Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Carter

  Kayla scoffs. “If we lived in a perfect world, that would be true, but we don’t. I don’t even want to think about it. It just hurts.”

  “Okay,” Tracy replies softly. “Let’s get you home.”

  “Yeah, I have a ton of homework to catch up on.” Although she isn’t sure she’ll be able to concentrate on anything with all the drama between Damien and Jackson going on.

  Later that evening, Kayla is sitting in front of her computer. Her head is on her desk and she’s crying. Everything is too much for her to handle. She doesn’t know if she can take much more. There is a soft knock on the door. Kayla swipes her tears away. “Yeah,” she calls out.

  “Honey,” her mom says. “Jackson’s here.”

  The tears return in full force. “I don’t want to see him, Mom!”

  “He has something for you. Just see him for a minute.”

  “Tell him to slide it under my door. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now!”

  “It’s nothing you can slip under a door.”

  Growling, Kayla goes and opens her door. “What?”

  Her mom thrusts forward a large square package. “He’s downstairs.”

  Kayla takes the package. “Mom,” she hisses. “I can’t see him. Okay? It hurts too much.”

  “Kayla, just talk to him.”

  “No,” Kayla argues, shaking her head vigorously. “I can’t. It’s not fair.”

  “To whom? Damien? You aren’t being fair to Jackson by ignoring him.”

  Kayla stares down at the large package. “I’ll talk to him again. Just not now.”

  “All right, I’ll send him home,” her mom sighs.

  With a nod, Kayla shuts her door. Walking over she lays the package on the bed. Horribly curious, Kayla rips the paper off. Her hand instantly goes to her mouth. “Oh my gosh.”

  Inside is the painting of her in the sheet, but it’s totally not what she expected. It doesn’t make her look sultry at all, but beautiful. “I look so pretty,” she whispers to the empty room. In the painting, a soft smile lights her face and there’s a brightness to the picture that makes her seem almost angelic. “Jackson, this is so good,” she says ever so softly. A card is tucked in the corner of the paper. She takes it out and opens it. All it says is: I love you, please, never forget that.

  Tears pour down her face. Kayla takes the card and clenches it to her chest. Crumbling to the ground, she sobs. “I miss him,” she gasps. “I miss him so much.”

  The sun sets and casts her room in shadows as she cries. When the tears finally stop, Kayla gets up from the floor and turns on a light. The clock says it’s nine-thirty. She sighs heavily and pulls down the covers on her bed. “I’m just going to sleep,” Kayla mumbles to herself.

  She carefully takes the painting and leans it up against the wall on her desk. She studies it for a minute, but it only makes her miss Jackson, so she looks away. She changes into a nightgown and crawls into bed. Pulling the covers over her head, she goes to sleep.

  Sometime during the night, she wakes to a breeze brushing past her. The side of her bed dips down, and she hears, “Kayla.” Kayla screams and scrambles out from underneath the covers. “Kayla, Kayla, stop it’s me!” Her side lamp clicks on.

  “Damien,” she cries, jumping into his arms.

  “Yeah,” he whispers into her hair.

  “Oh my gosh, you wouldn’t return my phone calls! I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again!”

  He kisses the side of her face. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  “I don’t want to get rid of you at all,” Kayla exclaims, sitting back down. “Where have you been? Wait, that’s none of my business. I’m just glad you’re here.”

  “I’ve been all over the place. I was trying my hardest to stay away, but then realized I had to come here.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kayla gasps. “Please, I am so sorry.”

  Damien takes her hands and kisses them. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

  “Yes, I do,” Kayla whines. “I hurt you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t hurt me. I am hurt, but you didn’t do it. It’s just the way things worked out. Now, I’m here for a reason.”

  “Why? What?”

  He leans forward and locks his eyes with hers. “I have a bone to pick with you.”

  Kayla tilts her head in confusion.

  “One, you aren’t using a perfectly good car, which I gave to you as a gift.”

  “I can’t use it,” Kayla groans.

  “Yes, you can, or you’re really going to make me mad,” Damien states. Kayla glares at him, which makes Damien laugh. “Okay, so one, you’ll start driving the car. The second thing is, why in the world aren’t you talking to Jackson?”

  Kayla looks down and fidgets with the blanket in her hands. “It…isn’t right.”

  “What isn’t right about it?”

  “I’m your…girlfriend…until you tell me otherwise.”

  Damien snorts. “Then I let you out of your obligations.”

  “No! No, no, no! I am your girlfriend. I love you, I do!”

  Damien laughs softly. He follows her gaze down. “You may love me, but it’s not in the way that I love you, nor is it the way that you love Jackson.”

  “But give me time,” Kayla begs. “I will fall in love with you, and then we’ll be so happy.”

  “Oh.” Damien chuckles. “And what about Jackson?”

  “He doesn’t matter. It’s about you and me.”

  Damien reaches up and brushes Kayla’s hair behind her ear. “No, it’s about you and Jackson. You can’t just fall out of love with someone, and I wouldn’t expect you to.”

  “But I don’t know if he really loves me back,” Kayla whispers.

  Damien rolls his eyes. “Really? That’s what you think, that he may not love you? Kayla, he loves you. I talked to him. He told me as much.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, before I came here.”

  “But…”

  Giving her a kind look, Damien says, “But what? Did you really think I wasn’t going to talk to either of you ever again?”

  “I wasn’t sure,” Kayla mumbles quietly.

  “Kayla, listen to me, I love you and I will always love you, but your heart belongs to someone else. Nothing is ever going to change that. If I’m going to lose you to a guy, I want it to be someone who will take care of you, adore you, and do everything he can for you. I know Jackson will. He loves you. You need to realize that.”

  Kayla starts to get choked up. “But what about you?”

  “What about me? What will I do?”

  She nods.

  He laughs. “Probably get into trouble.”

  “I saw your pictures,” Kayla declares softly. “You have every right to do whatever you want.”

  “I figured you saw. I didn’t do anything, just so you know.”

  She half laughs and looks at him. “I wouldn’t blame you if you had.”

  “I almost did. Had a couple of girls throwing themselves at me. It would have been so easy.”

  “Wonderful,” Kayla draws out.

  “But I didn’t. I thought of you and couldn’t do it, because we hadn’t ended things. Also, you taught me that it should mean more than just a one-night stand, and I want it to mean more.”

  Kayla pulls his hand into hers. “That’s a good thing.”

  “It is,” Damien murmurs. “Now, we need to end this. So, Kayla, I am officially breaking up with you.”

  “Are you sure about that? I mean, we can try and make it work. I’ll do that if you want me to.”

  “I want you to be happy, and the only way you will be truly happy is if you’re with Jackson. So now the question is, when will you tell him?”

  With a smile, Kayla says, “Right now.” She picks up her phone and is about to dial.

  “He went for a run,” Damien declares, pushing her phone down. “He said he needed to clear his head.”

  �
��But I want to tell him right now. It can’t wait,” Kayla whines. “I’ve been pushing him away this whole time. I have to see him. I just have to!”

  Damien leans forward and kisses her on the forehead. “Then let’s go find him.”

  “How do you propose we do that?”

  “It’s called tracking. Jackson is better at it, but I can still do it. He’s by his house somewhere.”

  Leaning forward, Kayla says, “You would do that for me, after everything?”

  “Yes, I would do that for you. I only want you happy.”

  “Let’s go,” Kayla declares, standing up. “We’ll need to sneak downstairs. I don’t want to wake up my parents.”

  “I came in through the window,” Damien retorts. “I say we go out that way. I’ll catch you.”

  She takes a hesitant step back. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Positive.”

  She thinks about it for a moment and then says, “No, we’ll go out the front door.”

  “Suit yourself,” Damien chirps, standing up. “Let’s go.”

  They drive to Jackson’s house and get out of the car. “Let’s get into the woods and shift,” Damien says. “Then you can follow me as I track him.”

  “Okay,” Kayla says. As soon as they enter the woods, they shift down into dogs and take off into the trees. Damien backtracks a few times, trying to pin down Jackson’s scent, but they finally come to a stop a few miles into the woods.

  Damien shifts back into himself. “You should be able to track him from here. His scent is very powerful, which means he’s close. Not that I don’t want you together, but I also don’t want to see it right now, so I’m going to head the other way.”

  “Thank you,” Kayla murmurs, wrapping her arms around his neck. “This means the world to me.”

  “He better treat you well, or he’ll have to answer to me.”

  “I’ll make sure to tell him that,” Kayla whispers.

  Damien playfully smacks her on the butt. “Go get him.”

  Kayla nods, shifts down, and takes off running in search of Jackson. The sheer adrenaline of finding him courses through her veins. It’s almost overwhelming. When she comes to the edge of a clearing, she slows to a walk and sees Jackson lying on his back, looking up at the sky. Kayla takes a few steps forward, branches crackling beneath her feet, and Jackson turns to look at her.

  He quickly sits up on his knees. “Kayla?”

  Without a moment of hesitation, she shifts back to herself and sprints toward him. She throws herself into his arms and tackles him to the ground. Placing her lips on his, she kisses him passionately. Jackson kisses her back with just as much ferocity. He takes her and rolls her over, so he’s on top. They lie there for a while, kissing each other, until he pulls away. “Please, promise me this isn’t just you coming out of a shift.”

  “No.” Kayla giggles. “This is just me expressing how I feel.”

  “Good,” Jackson exhales before bending down to kiss her again.

  She gently pushes against him, separating their mouths. “Wait, I have to say something.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “No uh-oh, I just want to say…I love you. I love you so much, even if you don’t love me back. I do love you terribly, and I want you to know that.”

  He chuckles. “That’s good because I love you too. I’ve barely been able to breathe with you not talking to me. So please, don’t do that again.”

  “I won’t,” Kayla whispers, pulling him back down. She kisses him slow and long. Jackson pulls her tight against him and it makes everything in her come to life. With everything she’s experienced up until now, this is a whole new feeling. It’s love. She can feel him in every inch of her soul. They embrace each other tightly, and softly explore each other, with soft kisses and delicate touches.

  The sound of thunder crashes above them, and an instant later it starts pouring. “Crap!” Jackson yells.

  “Cold! Cold rain!” Kayla exclaims.

  “Come on, shift, we’ll have to run.”

  They quickly shift and sprint into the woods. It takes them a little while, but they finally make it back to Jackson’s house. By the time they get arrive, they’re soaked. Kayla can’t stop shivering and giggling. He opens the front door, and they dart to his room.

  “So cold,” Kayla stutters.

  “I don’t know,” Jackson quips. “You completely wet in a nightgown is a pretty big turn on.”

  She laughs. “Shut up and give me some clothes!”

  “I vote naked. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you’re cold? Press yourself against another warm body?”

  “You wish.” Kayla giggles. “Give me some clothes.”

  “Everything I own will be a nightgown on you anyway,” Jackson replies. He walks over and opens his closet. “What do you want?”

  Kayla shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  He grabs a few things out of his closet. “We have three options. A T-shirt, which is always cute on a girl; a sweatshirt, which would be the most practical; or a dress shirt, because that’s just sexy.” All humor drains away from Kayla’s face. Jackson looks at her and then groans. “I’m sorry. William…I didn’t think. He made that a bad thing.”

  “No,” Kayla states, shaking her head. She walks over and takes the dress shirt from him. “He can’t touch me anymore. If you think I would look sexy in only your dress shirt, then that’s what matters. I won’t let him ruin anything else.”

  “Kayla, you don’t have to do this. Put on what makes you comfortable.”

  “I’m comfortable in anything, because I’m with you. You will protect me from the bad things in the world.”

  Jackson kisses her on the forehead. “You’re my number one concern now. Do you want to take a shower? I’m not sure how chilled you are.”

  “With you?” Kayla chirps, giving him a seductive look.

  With a chuckle, Jackson looks up at the ceiling. “No…yes…no, what’s the right answer here?”

  She giggles. “I don’t know. I always think about you holding me, soaking wet, dressed only in a towel. Talk about a turn on.”

  Jackson groans. “You’re making this difficult on me.”

  “I know,” Kayla quips, walking backwards. “I’m going to take a shower now. Do what you feel is best.”

  He looks at her with heat in his eyes. “Go, take a shower. I’ll meet you out here.”

  “Are you sure?” she teases. Kayla starts to walk backwards, slowly pulling the nightgown up. “I’m going to be naked in a hot shower. All by myself. It may get lonely.”

  “Kayla.” Jackson gulps. “You need to go before we overstep lines.”

  A big grin passes over her face. “All right, I’ll think of you then.” She turns and walks into the bathroom. Being a little bit on the sassy side, she doesn’t shut the door. Kayla turns on the shower and waits for it to get hot. When it’s finally warm, she daringly strips off her nightgown and underwear and climbs into the shower.

  She hears, “Dear Lord, Kayla,” and the bathroom door closes. She bursts out laughing. Kayla takes a long shower to try and get the chill out of her bones. Despite her earlier protests, part of her wishes Jackson will come in, but he doesn’t. With a sigh, she steps out of the shower and puts on in his dress shirt. Taking a deep breath, Kayla walks back into his bedroom.

  Soft music drifts from his stereo. He turns and looks up at her. A smile spreads across his face. “Hey, beautiful.”

  “You didn’t join me.” Kayla giggles, walking over to him.

  “I didn’t think that would’ve been appropriate,” Jackson states. “Though, with you dressed like that, the thoughts in my head aren’t remotely appropriate.”

  She pulls him against her. He’s only dressed in pajama pants now, so Kayla places her head on his bare chest. “That’s okay. We love each other. Inappropriate thoughts are fine.”

  Jackson wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. “I like hearing you say that.” />
  Kayla looks up at him. “You know, you fought it tooth and nail, and now you like to hear me say I love you.”

  “I was stupid,” Jackson replies, gently stroking her face. “From the first moment I saw you, something changed in my world.”

  “I was a bitch to you.” Kayla giggles.

  The corner of his mouth twitches. “No, I meant when we were kids.”

  “You remember that? I don’t.”

  “Yeah, I remember it. How could I forget? You were my first kiss,” Jackson quips. “You don’t forget those things.”

  “Why don’t I remember? I have no recollection of meeting you.”

  Shrugging, Jackson says, “I think your parents messed with your memories. I spent the day trying to tell you what we are. You wouldn’t believe me.”

  “I wish I could remember. That’s a great memory to have.”

  “Here, I’ll show you how it went,” Jackson whispers, bending down to her. He gently places his lips on hers in a gentle, sweet kiss. “See,” he breathes out. “Perfect.”

  “Mmhmm,” Kayla hums, pulling him back down. The kisses turn from innocent to heated in under a second. Kayla whips her energy out of herself and into Jackson. He gasps and tenses instantly, but doesn’t break their connection.

  They stumble their way backwards to the bed. Jackson lifts her up and places her gently down on the blanket. She wraps herself around him and kisses him feverishly. They spend the rest of the night passionately embracing each other.

  The next morning, banging on Jackson’s door wakens them. “Jackson. Jackson! Wake up! Kayla is missing.”

  Both Jackson and Kayla sit up in bed. Kayla rubs her eyes and yawns. “Mom,” Jackson yells. “She isn’t missing!”

  “Her parents woke up and she’s gone,” his mom shouts.

  Grumbling, Jackson gets out of bed and opens the door. When Kayla can see his mom, Jackson waves his hand. “She’s right there.”

  His mom stares at her for a second and then gasps. “Oh my gosh, Kayla! Your parents are worried sick!”

  “Sorry,” she whispers, suddenly feeling awkward.

  “She is fine and alive, perfectly in one piece.” Jackson yawns.