Chapter Sixty-One--The Line Has Been Drawn

Chapter Sixty-One--The Line Has Been Drawn
“Listen to her, Katrina.” Kalvyn stalked a circle around me, nostrils flaring, missing nothing. “She will not lead you astray.”

Carmen, Quinn and Syber congregated around the trees at the edge of meadow they’d led me to every day for over a week. To “practice” finding the inner cat.

Oh, I had no problem finding my cat. I just couldn’t shift, no matter how often she told me I could.

Kalvyn’s lips brush my ear, and I shivered. “Close your eyes. I’ve seen what you can do, and I have no doubt that if you allow her free reign over you, without hesitation or reservation, she will emerge.”

I swallowed. Yeah, I’m getting used to sharing my body with another being. However, I’m a control freak. Too much of my life was spent under the influence of others. I closed my eyes.

“I will try.” Again.

He gathered my dyed multi shaded hair at the back of my neck, massaging me in slow, deep strokes. “Breath slowly, and sink into yourself. Forget your predisposed limitations. You are completely free now, nothing can stop you, not if you want it enough.”

His voice hypnotized me, and he used that advantage at every angle. His hands slid down my arms, rubbing my developing biceps, skipping to my sides, where I’d lost at least three inches from the constant moving this new life demanded. Standing still just isn’t in a cat’s nature unless they’re sleeping.

My cat crawled through my awareness, confident in herself, in me. The outline of a green eyed jaguar looked at me from the backs of my eyelids.

Almost, Katrina.

Go for it. We can do this.

“Hey, what are you doing all the way out here!”

I startled, and stumbled back into Kalvyn. Naked Roman and Dorian all stomped into the clearing. Hanging out around here, you got used to a lot of naked people. I just wasn’t allowed to look below the belt—Kalvyn’s rule—not that I wanted to anyway. One thing’s for sure, being “hung” and built must also be a male cat requirement.

Roman elbowed Quinn. “It’s your and Carmen’s turn to run the perimeter.”

“You had to point that out right now?” Kalvyn snarled.

He flinched, frowned at me. “My apologies, Alpha.”

Kalvyn sighed. “That’s enough for today Katrina. We will try again tomorrow.”

And fail. I always did. I became distracted by too many things. Carmen sauntered forward and patted my back. “You’ll get it yet. Just stay patient.”

She bolted into the wood, dropping clothes as she went, Quinn trailing every step. Farther off, the crunch of bone signified they’d shifted with ease.

At least they were kind enough to do it when I wasn’t watching.



Summer bled into early fall. Greens melted into yellows and golds. Soon brown would dominate the trees around the cabin. The temperature dropped much earlier, the sun shining for the mountain tops by early evening.

Despite the happy chatter around, my stomach churned. The shadows of the trees stretched over the patio on either side of me. Grandma’s warnings came to me, echoing in my mind.

She’s once told me I was prophetic, particularly sensitive to tragedy. Who cared if I got sick right before something bad happened, so reliably, you could set your calamity watch to my stomach. Didn’t mean anything, but I’d humored her.

I turned the turkey burgers and spicy Italian sausage. I’d had to battle the men for the right to grill, but hey, I’m Alpha. Suck it up, boys. So what if I was equal to Kalvyn. I had something his gaze begged me for all day, which involved much naked time between the sheets, over the couch, in the shower, in his truck or mine.

Syber slid beside me, leaning against the railing “Something wrong?”

I shook myself. The noise of people came back. My hand clenched around the tongs, knuckles white. I’d intently stared into the forest, without seeing what was in front of me. Bile rose, burning my throat, the back of my tongue.

“I don’t know.”

Conversations died off again. I dropped the tongs. They clattered to the patio. I walked down the steps onto the grass.

“Kat, where you going?” Lola called.

I waved her off. “Syber, take her in the house right now. Keep her there.”

Feet trampled in every direction.

“Katrina?” Kalvyn ghosted my progress as I picked up the pace, practically running.

“Fuck!” I cried. Horrible images came to me. My mother, Gruff Man. A barrel of a… I screamed. “Carmen!”

I ran full out through the trees, darting in between them as my cat snarled and yipped.

“What’s going on?” Dorian cried as the gunfire splintered the mountain atmosphere. “How did she know?”

Kalvyn said something I didn’t catch. I’d gotten far ahead of them, cutting hard left, then right at moments I hadn’t expected. I followed a thread that tugged my heart, connecting straight to…

Quinn stumbled in the distance. I raced to him. He’s been shot in the leg, stomach, shoulder, and jugular. He’d lost blood fast. I caught him as he blacked in and out. Together, we tumbled to the ground.

“They…” he hissed.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry. But don’t worry, we’ll fix it,” I babbled. “We will get her back.”

Kalvyn halted above us. “Report.”

I stared up at Kalvyn with tears in my eyes. “My mom has Carmen.”

“What?” He thundered.

Quinn passed out from blood loss. The hunters had found us.