by Sarah Carter
“That’s my girl,” Damien cheers.
With a sigh, Kayla says, “So I lost out on my first great kiss.”
“Forget about Jude. What about your next kiss? Was it heart pounding? Did it take your breath away?” Damien asks as he starts to scramble the eggs.
Jackson and Kayla turn and look at each other. “Yes,” Kayla says slowly. “Actually, it was both of those things.”
“Good, use that then,” Damien instructs. He throws the eggs into the pan. “My first kiss was awkward because I was ten. Everything is awkward when you’re ten.”
“Ten shouldn’t even count.” Kayla laughs. “When was your first real kiss?”
Damien taps his chin. “Eleven then.”
“That’s not much better,” Kayla yells with laughter. She turns to Jackson. “What was your first kiss like?”
“Hmmm, it was with the cook’s daughter when we lived in Italy. Gorgeous girl, didn’t speak much English, and my Italian was still a little rough, but we were able to communicate in other ways.”
Damien chuckles. “Our little smooth operator.”
Hearing about Jackson’s past conquests bothers Kayla more than hearing about Damien’s. “You guys can run circles around me about a hundred times, so we can just stop where we’re at before I want to throw up.”
“So who was your new first kiss?” Damien asks.
“Just a friend,” Kayla replies quietly. “He’s a really good guy. I like him a lot, just not romantically.”
As he puts bacon on a plate, Damien says, “That’s good to hear. I don’t like competition.”
“Nope, no competition,” Kayla murmurs, feeling slightly sad. She shakes her head and says, “Breakfast smells awesome. All I need is some coffee.”
Jackson comes up beside her and reaches up to get her a mug. “Here,” he says, handing it to her. “Do you need creamer and sugar?”
Kayla nods, not looking at him. Jackson goes to the refrigerator and gets out a pitcher. Kayla watches him out of the corner of her eye, staring at the way his clothes fit to his body. When Jackson turns to look at her, Kayla quickly casts her eyes back to her coffee. Jackson brings over the cream pitcher and sugar jar. “Thanks,” Kayla whispers, taking it from him.
“All right, beautiful, your breakfast is ready,” Damien chimes.
“Let me finish making this,” Kayla retorts. She puts a little creamer and some sugar in her coffee. “Do you want some coffee?”
Jackson pats his stomach. “Nope, I drank a whole pot by myself already.”
“And you aren’t bouncing off the walls?” Kayla inquires with a smile.
“Metabolism is different. You’ve never felt different? Like you never got sick, never went to a normal doctor, never were exactly like other girls.”
“Jackson,” Kayla exclaims. “Shut up.”
Damien walks over to her and grabs a mug. “Ignore him. What I think he’s trying to get across to you is that your cycle has never been normal, if anything it has been really abnormal.”
“Why are we talking about this?” Kayla screams in embarrassment.
Jackson bends down and kisses the top of her head. “Don’t get so uncomfortable. You have to learn about these things. I mean, your mom obviously never had that conversation with you.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to have this conversation with you,” Kayla snaps.
“I’ll only say one thing,” Jackson says, looking at her. “Sooner or later you’re going to have to have this conversation with someone. Don’t need you getting pregnant because you don’t know how your body works.”
That peaks Kayla’s interest. “Okay, fine, how does it work?”
“The only reason you have anything along the lines of a cycle is because your body has adapted to the human form. Getting pregnant is super easy for us and you have to be really careful because there is no protection other than your mind,” Jackson tells her.
Confused, Kayla mutters, “Huh?”
“Remember, for our species you mix your energies, and that is how you get pregnant. Both partners have to think about it at the same time their energies mix, and then poof, you’re pregnant. You’ll be pregnant for about six months,” Damien replies.
“It’s that easy?”
Nodding his head, Damien says, “Yup, that’s why you have to be so careful, because if for any reason you and your partner think about it mid coitus, oops, you’re pregnant.”
“Weren’t you worried about that?” Kayla exclaims. “When you were with your girlfriend? I would freak out!”
“Yeah, wasn’t my brightest moment of all time.” Damien sighs. “Though for our culture it’s different. It’s a good thing for us to breed and breed with multiple people, or so says the council.”
Her jaw drops. “Excuse me, what did you say?”
“If I accidently got a girl pregnant, it wouldn’t be frowned upon. I would probably get a slap on the back. We are a small race, Kayla. Think about it that way. We need to keep our species alive.”
Kayla looks at Jackson. “What about me? What do they expect of me because I’m so special?”
“To have lots of babies,” Jackson replies softly. “You don’t have to, but that is what they will push for.”
She puts up her hands. “I’m all for having children, but not if it’s forced on me. So me and my husband are just supposed to be a baby machine?”
“Do you really want to know the truth?” Damien asks cautiously.
“I’m afraid to say yes, but go ahead.”
Damien inhales a deep breath. “They would want you to breed with more than one guy.”
There is dead silence as Kayla stares at Damien. “So they would want me to have babies with, let’s say, both you and Jackson. What, be like a female polygamist?”
“Sort of, yes, but trust me, I could never share my spouse. Maybe that’s too human of me, but I couldn’t do it, and they can’t force you.”
“That’s warped,” Kayla says.
Jackson interjects, “Kayla, I’m not in agreement with it, but I understand it. Our species will die out if we don’t try. The council has its reasons for what it says. Our species is a bit slutty, but that’s because we’re trying to keep the population growing.”
“So we’re a skank patrol.”
“Sort of. I know Damien’s family has pushed for him to have children already.”
Damien gives Jackson a dirty look. “Really, you had to tell her that?”
“You don’t have any children, right?” Kayla asks.
He shakes his head. “No, I was supposed to, but I couldn’t. I did not want that girl as the mother of my child.”
“This is way too much,” Kayla exclaims, waving her hands. “Way too much. You’re only seventeen!”
“Tell that to the council. I told you they have high expectations of me.”
Shaking her head, Kayla stammers, “So…like…your family is pushing you to have babies with me?”
“No, actually, they want me to marry you,” Damien sighs back. “So that we can keep it in our family line.”
“Now, I am creeped out.”
A look of sheer worry passes over Damien’s face. “Do you still want to date me? Kayla, I like you for you, not because of your bloodline, shifting abilities, or the wishes of the council.”
“I can’t even think of this right now. Need coffee, lots of coffee, and maybe some vodka.”
“Ummm, you drink?” Jackson snorts.
“No, but it seems like a good time to start. Wouldn’t you want a drink if you found out you were supposed to copulate with half of an alien race to preserve its existence?”
Jackson nods. “Probably. I’ve had girls approach me wanting me to father their babies. It’s weird and awkward. What am I supposed to say to that? Yes, let’s go in my room. No! I don’t even know these women.”
Kayla shivers. “Ew, that’s wrong.”
“For a human, yes, for us, not really. I couldn’t do it though,” Damien sighs.
“I can only be with one girl, just one. There’s no way I could be a polygamist.”
Kayla stares at him for a minute and then taps her chin. “Wait…if the guys all looked as hot as you two, maybe I would be up for it, different guy for every day of the week.”
The guys just stare at her a little slack jawed. “Y-you aren’t serious,” Jackson stutters.
“I don’t know, I could see dating both you and Damien.”
“What!” Jackson yells.
Unable to hold it back anymore, Kayla bursts out laughing and bends over. “I am going to die from this.” She keeps on giggling. “The look on your faces, oh, that was priceless.”
Damien exhales loudly. “I was worried there for a minute. I would probably kill Jackson.”
“If I didn’t kill you first.” Jackson snorts. “There is no way I would share her. She means too much.”
Kayla whips her head around to look at him. Damien does the same thing. “What do you mean by that?” Damien asks.
Stuttering, Jackson emphasizes, “I mean, she would mean too much to share. If there was anything going on, which there isn’t.”
Damien nods his head, but the look on his face isn’t very convincing. “As long as we’re on the same page, I think we’ll be fine.”
“True,” Kayla says. “All right, we need to stop this conversation. For the record, I’m never sleeping with anyone but my husband. I don’t want to have a kid with someone that isn’t going to be around.”
“Good idea,” Jackson agrees. “I’m going to take a shower.” He turns to Kayla. “I know you don’t want to, but try to use a different bathroom while I’m in there.”
Rolling her eyes, Kayla says, “Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to control myself. Whatever will keep me distracted? Oh look, bacon!”
“Yeah, eat your breakfast before it gets cold,” Damien states. “Cold eggs are gross.”
“Stay out of trouble,” Jackson says. As he walks away, he slaps Kayla on the butt.
She jumps in the air. “Jackson!”
He laughs in reply. Damien growls. “Try and keep your hands to yourself, cousin, unless you want to lose them.”
“My hands were touching her before you were in the picture, and until she tells me to stop, they will continue to touch her. I’ll see you in a bit.” Jackson turns and walks away.
Kayla’s mouth is gaping open, when Damien says, “You could have jumped in there and told him not to touch you.”
“It caught me by surprise,” Kayla exclaims. “Anyway, he only does it to get a rise out of you.”
“Sometimes I don't think that's why he does it,” Damien retorts, looking at Kayla. “Do you think he has feelings for you?”
She shakes her head. “No, we’ve had that conversation.”
“What conversation?” Damien asks hesitantly.
Trying to not say too much, Kayla replies, “Just that his family is pushing for us to be together. We both agreed to not let them decide our fate.”
“That’s good to hear,” Damien states. “Eat your breakfast.” Damien’s phone rings, and he looks at it. “I have to take this. Eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Kayla replies cheerfully. She pulls out the stool and sits at the counter. Damien answers his phone and leaves the kitchen, while Kayla eats her food. “This is really good,” she says to herself
When she’s finished, Kayla goes to the sink to wash her dishes. Pain shoots through her. “Oh no,” she gasps. “Okay, you can do this. Think of a dog.” Within seconds, she's down on the floor. Kayla shivers and emits a yelp. After a few minutes, she closes her eyes and thinks about being herself. When nothing happens, she starts to panic. She closes her eyes again and thinks even harder about her human self, but nothing changes. She starts to whimper. Running out of the kitchen, she searches for Damien.
Still unfamiliar with the house, she ends up getting lost. She is surprised when she turns a corner and finds Jackson’s room. His door is slightly ajar, and she pushes it open with her nose, hesitantly looking inside. Jackson is nowhere to be seen, but Kayla can hear the water running in the shower. Standing outside the closed bathroom door, Kayla tries to yell, but it comes out as a bark. When there is no response, she barks again and again. Still no response, so she starts pawing at the door as the panic continues to build.
Without warning, the door flies open. Jackson stands in the doorway, holding a towel around his waist. Water drips from his body. Even as a dog, Kayla’s heart races as she looks at him.
Jackson furrows his eyebrows. “What in the hell, Kayla?” Kayla starts to whimper and cry. Jackson tucks the towel around his body and bends down. “Are you stuck?” Kayla paws at him and whimpers. “Okay, you just need to calm down. It sometimes takes a while to turn back when you’re first shifting, and if you panic, it makes it worse.” Kayla hangs her head. “It’s okay. Don’t worry so much. Just calm down.” He kneels next to her. Jackson slowly runs his hand down her back. “Just stay calm and take deep breaths. Okay, now think about being yourself. Don’t try to force it, just calmly think of yourself.”
Kayla complies, and suddenly she is on her knees again. She instantly starts crying. Jackson grabs her and pulls her against him. She wraps her arms around him, putting her face on his chest. “That was horrible,” she cries. “I couldn’t change back, and I couldn’t find Damien. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You need to remember to stay calm. When you freak out, it makes it really hard to shift back. Are you okay?”
She nods her head. “Don’t think I’m stupid, but it was scary.”
“You aren’t stupid. I could never think that you were stupid.” Kayla looks up at him. They sit there for a few minutes looking at each other, until Jackson finally says, “I’m getting you all wet.”
“That’s okay,” Kayla whispers.
Jackson takes her hair and tucks it behind her ear. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, thanks to you. Sorry for interrupting your shower.”
“Hey, there is nothing wrong with a beautiful girl interrupting my shower, although next time, I prefer you do it as yourself and not as a dog.” Jackson laughs.
Giggling, Kayla replies, “I’ll keep that in mind. Do I have to knock next time?”
“Nah,” Jackson chuckles. “Just come in.” Kayla laughs. Jackson smiles and looks at her. Then ever so slowly, he bends down to kiss her.
Kayla closes her eyes. “Jackson, don’t. We can’t do this.”
He pulls away. “I'm sorry. I just…for whatever reason, I lose myself around you.”
“It’s okay, I feel it too. You’re all wet…in a towel…and I’m in your arms. You have no idea what is going through my head right now.”
“Actually, it’s probably the same as what's going through my head right now. Screw it…want to finish showering with me?”
Instantly blushing, Kayla hisses, “Jackson!”
“What?” He chuckles with a huge grin. “It was worth a try.”
Heat rises in her face and she pushes away from him. “I need to leave.”
“Too tempted, huh?”
Standing up, Kayla points her finger at him. “We’re ending this conversation right now before we get into trouble. I need to leave. I need to leave and take a cold shower.”
“You can take a nice…hot…shower if you want,” Jackson teases.
Stammering, Kayla says, “I…I need to…leave, yes…go finish your shower…by yourself.”
“All right,” he sighs, standing up. “I offered.”
“I'm leaving, like now.” She turns and walks out of his room. Shutting the door, Kayla exhales, “Oh dear Lord, have mercy on me.”
“What were you doing in Jackson’s room?” Damien’s voice startles her. “Better question, why are you all wet?”
Kayla walks over and punches him in the arm. “Where were you!”
“Outside,” Damien retorts, rubbing his arm. “Why?”
“I shif
ted and couldn’t shift back. Thankfully Jackson heard me barking!”
Shock crosses Damien’s face. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, Jackson calmed me down, and I shifted back.”
“So…why are you all wet?”
“Jackson got out of the shower to help me.”
Damien gives her a look. “Got out of the shower…like he was naked?”
“No, he had a towel on! Like I would be calm enough to shift back while a naked guy is standing in front of me.”
“If you want to see a naked guy, I’m more than willing,” Damien says with a grin.
Kayla laughs. “No! Enough with naked boys today.”
“All right, it's your turn to take a shower. I’ll sit outside the door, in case you shift. Just remember to stay calm. The calmer you are, the easier it is to shift back into your human form. Come on, you can shower in the guest bathroom.” He takes her hand and pulls her through the house. “See, your random shifting is why you aren’t out in the community. We don’t need a dog to randomly be in a restaurant.”
“How long before I have more control over it?”
“We’ll have to see where you are in a week. If I had been near you earlier, I could have taught you how to quickly meditate. Then you could have controlled it more. I’m really sorry that you had to go through that. I got a call from my father and had to take it,” Damien states, walking her up the stairs.
She tugs on his hand. “Any news on my parents?”
Stopping, Damien exhales heavily. “Yes, they made a decision.”
“And?”
He turns to her. “You will be staying here with me.”
“I can’t go home at all?”
“No,” Damien sighs. “I’m sorry, Kayla. We can stay at your house, but you don’t have a spare bedroom and we would have to hook up alarms. Unless I stayed in your room, but I refuse to do that.”
Her heart sinks in her chest. “For how long? How long do I have to stay here?”
“Until you are ready and have your shifting under control. That may take a while. Please, don’t blame me. I did everything I could.”
“No, I believe you. Are my parents coming back?”
“Yes, they should be back tomorrow.”
