Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Kay Carter

  Damien’s eyes lock onto Kayla, and she feels Jackson’s stare as well.

  “I guess you’re right,” Jackson says. “She is yours. I’ll keep my mouth shut now. You made your choice, Kayla. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

  “I’m not going to have sex with him,” Kayla murmurs awkwardly.

  “Even if we did have sex, it’s still none of your business,” Damien snarls.

  Exhaling, Jackson pinches the bridge of his nose like he’s in pain. “I think I’m going home. I brought her here like you asked. You don’t need me anymore.”

  “No!” Kayla yells. “You need to stay.” Both guys look at her. “You have to at least stay and hang out for a day. We want to go to a shifters club. You said you wanted to be there if I go, so wait. We can go tonight. Please, wait until tomorrow or the next day.”

  He’s quiet for a moment and then says, “Fine.”

  “We should get ready,” Damien declares. “We can eat at the restaurant.”

  “The restaurant?” Kayla asks.

  “We have places that are members only restaurants, so that humans can’t get in. You can order food with Kiej and other native plants. It will be good for you to keep you from shifting. We can eat there and then go to the club.”

  “Is the club only for shifters too?” Kayla asks.

  Damien nods. “Yeah, you literally have to be a shifter to get in.”

  “How do you know that someone doesn’t bring in a human?”

  Both guys start to laugh. “We’ll keep that as a surprise,” Damien replies. “Do you want to go shopping for an outfit?”

  “No, Jackson says the dress I brought will help me fit in.”

  “I’d like to see this dress,” Damien quips with a grin. “How much has he told you about the clubs?”

  “Nothing really, why?”

  Trying really hard not to laugh, Damien says, “You’ll see. Let’s get ready.”

  “What are you going to wear?” Kayla asks, looking at both guys.

  “Dress clothes. We’ll look awesome, trust me,” Damien answers. “What color is your dress?”

  “Red.”

  He nods. “Good, then I’ll try not to clash.”

  “I’ll go get dressed,” Jackson murmurs, turning around. “Try and actually put clothes on instead of take them off.”

  Kayla realizes she is still in her underwear. She immediately blushes and steps behind Damien. “I have to do my hair and everything,” Kayla says. “So it’ll take a little while.”

  “All right, why don’t you guys come and get me instead of the other way around? I don’t want to walk in on anything again,” Jackson states as he walks out the door. “I don’t care what you do anymore.”

  “Jackson,” Kayla retorts with a sigh.

  He just walks away. Damien shuts the door. “Ignore him. Do you need to take a shower?”

  “No, I took one already.”

  “I need to take one. I was going to ask you to join me,” Damien says with a huge smile.

  Kayla narrows her eyes at him. “Nope.”

  “One day you will. Just give it time.”

  “When we get married, only then.”

  “When?” Damien quips with an even bigger smile.

  Smacking her forehead, Kayla says, “If, not when, if we get married.”

  “I like the when better.” Damien sighs, walking over to the bedroom door.

  “We’re only seventeen. We have years before we should even talk about that.”

  “Whatever,” Damien says and walks into the bedroom. He presses a button on the wall.

  A voice comes from somewhere in the room. “Yes, Master Damien?”

  “I need my bags brought up,” he says. “You can put them in the living room. Do not come into the bedroom or bathroom.”

  “Very well,” the voice says. “Your luggage will be up momentarily.

  Kayla quickly shuts the bedroom door. Damien grins. “I don’t want them to see me in my underwear,” she says.

  “I don’t want them to see you in your underwear either,” Damien retorts. “But you’ll have to put your dress on now, because the clothes you were wearing are sitting on the floor out there.”

  “I can get ready in front of the mirror out here in the bedroom, while you take a shower,” Kayla states.

  Damien points to the bathroom. “You can get ready in there.”

  “Not while you’re in the shower,” Kayla retorts sharply.

  “Why not? You aren’t going to be in the shower with me, so it’s fine.”

  She shakes her head vigorously. “I’d rather not.”

  “I look great naked, just saying.”

  “No, Damien, go take a shower,” Kayla instructs, pointing to the bathroom.

  “Fiiiiinnne, you're missing out.”

  “Oh geez,” Kayla groans.

  Damien shuts the door to the bathroom and Kayla exhales. A big part of her does want to follow him, but she would never admit that to him in a million years. “It’s got to be the hormones,” Kayla whispers to herself.

  She grabs her stuff and sits down at the mirror. It doesn’t take her long to flatiron her hair. When she’s finished, she applies makeup, giving her eyes a smoky shade of grey and black. She decides to wait to put on the lipstick until they leave, knowing she will probably end up kissing Damien. Satisfied with her hair and makeup she grabs her dress. She snaps the tags off and slides it on.

  Kayla walks over to the mirror and looks into it. Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. “Tracy, what were you thinking?” The dress comes only half way down her thighs and dips down really far in front.

  Suddenly, the bathroom door opens and Damien walks out in a towel. His eyes turn to Kayla. “Damn!”

  “I’ve never worn this before,” Kayla states strongly. “Tracy got it for me for my birthday. I think I need to put on something else.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Damien snaps with a huge grin. “Wow, I mean, wow, Kayla. You will fit in perfectly tonight. I may have to deck a few guys for staring at you inappropriately, but it’ll be worth it.”

  Kayla shakes her head. “I should change. I look way too—”

  “Sexy?” Damien finishes for her. “I’m fine with that.”

  “Are you sure?” Kayla asks. “I mean really, I don’t know if I should do sexy.”

  “Trust me, it’s not that bad,” Damien reassures her. “I would tell you if it was. You are naturally very modest.”

  She tries to pull the skirt down a little farther. “All right, if you say so.”

  “Now, I need to get dressed,” Damien says. “Do you need to leave?”

  “I should.”

  Damien opens the bedroom door and goes into the living room. He grabs his suitcase and sets it on the bed. “You can close your eyes while I put my boxers on.”

  He opens the suitcase and takes a pair out. “You don’t have to, but you can shut your eyes now.” Kayla turns her back to him. “I want to explain something to you.” A few seconds later, Damien says, “All right, they’re on.”

  Kayla turns back around and smiles. “You do look really good with your clothes off.”

  “I know,” Damien replies mischievously. “I wanted to tell you something about the Neturu.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The Neturu develop faster than humans, both intellectually and psychologically. I developed faster than most Neturu my age.”

  Giving him a quizzical look, Kayla says, “What do you mean?”

  “Other than intelligence and being from a different species, the reason you didn’t like the guys in school is because you were more mature than them, even with Jude when you were fourteen.”

  Kayla snorts. “That’s a given.”

  “That’s because, in all sense, if you were comparing us to human psychological maturity, we’re technically in our early to mid-twenties.”

  Kayla freezes. “What do you mean?”

  “We develop and mature at a faster rate.
Before we were on earth, the Neturu got married and started families at our age. That’s why the pheromone and hormone levels are so high. In my case, when I was fourteen, I was approximately eighteen years old. I got emancipated, hooked up with women, and prepared for college well before I was seventeen because I felt much older.”

  Kayla stares at him. “Seriously?”

  Damien turns to her. “Look at it this way, when did you first feel that you were more mature than everyone else?”

  “When did I start feeling like I had a superiority complex?” Kayla retorts. She looks up and thinks about it. “Gosh, in middle school, actually. I would look at my classmates and raise an eyebrow. God love Tracy, but I do that to her sometimes.”

  He walks over and points to her forehead. “Because in there, you’re a lot older than you are out here.” Damien gestures to her body.

  “Why are you telling me this now?” Kayla inquires suspiciously.

  “The modest comment I made towards you. I wanted you to understand me a little more. I wanted you to understand yourself a little more. We aren’t human and you really have to keep that in mind.”

  “But why bring this up now?” She asks.

  He smiles. “Because you’re going to see a whole different side to our species tonight.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just…we aren’t human and tonight, you will likely feel and see things you’ve never experienced before. It will be fun, but I want you to be prepared.” Damien smiles. “So, on that note, what do you want me to wear?”

  “Something black,” Kayla states, walking over to him. “You look sexy in black.”

  He pulls out a pair of black dress pants and a matching suit vest. “How about this?”

  “Hot,” Kayla retorts. “What color shirt?”

  “I have a blood red one or dark purple. It’s up to you.”

  “Red, then we can complement each other,” Kayla replies. “What about a tie?”

  Pulling out a red and black one, Damien says, “How about this one?”

  “Perfect.” Kayla laughs, grabbing it from him. She puts it around her neck and proceeds to tie it. “There,” she says. “All done.”

  “I like you wearing it. I think you should wear only that and some lingerie. Surprise me when I come home some day. Like, hey honey, I’m glad you’re home.”

  That makes Kayla laugh. “Are you coming home from a long day at work doing nothing?”

  “Hey, I’m going to work. Remember, I’m going to be a doctor, hopefully a surgeon,” Damien replies as he pulls on his pants. “Then after a long day at work, I can come home to my beautiful wife.”

  “Yeah, after being around sexy nurses all day,” Kayla mutters, sitting down on the bed.

  Damien bursts out laughing. “You obviously have not been in many hospitals. The nurses are usually not even close to sexy, and they all wear really unattractive scrubs. Coming home to you will be like a breath of fresh air.”

  “Aww, thank you,” Kayla replies. “Fine, if we ever get married, I will dress in lingerie when you come home from a long day of saving people’s lives.”

  Damien puts on his shirt and buttons it. “That sounds perfect to me.”

  Kayla gets up and puts the tie around Damien’s head. “You are so handsome.” She tightens the tie and then fixes his collar.

  “We make a striking pair, you and I,” Damien declares. “We’ll turn heads tonight.”

  “That’s just because people will see you and you’re, like, a prince. So they have to stop and stare,” Kayla retorts. “They’ll probably look at me and go, really?”

  “Stop it,” Damien says, grabbing her hands. “You look gorgeous, trust me. Everyone is going to see that.”

  Fidgeting with her hair, Kayla says, “I’m nervous. I’ve never been to a club before. Is it like other clubs?”

  “N-not really,” Damien stutters. “You may get there and want to leave.”

  “What, why?” Kayla asks.

  “I’m not going to tell you. You have to gauge it for yourself. It’s just different because we’re different as a species,” Damien says, putting on his vest. “We are very…hormonal.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Kayla asks, straightening his tie more.

  He chuckles. “You’ll see. Should we go get Jackson?”

  “I don’t know, you look pretty good, kind of makes me want to take your clothes off again,” Kayla teases.

  “I’m game,” Damien says, pulling her against him. “We can stay in.”

  “No, I was joking,” Kayla teases. “Let’s go see if Jackson is ready.”

  Damien leans forward and kisses her. “Why don’t you get my brooding cousin? I will call both places and let them know we’re coming. Security will go with us.”

  “Can you turn off my tracker?” Kayla asks. “I know you want to know where I am, but it’s a little weird.”

  “Already done,” Damien answers back. “I knew you wouldn’t want it on. You’re with me now, so you’ll be safe.”

  Kayla pulls him toward her by his tie. “Are you going to let me out of your sight?”

  “Never again, if I can help it,” Damien replies. “Except for the thirty seconds it will take you to get Jackson.”

  “Okay, can I have a kiss first?”

  Smiling, Damien bends over and kisses her. Kayla wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him tight against her. He reaches his hand down and starts to slide it up her thigh and under her dress.

  “Damien!” she exclaims.

  “What?” he retorts with a devious smirk.

  “Stop it,” Kayla snaps playfully. “Keep those hands to yourself.”

  He snaps his fingers. “Damn, all right go, before I try to take the whole dress off.”

  “Okay,” she says as she walks away. Kayla makes her way out of the suite and down to Jackson’s room. She knocks lightly on his door.

  It takes a minute, but it finally opens it. When Jackson and Kayla see each other, they both stop and stare. Kayla checks him out, her eyes roaming from head to toe and back again. He’s wearing a form-fitted white dress shirt, which shows off his muscles perfectly, and a pair of dark grey dress pants. Kayla actually can’t talk for a second.

  Jackson stares at her just as intensely. Finally, he says, “My cousin must be all over you in that dress.”

  She instantly blushes. “I told him I should change. It’s a little much.”

  “It’s…sexy as hell…if that’s what you’re going for, and tonight that’s what you want to go for, trust me.” He blinks a few times and looks away. “Is his highness ready also?”

  “Yeah,” Kayla replies. “You look really good, Jackson.”

  “Didn’t think you would even register me anymore, since you, how did he put it, chose Damien. I mean, why am I even here?” Jackson inquires.

  Kayla shoves him back into his room and slams the door. “What do you want, Jackson? We go back and forth. You seem so pissed off about me and Damien, but you don’t want to be with me. So what, I’m supposed to be single for the rest of my life? Or is it just because it’s Damien?”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore, Kayla,” Jackson states sharply. “You are with him. That is all that matters. You want to be with him, or that is what you tell him, or are you lying?”

  “No, I want to be with him. I did choose him.”

  Jackson growls and covers his face. “This is stupid. We just need to stop. I don’t even know if we can be friends.”

  Kayla’s anger vanishes as she starts to panic. “What…what do you mean?”

  “How are we supposed to be friends? I want to throw Damien through a window! But you’re with him. You chose him. We aren’t in a relationship, but this tension between us is making us fight like a jealous married couple.”

  Kayla exhales slowly. “I don’t want to lose you as a friend, so we need to come up with something.”

  “Maybe it would be better if I left tonight.” Jackson sig
hs.

  Kayla shakes her head. “No. You have to stay! You were adamant that you wanted to go to this club with me.”

  He half laughs and rubs his forehead. “I may end up killing someone.”

  “Why? What is with this club?”

  “Nothing,” Jackson exhales. “It’s nothing. I’ll stay and go with you, but I need to know one thing before we go.”

  “What’s that?”

  Giving her a steady look, Jackson says, “How far do you want to go with Damien. I mean…you asked me to step in a few days ago, but has it changed?”

  “I don’t know,” Kayla murmurs awkwardly. “Things are changing. My feelings are changing. I don’t know. It’s all happening so fast.”

  “That happens to us,” Jackson whispers. “The hormones at our age are insane. From now until we’re, like, twenty-three it’s crazy.”

  “I think I can keep my head on straight for the most part. I say no to him, and he really hasn’t pushed. He did find out about the sketch of me, though. I told him.”

  Jackson nods. “That’s why he had such a volatile reaction.”

  “Yeah, we should actually get back to him before he thinks we’re making out.”

  “I would make some snarky comment about why not just make out then, but I don’t think that’s appropriate right now.”

  Kayla can’t help but giggle. “Remember, the rooms probably have cameras.”

  “Ooh and you got all hot and heavy in your room with Damien.” Jackson laughs. “Who knows who was watching?”

  Her jaw drops. “You don’t think they really have cameras, do you?”

  He shrugs. “I have no idea. You would have to ask Damien.”

  Turning on her heel, Kayla opens Jackson’s door and darts down the hallway. When she gets to Damien’s room, he’s standing in the doorway. “Please tell me there are no cameras in the rooms.”

  “No, of course not,” Damien replies. “Where would you get a silly idea like that?”

  She turns and looks at Jackson. “I wasn’t serious,” he quips back.

  “Kayla, do you really think I would let someone watch you take your clothes off?” Damien asks. “I would kill them.”