only one thing she’d seen with a tail like that: her animal friend from the shuttle yard.
She didn’t know Kyro and his roommate owned one of them. She hadn’t seen it the last time she’d visited.
Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked around the corner toward the second bedroom, following the path of the animal.
The second bedroom’s door was open and she saw the little animal walk in. She was right; it was one of those skunkats.
Maybe it was the same one. She didn’t know, especially with its back turned to her.
She was just about to call the animal when she saw it stop by the bed in the room and start to grow larger.
Eyes widening as she witnessed what was happening before her, Evren didn’t know if she should scream or run. Didn’t matter, for her body did neither. She couldn’t move.
The skunkat was transforming in front of her very eyes.
Small popping sounds of bones stretching and reforming filled the space as the animal’s body lost its shape, contorting and twisting as it took on the form of a person.
She felt her stomach disappear from within her and her legs grow weak as the contorting finally stopped and she was looking at the naked ass of a man.
As the man turned around, the flask of water she was carrying slipped from her fingers when her eyes met with his.
Impossible.
What she’d just seen was impossible.
As the flask crashed to the floor, drenching her feet and legs, Rokan’s eyes widened along with hers.
A scream echoed through the apartment and it took her a moment to realize the scream had come from her.
Rokan.
The skunkat had just transformed into Kyro’s roommate.
24
She was mildly aware that Kyro had somehow risen from the bed and was beside her, his gray eyes trained on Rokan and slowly widening as well, no doubt realizing what had just transpired.
“Qrak,” he breathed.
Still stunned, she turned to face Kyro slowly, her wide eyes still on him, widening even more as she looked at him.
Rokan was a skunkat.
Even as the sentence repeated in her mind, she was mildly aware of Rokan approaching her slowly, his hands outstretched, palms down, as if he was trying to tell her he was coming in peace.
“No! Stay away from me.” Evren backed away from them both.
Rokan was a skunkat. The thought repeated in her head.
How?
How was that possible?
It was impossible.
Yet, she’d just seen it happen, right in front of her eyes.
She’d seen it happen.
“You...” she began, still walking backward until the backs of her legs bumped into one of the seats.
Falling into the seat, she stared at the men before her.
Kyro was glaring at Rokan and Rokan had a look of fear, panic, and regret all mixed in one as he stared at her, arms still outstretched.
“Evren...” Kyro began, “What you just saw...”
“I don’t know what I just saw...”
Kyro gulped and Rokan began advancing once more before looking down at himself.
He was stark naked, not that anyone in the room had even been paying attention to that. Right before her eyes, she watched his lower region change to appear as if he was wearing skin-tight trousers.
“What the actual fuck?!” Her eyes could grow no wider as she scrambled backward in the seat. She was pretty sure they were bugged out to full capacity. But the more she stared the less sense it made.
Looking back at Kyro, she realized he was leaning against the wall, a fresh set of moisture on his skin as he held his side, his glare still trained on Rokan.
“Are you mindless? Great, way to shock her some more,” he bit out.
She watched him as he moved from his position to settle on the edge of one of the seats, pain reflected on his face with every movement.
“What... Ohmigod...” she breathed, her gaze moving from one male to the other. “You...” She couldn’t finish it.
“You weren’t meant to see that.” Rokan finally spoke. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Kyro’s glare and frown grew deeper. “You should have checked. She could have been anyone.”
“That is true, brother. But no one else should have been in here.” Rokan turned his gaze to Kyro, his hands slowly falling to his sides. “How did she get in here anyway?” It was clear by the change in his voice that his was anger finally flaring.
Kyro sighed and glanced at Evren for a second before returning his gaze to Rokan. The intensity of his glare lessened a bit. “I let her in. I thought you’d accidentally reset your bio signature again.”
Rokan squeezed his eyes shut and let out a deep breath.
“This wouldn’t have happened if not for your habit of resetting things.” Kyro’s words were clipped.
“This isn’t my fault.” Rokan folded his arms.
“It isn’t my fault either.”
Evren looked from one to the other. “Excuse me, I’m right here.”
The two men glanced her way and both swallowed hard, their countenances falling like dogs that got caught doing something bad.
“You just... You just... Transformed. I saw that, didn’t I? I didn’t imagine it. I’m not imagining this.”
For a second, Rokan’s glance in Kyro’s direction made her think he was contemplating lying to her and telling her that she had indeed imagined it all.
“You didn’t imagine it,” Kyro answered, and despit
e the pain he must be feeling, he still had enough energy to continue glaring at Rokan.
“What are you?” As she asked the question, Kyro’s gaze met hers and for the first time she saw in his eyes the fear and distress that was hidden beneath his glare.
“Kyro?” She stared at him, her eyes widening as she stared into his gray eyes.
“Ohmigod...” she breathed. “The skunkat from the shuttle bay. Y-you’re it?” Nictating, she tried to calm the sudden barrage of thoughts in her head—memories all coming at once of the skunkat sitting atop the shuttle, listening to her speak to it as if it understood every word she’d been saying.
When he didn’t answer but just looked back at her, his gaze wary, Evren’s mouth fell open.
“You were the skunkat. But... How? What are you guys?”
Rokan began pacing and as he did so, he rubbed his forehead with one hand. “Should we tell her?” His voice was low, a note of uncertainty within it.
“We have to,” Kyro answered, his gaze still locked on hers and she saw in his eyes so many different emotions now, she wasn’t sure which one was real. Or were they all real?
He was looking at her as if he was about to lose something he cared about deeply—and for some reason, it felt as if that look was directed at her, as if she was that thing he feared losing.
“You tell her then.” Rokan was still pacing, his gaze locked on her but Evren couldn’t move her eyes from Kyro’s.
For days upon days, she’d been staring into those same eyes while at the shuttle yard and she hadn’t put two and two together.
“You can change shape?” she whispered. “Become something else?”
Kyro nodded, his head moving slowly.
“How?”
“I do not know. I just can. It is like you being able to lose minerals from your eyes. You do not think about it. You just do.”
Evren blinked several times, trying to order the chaos of her thoughts.
“And the skunkat that I see every day at work…that was you...?”
Kyro nodded slowly again.
“You’re a...shifter... A shapeshifter?”
Once again, his nod was slow as he allowed her to process these revelations at her own pace.
“I can’t believe that’s possible.”
“Sometimes we wish it wasn’t.”
His response held a note of unsaid, deep emotions that she was sure she was going to have to unravel later.
“Why...why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked over at Rokan and, as Rokan stopped pacing, an unknown message passed between them.
“Are you psychic too?” she asked, watching them exchange something between them that she was not picking up on.
“No,” Kyro answered, finally looking back at her. “We are not psychic. Just shifters.”
“Shifters,” she murmured.
“It is our secret. One we have to carry to the grave. But now you, Evren, you know this—our secret.” Rokan began pacing again.
As she watched him, it began to dawn on her that something wasn’t quite right.
“What’s the problem?” She glanced between them both. “Why do you two seem so...unhappy about me finding out? I sense that there is more to this than you two are letting on.”
There was a pause before Kyro sighed, a grimace passing over his face as he adjusted himself on the edge of the seat.
“You’re right, my sweet Evren. There is.”
Steeling herself, Evren spoke. “Then tell me... What is it?”
“It is a secret that we hold close,” Rokan said. “Nobody knows that we are Vorti.”
Kyro was still looking at her as if he was about to lose her. It was a look that was so loaded, her mind didn’t have the capacity to deconstruct it at the moment.
Evren rubbed her temple, as she tried to connect the dots.
“Are you saying it is bad that I know?”
Kyro nodded. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because now that you know, we’ve put your life in danger.”
When her eyes widened at his admission, he was sure she would begin screaming and demanding answers.
But not Evren.
No.
His Evren was much too strong for that.
Instead, she’d taken a few moments for his words to sink in and then she’d stood and demanded that Rokan assist him back to bed.
It was like the conversation had ended there but he knew better than that. He could see it in her eyes; the questions she wanted to ask swam there like great urtisks in a sea of concern.
Once he was lying down again, fresh oofla material wetted and placed on his forehead, she perched on the edge of the sleeping area, looking at him intently.
“I can take it from here, Rokan,” Kyro said, eyes moving to his friend who hovered by the door.
Rokan nodded, one final glance at Evren before he slipped out of the sleeping area. She turned her head to watch Rokan leave before focusing on him once more.
“Kyro...” Her voice was unsure and so was her gaze. And even though he’d dreamed of the scenario in which he could tell her what he was about to tell her, the reality of it was still daunting.
Especially since when she looked at him, there was uncertainty in her eyes—uncertainty not about what she had seen or what she was about to say, but uncertainty concerning him.
She didn’t trust him anymore, and that tugged at his heart more than anything else.
“Evren, I...” He trailed off. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Was it true?”
“Was what true?”
“About you being a slave? Was that true? Was everything that you told me a lie?”
“It was true. It was all true. I would never lie to you.”
Her gaze became pointed before she averted her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t be mad, but I feel...betrayed almost. I feel like I don’t know you.”
That cut deep.
“You do know me.” The real me, he wanted to add, but that was a lie. She didn’t even know what he really looked like. Saying such a thing felt disingenuous.
When she still did not raise her gaze back to his, Kyro continued. “I am Vorti. My people were shifters from a world far from this one. We were a peaceful people.” He paused. “But that might have been our downfall.”
When she finally looked at him, her gaze rising to his and her brow furrowed slightly as she focused on his words, Kyro continued. “Long ago, there was the Great War. The Tasqals came to our world with mighty armies. They killed our females. They killed our males. They took females and children...kept them tied up with crude braces around their necks.
“Those braces...” he rubbed his neck absentmindedly, the memory of his own brace strong in his mind. “...they emitted a charge that stopped Vorti from shifting.”
Kyro moved his eyes away from hers. It was hard seeing the pity and sorrow reflected there. It was not the way he wanted her to look at him.
“You were taken...” she breathed.
A sigh left his frame, causing the wound in his side to ache, but the immediate physical pain held nothing against the pain in his mind—the pain brought back by remembering every vivid detail as if it all happened yesterday.
“My father fought for us. In the large arena, he and his brothers fought. He fought for us and his brothers fought for their wives and children.” He let his gaze wander to hers again. “He and many others fought in those horrible arenas, fighting beasts from unknown lands, the winner the last one standing—and we were forced to watch. Many times he was almost killed but that didn’t sate them. The Tasqals put him in that arena over and over and over...”
A breath shook out of him.
“You don’t have to tell me this,” Evren said, her hand moving to touch his leg. The warmth of her skin against his, the comfort that it brought with that simple touch, was almost overwhelming, but he had to continue.
After what she’d seen and the fact that he’d had to hid
e it all from her, he had to let her know everything. Even if she had to forget later.
“No. You must know this. You must understand.” He paused, inhaling deeply before he continued. “My father was fighting for us. To keep us safe. The Tasqals told him and the other men in the arenas that if they fought, they wouldn’t touch us—their wives. Their children.” He could feel the fire begin to burn deep within him at the memories. “But they lied.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice was so soft, so innocent in all of this that it pulled him from the rage he was falling into.
“Even as my father fought, they used my mother. In front of me and my brother, they used her. She was the first to die after bearing offspring for the vile beasts. She suffered, rotting from their horrible disease.”
Evren’s hands moved to cover her mouth in shock.
“Still, my father fought for us, me and my brother. We were all he had left. All he fought for.” He paused, the emotion making the muscles in his throat expand to the point it felt as if his grief was choking him. “Father fought, not knowing that the Tasqals were forcing us to shift, injecting some chemical into us so we could not take back our normal form until the chemical wore off.”
He paused again, the next bit of memory ripping into him so hard he clenched his hands into fists.
“They made my brother shift into a Dragsxli beast. Forced him to keep that form with their drugs. And...”
“No...”
“Yes.” Kyro nodded, the scene playing out in is head. “They sent him into the arena to fight my father.”
“No...”
“Father killed him.”
He watched her swallow hard, tears in her eyes as she looked at him. “Oh, Kyro...”
“I saw it happen. I watched it. I was just a child about three orbits old, but I was forced to watch, just as I had been forced to watch them use my mor.”
As Evren wiped her eyes, he wished he could end the story there, but he had to continue.
“Father took off his own head when he realized. Right in the arena. He turned to them, raising his chets, and he did it.” Kyro stared at the wall, the scene playing in front of him as if he was back in the cage in the pits of the arena watching.
“They cheered,” he continued. “The Tasqals cheered.” He blinked, his eyes still glassy from the memory. “I will never forget those cheers. From that day, I knew it would never end. I had to escape.”
