Stranded With The Snow Leopard: A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance

by Jade White

  It seemed like a good time for a nap, Amelia decided. As a courtesy, she transformed again so no one would unexpectedly walk in on her naked in the middle of the den. She folded her legs beneath herself and curled her tail close before she closed her eyes.

  *

  Sezim frisked her way up the slope, bounding on large paws over the snow. She stumbled to a halt just before she could run into Aibek, still crouched at the top of the incline. She bonked the top of her head against his cheek before she circled away to a reasonable distance. Aibek batted lightly at the top of her head before he heaved himself to his feet.

  Carefully, Aibek led the way down the mountain, padding carefully downward until the scent of blood was stronger in the air, and he burst into an easy, ground-eating lope.

  Sezim bounded ahead of him as soon as she spotted a glimpse of beige fur, sprinting down the mountain until she stumbled to a halt beside the heap that had once been a lioness.

  Her neck and one of her legs were twisted at odd angles, and blood was staining and melting the stone beneath her face. The fall may not have killed her, but the sudden stop at the end of it had most certainly not been kind.

  For a moment, Sezim and Aibek sniffed and prodded at the body, just to make sure as much as they could that she was entirely dead and wasn’t going to suddenly leap back up and have another go at them. There was no movement from the lioness, though, and already, she was getting cold. Thus assured, they dragged her away to get the body out of the way as best they could, before it was too rigid to move it at all.

  From there, they made their way home. It was a leisurely trek. They were nowhere near the lion camps, and it was nice to just not have to panic for a moment. It almost felt like they had a chance to relax for a little while.

  Once they had clambered onto the porch of the main structure, Aibek sat back on his haunches and lifted a front paw, heaving his weight against the knob until he could shoulder open the door.

  The den was empty, save for Amelia napping beneath a blanket in front of the fire. Sezim glanced around briefly but didn’t linger before deciding to return to her own room with Serik.

  *

  When Amelia woke up, she was not alone. Though she was still beneath the blanket, someone else was behind her, curled up on top of the excess blanket. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned to look.

  Her chest felt warm as her eyes landed on Aibek, curled up on his side with his back against hers. He had one paw draped over his muzzle, and the end of his tail twitched placidly back and forth every so often.

  It was a good way to wake up, even at a slightly inopportune hour. It was dark outside the window. She hadn’t meant to sleep for quite so long.

  Twisting beneath the blanket, she leaned over to prod her muzzle against Aibek’s head until he stirred. And then she continued poking at him until it seemed like he would stay awake for more than three seconds.

  Finally, Amelia transformed, lying on her belly on the rug with her legs stretched out behind her and her arms folded beneath her so she was propped up on her elbows. “Well?” she asked, her head cocked to one side expectantly. “How did it turn out?”

  Aibek transformed beside her, rolling onto his other side to face her before he squirmed his way under the blanket. “The lioness is dead,” he answered. “She did not survive the fall, and she was twisted into some pleasant geometric shapes on the way down.”

  Amelia snorted out a laugh. “Well, that’s good to know. That brings us down to four lions, then?” she guessed. At Aibek’s nod, she sighed and flopped down flat on the rug, her arms folding tighter and her chin resting on them. “Well, I like those odds better than I did when there were nine.” She slid him a sidelong glance. “Do you think this will be over soon?”

  “I think so, yes,” Aibek answered after a moment of thought. “They will have no choice. Personally, I think they will make a move sooner rather than later.”

  “You think so?” Amelia mused, rolling onto her side to face him, one arm crooked beneath her head.

  “They are running out of lions,” he pointed out. “Either they attack, they die, or they leave. That last one seems rather unlikely, given everything they have done up until now.”

  Amelia hummed in acknowledgement but otherwise fell silent, until she groused unenthusiastically, “It just keeps on coming, doesn’t it?”

  “It does,” he agreed mildly. “But we have all made it this far, and we will all make it through. None of us are the type to give up easily, at least I do not think you are.” He offered her a small, cheeky smile.

  Scowling without any heat, Amelia punched his shoulder. “Of course I’m not,” she scoffed. “And of course we’re all going to make it through this. It would just be great if there wasn’t a ‘this’ to make it through.”

  “Most people feel that way when there are problems, do they not?” he wondered, idly reaching out to push her hair back behind her ear. “Even so, I did get to meet you because of this, and I do not regret that.”

  She smiled gently, though it wilted after a moment, and she cast a glance downward, in the general direction of her abdomen. “Even with…?”

  His gaze followed hers, and for a few seconds he was quiet, before he decided firmly, “Even so, yes.”

  Maybe it was good news after all.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Amelia had to tell the others. She knew that. All of them. Faina already knew, but still, Amelia didn’t want to just go mute on the topic. She wanted to tell Faina, ‘You were right.’ Truthfully, Aibek’s family had become too important to her for her to just pretend that everything was normal.

  She would tell Faina first, she decided. It would be the simplest conversation to have, and she might as well just get it out of the way first.

  She peered into the kitchen, empty save for Faina sitting at the counter with a book and a cup of coffee. She felt a bit like a naughty child trying to spy, and it wasn’t helped at all when Faina announced, without looking up, “You know you can come in, honey.” What was it about mothers having eyes in the backs of their heads?

  Amelia strode into the kitchen and made her way over to the counter, leaning on the opposite side of the island. “So…” she began slowly, picking at the cuticle of one of her nails as Faina set her book down to look up at her, “you were right. About me being pregnant, I mean.” Amelia shifted back and forth on her feet. “Taking an actual test seems like more trouble than it’s worth, but all the evidence lines up.”

  “And how do you feel about that?” Faina wondered, before she picked up her mug to sip it slowly.

  Amelia dragged a hand through her hair and leaned one forearm on the counter. “I think I’m alright,” she answered. “I mean, I hadn’t planned on it, obviously—I didn’t even know it was possible—but I’m not dreading whatever’s going to happen.”

  “Good.” Faina smiled over the edge of her mug, her eyes crinkling. “For what it’s worth, honey, I think you’re going to be a very good mother.”

  A knot in Amelia’s chest that she hadn’t even been aware of relaxed, and for a moment, it felt like a weight had been dropped from her shoulders. “You think so?” she asked quietly, knitting her fingers together on the counter so she would stop picking at them. She thought of her own parents, and how they had always made sure that Amelia knew she was loved.

  “Absolutely,” Faina replied, setting her mug down as she said it. She reached across the counter, one hand settling over both of Amelia’s and squeezing. “It will be hard, and it will probably be scary sometimes, but I think you already know that. You’re going to do just fine.”

  Amelia smiled down at her hands, stricken inexplicably shy by the praise. Finally, she glanced up and managed a quiet, “Thanks, Faina.”

  “It’s not a problem, honey,” Faina assured her, withdrawing her hand again and picking her book back up.

  Amelia offered her one last smile before she made her way out of the kitchen.

  *

  Amelia
waddled her way through the snow, dressed in her winter gear as she crossed from the den to Anara’s room. She managed to make it without falling face first into the snow, and she was going to consider that a success.

  She climbed the stairs to Anara’s porch and knocked on the door, and as she waited, she lamented that she was too bundled up to properly fidget.

  When the door opened, Anara was barefoot and wearing a sports bra, and she looked like she had just been working out. “I can come back later,” Amelia offered automatically, but Anara waved the offer away and ushered Amelia in before hastily closing the door again.

  Once inside, Amelia shrugged out of only enough of her winter wear so as not to overheat in Anara’s room. As far as she was aware, she wasn’t going to be there for long.

  “Did you talk to Beka about whatever was bothering you?” Anara asked, as she casually lay down on the floor and resumed doing sit-ups. Amelia was actually sort of jealous for a moment. Her own abs were basically nonexistent (though she supposed that was to be expected when her own workout regime consisted of ‘go running, maybe occasionally box now and then’).

  “I did,” Amelia confirmed. “I took your advice.”

  Anara offered her a slightly distracted smile. “Glad to be of service.”

  Amelia shifted back and forth on her feet, occupying herself by slowly peeling one of her gloves off, before she finally said, “I’m pregnant.”

  Anara fell flat on the floor, blinking up at Amelia.

  “With Beka’s baby,” Amelia carried on, as Anara stared at her. “Figure I may as well let everyone know, since it’ll probably become pretty obvious eventually, and I don’t want it to seem like I was trying to hide it.”

  Anara continued to stare at her for a few more moments until she finally cleared her throat and sat up on her elbows. “I…can see why you were so worried about telling him. How did he take it?”

  “Pretty well, actually,” Amelia acknowledged. “Better than I probably would’ve, if I were in his position.”

  “Was he happy?” Anara asked, pushing herself up so she was actually sitting, her hands on the floor. “Are you happy? I guess that’s the more important question.”

  “I’m adjusting,” Amelia answered honestly. “But…I think we’re both happy, yeah,” she settled on after a moment of thought. “Or, I guess, we’re optimistic? Which is pretty much the same thing, since neither of us planned on this happening.”

  Anara gave her a searching look for a moment before she nodded once in acknowledgment. “Well, I’m glad you’re not miserable, then,” she offered, with a crooked smile.

  Amelia snorted and rolled her eyes. “That’s very sweet. I feel it right here.” She brought one hand to her chest before she began pulling her winter clothing back on. “I’ll let you get back to it,” she said over her shoulder as she turned toward the door once again.

  *

  When Amelia knocked on the door to the twins’ room, she expected to find both of them inside. Instead, it was Serik who opened the door, and the room was empty save for him. “Sezim’s in the butcher shed,” Serik explained, assuming Amelia was there for her.

  “I need to talk to you, too,” she replied, feeling faintly off balance. She stepped inside as he moved aside to give her space, already reordering her thoughts in her head. Serik had always been quiet and distant, content to lurk on the edges of life until someone engaged him, and more often than not, he would retreat again as soon as the other participant disengaged. Amelia had not had many opportunities to truly speak with him. The door clicked shut.

  “It’s more that I need to speak with everyone,” she added as she unzipped her jacket and tugged her gloves off so she wouldn’t roast while she was inside and out of the snow. “But gathering everyone together at once and just spitting it out seems kind of…” She trailed off, her expression screwing up in dissatisfaction as she searched for the word.

  “Perfunctory?” Serik supplied, and one shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Yeah, I get that.” He scratched his cheek and glanced up at her. “So, what is it?”

  Very direct. Ordinarily, Amelia supposed she would have liked it, but in that moment, she wished she had more time to put her thoughts in order. But then, she thought, would he even want some overly planned soliloquy, or would he just want to know whatever she wanted to tell him?

  “I’m pregnant with your brother’s baby,” she stated bluntly, her eyebrows rising slightly as his hands fell limply to his sides and he stared at her. He wasn’t quite gaping at her, but it was a near thing. “You’re going to be an uncle,” she tacked on, just to see him startle like a rabbit.

  “I—wait. An uncle?” he repeated dubiously.

  “That’s what you become when your sibling becomes a parent, yeah,” Amelia replied wryly.

  Serik scowled. “I know that,” he huffed. “But I—I get to actually see the baby?”

  Amelia cocked her head to one side. “Of course,” she replied, her brows furrowing together. “Why wouldn’t you?”

  Serik shuffled in place, his fingers plucking on a loose thread in the bottom of his shirt. “I dunno,” he mumbled eventually. “Sort of figured you wouldn’t care to see any of us once you leave. Other than maybe Beka.” The last was tacked on as an afterthought, likely based entirely around the new revelation.

  “I hate to tell you,” Amelia sighed, “but I’ve gotten pretty fond of all of you. You’re all going to have to try a lot harder if you want me to just disappear forever once I leave.”

  He offered her a tentative smile, and Amelia returned it with a considerably brighter one as she zipped her coat back up. “I’ve still got people to talk to before it’s too dark for me to see my hands in front of my face,” she explained as she returned to the door.

  Serik nodded in understanding, and the door creaked open as Amelia left and clicked closed behind her.

  *

  After stumbling around in the snow for a solid twenty minutes and trying to remember where everything was, Amelia made it to the butchering shed just in time for Sezim to step out. She blinked at Amelia for a moment before she grinned and waved. “Looking for me?” she asked brightly, clasping her hands together behind herself.

  “Yeah, actually,” Amelia confirmed. “I’ve sort of been making the rounds to tell everyone some news.”

  “Is it about the lions?” Sezim asked, brightening in excitement and bouncing up onto her toes before landing flat on her feet again.

  “Hate to disappoint you, but no,” Amelia returned wryly.

  “Is it bad news?” Sezim asked, her tone turning dubious.

  “Well,” Amelia replied slowly, “I guess it depends on your perspective, but I don’t think so.”

  “That sounds kind of ominous,” Sezim pointed out, and she folded her arms over her chest. “Well, come on. Let’s have it, then. I’m probably the last to know anyway.”

  Well, there was no reason to beat around the bush, then. “I’m pregnant,” Amelia informed her. “It’s Beka’s.”

  Sezim stared at her, slowly tipping her head to the side. “You’re going to have a baby,” she stated, as if the word ‘pregnant’ could mean anything else.

  “I am,” Amelia confirmed, not even bothering to keep an amused smile off of her face. Sezim wouldn’t be able to see it behind Amelia’s scarf, anyway.

  “With Beka,” Sezim added, sounding like she wasn’t entirely sure whether or not she had misheard.

  “Yes,” Amelia said, swallowing down a laugh. “That is, indeed, what those words mean.”

  There was a moment of quiet between them, until finally Sezim decided, “That’s weird,” and wrinkled her nose. “I’ll be an aunt?”

  “You will,” Amelia agreed. “Serik had a bit of trouble grasping that concept, actually.”

  Sezim snorted. “Serik finds people as a whole hard to grasp.” She cocked her head to one side again. “What’s its name? What is it?”

  Amelia stared at her, and then looked around in a slight
ly pointed manner. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there isn’t exactly anyway around here to check whether it’s a boy or a girl, and I think you would’ve noticed if I had left the mountain.” They wouldn’t even be in the lion-infested mess they were in if Amelia could reliably leave the mountain. “And there’s no real point in deciding on a name until I know the gender.”

  Sezim scowled, her face darkening. “Oh, shut up,” she huffed. “Does Beka know?”

  “He does,” Amelia confirmed. “Like you said, you’re the last to know.”

  “Then, I guess…thanks for telling me?” Sezim scratched the back of her head with two knuckles. “I still think it’s weird, though,” she added as an afterthought.

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “Then I guess it’s good that I don’t.”