by Lane, Soraya
He shrugged. “Yeah, something like that.”
Riley got to her feet, hands on hips. “I don’t want to play games. I’m heading back.”
She was trying not to admit it, but she was scared. Bone rattling, bile rising in her throat kind of scared.
“We’re the same, Riley. You are what I am,” he called after her.
“Crazy you mean?” she shot back. This was going from weird to ridiculous. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” She didn’t know what he was talking about and she didn’t want to know.
She turned to leave again, but Hunter’s low, calm voice made her freeze. Like a hand grasping her arm, forcing her to stop, even though he never touched her.
“Ever wondered why you don’t like to swim?”
Riley didn’t turn back, just listened. Her breath started to thud in and out of her lungs. She hated swimming.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“Well, do you?”
“I can’t swim. I don’t like water.”
She spun around. Hunter was looking at her with a smug look on his face. “You can swim, we just don’t like to.”
No. No, no, no. This was not happening. She was imagining the water, hating it. Riley shut her eyes, tried to pull herself from what had to be a dream. Hunter was lying to her, tricking her, trying to make her believe something that couldn’t be true. He was getting in her head.
“I can’t swim,” she insisted.
“Want me to throw you in the water so you can find out? We’re actually not half bad at it, if we have to get wet.”
She glared at him. “Okay, so let’s say I believe you.”
Her hands were starting to shake. A damp line of moisture was inching its way across the top of her lip.
Riley hated it, but part of her, a little niggle in her brain, was telling her to listen. That he wasn’t actually insane.
Or maybe he was and she was starting to believe him anyway. Maybe she was insane.
He raised an eyebrow. “About you being a leopard shifter too?”
She should have run back to the house screaming. She should have run so fast that he couldn’t catch her. But something was making her stay. Something was interested in his theory, his story. Her feet wouldn’t move.
She didn’t even know what a leopard shifter was.
“We aren’t pure human, Riley.” His voice was softer now, quieter. “We’re shifters. Changers. We’re equally as comfortable as our animal, as we are in our own skin.”
Her eyes narrowed, assessing him. She was surprised with how honest his expression was. There was no humor there, just a raw openness. Could he be faking that?
Could it be real?
She shut her eyes, tight.
It wasn’t real. He was manipulating her, tricking her.
She needed to remember that, as convincing as he might sound with his crazy theory. “How exactly will I find out if I, you know, can then? If I am what you say I am?”
“Watch and learn, pussy cat. Watch and learn.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.
His green eyes twinkled, the seriousness gone. It was all mischief now. “Or what?”
She didn’t know what. “Just don’t.”
“I’ll call you it again once you’ve changed, then you can challenge me. Fighting you then might be,” he paused and winked at her, “fun.”
Okay, so now she knew he was insane.
“I…”
He interrupted her. “Just close your eyes for a second.”
Yeah, like she was going to fall for that one.
“Why?”
“Because unless I want to rip my favorite pair of jeans when I shift, I need to get naked.” He chuckled. “Although you’re the only one who’ll get offended, so it’s up to you.”
Her lids fell down within a second. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was embarrassed.
Riley waited. All she could hear was the flutter of birds in the woods, the swaying of the leaves around them, until a foreign noise made them click open again. A swishing sound.
Riley’s heart started hammering as her eyes flew open. Her mouth went dry, like a gust of sand had blown down her throat and left it parched.
The leopard, the same huge cat she’d seen earlier, stood before her. Its green eyes, unmistakably Hunter’s, the same eyes she’d been looking into a minute ago, were trained on her. A long black tail was swishing rhythmically back and forth.
Oh. My. God.
Crap.
Riley was struggling to breathe again; her entire body was shaking, trembling like a leaf. He circled around her, slowly, before halting, in the same spot as he’d shifted, and closed his eyes. She watched, before realizing it was a cue.
She shut hers. Waited for what seemed like an impossibly long time, catching him pulling on his jeans when she opened them. Riley guessed he hadn’t bothered with underwear, given that he’d dressed so fast.
He gave her that trademark, self-assured grin as he turned around.
“Now do you believe me?” he asked.
The sensible part of her brain said that it was some clever magic trick. An illusion. But the curious part of her, the little voice in her head, told her that deep down it was true. Could be true.
Could her own eyes be lying to her? Was there a special effects studio here that she didn’t know about? Had she been punked by someone?
Shit. Was this actually real?
“How did you do it?” Her voice came out low and quiet. Riley couldn’t believe it. But she couldn’t ignore him either. “And so fast?”
That made him smile again. His feline eyes danced as he looked at her.
“I’m going to show you how tomorrow. Once you’ve had a chance to get your head around all this.”
Riley felt numb. Why hadn’t Sophia just explained? Why had she made Hunter tell her? Show her? When she could have just given her the lowdown herself?
And what the hell did this have to do with Claudia dying of a heart condition?
“Come on, let’s get you back, huh?”
She nodded and took the hand he held out. His big palm was warm against hers, and she needed it. Without it, she thought she might faint. Fall.
Her body was weak, like all of her energy, her ability to hold herself up and even place one foot in front of the other, was gone. She didn’t have the strength to question him, not even about her sister.
But all of a sudden she trusted him. As they walked in silence, it was the only thing she could think of. That he wasn’t lying. That she could trust him.
That she had no choice other than to trust him, and she didn’t know how or why.
The house came into sight. Riley expected Sophia to be waiting, but only a light on in the kitchen showed that anyone was even home.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Hunter’s voice had lost the cockiness that had annoyed her earlier. Now it was kind, softer.
But now she was starting to wonder if any of this had even been real. That she was about to wake up. That none of this had really happened, because it was so weird. So not real.
But Hunter was. He was real. The firmness of his hand in hers, the hardness of his body as she leaned into him.
And she’d seen. With her own eyes. Hadn’t she?
Hunter let go of her and it made Riley snap back into consciousness. They were at the front door. She’d almost walked back in a complete trance. And it was almost dark, a hush of cool air circling them, chilling her bare arms.
“Where will I find you?” Riley hardly recognized her own voice.
“By the tree.”
Of course.
He took one last look at her, brushed his hand across her forearm, then disappeared.
Riley didn’t even have the strength to walk in the door. She collapsed in a heap as light from inside flooded the pitch-dark porch.
CHAPTER FOUR
“You awake, Riley?”
Ri
ley sat on her bed. She was numb. Exhausted. Frightened.
Her body was rigid, like a bolt of lightning had hit her and frozen her in place. And she’d hardly slept.
“Yeah,” she called back.
The door clicked open. She looked up as Sophia appeared.
“He’s waiting for you.”
Riley grimaced. “I know.”
She’d parted the curtain before and seen Hunter waiting. Leaning against his tree, looking as cool and calm as could be.
Ignoring him was hard.
“I think it’s time I did some explaining. This must all seem, well, confusing.”
That made Riley look up. Sophia had that right. She’d been so exhausted last night that she’d stumbled to bed, then lain there awake, unable to do anything but think about what had happened. What she’d seen.
“Now?” Riley asked.
“Go with Hunter again today, then we’ll sit down and I’ll answer any questions you have,” Sophia told her.
Riley was already ready. She’d gotten up, showered, dressed, and then changed her outfit again. Then looked out to see Hunter again. Then sat back down on the bed.
Walking out the door, facing him again, going off with him for the day terrified her.
She still couldn’t grasp what she’d learnt. Was it actually true? Could it be true? And what did Sophia have to do with it all.
“Sophia, can you, um, shift too?”
Her grandmother nodded.
Seriously?
“Okay, I’ll go,” Riley said. “But you have to promise to explain everything when I get back.”
She couldn’t even decide if it was weirder knowing her gran could shift too, or better.
“Deal,” agreed Sophia.
Riley got up and reached for her shoes.
“One tip.”
Riley stopped as her gran spoke.
“I’d opt for less clothes. And no shoes.”
Barefoot? Out there in the forest? “I don’t get it.”
Sophia just laughed. “He’s going to try teaching you to change today. Getting undressed and dressed again is just a pain.”
Riley burst out laughing. It was like she was dreaming again. Only worse. Because she’d pinched herself enough to know that she was absolutely, one hundred percent, miserably alive.
It still didn’t change the fact that Claudia was gone. That she was alone and without her sister. But Claudia would have liked Hunter. Would have enjoyed the attention of being alone with him. And she certainly wouldn’t have shied away from shifting. If that’s truly what she could do.
“Have fun.”
Riley grimaced. “I’ll try.”
Sophia pulled the curtains and Riley hung back a second to look out. He was still there.
Of course he was.
“Oh, and Riley?”
She stopped again.
“There is one thing I probably need to tell you before you go.”
Riley pivoted, slowly, on the spot. Sophia’s tone sounded serious.
“This is going to make more sense to you later, but Hunter has been, well, chosen for you.”
Chosen? What the hell did that mean?
Sophia smiled, but this time she actually looked worried. “It’s going to sound even stranger than the shifting concept, because I know first hand what it’s like to be told all this,” she paused. “But he’s your soul mate.”
“What? Hunter?” Riley choked. What the hell did she mean by soul mate? “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t think of it like an arranged marriage, it’s anything but,” Sophia said hurriedly. “But the future has been cast, and he is the right one for you. You need to trust me on that.”
Riley just shook her head and turned back to the door. That numbness that had kept her frozen on the bed was trickling back down her legs again, making it almost impossible for her to move.
If things could get any weirder, they just had.
She’d hardly even had a real boyfriend before. But a soul mate? She stopped in the kitchen, put her palms face down on the table, and closed her eyes. Tried to calm down.
So she was a shifter, if that was even possible. And now her future was pre-arranged to a guy she only met the day before. Who also happened to be a shifter.
Riley straightened and looked out the window. A guy who was still there, waiting, for her.
So long as he didn’t know about the whole predetermined future thing, she’d have time to digest it then argue with her grandmother over the logistics. Refuse.
Or escape back to her parents’ place and forget any of this ever happened.
Although something was telling her that going back to the way her life used to be wasn’t going to be that easy. Not ever again.
They walked slowly, side by side, down a path that led through the forest. Riley was even more aware of him today. Alert. Conscious of every little movement that pushed them closer together.
It frightened and thrilled her all at the same time. Especially when she started thinking about the whole soul mate thing around him.
“What sort of pets do you have?”
Hunter’s voice soothed her today. Made her feel more at ease.
“Are you asking me just to make conversation or do you actually not know?” she asked.
He just shrugged.
“Cat got your tongue?”
Hunter laughed. “You’re getting the hang of it,” he said dryly.
Now it was her turn to look confused. “Of what?”
“Humor.”
Oh, he thought he was so funny, but at least he was taking her mind off the whole predetermined future thing with his jokes.
“Let me guess,” he guessed.
Here we go again with the psychoanalysis. She didn’t bother answering.
“You’re a cat person, not a dog person, and you’ve never wondered why.”
Riley wasn’t buying that. “There are heaps of people who don’t like dogs. Do you think they try to figure out why? I doubt it.”
He didn’t respond.
“I have a horse. Do cats like horses?”
“Not particularly,” he replied.
“Then how does that work with your little theory?”
He sighed. “You’re still a girl. Girls like ponies.”
“Girls like dogs too. I just happen to like horses and cats.”
Hunter put his hands up in defeat. “Let’s just teach you how to change.”
“That’s the only reason I’m here.” Riley cheeks flooded with heat but she didn’t back down. Kept her eyes focused on him.
And he had the cheek to laugh. Like he knew exactly what she thought of him.
That being pre-arranged to him wasn’t half as bad as she’d originally thought. Maybe. Thankfully he had the decency not to say anything about it, if he knew.
“You ready now?”
Riley gulped. “I guess.”
He smiled at her, doing a half-turn to face her front on.
“You need to focus. Blank your mind, think only of what you saw in me yesterday, after I changed.”
How hard could that be? She wasn’t exactly lacking in mental control. Or lacking in mental pictures of him in her mind.
She stood in front of Hunter, body thrumming like it was charged with an electric current. She still only half believe him anyway.
“And then what?”
“Have you felt different lately? Been sick at all?”
Typical. Twenty questions again. Riley pressed her palms together, tried to stay calm. To not get angry with him.
“Aside from the fact that I almost had a mental breakdown over losing my twin? My best friend in the world?”
His eyes softened. She wished she hadn’t been so harsh. He didn’t deserve to be snapped at like that.
“I’ll help you with that later, I promise. But I need you to focus now,” he told her.
Riley didn’t say a word. Losing her sister was one thing that nobody could ever help her through. Ju
st because Sophia understood what it felt like didn’t mean anything was ever going to get better. Or that anyone could help her.
Hunter clicked his fingers at her.
“I want you to close your eyes, Riley. Visualize the way my eyes looked yesterday, the feeling when you opened your own and saw me changed.”
She nodded. She could do that.
“See yourself as that leopard, project it, feel it.” He paused. “Let the image carry you away.”
Nothing happened. “What about my clothes? Will it hurt?”
“Keep focusing. Don’t let your mind stray.”
Riley’s eyes snapped open at him. Angry. She was sick of trying. And who was he to say she wasn’t trying?
“It’s not working.”
Hunter reached for her shoulder, to touch her, fingers curling over her skin. Riley shrugged his hand away, fast.
“You’re not ready. Maybe I’ve pushed you too fast.”
Riley stomped off. This sucked. So she couldn’t change into a stupid leopard. So what? She headed into the forest, feet aching as they snagged at torn branches and hit other sharp tree offcasts.
She cursed Sophia for telling her not to wear shoes.
“Stop.”
Riley heard Hunter’s command but she ignored him.
“Now.” His deep voice rumbled through her.
She swung backward as he grabbed, lunged, at her arm. His fingers cut into her arm, made her want to scream out with the sharpness of his hold.
“You don’t walk away from me like that.”
“Why not?” She flung herself around, wriggled until he dropped his hold. His grip hurt.
“Because it’s not safe for you out here. Not alone, you got that?”
Part of her liked the anger igniting in his eyes. Liked that he wanted to protect her.
“So now you’re worried about me?” she asked.
She watched as he clenched his jaw, at the tick that couldn’t be disguised.
“You are my responsibility. Once you understand what’s going on here, what’s at stake, you’ll understand.”
“Understand?” she spat at him. Now she was angry again and there was nothing she could do to stop herself. “All I understand is that everyone seems to be keeping secrets from me, and that I have no idea, at all, what is really going on.”
