The Touch of Snow

by Anna Edwards

  "You mean bent to your way."

  "I mean when she wants to meet others." The tension was evident in Kas’ voice. He wanted his brother gone from his lands. That scared Selene. It meant that she was in danger.

  Nuka laughed. "You haven't even allowed her to fully shift. All her movements were those of a new changer. She is like a cub."

  "Maybe she has chosen not to fully shift." Kas' eyes narrowed. "Why don't we ask her?"

  The air was tense and full of power.

  "You would trespass and risk death just to ask her if she has fully shifted before today?" Brayden growled in front of her.

  "I would take great pride in being her first."

  "Well, I am sorry to disappoint you but you are not her first," Brayden snarled.

  Selene peeked out from behind Brayden's naked human torso. They were looking at her for confirmation. She nodded.

  "Well, I guess you won't need Jessica's spells to control her powers then?"

  "What?" Brayden spat out and glared at Kas.

  "Oh dear. Have I said something that I shouldn't have?" Nuka didn't look the least bit remorseful. "I guess I should leave you to deal with that, dear brother. Selene, if you ever wish to talk about your abilities with somebody else, you are always welcome to visit the Banff pack."

  Nuka shifted back into a polar bear and left the group the way he'd come. Emma, Zain, and Tyler followed to make sure he left the property.

  "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Brayden's jade eyes searched her for injuries. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious, she was completely naked and soaked by the rain.

  Kas removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

  "I'm fine. I was just shocked." She looked up at Kas, "I thought it was you."

  "My identical twin. You are not the first he has fooled, and I doubt you will be the last."

  "He needs to stay away from her. No more wandering alone because you will be with me at all times, outside the house and in it."

  "Brayden, you worry too much. He just wanted to see me shift."

  "For his own purposes. And as for you." Brayden turned his attention to Kas. "What did he mean about spells?” There was genuine anger in his words.

  "Now is not the time. Let's get Selene out of the rain." Kas dismissed Brayden’s concerns.

  "Not until you talk." Even stark naked, Brayden was intimidating.

  "Jessica was given a spell by the Council when she visited them in Berlin recently. It can bind Selene's powers if she cannot learn to control them."

  "Bind my powers?" She interrupted in shock.

  "You would be normal. Humans and shifters alike could touch you with no reaction," Kas replied.

  "Could it be reversed?" she asked.

  "Only by the witch who performed the first ritual." Kas pointed towards the house.

  "That is good to know."

  "Are you considering this?" Brayden turned his anger towards her now.

  "No."

  "Good, this doesn't happen.” He faced Kas. “Selene is getting more control every day."

  "We should get inside." Kas again dismissed the conversation and wandered off towards the house.

  If she were normal, she could touch people. There would be no hearing thoughts when she brushed up against someone, or turning into some wild creature that got her shot. She could have a relationship with Brayden. She could touch him. Feel the warmth of his skin against hers. Normal. Normal.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  She couldn't see their faces, but she sensed that they loved her. The room was filled with adoration as they watched her kick tiny feet and wave chubby little hands. She was a baby. Settled and peaceful. The mother reached out and touched her, no thoughts, no shifting. Just contentment.

  The mood changed. Sadness and sorrow filled the air; weeping cascaded through her head. The mother and father no longer happy but grieving beside an empty cot.

  She woke with a start. Her body was clammy and her heart was beating rapidly.

  "Selene." Brayden was there. "What happened? You were screaming."

  "A nightmare." He handed her a drink of water, and she took a sip.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" Concern laced his words.

  "It was strange. I more sensed everything rather than saw it. I was a baby with two loving parents, and then they were grieving because I was gone." She felt really sad.

  "You think it was a memory?"

  "It felt like one." She shrugged.

  "Jessica said you were created, though. You weren't born."

  "I know." She lay back down on the bed. It was so confusing. "My mind, just playing tricks on me. The meeting with Nuka, my powers, and the feelings I am developing for you, it’s all made me really tired."

  "Feelings for me?"

  "Is that all you heard from what I said?"

  "Pretty much." He chuckled. "So these feelings?"

  "I like you." She was embarrassed now; her cheeks heating.

  "In what way?"

  "Brayden, you know how I feel. Unless I've been severely mistaken after that day on the mountain, I think you feel it too. But it can never be. We can't even touch each other." She looked down at the bed, wishing it would swallow her up and take away all the fears that she had.

  "I would love nothing more than to be intimate with you, to feel myself moving inside you, making love to you. But, you’re right. It’s not possible. That doesn't mean, however, that we cannot express the feelings we have for each other. Do you trust me, Selene?"

  "I've trusted you since the moment I first met you, even with the whole scary snow leopard in the middle of Death Valley thing."

  "You'll be bringing that up when we are old, won't you?"

  "Of course. Would you prefer me to refer to it as that pussycat thing?" She stuck her tongue out at him.

  "Have you ever been intimate with someone?"

  Selene shook her head.

  "Have you touched yourself? Do you know the pleasure your body can bring you?"

  She suddenly wanted to bury her head under the sheets and die. Touch was such a big issue to her, she shied away from all forms of it. Even with herself.

  "No." Her voice was tiny.

  The mewl of desire that came from the back of Brayden's throat sent shivers through her body, causing her breath to hitch.

  "We will take this very slowly then. "

  "You can't take me, my virginity. I will change."

  "That is something we will work on with your control. But for now, I just want to learn the most trivial and intimate details of your body. Not everything sexual is just going for it. Remove your clothes. I want to see you, all of you."

  "You have seen all of me before.”

  "That was different. This is for me to learn your curves, the way your breasts fall, the color of your nipples when you are excited. I want to smell your desire for me. I want to see your clit swell with lust for me."

  It was her turn to let out a soft moan of desire.

  She swung off the bed and stood beside it. Brayden was in jeans, his muscular chest proudly displayed and beautiful in its definition, each line like some Ancient Greek statue. She bit her lip as a thought crossed her mind.

  "What are you thinking?"

  "Nothing."

  "Selene."

  "One day, I want to lick the muscles of your torso."

  "Oh God." He reached down and unbuttoned his jeans. "Clothes off, now."

  She only had her PJ's on, so it was easy and quick to remove them and leave her standing naked before him. He let out a growl of appreciation. His cat-like eyes darkened to a rich emerald. His jeans were off and thrown across the room before she had a chance to let out another breath.

  She felt like prey about to be devoured by the ferocious beast, but this time it was a good feeling, an exquisite feeling.

  "I can smell your arousal; you like me looking at you."

  "I do. I feel attractive under your gaze."

  "Put your finger between yo
ur legs and show me the wetness."

  "I.." She hesitated.

  "I cannot touch you down there because I'm terrified that I won't be able to stop and that I will hurt you. We can make love in animal form, but that is not what I want for your first time because it will not be the same for you. Animals mate for procreation, not for love. Especially snow leopards." Slowly, almost unconsciously, she moved her hand down her body and between her thighs. She touched the cleft between her legs. She was soaked with her own essence. Something sparked when she went over a particularly sensitive spot, her clit.

  She groaned long and hard as she touched the spot again.

  “Show me your fingers."

  So very reluctantly, she eased her hand away and held it up. Her fingers glistened with her juices.

  Brayden dipped forward and took in a long breath. "I know that your hand will change, but I must taste you. Please, may I lick your fingers?"

  "Yes. Please, please do it."

  His mouth wrapped around her fingers, his tongue had all the hallmarks of a cat, agile and slightly rough to the touch. She started to shift, the tingle that also accompanied it ricocheting all over her body. Her head fell back, eyes closed, and she let out a cry. She could barely stand it; such was the heightened perception all through her body. Brayden let go and whipped a sheet from the bed. He wrapped it around her just as her legs gave way. Tenderly he placed her on the bed and pulled the sheet away.

  "What happened?" He asked.

  "When I change it sends a feeling through my body. I don't know why, but it was so very, very intense this time."

  "May I touch you again?"

  "Yes." She lay back and shut her eyes, focusing on Brayden's gentle touches as he lightly rubbed his fingers over her body in soft strokes. Each one was no longer than a second long but the sensation stayed with her longer and longer. He stopped. She opened her eyes and found him stroking himself in front of her.

  "I have to stop touching you, or I'm going to lose control."

  "I want to taste you."

  "You can't."

  "This is so unfair."

  "Ssh. It is what must be, for now. It will not be forever." The light dimmed in his eyes for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough to let her know he was worried that it would. "I'm going to place the sheet between us. I will move as though I'm making love to you, but I will bring myself to climax. I want you to do the same. I won't last long. It has been a while."

  "Brayden, I'm scared."

  "What of?"

  "Touch. My emotions and touch seem so off key with each other. What if something happens when I reach that moment. What if I can't reach that moment?"

  "Moment?" he questioned; the concern etched on his face.

  "Climax." She bit her lip with the worry.

  "I will be here the entire time with you. Nothing is going to happen."

  "We don't know that though, we don’t know anything about me."

  "I know you. I know that you are the sweetest woman I've ever met; you have a heart of gold mixed with the perseverance of any feline I've ever known. You've got a wicked sense of humor and a killer body that has me hard and ready to explode even when you are wearing clothes, and when you are not, well . . . What else do you want to know?"

  "That I'm not going to literally make you explode when I come."

  "If you do, we will deal with it or I will have died with a smile on my face thinking I was already in heaven.” He replied with a wicked grin. “Lay back, switch that mind of yours off. Just concentrate on feelings." She did as he said as he placed the sheet over her. Slowly, over the white cotton, he started to kiss down her body. She shut her eyes again. Sensuous tremors flooded her body.

  "Imagine, Selene,” he reminded her. She focused on his lips, in her mind, they were on her body and not the sheet. His tongue flicking a nipple to a stiff peak. It ached, so she fondled it herself. He caressed her clit through the sheets.

  "More, please," she pleaded desperately.

  He returned his hand and pressed harder this time. Selene wanted to come; she needed to come. Brayden moved his hand away again, causing her to whimper.

  "Too eager." He placed the sheet over her mouth and moved his lips. They were kissing. He showed devoted care not to touch any of her flesh.

  Brayden lay over her and Selene felt something between her thighs. She realized it was his rock-hard penis. He was moving as if making love to her but constrained only by the barrier of the sheet. She could feel him stroking against her clit, an animalistic urgency taking over. She knew he wouldn't stop this time. His hand twisted against her nipple again, and she came apart with a cry of animalistic pleasure. Her whole body started to shake, the feeling that she was experiencing was something she had never expected. She was screaming his name, everyone would know what they were doing, but she didn't care. At that moment, it was her and her lover, Brayden. She bit down on his lip, through the sheet, when he moved hard against her again. She came again, harder, more intense. Brayden growled, as she felt his body shudder over hers. The sheet dampened between them as he came, and the familiar tingle started. She couldn't move, she was changing just from the touch of his essence. He must have sensed the shift in her as he ripped the sheet from her body and threw it across the room. He grabbed a blanket and wiped her dry.

  "Wait," she called.

  "What?"

  She looked down to see the fur receding from her pelvic region. "You tasted me. I want to eat you."

  "Selene, you shifted just from having my cum on you."

  "Please. I have to try." A single tear tumbled down her cheek in a slow, wavering path.

  "It will happen. I promise you." From Emma's bed, he pulled a fresh sheet and wrapped it around her. She just lay there, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Touch was ugly, touch was evil, but she'd just learned that it could also be the most amazing thing in the world. It was something she'd never have again unless she found how to take control over her abilities. Brayden pulled her close. She wanted to hold him and make love to him again, correctly this time.

  "Did this make things worse?" Brayden was scared of her answer.

  "No, it just made me realize that I need to do whatever I can to get my powers under control."

  "We'll double our effort tomorrow. Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way. We are trying to control your ability to shift." He settled on the bed next to her and put his hand on her stomach over the sheet. "Maybe we should have you shift and control from there."

  "I'm up for trying anything at this point." There was great sadness in her voice.

  "Why don't you try and get some more sleep. I won't leave you."

  "You need to sleep as well," Selene observed.

  "I'll catch up later."

  "In other words, you don't want to fall asleep and risk touching me."

  "I'll sleep in the chair." He threw his weight off the bed and moved back to the chair that he used as his guarding post.

  Selene had just experienced the single most pleasurable and erotic moment of her life. She knew the feelings that she had for Brayden were more than just on the surface. She was being pulled to him, the connection between them becoming stronger every day. Why then did she feel more alone than ever before?

  CHAPTER NINE

  "Selene." The soft rocking woke her from dreams of normality with Brayden.

  "Am I having a nightmare again?" she mumbled sleepily.

  "Not that I'm aware of, you appeared to be sleeping well."

  "Kas?"

  That voice, it was too formal to be Brayden. It didn't have the Montana twang. No, it sounded more like Kas, he always tried to hide the Inuit roots in his accent. But that would be silly? Why would Kas be in her bedroom? Why would he be trying to wake her? She was definitely dreaming.

  "Selene, I need you to wake. It's time to make the decision about your future."

  She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

  "May I talk frankly?" Kas asked. She wasn’t dreaming.

&
nbsp; "Of course." She took a sip of water that she’d left on the bedside table. That, would wake her up.

  "Brayden has gone off up the mountain. He does that when something is worrying him."

  "You heard us earlier." She felt ashamed.

  "Yes. I'm afraid our hearing is excellent, it's a hazard in this house."

  "I'm sorry." She blushed.

  "You have nothing to be sorry about. What you both want is natural. We all see that you are meant to be mates.” His reply was said with great honesty.

  "Yet, fate conspires against us so that we can't even touch."

  "I believe Brayden taught you that touch is not everything."

  "But wanting the touch of snow is." The words flowed from her mouth with sorrow lining every syllable.

  "And that is why you need to make a decision." He perched on the end of the bed. "Your powers are still erratic. You still have no control over them."

  "I thought I was getting some, but they are still all over the place and it's causing danger. I'm terrified to leave your property. What if I were to touch one of the pack in the street with humans about? Even worse, what if someone I don't know touched me when we were out, and they happened to be some other non-human? If I changed, it would reveal everyone to the world.” She shivered. “I cannot live this way my entire life, though. It was alright when I thought only humans existed and I could hide the thoughts." She paused. "You woke me to do the spell while he is gone, didn't you?"

  "If that is what you choose. I will not force you. I'm worried about your shifting abilities in public. The summer season is picking up, and soon the visitors to the park will increase. I would be reluctant to allow you off my land or even a small distance from the house. As a pack leader, I have to do what I must to protect everyone in the pack. Even if it means placing restrictions on a pack member."

  "We are not talking about binding my powers forever, are we? I was created for a reason. I believe that."

  "No, I will continue to work with you, and Jessica will continue to liaise with the Council to try to find a way to control them. She can release the spell anytime she wishes and replace it again." He turned away from her, the full moon of the night flooding in her window. She could feel the sadness surrounding him. "I know what it is to deny what you are for so long; to have gifts but not be able to share them with the world."