by Teagan Amici
“No, get out. I need you out of here, now!” I screamed, and flung my arm towards the open door, my heart almost breaking as Blair looked at me with sorrow in his eyes before bowing his head and walking out of my front door, still naked. As soon as he was out of the door, I ran to it, shutting it and locking it. I then ran back to Melody, picking her up and hugging her tight, before a moan from Darren let me know that he was still alive. I walked over to him and gently nudged him with my toe. Since he was alive, I wanted him out too. I couldn’t think with him here.
“Get up you idiot, and get out, and never come back”.
Darren rolled over to his side and sat up, putting his hands to his head before he pulled himself up to his feet by using the chair. He swayed a little, and sat heavily in the chair.
“Where is the coward? He must have hit me from behind, I didn’t even see him coming, or else he wouldn’t have got the drop on me like that”.
I sucked in a breath. Darren hadn’t seen. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? I decided it was a good thing. No matter what Blair was, I knew what Darren was, and I didn’t want him around.
“Whatever you say, Darren, just go before I call the police. You assaulted me, and almost tipped Melody out of her pram. He was only trying to get you off me, and you tripped and hit your head. I sent him away, and I’m sending you away too. I don’t need either of you around if you can’t behave near my baby, so go. Just know this, if you don’t go, or you come back, I won’t be dealing with you alone, do you understand?”
Darren stood up, and walked out, none too steadily. I hoped that he wasn’t driving, but I didn’t check. My mind was racing with what I had seen. Why hadn’t I told Darren? Was it because I really didn’t want anything to do with him, or had I been trying to protect Blair? But protect him from what? It looked to me like Blair could protect himself. I paced up and down, trying to settle Melody, but my earlier good mood of the day was now gone. It suddenly came to me that I had met Blair through Diane, and Blair and his brother Cole were quite similar in looks. Diane must have known, I thought to myself angrily, but she didn’t tell me. I thought she was my friend. I managed to settle Melody in her crib, then took a deep breath as I picked up my phone and stabbed at Diane’s number. When she answered, all the things I wanted to say deserted me, and I knew I had to see her in person. I wouldn’t tell her what was bothering me, but I knew that my voice would have betrayed me. I was still shaken, and I couldn’t hide it. After asking Diane to come and see me, I paced, not able to settle back to work. I had done a lot this morning anyway, so maybe I would be forgiven.
After a while Melody woke up, and clearly my tension was transmitting itself to her, because she fidgeted all through her feed, and flung her little hands around, while squalling until her face was red. The more I tried to settle her, the more upset she got, which in turn upset me more. Finally I heard a knock at the door, and this time I checked through the peephole. Satisfied that it was Diane, all of my fear and anger came back when I opened the door. What was I doing letting her into the house, was she a panther too?
“Are you one of them?” I yelled, but I startled Melody who just cried louder. Jiggling and rocking her didn’t help, and then Diane held out her arms for Melody. I took a step back, fearful of handing her over, even though I was clearly not calming her. I backed up further as Diane stepped into the house, and shut the door behind her before talking.
“What happened, Lesley? You’ve nothing to fear from me, but you need to tell me what’s troubling you, maybe I can help”.
“He’s a monster! That means his brother must be one too! What about Bram, and you? What have I got myself into?”
“Lesley, are you talking about Blair? He’s no monster, none of them are. What happened? Pass Melody to me while you make a cup of tea, you’re not soothing her in that state, I’ll calm her down while you collect yourself”.
I hesitated and searched her face, and saw only Diane. Praying that I wasn’t wrong to trust her, I passed Melody over, watching as she managed to do what I couldn’t do, and provide some reassurance to my baby. I started pacing while I explained what I had seen, or as much as I understood of it anyway. Had I seen a panther? Or was it another large cat? I was really beginning to doubt myself now, Diane seemed so normal. Finally I got to the end of my story, and searched Diane’s eyes as I asked what I really needed to know.
“ What’s going on? You have to tell me who or what I’m mixed up with, I’m scared for Melody”.
Diane sat down, still holding Melody, and I stood over her, too unsettled to sit, watching her face while she spoke.
“Oh, Lesley, did he see? You know, your ex, did he see Blair as a panther? He’s a panther you know, not a lion or a tiger, and he must have been really angry at this Darren to transform like that and attack him, because that’s not like Blair at all”.
At that my legs almost gave out, and I had to sit, or fall.
“So you obviously knew? And didn’t tell me? No, Darren didn’t see, he was looking at me and he must have hit his head when Blair knocked him down. He came to after Blair left, and took off out of here as quick as he could. I don’t know if he’s going to go to the police or what he’s going to do. What do I tell them if they come around? They’ll think I’m crazy if I tell them that my friend is some sort of were-cat or something”.
“Lesley, they don’t call themselves were-cats, just panthers. They’re lovely people, you’ve met them. Have you ever felt unsafe around them before today? No? Of course not. Blair wouldn’t hurt you or Melody, and deep down you know that. If the police come around, just tell them the truth, apart from the bit about the panther. Your ex came around, threatened you and frightened you, and got into a fight with your new boyfriend. I’m sure they’ve heard that a time or two, they’ll probably want to talk to Blair, so he needs to know if that happens. I know it can be scary the first time you see it happen, I fainted, so you’re doing well”.
“So, you’re like me? Human? Not a monster?”
“Lesley, don’t call them monsters, because they’re not. I hope you didn’t say that to Blair, you would have really hurt him if you did. You know he thinks the world of you”.
“I don’t think so, but I was really scared and he must have seen that. But he could have killed Darren, and that still scares me”.
“I’ll talk to Cole and find out what happened with Blair, look, Melody is calmer now, do you want to put her to bed while I call Cole?”
After all her crying, Melody was exhausted, and putting her to bed didn’t take long, so I was able to return to Diane, and looked at her quizzically.
“So, is Bram a panther too, or like you?”
Diane laughed.
“Oh, Lesley, Bram would be most offended if you called him a panther. He’s all wolf, and proud of it. If you could only see him, you would see how beautiful he is, how beautiful both of them are. Lesley, do you believe that I really care for you as a friend and wouldn’t do anything to hurt either you or Melody?”
I thought about it, and nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“Ok then. It’s getting late, why don’t you and Melody come and stay with us tonight, just in case Darren comes back, and you can see Bram and Cole transform? I promise you there’s nothing scary about it, they’re beautiful, and even when they’re in their animal form, the man is still underneath. You should see them when they’re not angry, then maybe later you can talk to Blair”.
The thought of Darren returning, or maybe sending the police around, was enough to spur me on. I packed an overnight bag for myself and Melody, and bundled Melody up and into her car carrier before following Diane back to her house. As the afternoon peak was now underway, the trip took longer than usual, but I spent the time thinking. Could this really be happening? I seemed so unreal, so far fetched, but not only had I seen it with my own eyes, but Diane seemed to know all about it too. I slapped my forehead as I realised how many things made sense now. How I had so often not hear
d Blair approaching, if he was a cat then he probably had the stealth of one. His eyes, and his eyesight last night, I had thought he just could see better than I could, but now I realised that of course he could see in the dark. When we finally arrived at Diane’s house, I hesitated a little, but then the door opened, and the smell tempted me inside. I was hungry, and everything seemed so normal. I watched Cole and Bram warily, but they didn’t seem any different than they always had. They waved me to a seat, and then began explaining their stories. If everything had seemed so unreal before, it was even more so now. My jaw dropped open when Bram told me how old he was, and how he had been turned into a wolf after almost dying in a battle. I looked to Cole, and he explained that his people are born panthers, not turned like most wolves are. Cole was very concerned about what had happened earlier, and questioned me closely, so I told him what had happened, and he seemed to relax when I told him that Darren hadn’t seen anything. Eventually, the car ride wore off, and Melody woke again, and Bram held out his arms as Cole and Diane brought serving plates to the table. He just stood there, watching me calmly while I made up my mind whether to pass her over or not, but I was sure that I saw a flash of relief in his eyes when I finally did. Melody was passed around the table to give everyone an opportunity to eat, and then I took Melody into the lounge room to feed her while the others cleared the table. I eyed the portable cot already set up, and couldn’t remember when that had been brought in from the car, I had been so wound up that I hadn’t noticed. As I was putting Melody down, I heard Diane speaking from the behind me.
“Lesley, I want you to turn around and look at me. Now, be calm and don’t scream or you’ll startle Melody. Now, I want you to meet Cole and Bram in their alternate form. Aren’t they beautiful?”
I watched in shock as an enormous panther came to stand on one side of Diane, and an equally oversized silver wolf moved to the other. Diane stood there with her hands on their heads, stroking them gently, earning a loud purr from the panther and a nuzzle from the wolf. When Diane beckoned me over, I had eyes only for Cole. He looked so similar to the panther I had seen earlier that day, but not exactly the same.
“Can I touch him?”
I jerked back a little as Cole nodded his large black head, and I reached out a hand to softly touch his fur, snatching it back almost immediately. Bram stepped forward to nuzzle my other hand, and I squeaked, but then reached out a hand to touch him.
“Oh, he’s so soft”.
Diane laughed.
“He won’t like hearing that. These guys like to be tough he-men, calling one of them soft won’t go down all that well”.
I smiled a little at that, taking a couple of steps back to take another look at them, then again I saw that strange shimmering as they began their transformation. I realised they were naked, at first I tried to smother a gasp, then I realised my hands should be covering my eyes, and I moved them there.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to look”.
“It doesn’t matter, Lesley”, said Cole as he turned and walked back into the other room, “if you stick around you’ll find that shifters are comfortable with their nudity”.
I took my hands from my eyes, realising from the sound of his voice and from the sounds coming from the next room that they were hopefully in there getting some clothes on.
“Blair was nude too, I was just too shocked to think much about it at the time. Did he drive home like that?”
Diane chuckled.
“No, these guys keep spare clothes in their cars for emergencies like an unexpected shift. I bet your neighbours got an eyeful though. They must have thought you had a tiff and threw him out of bed or something”.
“But we’re not, I mean, we’re not sleeping together or anything”.
“Hmm”, said Cole as he returned to the room still doing up his shirt buttons. “I wouldn’t think they will believe you after seeing a naked man walk out of your house in the morning”. Then the joking tone left his voice and he began to speak seriously. “Lesley, Blair is mortified that he frightened you. He isn’t sorry that you know, he’s been wanting to tell you for some time, but he would have preferred to tell you more gently, not scare you like he did. He really cares about you, and about Melody. Would you give him a chance to explain himself if he comes over?”
I nodded, and Cole left the room, I assume to call Blair. It seemed like no time at all that Blair was walking into the room, watching me warily.
“Lesley, I’m so sorry I frightened you. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. I should have come up with something, rather than having you find out that way, and I should have been able to control myself better, but when I saw him lay his hands on you like that, and risk Melody as well, I just lost it. I can’t think rationally where you’re concerned, you’re too important to me, the both of you”.
“Why, Blair? Why couldn’t you tell me? Why would you want to anyway, what if I told someone else? Do people know about you guys? I’ve got so many questions, but I suppose the most important one is, why do you say I’m so important to you?”
Blair exhaled loudly, rubbing a hand on the back of his head, then he indicated for me to sit on the couch while he took the seat at the other end, sitting near me, but not touching me. He tried to start a couple of times, before he managed to put the words together.
“The most important question is your last one, and when I answer that, it should explain everything else. You’re my soul mate, Lesley, I recognised you the first time I saw you. That’s why I had to tell you, but I had to do it right. I couldn’t risk scaring you away, but it was so difficult, being near you all the time and not being able to tell you the truth”.
“Soul mate? Like there’s only one person for another and all that? Well, why has Diane got two partners then?”
“Don’t ask me. It happens, it’s rare, but sometimes someone can have two soul mates, but you normally meet them around the same time, so you can sort everything out. I don’t think that’s going to happen for either of us, so it’s only us two I’m afraid”.
The wry look on Blair’s face disappeared as a thought must have occurred to him, and he suddenly sat forward.
“Why, have you met someone else you feel strongly about? Tell me it’s not that lowlife from today, because there is no way I’m sharing you with him”.
The tensions of the day got to me, and at the thought of being in a three way relationship with Blair and Darren, I started laughing hysterically, and then couldn’t stop. Before I knew it, my laughter had turned into tears, and I couldn’t stop those either. I felt Blair’s arms go around me, and he rocked me gently, not speaking, just letting me cry. When I finally stopped, I checked my pockets frantically for a tissue, then laughed as Blair passed me one of Melody’s bibs which he must have taken from her bag. I dried my eyes and blew my nose before taking a deep breath and leaning back against the cushions.
“Sorry about that. It’s been an unusual day, to say the least. The last thing I thought you’d be saying would be that we would have a threesome with Darren. Oh, you have no idea how crazy that idea is”.
The scowl was back on Blair’s face.
“Well, do you want someone else? Because I couldn’t watch another man with you, I don’t know how Cole does it, because I couldn’t”.
“Blair, don’t be ridiculous, how could I possibly want another man when - “
I stopped myself before I completed the sentence, but I saw the light in Blair’s eyes flare before he moved closer.
“Lesley, what were you going to say? Say it, I really need to hear it”.
I looked into Blair’s eyes, and despite what I had seen earlier that day, I could not see anything there that scared me. Gathering up all my courage, I told him what he wanted to hear.
“I don’t want another man. I only want you.” I had a sudden, unwelcome, thought. “But how do you know that it won’t be the other way around, how do you know that you won’t want another woman, because I don’t w
ant to share you either!”
I realised what I must have said when I saw the grin spread across Blair’s face.
“So, you admit you do want me then? You’ve got no idea how long I wanted to hear that. I need you to be sure, Lesley, because there’s no going back for me. Once I commit to you, you’re the only one for me, ever”.
I gulped as I looked into Blair’s hypnotic green eyes. Did he really mean that? I realised that I must have asked the question out loud when he answered.
“Yes, Lesley, I really do mean that. My people mate for life. The only thing that will bring an end to our relationship is when one of us dies. So before we begin, you have to be ready to accept me for ever”.
I looked down miserably, and had to fight the tears back as I spoke.
“But forever for you is obviously a much longer time than forever for me. Surely you’ll just move on and find someone else?”
Blair’s fingers gently curled under my chin, and he lifted my face to look into my eyes.
“If you accept me as your mate, you will start to feel the effects of better strength and health straight away. Once my child starts growing inside you, your body will gain the benefits of my genes and your lifespan will be increased so that you live almost as long as a shifter. It would be cruel of nature to give us a soul mate who only has a short human life span, so nature has found a way to overcome that problem”.
“By accept, do you mean there’s a ceremony or something? Some magic words I have to utter? How does that even work?”
Blair dropped his head to my shoulder, and I realised that he was shaking with laughter, I pushed him off angrily, and he tried, unsuccessfully to wipe the smile from his face before he answered me. In the end he took my hand and held it to his face.
“No, it’s not a ceremony. It’s much more primal than that. To put it bluntly, at some point during sex you’ll let me know that you’re ready, that you accept me, and then I will put my mark on you to seal our bond”.
As Blair spoke, he moved my fingers into his mouth, and pressed them against his teeth. I gasped as I realised that his teeth had elongated, and that they were very sharp. Instead of snatching them back, I pressed them against his front fangs, staring in horror at the little dot of blood oozing from my forefinger. I pulled my hand back closer to my face and stared at it, then stared at Blair’s teeth, which were even now retracting and becoming more human appearing, as he stared at me warily.