True Nature

by Jae

  “There he is!” Danny pointed at a red-haired boy sitting cross-legged on top of a green sleeping bag. With Rue, Kelsey, and the two Saru on his heels, Danny jogged across the lawn until he reached the low wall separating the park from the sidewalk.

  When Danny’s shadow fell onto him, the boy lifted the cardboard sign on his lap. Big black letters formed three sentences: “I’m deaf. I don’t drink. Please help.”

  Kelsey took in the boy’s threadbare jeans and stained coat and the few coins in his baseball cap sitting in front of him on the concrete. Had Danny begged for spare change too? Probably. He had lost some of his youthful arrogance.

  “What’s up with that?” Rue asked, pointing at the cardboard sign. “You weren’t deaf before.”

  The boy’s head shot up. “New business strategy,” he mumbled. Then his gaze fell on Kelsey. He scrambled back until the wall behind him stopped him. “You…you’re the woman from TV. The one who turned into a wolf.”

  Kelsey wanted to look away so she didn’t have to see the mix of awe, fear, and distrust on his face, but she couldn’t escape his scent. Better get used to people looking at you like this.

  The boy looked at Danny and slowly stood. “You’re one of them too, aren’t you?”

  Danny’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He shuffled his feet.

  Rue opened her mouth, probably about to answer for Danny, but then closed her mouth without interfering.

  Kelsey sent her a quick smile. Good. Danny can handle it on his own. He doesn’t need someone speaking for him.

  Finally, Danny nodded and rubbed his fist over his chest in a circular motion.

  Seeing him apologize for being who he was hurt. Give him time.

  “Sorry for dragging you into this mess,” Danny said, laboring to speak clearly.

  A hesitant grin spread over the boy’s freckled features. He tugged on his clothes. “No bullet holes. Those cops can’t shoot worth shit, and it’s darker than my old man’s soul in those tunnels. They couldn’t catch me.”

  Danny frowned. Either he hadn’t understood what the boy had said, or he didn’t remember what had happened in the subway tunnel. After a moment, he shrugged, pointed at the Mercedes, and made a “come with me” motion.

  Now Rue stepped forward. “We’re going back to North Carolina. If you need a job or a place to stay, you’re welcome to come with us.”

  But the boy shook his head. “My home is here.”

  “I have a few connections in New York too,” Rue said. “I could—”

  “No, thanks. I’ve got what I need. Just stop treating him,” he jerked his head in Danny’s direction, “like shit.”

  Rue flinched but kept eye contact. She pulled out her wallet.

  “I don’t need your money.”

  “It’s not money.” Rue held out her card.

  Tala tried to snatch it away from her. “That’s not a good idea. What if he sells your name to the media?”

  “Didn’t you hear what he said? To some people, friendship is worth more than money.” Rue again held the card out to the redheaded boy. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Danny. If you ever need anything…”

  The boy reluctantly accepted the card and held it by its edges as if he didn’t want to get it dirty. “What if I need someone with big teeth to put the fear of God into the guys down in the tunnels?”

  Rue laughed. “Sorry, I can’t help you with that, but for everything else, call.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  Kelsey felt the boy’s gaze on her all the way to the car. Maybe she could convince the Saru to send someone with big teeth to keep an eye on him.

  Chapter 69

  Rue sat with her back to her desk and stared at the town fifteen stories below her office. From up here, Clearfield looked exactly as it had looked every day for the past two years, but Rue knew it was just an illusion. Nothing was the same.

  They had been back in Clearfield for two weeks now, but Rue still felt like a stranger in her own life. Whenever people realized Kelsey was the woman in the video shown on TV, they started to behave differently. The mailman looked as if he wanted to skip their house on his route every morning, afraid of being bitten by the wolves living there; people in the grocery store ducked behind a stack of canned tomatoes when they saw Rue and Kelsey coming, and even Mrs. Mangiardi seemed unnerved by the amount of food Danny and Kelsey put away now that they practiced shifting every day.

  And then there were the Saru. At least two of them followed Rue, Kelsey, and Danny everywhere. Right now, two Saru kept Reva company in the outer office while Tala and Zoe stayed with Kelsey and Danny. For their protection, they said, but it wasn’t hard to guess that they wanted to keep an eye on Rue and Kelsey and make sure they didn’t do anything the council didn’t want them to do.

  If it’s this hard for me, I wonder how Kelsey must feel. Rue swiveled her high-backed chair from side to side, hoping to get rid of her nervous energy. Come on. Don’t lie to yourself. You know how she feels.

  Kelsey hadn’t left the house for days. She said it was because training Danny took up so much time, but Rue knew Kelsey hated being stared at by Wrasa and humans alike. At least the humans didn’t dare approach Kelsey and settled for sending her wary gazes. The Wrasa didn’t show such restraint, though. As much as Rue hated the constant presence of their Saru guards, they had come in handy when a furious Wrasa had tried to attack Kelsey last week.

  And it’s all my fault. She let herself be filmed because I asked her to. Rue swallowed. She did it for me. It scared her to think about what that said about Kelsey’s feelings for her. She had loved Paula and one or two of the girlfriends before her, and they had loved her in return, but no one had ever sacrificed so much for her.

  Rue leaned her head against the chair and closed her eyes. The chair still spun around and around, adding to that out-of-control feeling. It’s too big. Too fast. We’ve known each other for just a few weeks. Her heart didn’t want to listen, though, and that scared Rue even more.

  Scared of a woman. Rue shook her head. This is really not like you. She had never been shy about approaching women and going after what she wanted, but now she was tiptoeing on eggshells around Kelsey. They hadn’t slept together since that night in New York. And God knows I really want to. But sleeping together would signal a level of commitment she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

  She had fled to her office, away from Kelsey, as soon as Danny had enough control over his shifting not to need her anymore. She had hoped going back to work would help make her life feel normal again. Work had always been her refuge, the one place where she was in control of everything.

  Not this time. In the past, nothing had been able to distract her at work. Now all she could think of was Kelsey. Their relationship had changed too. Or maybe it wasn’t their relationship but rather Rue’s feelings about it. While they had been fighting for Danny’s life and their own, Rue hadn’t stopped to question her feelings. Everything had seemed larger than life, including what she felt for Kelsey. But was it real? Something that would hold up in everyday life now that the adrenaline was ebbing away? Something she could base her life, her family on?

  “Ms. Harding?”

  Her assistant’s voice from the intercom startled Rue. She opened her eyes and whirled around. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that she had been staring out the window, brooding, for two hours, not getting any of the piled-up work on her desk done. She cleared her throat. “Yes, Reva?”

  “We had another customer asking if we could outfit his panic room with a custom-built bed and other furniture,” Reva said.

  Rue put her elbows on her desk and covered her face with her hands. “If he calls again, tell him if anyone has reason to panic, it’s the Wrasa, not us humans.”

  “Um, all right. I also have a Ms. Price on line one for you.”

  “Ms. Price?” Rue flipped through her appointment book. “I don’t have a Ms. Pr—” Oh, I think that’s Jorie. She closed
the appointment book. “Put her through, please.” She waited for a few seconds. “Jorie? Is that you?”

  “Yes. Hi. I thought I’d call and see how you are doing,” Jorie said.

  Another thing that was moving too fast for Rue. Jorie and Griffin had gone from enemies to wary allies within a few days, and now Jorie was calling her as if they were old friends. “I’m fine,” Rue said. Jorie had tried to save her life and Kelsey’s by arguing for them in front of the council, but Rue still didn’t know her well enough to talk about her innermost feelings.

  “And how are Danny and Kelsey doing?”

  Rue chuckled as she thought about Danny. He seemed to have fewer problems adjusting to the situation. “He’s getting antsy. He wants us to take him out to the woodlot to shift outdoors, but he has to learn some control first.”

  Jorie laughed. “Wrasa teenagers aren’t any more patient than human ones.”

  “No, they aren’t.” It was still weird to think of her son as a Wrasa, but Rue was slowly getting used to it. “So how are you and Griffin? I mean, did going behind the council’s back have any repercussions for you?”

  “No,” Jorie said. “I guess they’re still too busy dealing with the fallout of Kelsey’s video to care about us. And they need me now more than ever.”

  Rue squinted. “Oh, that’s right. You’re some kind of…” What had Kelsey called it? “A dream seer, right?” She hesitated, not sure if she believed in mystical skills like that. In the end, the need for reassurance won out. She wanted to believe that her decision hadn’t ruined the lives of Kelsey and many other Wrasa. “So, did you have any dreams recently? I mean about what will happen now that humans know about the shape-shifters.”

  Jorie sighed. “I won’t lie to you. There are some hard times ahead. But at least no other human will have to go through having a kill order put out on them, like you and I did.”

  Right. She went through that too. And she also went from being hunted to being a public figure with the Wrasa when they found out she’s a dream seer. People had probably stopped to stare at her on the street too. “How do you and Griffin deal with it? Fifty million Wrasa in the world keeping an eye on you?”

  “I don’t think about numbers like that, or it would drive me crazy. Just go on with your life, and keep your private self and your public self separate,” Jorie said.

  Rue snorted. “Hard to do with all the Saru hanging around.”

  “I know,” Jorie said. “Believe me, I know. But don’t let anything come between Kelsey and you. If you’re meant to be, it doesn’t matter that you belong to different species.”

  Meant to be. The words sounded so big, so final, making Rue swallow. “I’m not sure we are. It’s too soon to tell.” Part of her longed to share her life with Kelsey, but the other part was scared to risk it all again after Paula. This time, even more was on the line. If things between her and Kelsey didn’t work out, she would lose the only adult Wrasa she trusted.

  “Come on, Rue. There’s no reason to lie about it anymore. You can’t lie to me anyway. Not about this. My partner is a Wrasa, remember? Wrasa recognize the scent of a mated couple when they smell it.”

  “Mated? You mean they can smell if two people…if they had sex?”

  “I’m not talking about sex. Well, not just about it anyway. I’m talking about a much deeper bond—one that is reflected on a chemical level and somehow joins your scents.”

  Chemical level? So now my hormones or pheromones make these decisions for me? Rue didn’t like it. Wasn’t it enough that the Wrasa were trying to control her life? “We’re not at that stage yet.”

  “You might be able to fool yourself into believing that, but not Griffin’s liger nose,” Jorie said, a smile in her voice.

  Rue had enough of talking to the human equivalent of the wise Yoda. “I should get back to work.”

  “All right. But if there’s ever anything you want to talk about…”

  “I’ll call,” Rue said, knowing she wouldn’t. This was something she would have to come to terms with on her own first and then talk to Kelsey. But she wasn’t there yet.

  * * *

  An hour later, Rue left work, hoping she would be able to focus better in her home office. No such luck. All she did was fiddle with a pen and listen to the sounds drifting up from the living room, where Danny and Kelsey were. She sighed and shut down her computer. It was six o’clock anyway, and she had promised to finish work on time from now on.

  She wandered into the kitchen, where Tala and Zoe sat playing poker with Mrs. Mangiardi. “That’s not a good idea, Elena. Don’t you know that these two can smell when you’re bluffing?”

  “Oh, don’t worry, dear. I had them slather that menthol cream under their noses. It seems to work.” Mrs. Mangiardi pointed to the large stack of coins in front of her.

  Good to know. Just in case. Rue took a bottle of root beer out of the fridge and walked over to the living room.

  Kelsey and Danny were lounging on the couch, watching TV. Their hands were moving fluently as they talked. Rue leaned against the wall to watch them. Poetry in motion. She vowed to learn more sign language from Kelsey.

  Kelsey’s nostrils quivered, and an instant smile appeared on her face.

  Danny looked up too.

  Without hesitation, they moved toward the ends of the couch, making room for Rue to sit in the middle.

  Rue plopped down between them and smiled as Danny and Kelsey slid closer again. She had to admit that it was nice to spend more time at home, with her family, instead of working all the time. Your family? She peeked at Kelsey. You wanted to go slow, remember? “What are you watching?”

  “A Day in the Life of a Wrasa,” Kelsey said. “It’s that new documentary Paula and Brooke made.”

  Rue watched a harmless-looking, middle-aged woman water the plants in her apartment. “Isn’t it strange for you that one of your kind is paraded around on TV like a National Geographic special?”

  Kelsey sighed. “It’s still surreal. And to I think that I’m responsible for it all…”

  “Hey, don’t torture yourself. You just did what I asked you to do.”

  “I made a conscious choice to do what you told me to do,” Kelsey said.

  She chose me as her alpha. The thought was making Rue’s head spin. Did she want a relationship with that kind of power dynamic? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she wanted Kelsey. Rue realized she was holding Kelsey’s hand. Their legs were touching along their lengths, as if they were trying to establish maximum contact. She took a big swig of her root beer but didn’t pull away.

  “What are you drinking?” Kelsey asked.

  Rue turned the bottle so Kelsey could see the label. “Root beer.”

  Kelsey wrinkled her nose, making Rue smile at her cuteness. “It smells strange,” Kelsey said.

  “Here, try it.”

  Kelsey waved her hand. “Uh, no, I—”

  “Try it. It’s not so bad, I promise.” Rue pressed the bottle into Kelsey’s hand.

  Hesitantly, Kelsey lifted the bottle to her mouth.

  Rue couldn’t help watching Kelsey’s lips part and wrap around the bottle’s neck. Kelsey’s elegant throat moved as she took the tiniest sip, looking as if she were being tortured.

  “Not your cup of tea?” Rue asked.

  “Hmm? The root beer?”

  What else were they talking about? “Yeah, of course the root beer.”

  “Um, no, root beer is not my thing.”

  Rue looked more closely. Was Kelsey blushing? The flush rising up Kelsey’s chest made memories of their night in the hotel rush through Rue’s mind. These days, it didn’t take much to bring back those memories. Now blushing too, she turned back to the documentary flickering across the TV screen.

  “Wow, how weird.” Danny pointed at the TV. “Did you see that? She’s got two fathers, and one of them is really her uncle.”

  “It might appear weird to you, but she’s a lion-shifter, so it’s perfectly na
tural for her,” Kelsey said, her signs gentle but her expression intent. “Please don’t judge her.”

  “Do you remember when the kids at school used to tease you about having two mothers?” Rue signed.

  Danny blinked. “I didn’t think of that. Yeah, I guess it’s not so different.” Looking like a puppy caught piddling on the carpet, he turned back to the TV.

  Rue met Kelsey’s gaze and smiled. We’re a good team. She squeezed Kelsey’s fingers. A shiver ran through her as Kelsey stroked her thumb over the sensitive skin on Rue’s wrist. She lifted their joined hands and pressed a quick kiss to Kelsey’s fingers.

  Kelsey’s warm mahogany-colored eyes were so full of hope and love that Rue wanted to pull her hand away. Too much. Too intense. Rue wasn’t sure if she was ready to be the recipient of such devotion. Then what are you doing? You’re sending her mixed signals. You’re pulling back yet can’t keep your hands off her.

  A new scene of the documentary caught her attention. The documentary’s star was having dinner with her boyfriend. They ate and laughed like any couple, exchanging touches and morsels of food.

  “In Wrasa society, the sharing of food or drinks is a courtship ritual akin to exchanging engagement rings,” Paula commented on the scenes on the screen.

  Rue spewed root beer all over the coffee table. She stared at the TV. Christ. The root beer. And the hash browns in the diner in New York.

  “It’s okay,” Kelsey said, not even looking at Rue while she mopped up the spilled root beer with some tissues. “I know that’s not what it means to you. It was just a sip of root beer to you, nothing else.”

  Was it? Rue wasn’t sure. She forced herself to be totally honest. Kelsey deserved nothing less. “You mean a lot to me, Kelsey. But so much has happened in so little time. I need some time to let my brain catch up with the rest of me.”

  Kelsey pulled her hand away from Rue’s and wiped away a drop of root beer from Rue’s chin. Then she licked the drop off her finger.

  The unconscious gesture was so sexy that it nearly made Rue forget why she wanted to slow down. She stared at Kelsey’s lips. Her body tilted toward Kelsey on its own volition.