this,” I said. “I won’t be able to
control myself. I don’t know what you would become.”
I don’t care. If it means
that I can be with you. I am willing to do anything.
I sat up and stared at the floor. “You
might become a murderer. That’s what I am. You don’t know what
you’re asking.” I put up my wall.
“I’ve seen it. I do know,” she said,
pouting.
“Let’s not talk about this right now,”
I said. “We have some important stuff to get cleared up. We should
work on ways to keep others from hearing your thoughts. It will be
useful for you to be able to read others but I don’t think you want
it the other way around unless you’ve shifted.” I smiled, trying to
look playful.
She nodded.
That gave us a task for the night, and
we pursued it until she could do it at will. She liked to read my
mind. I showed her how I projected my thoughts to control my prey.
That helped.
Later as we lay beside each other she
buried her face into my chest and inhaled deeply. She told me she
loved my smell. I showed her how she used to smell to me, and how
that had changed. Her new scent didn’t trigger the same hunger in
me. I wasn’t as tempted to feed on her now that she’d found her
shift.
You know who you look
like? she asked me wordlessly.
Who? I asked.
Kurt Cobain.
I chuckled. Well, I can’t sing like him.
She stared into my eyes, and I saw my
world there. She kissed me. Her hands started to wander, making it
clear that she wanted more than a kiss. I slowly pushed her hands
away.
It will never be enough for
you, will it? This is all that we can have together, I told her.
I know. But I’ll never stop
trying.
**********
I awoke in early afternoon, but left
Ash sleeping. I slipped out the door and away from the trailer. As
I neared the woods I pulled out my cell phone and called the store.
Jessica answered.
“Jessica? What are you still doing
there?” I asked.
“You know how I am. I was waiting for
you guys to come back.” she said.
“Why didn’t you leave after Jason got
back?” I asked.
After an odd moment of silence, she
replied: “Jason didn’t come back last night, Verloren.”
I thought of how Jason had left, and
figured he must have gone on his own hunting trip, but instead of
saying that, I made up a different story. “Hmm. He must have
stopped off at a friend’s. He took the car. I stayed here to work
with Ash on her shifting. There were some minor issues that needed
attention.”
I could hear Jessica draw a breath.
“She shifted?”
Again I felt reluctant to tell her
anything. I still had this urge to protect Ash. I should have
listened to it.
“In the end it was essential that she
do it outside,” I said. “She would have destroyed the
shop.”
“Destroyed it?” she asked.
“She’s a dragon,” I said.
Silence. “I can’t believe it,” she
whispered. “I feared it, but I didn’t really think it would happen.
Verloren…you need to get to the store ASAP. Don’t tell another
person what we have just talked about.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“We can’t talk about it on the phone
just…have her pack some things and get over here. We’ll talk about
it when you get here. Hurry.” I heard the click. She’d hung
up.
The only thing that would scare Jessica
that badly was the Quatre. The thought of them made me shiver, then
I saw flashes of light. I saw the world fading as I fell. The next
thing I knew I was waking up on the ground. The sun had moved. I
looked at the clock on my cell phone. I’d been out for a half
hour.
I made sure my thoughts were
well-hidden when I went to wake Ash. I didn’t want to upset her.
Though I couldn’t be sure why Jessica was so worried, her voice had
badly shaken me.
I entered the trailer. Ash lay on the
couch with her eyes open. She smiled at me.
“I thought you might have left me,” she
said as she got up from the couch and wrapped her arms around me.
My heartbeat echoed in my head.
As she
control myself. I don’t know what you would become.”
I don’t care. If it means
that I can be with you. I am willing to do anything.
I sat up and stared at the floor. “You
might become a murderer. That’s what I am. You don’t know what
you’re asking.” I put up my wall.
“I’ve seen it. I do know,” she said,
pouting.
“Let’s not talk about this right now,”
I said. “We have some important stuff to get cleared up. We should
work on ways to keep others from hearing your thoughts. It will be
useful for you to be able to read others but I don’t think you want
it the other way around unless you’ve shifted.” I smiled, trying to
look playful.
She nodded.
That gave us a task for the night, and
we pursued it until she could do it at will. She liked to read my
mind. I showed her how I projected my thoughts to control my prey.
That helped.
Later as we lay beside each other she
buried her face into my chest and inhaled deeply. She told me she
loved my smell. I showed her how she used to smell to me, and how
that had changed. Her new scent didn’t trigger the same hunger in
me. I wasn’t as tempted to feed on her now that she’d found her
shift.
You know who you look
like? she asked me wordlessly.
Who? I asked.
Kurt Cobain.
I chuckled. Well, I can’t sing like him.
She stared into my eyes, and I saw my
world there. She kissed me. Her hands started to wander, making it
clear that she wanted more than a kiss. I slowly pushed her hands
away.
It will never be enough for
you, will it? This is all that we can have together, I told her.
I know. But I’ll never stop
trying.
**********
I awoke in early afternoon, but left
Ash sleeping. I slipped out the door and away from the trailer. As
I neared the woods I pulled out my cell phone and called the store.
Jessica answered.
“Jessica? What are you still doing
there?” I asked.
“You know how I am. I was waiting for
you guys to come back.” she said.
“Why didn’t you leave after Jason got
back?” I asked.
After an odd moment of silence, she
replied: “Jason didn’t come back last night, Verloren.”
I thought of how Jason had left, and
figured he must have gone on his own hunting trip, but instead of
saying that, I made up a different story. “Hmm. He must have
stopped off at a friend’s. He took the car. I stayed here to work
with Ash on her shifting. There were some minor issues that needed
attention.”
I could hear Jessica draw a breath.
“She shifted?”
Again I felt reluctant to tell her
anything. I still had this urge to protect Ash. I should have
listened to it.
“In the end it was essential that she
do it outside,” I said. “She would have destroyed the
shop.”
“Destroyed it?” she asked.
“She’s a dragon,” I said.
Silence. “I can’t believe it,” she
whispered. “I feared it, but I didn’t really think it would happen.
Verloren…you need to get to the store ASAP. Don’t tell another
person what we have just talked about.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“We can’t talk about it on the phone
just…have her pack some things and get over here. We’ll talk about
it when you get here. Hurry.” I heard the click. She’d hung
up.
The only thing that would scare Jessica
that badly was the Quatre. The thought of them made me shiver, then
I saw flashes of light. I saw the world fading as I fell. The next
thing I knew I was waking up on the ground. The sun had moved. I
looked at the clock on my cell phone. I’d been out for a half
hour.
I made sure my thoughts were
well-hidden when I went to wake Ash. I didn’t want to upset her.
Though I couldn’t be sure why Jessica was so worried, her voice had
badly shaken me.
I entered the trailer. Ash lay on the
couch with her eyes open. She smiled at me.
“I thought you might have left me,” she
said as she got up from the couch and wrapped her arms around me.
My heartbeat echoed in my head.
As she
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