Shift (11 page)

She focused on these sensory images as they ran to avoid facing the reality that awaited her once she inevitably lost the shift. The knowledge that she was different had always bothered her. Now she had to deal with the fact that the reason she was different was so awful that her parents hadn’t ever told her about it.

Freak. Mutant. Aberration.

Much as she tried, she couldn’t stop the thoughts from running through her mind even as she worked to escape them. If she had been in her Estilorian form, she suspected she would be a bawling mess. So she vowed to maintain the shift as long as possible.

Domino appeared tireless, springing ahead of her with a goal of some sort. She eagerly followed, welcoming the adventure. Eventually, they entered a small clearing. Domino stopped running, prompting Sophia to do the same thing. They both had to catch their breath after such a long sprint.

As she collected herself, Sophia noticed an enticing aroma in the air. Curious, she turned in the direction of the scent and padded over to it. Domino went with her. She realized the odor was coming from a grouping of green plants that nearly reached the top of her panther head.

It smelled so good that she couldn’t fight the urge to taste it. Domino gently pulled some of the leaves from the plant and chewed them. Sophia followed suit.

Whatever properties were in the unusual plant quickly had Sophia’s mind growing hazy. Her blood sang, giving her the urge to flop on the plants and roll around…so she did. She vaguely realized she was forgetting why she was there and what had so upset her in the first place. That was when she understood that Domino had led her there on purpose.

Smart kitty
, she thought with a great deal of enthusiasm before she couldn’t think at all.

Quincy forgot all about testing the inoculation after Sophia left. The moment she sprinted away, he turned to his elder with fury slashing through him.

“Why would you tell her that?” he demanded, for the first time in his existence not caring that he sounded disrespectful.

Ini-herit looked back at him with a placid gaze. “She would have received skewed results if she had proceeded to test the serum on herself. As a scientist, I thought she would appreciate the—”

“Sophia isn’t
just
a scientist,” Quincy interrupted. His chest and throat were tight with searing anger. He couldn’t tell whether he was more upset with his elder or himself. “She has feelings, damn it. You’ve just made her think that she’s somehow less than everyone else because of her differences.”

When that provoked no reaction, Quincy cursed and stormed out of his cottage. He walked over to Sophia’s clothing and picked it up from the ground. Whenever she shifted, her form used energy to convert from Estilorian to animal. During the split-second in her shift where her form was nothing but energy, she always lost her clothing. Since he intended to go after her, he knew he’d have to bring the clothing with him.

He started in the direction of her paw prints at a jog. They passed near her home, so he reasoned out where she’d gone. Before he started down the path leading to the panthers, the door to the house opened.

“Hi, Quincy,” James said as he and Olivia emerged. He raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know why you’re holding Sophia’s clothing?”

Glancing down, Quincy realized he had Sophia’s bra and panties in one hand and the rest of her clothing in the other. Feeling his face flush, he quickly balled everything up so the undergarments were no longer visible.

Clearing his throat, he explained, “The experiment started off on rocky footing.” When James and Sophia approached and stopped a few feet away, he said, “
Archigos
Ini-herit told her about the cursed arrow.”

Olivia inhaled sharply and lost all of her color. James reached out and pulled her against his side, looking nearly as shaken.

“Oh, my God,” Olivia breathed. She looked up at her husband as her eyes filled. “James…”

“Where did she go?” James asked.

“I think she’s with the panthers.” He lifted her clothes. “I was about to go after her.”

James nodded in understanding. “Thank you, Quincy. We were about to go and meet with the elders. Zayna had difficulty reasoning with Hoygul and she’s heading back without the scroll piece. We have to figure out what to do.” He exchanged a look with Olivia. “But now…”

Quincy’s mind jumped from one concern to the next. The Scultresti elder had failed in her attempt to get the map to the library, which meant the scroll piece was still out there and potentially accessible to Eirik. He didn’t see how that was possible. Why would Hoygul defy his elder when it came to something so important? Why didn’t Zayna try to force the issue and use her power to retrieve the map?

He thought back to his own experience with the odd Scultresti male all of those years ago. If it hadn’t been for Saraqael’s quest to save the woman he loved, Hoygul never would have shared the map with them. Quincy wondered if he might have more success if he approached the Scultresti, but he doubted it.

Shaking his head, he returned to his more immediate concern. “Let me go and retrieve Sophia. I’ll talk to her about this and help her process it.”

James frowned. “I’ll come with you. She must be upset with us for keeping this from her. She has a right to feel that way.”

Tears trailed down Olivia’s cheeks. She didn’t comment, but her grip on James’ hand was tight enough to turn her knuckles white. When she jumped a little and rubbed her belly with her free hand, Quincy gave her a questioning look.

“I think it would be best if you stayed with Olivia,” he told James. “The baby is very close to arriving. I’d feel better if I knew you were with her in case she goes into labor.”

Clearly torn, James looked at Olivia. “I don’t—”

“I promise, I’ll bring her back as soon as possible,” Quincy interrupted. The need to go after Sophia tugged at him. “Let her get her anger out with me rather than you. Go and find out what the plan is regarding the scroll piece, and once you’re done, Sophia will be back and you can talk to her about everything.”

The couple exchanged looks and thoughts. Eventually, James reluctantly nodded. “Okay, Quincy,” he said, catching his gaze. “Please let her know…”

Even without the words, Quincy understood. “I will.”

Before they could change their minds, he turned and hurried in the direction of the section of forest where the panthers dwelled. He knew Sophia very well. She had likely gone straight to Domino.

The panthers lived in a rather vast part of the protected forest near Sophia’s family home. Over the years, with a few of the panthers having prowled the plane only to return with mates, the cat population had grown to nearly thirty. It was easy enough for Quincy to make his way to Domino’s den.

The cat’s sister, Cleo, slept there still. Quincy used a wise amount of caution when approaching the female. Although the panthers were all tame by their standards, an animal was an animal. No sense risking a claw swipe or bite.

“Cleo,” Quincy said. He had to repeat her name several times before she opened her eyes and yawned. Her wide mouth revealed sharp, yellow teeth. “I need you to take me to Domino and Sophia.”

The panthers born of the bloodline leading back to Olivia’s panther friend, Aurora, and her mate, Titan, all possessed a heightened level of intelligence. He knew Cleo, as one of their grand-cubs, understood him.

“Please. It’s very important,” he said, allowing his concern to filter through his tone. “Sophia’s upset and I need to speak with her.”

Cleo rose and stretched, then scented the air and the ground. Within a minute, they were off and running.

Quincy wished he could fly to Sophia. The thick trees wouldn’t allow for an extension of wings, but even more importantly, the heavy enchantments in place around the homeland—necessary to contain the unpredictable powers of the Kynzesti—also prevented it. So he kept up with Cleo as best he could, ignoring the burning of his lungs and the sheen of perspiration that formed as they progressed.

The sun was low in the sky before they reached a small clearing. He heard the sound of movement before he saw them. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath and center himself, Quincy wondered what to say. He knew Sophia would be furious and upset.

Finally, he decided he would say whatever he thought would help get her through this. If she decided to lash out at him, well, it wouldn’t be the first time. He could handle it.

Cleo hurried straight into the clearing, so Quincy now followed her. When he got within sight of the three cats, he blinked in confusion. They were all rolling around among a clump of rather matted-looking plants. Sophia was stretched almost her full length on a bed of the crushed greenery.

“Sophia?”

She rolled slumberously and looked up at him. Her deep blue-green eyes stood out against her blonde fur, making his breath catch. Even in this form she was spectacular.

Then she started to rise. Her sleek grace and controlled power was apparent in every movement. Much to his surprise, however, she didn’t just rise up on all four paws. Instead, she dissolved the shift.

He felt his jaw slacken. His pulse thundered in his ears. With the last rays of golden sunlight dappling her naked skin, she looked every bit like a goddess from human mythology.

“Hello, Quincy,” she said. “I wondered if you’d come.”

“Sophia.”

That was all Quincy managed. He couldn’t command his limbs to move. His eyes were so focused on her in all of her magnificence that he hadn’t blinked in over a minute. When she approached, he had the insane urge to run. This was way too much temptation for him.

And it was so far outside of Sophia’s usual behavior that he thought she must be possessed.

“You’ll have to forgive me, Quincy,” she said as she reached for her panties. They practically fell out of his loosened grip and he had to adjust his hold on the rest of her clothes. “I believe whatever plant that Domino introduced me to affects cats in an unusual way. It’s lingering even after my shift.”

Her words finally eased him from the spell she had cast. Deliberately not focusing on her body as she began to dress herself, he looked into her eyes. They were glassy. Her cheeks were flushed. She had to hold onto his arm as she put her panties on, telling him her balance was at least somewhat compromised. Then she giggled, the sound definitely unnatural for her.

“You’re drugged,” he said in disbelief.

“I am?” she asked, her face transforming into a smile. “How lovely.”

He looked more closely at the plants. “That’s
nepeta cataria
—catnip. It affects some cats like a drug might affect a human.”

She took her bra from him with a sound of acknowledgement, apparently unconcerned over her condition. He started to say something else, but realized she had brought the fastening of her bra to the front and was trying to get the hooks to catch. Her movements were deliberate and focused. And unsuccessful.

Cursing, she handed the bra to him. “Help me with this, would you?”

He must be dreaming. He
had
to be dreaming.

“Sophia…”

She rolled her eyes. “Just hook it for me, Quincy. Surely you can manage that, even if it requires you touching someone as freakish as me.”

Now he frowned, his temper rising. If for no other reason than to get her covered so his blood could cool off, he tossed her other clothes onto a log, grasped her arms and began putting the bra on her, praying he was doing it right.

“Stop calling yourself a freak,” he said.

“Why?” she retorted, though her tone was calm in contrast to his irritation. “You obviously think of me as one. You haven’t been able to look at me for longer than a few seconds at a time since I turned thirteen and assumed this form. And I heard you tell Tate I wasn’t pretty.”

She turned her back to him and moved her long hair over her shoulder so he could clasp her bra in the back. The deep blue-green crescents running along her shoulder blades marked where her wings would emerge whenever she wanted to extend them. Like the rest of her class, she also bore a symbol on the back of her neck marking her as a Kynzesti: a deep blue-green sun with gold, light green, light blue, dark blue and blue-gray flames…a blending of their bonded parentage.

When his fingers brushed against the soft skin of her back as he fumbled with the clasp, they both reacted. He clenched his jaw against the desire to touch her more. She shivered.

He finally got the bra hooked. Rather than let her turn around, however, he moved closer to her, pressing himself against her back. He heard her breath catch. Settling his hands on her shoulders, he bent down so his mouth all but brushed against her ear.

“As I tried to explain when you visited me in my cottage,” he said softly, “you couldn’t be more wrong. I don’t look at you for too long because I’d never be able to hide how powerfully you affect me.” Now, he did allow his lips to brush against the sensitive skin of her ear. Her breath quickened. He allowed his hands to glide down the smooth length of her arms. “I told Tate that you’re not pretty. You’re
spectacular
. Sophia, since the moment I first saw you in your fully mature form, I’ve had to restraint myself from touching you like this. Every moment you’re near me is blissful torture.”

She turned. He lowered his hands, but held her gaze.

“You’re not a freak,” he said when she just continued to stand there staring at him in the indigo twilight. “You’re a wonder. More special than any other Estilorian. Your abilities are unique and amazing, and something to be proud—”

She interrupted him by reaching up with both hands, grabbing him by the back of the neck and bringing his lips to hers.

Just as the effects of the catnip eased, Quincy’s addictive touch and potent words had their own impact on Sophia’s senses. The feel of his warm body pressed against her half-naked back had been beyond description. Combining that with his lips against her ear, whispering such incredible words in his musical accent, had nearly made her knees buckle. She began to think she was more heavily drugged than she thought, and he was merely a hallucination speaking words she had long dreamed to hear.