by Natavia
“You’re late!” she said.
“My bad, I got a little tied up this morning,” I replied.
“Let me guess, Sy’noba?” she asked.
“Yeah, with my mate. Come on, follow me,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and followed me into the building. I pressed the button on the elevator and we went up to the fifth floor: the penthouse suite.
“Okay, what is this?” she asked, looking up at the glass ceiling of the building. I punched the code in on the door before I used a key to open it.
“This was my father’s condo. I was going to sell it but you can stay here until you’re ready to leave,” I said and she looked around.
“You gave me the cabin,” she replied.
“It was yours until you finished school but I’m going to remodel it, make it bigger for me and Sy’noba. Don’t worry about working for the damages anymore. There’s no sense in coming into the office to make up for the cost. Oh, and I’m giving you this to hold you over for a while,” I replied, handing her the backpack. She opened it and it was filled with the money I have received from my illegal business in the past.
“Are you saying goodbye to me?” she asked, tears falling from her eyes. Lynx sat on the couch and cried her heart out.
“What am I supposed to do without you?” she asked and I kneeled in front of her.
“We will see each other around. You can even stop by and visit but, of course, you gotta call first. I know this was unexpected but there comes a time in our lives when we have to make sacrifices and this is one of them. You might never understand but you served your purpose in my life. You showed me that I can never love another female besides my soulmate. This is goodbye, Lynx,” I replied and her hands trembled. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed.
“I know it’s your fate but I will always love you. In her world, you belong to her, but in mine, you belong to me,” she said and pulled away from me.
“You might want to hit up your liger boyfriend. I ran into him last night and he was drunk-talking shit. Maybe you should focus on what you can have,” I said.
“He doesn’t want to talk to me. Besides, I like him but I don’t know if he can make me feel the way you did. I’m secure with you, you can protect me from the world. There will never be another you,” she replied.
“I kicked his ass and he still wanted to challenge me. As bad as I wanted to snap his throat, I couldn’t. I respect his courage,” I said and sniffled.
“He got his ass kicked for me?” she smirked.
“He was ready to die for you, girl,” I replied.
“You have a way of making me feel better, thanks,” she said.
“Aight, I gotta bounce,” I replied.
“How is Toyi doing?” she asked.
“Good, you should hit her up sometime. There are no hard feelings, I’m just trying to do right by Sy’noba. I wouldn’t want a man around her if I knew they shared an intimate night. That would be selfish of me,” I said.
“Make sure you send me pictures of the cubs. I know they’re going to be beautiful,” she replied.
“And make sure you spend that money for bills. You want to shop, you gotta get a job,” I said.
“I will,” she said sadly.
When I walked to the front door, she called out to me.
“I love you,” she called out.
“Love you, too,” I replied.
Truth is, I did love Lynx, but I loved her in the same way I loved my cousin, Quanir. It was a family type of bond we had aside from the one night I took her virginity. Lynx was looking out the window at me when I got inside my truck. She waved at me when I pulled off. A sense of relief came over me because I knew in my heart I did the right thing. She would get over me from a distance, but as long as I was in her life, it would’ve impossible for her.
Lynx
A s soon as Eze left, I hurled the bag of money against the wall. I let out a scream mixed with frustration and hurt. Just when I was trying to cope with him being Sy’noba’s mate, he crushed me with his final goodbye. Instead of going to school, I stayed in the condo to book my one-way ticket to Hawaii. I began having flashbacks of the day I met Eze.
A year ago…
“We can’t go down there. Do you see the wolf signs?” my friend, Kianna, said.
“Girl, it’s fine,” Leslie replied.
I was with my roommates who I’d met in foster care on a ski trip in Alaska. We walked away from the rest of the group to smoke.
“She’s right, Leslie. Wolves are territorial, especially if they are traveling with their pups. I think we should head the other way,” I replied and she rolled her eyes. My friends didn’t know I wasn’t human but the wolves could sense another animal on their territory. Leslie was hard-headed and had been that way since I’d known her. We argued until I heard growling followed by howls. The wolves smelled my scent.
“We need to go!” I screamed.
“Would you stop being so damn prissy all the time? Let’s be honest, you barely hear about them attacking humans,” Leslie replied.
“Ummm, girls. We have visitors,” Kianna said. When I turned around, we were surrounded by ten wolves. My body began to shift but I couldn’t chance them finding out what I really was. They would think I was a freak.
“Don’t move,” I told Leslie. The wolves closed in on us and Leslie ran. When Kianna ran behind her, the wolves attacked them. I shifted into my cat and fought as many I could but it was no use because we were outnumbered. I smelled fresh blood spilling onto the pure white snow. Leslie and Kianna were dead, faces and arms torn apart. I tried to get away but two of them bit my hind legs and tackled me onto the show. Another wolf jumped on me and I was able to sink my teeth into its neck, snapping it in half. Suddenly, my body was covered with a pack of wolves tearing at my flesh and neck. The snow fell from the trees, reminding me of an avalanche. I closed my eyes, preparing for death. The wolves ran but through my blurry vision I saw a gigantic stripe-less tiger with long tusks hanging out of its mouth, slicing the wolves in half. Before I closed my eyes, the animal’s pretty eyes were the last thing I saw…
Eze saved my life and offered me a place to stay after I told him about my life. I had abandonment issues because it seemed like everyone I cared for in my life had left me. My friends were the only family I really had and they were murdered right in front of me. My parents were a distant memory; we were split up when I was young. They were circus animals and lived that way because they were poor. When they had me, I guess they realized two jaguars with a human-looking baby would’ve blown their cover. They left me on the steps of an orphanage and never looked back. After everything I endured in my life, I thought I had Eze, but he belonged to someone else. Mia was a good friend but she couldn’t replace Leslie and Kianna. I went into the kitchen and went through the cabinets looking for a bottle of wine but found a bottle of whiskey instead. I popped the top off and guzzled the brown liquid until my chest burned. Going to another state and starting over was the only hope I had left. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Hours later…
When I woke up on the floor, it was night time. I checked to see if I had any missed calls and saw a few from Mia along with text messages. The closest bathroom was the one in the hallway. I went inside to freshen up because I had one stop to make before I left the city. My cellphone rang again and it was Mia calling. I didn’t want to talk to her until I got to my destination because I knew she was going to talk me out of leaving. The backpack full of money was sprawled out on the floor. I picked it up and left out of the front door, leaving the house key on the coffee table. Eze’s song came on the radio when I started my truck and I turned it off. I was getting sick of being reminded of him. It took forty-five minutes to arrive at my first destination, Ryson’s house.
“Okay, Lynx. You can do this. Just knock on the door and tell him you need to speak with him,” I said aloud. I checked myself in the mirror to make sure everything was
intact. While I was thinking about what to say, someone knocked on my window and startled me. It was Ryson and he had a snarl on his face.
“Are you stalking me?” he asked when I got out of my truck.
“No, I’m not. Listen, I came here to speak with you,” I said. When I reached out to touch his bruised face, he smacked my hand away.
“I guess you got a kick out of that, too, huh? This is what you wanted, right? Two males fighting over you?” he asked and I shook my head.
“I have done horrible things but I never want to see anyone get hurt. We had a good few days together,” I replied.
“That’s all it was to you, huh? Just a few days?” he asked.
“No, it was amazing but I can’t give you what you want. I have feelings for someone else,” I said. Ryson stepped back from me and rubbed his chin.
“You don’t love him, Lynx, and we both know he doesn’t love you. I get you, I know the problem. You are afraid of being alone so you latched on to him. Eze was just your security blanket, so cut the bullshit when you’re talking to me. Just tell me I don’t stand a chance because my funds ain’t on his level and I don’t come from a rich family. I’ll feel better with that instead of you pretending that you love him,” Ryson said.
“I shouldn’t have come here,” I replied.
“Yeah, you should’ve stayed your ass in the woods by the lake,” he said and walked out of my face. I called out to him and he turned around to face me.
“How did you know I was coming?” I asked.
“I could sense it. We’re connected, Lynx, but I won’t beg you. Obviously, you have some things to hash out, so I don’t want to stand in your way. Just tell me where you’re going so I know how to find you,” he said.
“Who said I was leaving?” I replied.
“My connection to you. You’re going to Hawaii. If you don’t reach out to me, I’ll find you,” he said.
“Once I sort out everything, I swear I’ll be the perfect mate for you. I have a good heart but I’ve made plenty of mistakes that I’m not happy with. Someone told me when you want something you have to make a sacrifice. I want to find myself, but in order to do that, I must be alone. Can you understand that?” I asked and he nodded his head. He walked over and kissed my lips.
“You’re never going to be alone. I hope you have a safe trip,” he replied. He pulled away from me and walked into the house he shared with four roommates. I wiped my eyes and climbed back inside my truck then pulled off. My dream place to live was always Hawaii and I couldn’t wait to get a feel of the tropical serenity.
Sy’noba
“T hat concert was soooo much fun!” I yelled out when Eze held the car door open for me.
“Yeah, I know. You were rapping off-beat,” he said.
“Who was that rapper again?” I asked.
“Kendrick Lamar,” he chuckled.
I kept my word and went to a concert with Eze when he got off from work. It was one of the best times I had in a long time.
“I was thinking we could go back to the forest tonight. My schedule is clear for a while except for a meeting I have next week, but look on the bright side, we can get to your temple right through the portal at the lake,” he said.
“Are you sure you want to go back?” I replied.
“Yeah, I think it’s time to visit Camden again. I want to talk to my father about a few things,” he said.
“Only if you take me with you to Camden. I realize it’s more spacious than that forest. The trees aren’t so close together, you can actually run around freely,” I replied.
“As long as you wear some clothes that fit. Speaking of clothes, maybe you should take some with you,” he said.
“Okay, now let’s hurry up,” I replied excitedly. It had only been a few days since I’d been gone but it seemed like I was betraying them.
Eze got inside the driver’s seat and I noticed he had an erection. I pretended I didn’t see it. Earlier, before he went to his office, we went at it four times. Two times in the den and two times in the shower. My back was still a little stiff from him banging me against the shower wall.
“So, you gonna act like you don’t see my dick pressed against my leg?” he chuckled.
“You don’t stop,” I giggled and he squeezed my leg.
“I’m still trying to make up for those three minutes I broke you off with,” he said then got serious.
“Do you miss your sister?” he asked.
“Yeah, I do, but she’s buried in my past. I’ll see her one day when we cross paths again,” I replied.
Eze left out of the parking lot of the arena and pulled into traffic. As we approached a red light, I saw a girl driving past that resembled Lynx and she looked like she was in a hurry.
“Was that Lynx?” I asked.
“It looked like her,” he shrugged his shoulders.
“We have to go to Rainy Springs when we get back,” I said.
“Aight, cool,” he replied and kissed my hand.
I rested my head on the headrest and closed my eyes while Eze drove to the cabin. The drinks I had at the concert and the blunt I smoked with Eze put me to sleep.
***********
“Aye, Sy’noba, we’re here.” Eze shook me. I opened my eyes and we were by the lake. He got out and opened the truck door for me. Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach because I was nervous and excited. I didn’t know the outcome of Eze’s return to Y’kiki’s forest but him being there helped me to remember a lot of our history. He unlocked the door to the cabin and Lynx’s scent was still inside the house, her heels by the door. I noticed a picture of them on the wall. Lynx was smiling and Eze’s arm was draped around her shoulder. They were dressed in Halloween costumes, Eze as a king of Africa and Lynx as a queen.
“I can take it down,” he said from behind me.
“No, don’t take it down. You made her happy; she’s actually beautiful until she flies off at the mouth,” I laughed.
“Come on,” he said and pulled me towards the door that led to the cellar. We walked down the long staircase into the cold cellar. The portal was still open.
“You came out of the floor?” he asked.
“Yeah, that portal is different from the one at the estate. This one is like a pipe, maybe because the other end is in the bottom of my temple,” I replied. Eze took off his shirt and threw it on the floor.
“This heat is going to kill me,” he said and pulled up the rest of the cement on the floor. The gold light shined from the portal and almost blinded us. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down with him. Seconds later, our bodies slammed against the wall inside the temple.
“Damn, these portals need some work. They spit us out like we were rotten meat,” Eze said as he helped me up. He looked around the room and spotted his cape on the bedding. He picked it up and examined it.
“I wore shit like this?” he asked and I chuckled.
“There was no fashion back then,” I said.
“I’m glad I died then. I’d be scratching my dick all day if I wore this heavy animal fur,” he replied.
“You need a filter,” I said and slid the stone door back. Eze saw the remains of the anaconda we killed and he covered his nose.
“Lions eat snakes?” he asked and I hissed at him.
“Meat is meat but we prefer warm-blooded animals. I killed that snake and Safari took pieces of it to make clothes and shoes,” I replied.
“This is some real Jungle Book type of shit,” Eze mumbled as he kicked the snake’s head across the floor.
“We don’t have Saks Fifth Avenue in the forest,” I teased.
“You don’t need it if you can make a pair of pimped-out gator shoes for free,” he replied.
When we walked upstairs to the main room of the temple, Safari was sitting in front of the statue of Sekhmet. Eze’s eyes glowed when he saw the statue and his body went still. I didn’t want to bother Safari while she prayed; it was considered disrespect to our goddess.
; “Why are you so tense?” I asked Eze.
“Oh, nothing. I was just admiring the statue, that’s all,” he cleared his throat.
“You’re sweating,” I replied.
“I’ll be in the back by the garden,” he said and rushed out of the temple.
Is he scared of the statue? I thought.