by Anna Edwards
"I think after a day here it will be a little dirty, but I will see what I can find." With that, Selene disappeared into the back and Brayden could relax. He sheathed his claws again.
"Talk, Mom." After the display he’d just witnessed he wasn’t in the mood for arguments.
"I can't here." His mother was panicked.
"Well then let's go upstairs."
"I need to check on Selene."
"Mom. What is going on?" He reached out to grab her hand but she was too quick and got to her feet. He could see tears forming in her eyes.
"Later Brayden. Please, I need you to trust me."
"You know I do, but I can't help if I don't know what is going on." He was on his feet and round to her side of the table pulling her into his arms.
"I will tell you later, but for now, I need you to do one thing for me." She looked up at him. His mother was upset. It ruffled his leopard’s fur that she was not telling him how to help.
"What?"
"Tonight, when Selene goes on her date. I need you to follow her," she asked.
"Follow her? If she wants to date that dickhead, why do I need to follow her?"
"You just do. Damn, why are you Dillon males so stubborn and need to know everything? Please, can you do what I ask for once?" This final plea was frantic.
"Ok. I'll follow her," he replied.
"Thank you. Let whatever happens, happen, but he mustn't touch her."
"Touch her? They are going to a lookout point. I'm pretty confident he plans on doing a lot more than just giving her a kiss."
"He mustn't touch her Brayden, please." His mother was serious; she was worried for this girl.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Alright. He won't."
CHAPTER TWO
She put her head in the toilet bowl and vomited the contents of her lunch directly down the porcelain. Why couldn't she just be normal? Why did she have to be a freak? Standing back up, she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth. It had been so disgusting. Shuddering in revulsion she wondered how could anyone want that from a woman? Stuart thought of her only as a toy to do his bidding. A knock came at the door. She flicked the lock open, knowing full well who it was.
"Why do you do this to yourself?" Jane, the woman who had become like a mother to her, picked up a towel and wrapped it around her before embracing her.
"I just want to be a typical girl my age." She plopped down on the now closed toilet seat.
"And how old is that?" Jane questioned.
"I don't know,” was the only reply she could give?
"Exactly. Selene, honey, you can never be normal because you're special."
"I don't want to be special." She could feel herself pouting.
"It happened again, didn't it?"
"It happens all the time now. Every day. Whenever anyone touches me, I hear their thoughts." She was still shaking from hearing the thoughts in Stuart’s filthy mind.
"What was he thinking?"
"Stuart was imagining me naked and riding him. He was using all these dirty words as he got off and covered me in... well you know."
"You cannot go out with him tonight." Jane was pleading with her.
She pushed away from her towards the door. "I have to."
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"I need friends. I have them because Stuart likes the look of me." She snapped back,
"Stuart Henderson likes the look of anything with breasts. He learned from his rich daddy at a very young age how to get what he wants. He’s manipulating you." Jane’s tone was furious.
"Well, at least I'm doing something right with my flirting." She stomped into the lounge. Despite the lecture, she was going to do this. "I need to get back downstairs. It's busy with the heat. The kitchen won't cope on their own. "
"I asked Brayden to help out until I could get down there." Jane had followed her.
"He's not stupid. He guessed I'm a freak right away." She could see it in his eyes. "Probably thinking about how he can get the strange girl away from his mother. You know he asked me about myself. Where I came from before living here."
"We made up a story for that," Jane replied.
"And I'm sick of lying."
"Do you remember anything?"
"You know I don't. I'm sorry Jane. I can't talk about this anymore. I'm going back to work and then out on that date."
This time her surrogate mother didn't stop her, but she kept a watchful eye on her all afternoon. Every time she turned around Jane had her eyes on her. As she dressed for the evening, her mother hovered outside the door. She felt like a child. A prisoner with eyes constantly on her, observing her every move in case she broke. What Jane was doing was to protect her, but how could Selene ever be normal when she shied away from anything that upset her? When it was time to leave for the date, Jane again reiterated that she didn't need to go out. Selene just said her goodbyes and hoped Jane had a good evening with her son.
Her son. Selene couldn't believe that Brayden was here. Jane had emailed to him a few months ago asking him to come. That had been when Selene had first started hearing the thoughts in her head when she touched people. Jane had assured her he could help. Why? What qualifications could a park ranger have that could help her? She would humor Jane if it meant she could find out who she was, and more importantly, what she was. All she knew at the moment was that six months ago she'd woken up in the Death Valley desert severely dehydrated. If Jane hadn't found her and taken her in, then she would probably be dead. Before that...nothing.
Selene approached Stuart and his teammates standing around his truck. They had a little gang together and called themselves the Rebels of Death. The same name as the football team they played for and of course where they lived. With their wealthy parents, they didn't need to work. Stuart put his arm around her shoulder when she stood next to him.
"I thought I told you to show a bit of flesh tonight?" He frowned.
She looked down at her black maxi dress she was wearing with a long-sleeved silk cardigan in light blue.
"I…er…got cold."
"If you want to be my girlfriend Sel, you've got to look good. I need all my team to be jealous that I'm dating the prettiest girl out there.” He spoke with a cocky edge to his voice. He was the son of the town’s richest resident. His father thought he owned Furnace Creek.
"I'll try harder next time." She gave him a polite smile while trying not to throw up…again.
"Make sure you do. Come on, get in the truck. We'll go for a ride.” Most of the other players had already dispersed to whatever they would be getting up to that evening. Stuart opened the door of his truck for her. “Joe and Callie are coming up to the point when she can get away from her mother. She flipped out when she found Callie's condoms earlier. The girl's eighteen, for fuck's sake. She can put out if she wants to."
"Yeah, her mother should stay out of it. She and Joe love each other." She tried to put enthusiasm into her reply, but she wondered if Callie's mother just didn't want her daughter trapped in Death Valley with a loser like Joe. Selene knew she was an idiot for getting involved with these guys. They would never amount to anything more than football wannabes, but she wanted to make friends her own age. Well, what she thought was her own age.
Stuart helped her into the truck, and they made the short drive with rock music blaring on his stereo. The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky. When they arrived, Stuart lit up a cigarette, leaving her to get out of the truck herself. She relaxed on the hood with her feet dangling down to observe the view.
"You were right,” she commented, with amazed breathlessness, “it’s lovely up here. You can really see the variations in the rock formations. We could almost be on a different planet."
"If you want to play aliens and invading astronauts I'm up for that." He winked at her.
"You can be such a dork sometimes."
"A cute dork, though, you must admit." He snuggled in a little closer, and she tried to k
eep her breathing calm, but the nerves were threatening to engulf her. "Look, Sel I know you’re scared.” He actually sounded as though he was trying to reassure her. “I guessed the first time I met you that you were a virgin. I'm not going to lie. I've got a big dick. It's going to hurt when we first have sex, but I promise I'll make you feel good. I've got to keep my reputation intact after all. Can't be known for disappointing my girlfriend, now can I?"
"Stuart, I just don't think I'm ready for sex, yet. Please. I'm sorry."
"I can't say I’m happy about that. I want you, but we can do other stuff." He grabbed her arm, over the silk cardigan, and directed her covered hand over the hard bulge in his jeans. "You can't leave me like this another night, babe. Every time I'm near you I have to go home and jerk off. You’ve got to at least suck me off this time."
Suck him off. That would mean her lips would be touching his cock. Skin on skin. She'd put a thick layer of lip balm on her lips earlier, as they were dry. Maybe that would protect her.
"Come on babe. Just touch it." She looked down at his crotch while she was reflecting. He'd removed himself from his jeans. He was big like he'd said, but given she'd never seen a penis before, other than in pictures, she didn't really have much to compare it to. He grabbed her hand again and wrapped it around his dick. Thankfully her long sleeves prevented her from being skin on skin. He started to move her hand up and down his length. Her eyes were wide, taking in the act. She was touching someone and judging by the fact his eyes were shut, and he had a smile on his face, he was enjoying it. She could be normal.
"Oh, fuck babe that is good, but this shirt needs to go." Before she could protest, he had ripped the silk from her shoulders and thrown it on the dusty floor. He wrapped his fingers around her hand and helped her stroke his length again.
'Goddam dirty whore.'
The words popped into her head. Stuart's thoughts.
'Come on bitch, take some initiative and suck me.'
He pulled her towards him like a rag doll; held the back of her head, and thrust it into his groin. She was millimeters away from a purple-headed giant looking at her, its thick veins flexing.
"Suck me, Selene."
'Stick my fucking cock in your goddamn mouth and suck me dry, or I going to pin you down and fucking take that dirty little whore's mouth. You act all innocent, but I know you want it. Nobody can resist me.’
She just wanted to be normal so lowered her warm and wet mouth around his penis. The thoughts in her head magnified, pounding into her shaking body.
'That's it. Oh God, yes. I will be fucking your tight little cunt before the evening is out. You're so weak, like all the other women. Give them a big cock, and you can get whatever you need.'
She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't do this. Pulling away, she thrust herself from the truck.
"What the fuck!" The words echoed in the still of the desert night.
"I want to go home." She wrapped her arms around her body. "Take me home."
"Get back here and suck my cock."
"Take me home," she shouted in reply.
Stuart pushed away from the vehicle, and she was relieved to see he was putting himself back into his jeans.
"You're not going anywhere, babe. I brought you out here to get fucked, and that is precisely what is going to happen."
He pushed her against a rock formation and started to bunch her dress up. Before he got a chance to touch her flesh, she kicked him in the leg.
"Bitch!" He pulled his arm back and went to swing a punch into her face. She shut her eyes tightly. The pain of a beating never arrived though. Instead, it was Stuart who called out in agony. She opened her eyes to see Brayden fling him against the side of the truck.
"I do believe the lady said no." She was pretty sure he growled.
Stuart righted himself from the impact of the car and went towards Brayden with his fists raised. Jane's son dodged the angry jock. It was the most surreal movement she had ever seen, like it played out in slow motion. Stuart turned and aimed a fist again, but Brayden twisted his arm around his back and rammed him into the truck a second time.
"This is your first and only warning. The lady said no, so get back in your car and return home." Brayden snarled into Stuart’s ear.
"What the fuck is your problem? Don’t you know who I am?" Stuart was pushing back, trying to use his footballer strength to break free.
"If necessary I will put you back in this car, lock the doors, and send it flying over the lookout point." Brayden pulled him back and slammed into him again in a football tackle.
"You and what army?" Stuart angrily replied.
"I don't need an army. Now, are you going to do as I say, or shall we test my idea?"
Brayden let go of Stuart, who headed to the driver's side of his truck and got in. Through the open window, he called out.
"This isn't over yet. You'll regret interfering." He slammed the truck into reverse and sped backward before stopping again, close to Selene. "And you, bitch, you just made yourself an outcast in this town. Might as well move on, now." With that, he put the truck in drive and disappeared in a cloud of dust leaving her coughing.
Selene collapsed on the ground shaking, trying to catch her breath. Brayden crouched down to check on her. What was he even doing here?
"Your mother asked you to follow me, didn't she?"
He turned. His bright green eyes focused directly upon her in the moonlight. They seemed bigger than normal.
"She asked me to make sure Stuart didn't touch you. It seems she was right to worry."
"I've been such a fool," she sighed.
"You're young, you want to experience new things, but take a word of advice from me. Do it with someone who isn't a complete jerk."
"I wanted him to help me make friends.”
"Friends aren’t everything. Sometimes being your own person, in solitude, is safer and a lot more fulfilling." Selene could still feel the angry heat radiating off him.
"I get the feeling you like spending time alone," she replied.
"It's my nature."
"Nature?"
"Spending time alone in the mountains." He looked to the ground and picked up a stone and threw it away.
"Oh."
She got to her feet and Brayden stood with her.
"Thank you for helping me. It's difficult to explain. I don't like touching people and what he wanted me to do… it was too much. I'll tell Jane everything and make sure there are no repercussions for her."
She was right in front of him now. The fear she had felt turned to a feeling of safety.
"I'll take you home, we can explain it together." He reached out as if to take her hand but then realized, what she had said about touch, and dropped his arm back to his side.
"My car is down the road a bit. I couldn't risk being heard. Be careful on the rocks as we go down."
In all her life, she had never willingly reached out to touch someone, but she found herself doing it before she could think. She took his hand, and hers was enveloped in his grip. No thoughts entered her head. Her hand began to tingle. Both their gazes shifted to where they were joined, skin to skin. Her hand was changing, fingers turning into a paw, nails into claws. Fur sprouted through the skin in white and smoky gray flecks. The hair was spreading, her arm changing into a... a cat's leg. She jumped back, breaking the connection, her arm cradled to her chest. Slowly the effects of the touch reversed until she returned to normal.
"Selene," Brayden spoke but his words were lost.
All she could do was stare at her hand. "Wh... what are you?" she stuttered.
"You need to let me take you back to my mother's apartment now." He stepped forward, but she jumped back again.
"Don't touch me." Selene snapped frantically and shrunk away covering her body. She was terrified.
He held his hands out in front of him so she could see them. "I won't. You have my word. Let's go down to the car. Mom can help me explain."
"She's like y
ou? No, I've touched her. I heard her thoughts. I didn't start changing into...into what was that?"
"Selene, please, the car." He stepped forward again and tried to wrap his arms around her. She was too quick for him though, kicking out before taking off through the desert as fast as she could. She didn't have a clue where she was going. She just knew she needed to get away. The darkness was closing in. The last thing she wanted was to be stranded in the Californian desert with no water. A noise came from her left and she froze. From the shadows stalked a big cat. It got close enough that she could distinguish it as a snow leopard. Recognition shook her. It couldn’t be. Her hand, that was what she had been changing into.
"Brayden?"
The form in front of her shifted into the naked, toned, masculine form of Brayden. "I can't leave you out here alone."
"You changed. The cat?" Her voice was quivering.
"I will explain, but I need you to come with me." He stepped forward and she stepped back straightening her spine.
"Not happening. You tell me here and now. I'm not going anywhere with something that could eat me." She was adamant.
"You'd need more meat on your bones for me to eat you. You're perfectly safe," he flippantly replied.
"Fuck you." she quipped with an annoyed smirk.
In a quick movement, that she hadn’t seen coming he held a stick to his mouth and blew. She felt a sharp pain in her neck and raised her hand to it. A dart rested in her neck. Why would someone carry that with them? How had he carried it in snow leopard form? In his tail? What had she gotten herself involved in?
"You drugged me...."
The last thing she remembered was the ground rapidly heading up to meet her face. It never hit, though. Instead warm, masculine hands wrapped around her.
CHAPTER THREE
Selene was cold, so very cold. That was the first thing that hit her. The second was the massive headache from whatever it was Brayden had drugged her with. She still had her eyes shut. She didn't appear to be in pain, other than her head. At least he hadn't started eating her, yet. Had he dragged her back to his cave? Did snow leopards live in caves? Or maybe she was dead? That could be why she was so cold.