Kyle closed his eyes and sighed. “Get everyone ready to go. We’ve got to head out of town.”
The priest nodded, then with a smile at Terian, walked away.
Terian turned to Kyle. “I can feel it, you know,” he murmured. “Colin put something on you. There is something inside you that calls to me. It’s why I followed you to the stream, even when I didn’t want to.”
“I know,” Kyle said darkly. “I’m going to have a lot of offline followers very shortly, I think, none of them with my best interests at heart.”
Terian managed a smile, then stuck out his hand. “Good luck.”
Kyle shook it, his expression incredulous. “You’re wishing me luck? After everything?”
“You don’t compromise or give up,” Terian said. “That’s something I admire, Kyle.” His expression darkened. “But if you come for me like you did for Bart, I’ll try to kill you.”
Kyle smiled. “Fair enough. I hope I never have to, if that counts for anything.”
Terian nodded. “It does.”
Kyle let go of his hand, then moved off through the trees.
Terian stood before the grave for a while, reflecting.
I will not give into my demon side. I’m not going to become a monster.
He would go tonight and pack up Colin’s books, everything. By tonight he’d be heading back East, back to Sundown if she would have him, back to Sar’s friendship if she wouldn’t. It was time to stop running, time for his life to be more than just honorable vows he hoped one day to fulfill, or relationships he yearned to have someday. Balt was right. There was only so much time. Terian was not going to waste one moment more.
Terian’s hand rested briefly on the cold stone, then he turned and purposefully walked away through the trees.
Heart’s Solace
(previously published in Wild at Heart Vol. II Charity anthology 10-2012)
Natasha looked down at the pitiful creature in the small cage. The feline was a large cat, but not like the big cats her father usually kept as pets. This one wasn’t a tiger, a leopard, or a lion. He looked kind of like a lion without a mane. She’d have suspected the animal to be a female lion, if she hadn’t seen the contrary proof herself.
“You don’t belong in a cage,” she whispered. “You should be out in your own land, running free. Beneath a wide sky on a grassland, not here in this world of ice and snow.”
The battered cat raised its head, its yellow eyes staring into hers. The feline looked almost as if it understood her. Then it put down its head, and gave a long sigh.
Natasha wrapped her long wool coat over her small frame, and then walked quickly on the snowy path into the nearby stable.
Alexey was there, currying her horse, Sasha.
“The new lion,” Natasha said. “What kind is he?”
“An American Cougar, otherwise known as a mountain lion,” Alexey responded. He gave Sasha a final pat then put away the currycomb. “Your father saved his life, outbidding the taxidermist at the auction. He thinks the beast can be rehabilitated. He’s calling him Nadezda.”
The Russian word for hope. “But you don’t think so?”
“He’s damaged goods, Tasha,” Alexey said with a frown. “The lion’s back legs had both been badly broken in several places, and one of his front legs is also maimed. He may never walk again. Stay away from him. If he doesn’t try to attack us, I’ll be very surprised.”
* * * *
Tasha made sure she was on hand the next day to watch as Alexey put food in the new lion’s cage. The creature didn’t stir, or even move.
“You have to eat, Nadezda.” Alexey said with a shake of his head. “You’ll die if you don’t. You ate nothing yesterday—”
“Let me try,” Tasha offered, coming over. “I’ll sit and talk to him.”
“Talk to him all you want, but don’t open the cage door, or put your fingers inside,” Alexey warned. “Your father would fire me if you got so much as a scratch.” He headed into the stable.
Tasha sat on some bales of hay near the cage. “My name is Tasha,” she began haltingly. “Really, it’s Natasha, but everyone calls me Tasha. You’re in Russia, if you didn’t know. It’s close to the end of winter, but we may have some good snows yet—”
Tasha craned her head. The lion’s ears had moved slightly. Was he listening?
“—I know people were bad to you. But you’re safe now. No one will hurt you here. My father loves his cats. There are two more here, a panther and a bobcat. Both are rescues, like the ones before them. My father has a soft spot for animals, especially lions—”
She couldn’t tell if the cat was listening or sleeping, or even if her voice was helping it at all. But she stayed there for an hour talking aloud, just in case.
* * * *
“You’re helping Nazdeha,” Alexey told Tasha one afternoon. “He’s eating better that he was. He’ll put back on the weight he needs in no time.”
“Will he recover?” Tasha asked, casting a worried glance at the cat. “I’ve seen the extent of his injuries. He looks crippled to me, Alexey. He crawls like the slightest movement hurts.”
“Because it does,” Alexey said angrily. “But be encouraged. He is healing far faster than he should be.” He offered her a smile. “He’ll live for certain. But whether he’ll walk again, I’m not sure.”
“He will,” Tasha stated. “I’ll help you however I can.”
“Keep talking to him,” Alexey replied. “That and time is what he needs most.” He paused. “How were your lessons today?”
“Interminable.” Tasha drew out the word with deliberate exaggeration, then gave Alexey a wide smile. “I’ve already completed my high school studies, and am now merely doing advance work in preparation for college. If my father will ever let me attend university. He doesn’t want to let me, I think. We spoke on the phone last night for our weekly discussion. This is the second week he hasn’t mentioned it—”
“Your father will come around, in time. He is well?”
Tasha nodded, forcing a smile. “His business dealings keep him travelling to Europe, or in Moscow. He sends his love, and hopes to be back for my birthday in September.”
“He does love you best of his children,” Alexey replied. “I’m sure he will return.”
Tasha forced a smile, but didn’t respond. What should she say? Her father was a stranger to her, really. She appreciated him very much, but they had never been close. He had never acted like he wanted or needed her affection...
That didn’t matter anymore, she told herself. She had someone who badly needed her: Nazdeha.
* * * *
The months passed slowly, and spring became summer, then late summer. Each day, Tasha made sure to be there when Nazdeha was fed, and spent at least an hour talking to him. The mountain lion became a sleek shape as he filled out, and his broken limbs healed. Hesitantly, he began to take hobbling steps about his enclosure. Soon, he was walking with only a slight hitch. But scars still ran over most of his body, crisscrossing the tawny fur.
Tasha had long ago lost her fear of the cougar. Her familiarity was such that one day while putting food inside, she forgot to lock the cage afterwards. After saying goodbye to Nazdeha, she walked up the wide path to her family’s mansion.
When the butler opened the front door to admit Tasha, he let out a scream.
A loud snarl sounded from behind her.
With a gasp, Tasha whirled.
Nazdeha was barely a foot away, watching her with intent yellow eyes.
“Don’t hurt me,” she whispered, her stomach tight with anxiety.
Nazdeha nodded once, and then lay down on the cold stone, rolling onto his back with all four feet in the air. He looked at her, tail twitching slightly.
Tasha blinked at him, amazed. He had nodded before acting submissive. He had understood her. The animal before her was no mere cat. It possessed human intelligence.
“Will you obey me, and not hurt anyone, if I let you i
nside?” She felt foolish asking that, yet also prayed she hadn’t imagined the nod.
Nazdeha rolled to his feet then looked at her. Deliberately, he nodded once more.
“Ah!” Tasha said, a wide smile curving her lips.
The door opened a crack behind her. “Ma’am, please come inside. I’ve alerted the guards—”
“Open the door,” Tasha commanded. She strode up to the door, then turned and beckoned to the cat, who came bounding up, thrusting his large head under her slim hand. She petted the large head with both hands, as she’d longed to for months.
Nazdeha closed his eyes, a throaty purr rumbling out.
The butler opened the door, his eyes scared. “Ma’am, you can’t let that animal in the house—”
“He is my pet, and he goes where I go.” Tasha took on a brazen attitude. “I am mistress of this house, Boris. Now bring me my supper and a large bowl of raw beef. Nazdeha and I are hungry.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Boris said, leaning back out of the way as cougar and girl entered the house together.
* * * *
The next few months were magical. Nazdeha was a perfect companion, following Tasha everywhere. They explored the forest, her on horseback, and he in the trees shadowing her. They spent hours lounging in the sun, Tasha reading to Nazdeha as the great cat lolled with eyes closed, her head pillowed on his flank. He slept in her bed, his bulk curled on one side of the great king size bed, Tasha on the other.
The great cat communicated through nods and shakes of his head. He purred when he was pleased or thankful, and distanced himself from her when he was upset. Encouraged, Tasha made an alphabet from large pieces of paper, and laid them out on the floor, telling him to step on the letters, to spell out words for her. “Tell me who you are,” she said excitedly, pencil and paper in hand.
Instead of the expected grateful purr, Tasha’s efforts instead got her a shake of the head, and the silent treatment for the rest of the night.
Tasha was undaunted by Nazdeha’s refusal to communicate beyond yes and no answers. She remained convinced he was a man under a curse, like in fairytales. Several times, she pleaded with him to change his form, to show her the man she knew he must be.
But Nazdeha would only look at her, as if he couldn’t understand. Afterwards, he always would retreat away from her and curl into a ball for at least an hour.
Surmising he was trapped in lion form, Tasha stopped mentioning it. Talk of what he had once been only upset him. She had no way to break a curse. That he was here with her was enough for Tasha.
* * * *
Late summer became fall. And with the winter wind came a letter from Tasha’s father, telling her he would not be home again for Christmas, but that she was welcome to meet him in Moscow, if she wanted to make the trip.
Tasha tore up the letter. “He knows I hate the city,” she said. “Besides, I couldn’t take you there, Nazdeha. I’m not leaving you here alone for the holidays.”
The cougar nuzzled her shoulder, his loud purr a vibration she felt through her thick sweater.
“Do you need to go out before bed?” Tasha asked. “It’s close to midnight.”
Nazdeha nodded, then jumped up off the bed, and walked to the bedroom door.
Tasha followed, opening the door so he could leave.
The lion trotted out.
Instead of readying herself for bed, as she usually did, Tasha paused, and then looked out the door, watching the shadow of the lion as it traveled down the long hallway.
Nazdeha had headed for the kitchen, not outside to relieve himself.
Curious, Tasha hurried after the cat, creeping down the long hallway and into the kitchen. A naked man was in front of the refrigerator, his scarred back to her as he ate pickles from a jar. She let out a gasp.
The man heard her and swore, then grabbed a dishtowel to cover himself. “Don’t look at me!”
Tasha turned away, her cheeks burning. “So you can change form.”
“Yes,” came the hesitant reply. “Go upstairs, Tasha. I’ll leave—”
His voice was rough, either naturally or from disuse. It was the sexiest voice she had ever heard in her life. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. Don’t you dare change back, Nazdeha. I think I deserve some answers.”
“It’s Theo, actually,” the man said sadly. “That’s my real name.”
“Follow me, Theo.” Tasha strode from the room. “You can borrow some hunting clothes of my father’s. Hurry, before you’re seen.”
* * * * *
A half-hour later, Natasha sat in her bedroom at her breakfast table. Theo was across from her, fully dressed, his expression distressed.
“Nothing has to change,” she said finally. “I always knew you were something more than you pretended to be. Stay here with me.”
“I can’t sleep here in your room anymore,” Theo snapped. “Your servants will notice me, if they haven’t already. They’ll tell your father, who would be none too pleased, I’m guessing.”
“They’ll say what I tell them to say.”
Theo shook his head. “Not for something like this. You’re only seventeen, Tasha, and that’s only by a few days.”
“My sister was married at sixteen,” Tasha interrupted. “I’m not a child, Theo, so stop treating me like one.”
“You don’t know me at all,” Theo spat out, getting to his feet and pacing.
“I know you could have easily taken advantage of me in the last six months,” Tasha said softly. “You didn’t. Now I understand why you excused yourself in the morning and evenings, when I was dressing. You were being chivalrous.”
Theo gave her a look. “I’m in my late twenties, Tasha. You’re right that I’m a man as well as a cougar. But I’m not going to hurt a young girl who doesn’t know better, even if I am horny as hell.”
Tasha looked away, her face aflame, trying to get control. He’d said that to shock her. That was all. “Where will you go?”
“Home,” Theo said, his tone hopeless. “I’ve been gone a long time. Close to a year now. God, I’m not looking forward to that.”
What person wouldn’t want to go home? But that was good, as Tasha wasn’t letting Theo go. Not now. Not ever. “If you must go, let me help you, Theo. I can arrange passage for you—”
“No,” Theo said. “You’ve helped me enough already. I was planning to slip away in the night, but I’m glad you found me instead.” He came over, and knelt before her, cupping her face in his hands. Gently, he kissed her forehead. “I’m very grateful to you, Tasha. Part of me wishes I could just stay here with you. But I can’t. I’ve got to go back to the U.S.”
“Why?” Tasha asked, eyebrows drawn into a frown. “You clearly don’t want to go back. You’re afraid of what has changed since you’ve been gone.”
Theo nodded. “Yes. But I have to. Besides, I’ve come to care about you. People I care about usually get hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt, too.” He smiled briefly, his gaze meeting hers. “Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
Tasha looked deep into Theo’s blue eyes, and promptly fell in love in that magical split second.
“I have to go,” Theo said, moving towards the door. “Goodnight, Tasha.”
“No,” Tasha argued, latching onto his arm. “Change form if you feel you have to. But please stay with me.” She hugged him tightly, delighting to feel his hard muscles under the thick cloth. He was so solid...so comforting.
Theo didn’t reply.
“You haven’t spoken to anyone for so long,” Tasha continued. “Don’t you want to tell me about yourself? You listened to me for so many months. You know all my hopes, all my dreams, practically my whole life story. Tell me yours, Theo.”
“You won’t want to hear it,” Theo whispered, even as his arms slipped around her, hugging her close. “It’s ugly and awful.”
I love you. I want to know. I have to know. “Tell me, please.”
“All right.”
* * * *
The n
ext morning, Tasha woke early, and lay in bed, looking at Theo lying next to her. She pulled blankets over them, and then cuddled close, pretending that they were married, that they had just spent their wedding night together, and that today was the first day of their life together.
Nothing had happened, of course. Theo had been the perfect gentleman, making sure to sleep with all his clothes on outside the bedcovers. Tasha had hoped for a kiss, had even dared to kiss Theo on the cheek, hoping he would get the hint. But he had been wrapped up completely in his story, his eyes haunted as he relived the horrors of the past year, and before.
He had told her his past; his childhood of privilege, his brief college days as an art major; his fights with his parents, who wanted so much more for him; his fiancée Casey who he’d lost after being attacked, his acclimation to being a werecougar; and finally, his collusion with a vampire to become a sort of bodyguard.
After that, things were hard to understand. Theo had clearly been hiding something, if not several somethings. He talked of witches and demons, vampires and werefoxes. He had mentioned no names, just vague events. Only two things were completely clear to Tasha. One was Theo’s life was in danger. He had been sold into slavery by his enemies. Several people—powerful people—still wanted him dead. The second was if Theo left here, he would almost certainly be killed. He would never make it home.
Tasha had to find a way to make him stay, no matter what. But how?
She would talk to Alexey. He was her only real friend here, plus he was a man himself. He should be able to give some insight.
Leaving Theo sleeping, Tasha dressed quickly, and hurried down to the stables.
* * * *
“That is the craziest story I’ve even heard,” Alexey scolded, when Tasha finished.
“You don’t believe me?” Tasha crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing.
“I do,” Alexey said, nodding. “But only because I know you, Tasha. You would never make this up—”
“What should I do?” Tasha interrupted. “I have to stop him. He’ll leave and be killed!”
Promise Me Anthology Page 24