Fourteen.

Colt took a deep breath, and looked into Felix's eyes, he was crouched in front of her, his forearms folded over her legs, as he awaited her response. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to unload. But, the truth was she didn't know where to start.

She smiled awkwardly, briefly contemplating going for a walk, maybe the fresh air would help her open up. Then again, she realised there was no guarantee their privacy would be respected. Those bloody tom cats were everywhere.

She rubbed her face, as her mouth opened and closed, waiting for the right words to strike and begin the conversation. But, there weren't any *right* words, so Colt had to opt for blunt honesty instead, unsure if it would be enough to explain herself.

"I didn't want Elijah to find out where I am," she began quietly, looking at her hands. "Also, I always wanted to come here, but Mom was always so cagey about us all travelling here," she shrugged, "I guess at the time the little white lie, sort of seemed to kill two birds with one stone. Until it grew some arms and legs and got away from me." She rubbed her arms for comfort. "How did, you find out?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"As much as I would love to say, I could follow you anywhere, that would be a lie. Maeve, called me." Felix answered her. "Said you needed help. Gave me my flight number, and told me, and this is a direct quote by the way, 'to have my feckin' arse on that plane, if I ever cared about you,'" Felix responded, in an awful impersonation of Maeve's Irish accent. "So, here I am. But, your Mom is going to murder you, when she finds out about this. You know that right?"

"Don't remind me," Colt groaned, leaning back into the cushions behind her. "But, how did Maeve know I needed help... No, never mind," she answered her own question internally.

Colt should know better than to question the mystical powers of her shaman friend. The woman was a prehistoric water shifter, who introduced Colt to so many amazing places and realisations, while they trained together. Colt would have died, during her first shift if it hadn't been for Maeve. Of course the shaman would be aware of Colt's need for back up.

Colt made a mental note, to add Maeve to the growing list of people she had to check in with.

"So, Kitten," Felix continued his questioning, "What is with the multiple men wanting to impregnate you then?" He asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"Oh, that? You'll get a kick out of this," she answered at her own expense, "Apparently, I am up for wooing as an unmarried female wildcat. We seem to be very rare, and are often sold to suitors by our families. Probably why, Mom didn't want me to come here."

Felix tensed. "That is fucked up on more levels than I can count. Wait, that bastard this morning..."

But, Colt interrupted him with, "Oh, that's Angus, he is a delight isn't he. Yes, my grandparents sold me, to his family. Except, I unknowing of the consequences, may have disowned them publicly. Which I am happy about really, except..." Colt drifted off, unbelieving of how she could actually put it all into words, with just how messed up everything was becoming.

"Except what?" Felix asked, his mind going a mile a minute as he tried to process, and find a solution to all he was being told, as he was being told it.

"Except, when I did that, it seems I basically put my ovaries on a much larger market. So, I now have upwards of around sixty men who want my babies, and are willing to shower me in unwanted, and unreturnable gifts, like the washer and drier that currently laundering your clothes, or the architectural plans, to build state of the art stables for Solaris, to gain my affection, plus the more traditional jewellery, alcohol and flowers, of course," Colt ranted. "Oh, and my Grandparents are still insisting I have to marry Angus," she added with an eye roll.

"But, they know you are mated right?" He asked, presuming it would be the most obvious solution. "Your mark is, kind of hard to miss. Especially with that tat over the top."

"They do, and they don't care." She nodded, before shaking her head. "Apparently, as I am still legally single, that's all that counts."

"How big an issue is this?" Felix asked genuinely. "A few persistent men, or even sixty of them, don't seem like something you can't handle, Colt. What else is bothering you?"

Colt sighed, and looked at her friend, he really could read her like a book.

"I almost considered calling Elijah for help," she said, then dropped her head into her hands.

Felix moved back to sit beside her, sensing her need for comfort, then he began rubbing Colt's back soothingly.

"Obviously, I rejected that idea as soon as it appeared," she stated, leaning into him. "The men aren't even the issue, if I'm honest," Colt confessed, "I am. I'm so angry, Felix, all the damn time. I don't feel like I'm myself anymore. Since I left Elijah, the pain has lessened, but it's like it's been replaced with this boiling rage, I can't control. My switch flips and I can't turn it back," she complained, tears flowing freely down her face now. "I would have murdered him this morning, if it weren't for you. I seen him raising his fist, and I know you can more than handle him, but I became so protective and so enraged, I wanted him to die, Felix. I wanted to feel the life, seeping out of his body, and watch as the light drained from his eyes," Colt shuddered. "This isn't who I am."

Felix squeezed her tighter, trying not to laugh, despite Colt's emotional outpouring. She was upset, and he didn't want to make it worse. But, all the same it was funny, the way she was missing the bigger picture.

"Oh, Kitten, what will I do with you?" He spoke almost jovially, his patronising tone shining through.

"What?" Colt asked, a little hurt and pulling away from his embrace, she clearly wasn't understanding what Felix found so amusing.

"Shall I give you the missing piece of the puzzle?" Felix teased her.

Colt growled loudly in response, slapping her hand across her mouth straight afterwards.

Felix laughed at his startled friend, who had just proved the point he was about to make.

"Okay, okay. When does a shifter first normally shift?" Felix asked her.

"As a young child," Colt answered, sounding a bit lost, at what this had to do with anything.

"Right, and they get used to their abilities, and learn control early on. But, what happens during puberty?" He continued his biology lesson.

Colt frowned, but humoured Felix anyway, "They lose some of their self control, like most teenagers, regardless of species. Only in shifters it leads to sporadic shifts, and emotional outbursts of aggression, that kind of thing. But, I'm not pubescent, Felix."

"No, but you are in an extremely emotional place, have a damaged mate bond, and are a new shifter to boot. You haven't learned control yet, Colt. Cut yourself some slack. Fuck it! Even I struggled not to rip that Bastard's head off. If I didn't have to hold you back, he would have been lion chow," he responded, laughing.

Colt sniffled, thinking about what Felix said. It made sense, a lot of sense. But, didn't change the fact that she didn't like it. Colt prided herself on her self control, and her attitude to only use violence as a last resort. But, the silver lining here, was that she could learn control again, and she always did like a challenge

"Thanks, Pussy Cat," she smiled at him, "You have just taken the weight of at least one thing, off of my shoulders."

"I aim to please," Felix responded, glad to see a bit more light shining in her eyes "Though, and I hate to bring it up, but, you really should call your folks."

"But, I really don't want to have that conversation," she grumbled back, folding her arms like a petulant teenager.

"Colt, you need to tell your Mom where you are," Felix reprimanded sternly.

"But, she will kill me, Felix, and I quite like life," Colt joked, before standing up and stretching out her back.

Her stomach was starting to get annoyed at her for leaving it empty for so long, the grumbling sound it was deciding to make, made her realise in all the commotion she hadn't eaten yet, so, she began to make her way to the kitchen.

Felix watched her lazily, before challenging with, "She is going to find out soon anyway. Especially now I'm here."

Sighing Colt paused on her journey, "How do you work that out then Pussy Cat?" She questioned, putting her hand on her hip.

Felix smirked when Colt took the bait, "Well, when she realises I'm gone, she will want to know why. Isla will ask Rebecca, who knows I'm here. By the way, she also wants to murder you for lying. Anyway, Becs, will tell her..." He shrugged, as though that was the matter dropped, and he had proven his point.

"Wait a minute, why do you think my Mom will care where you are?" Colt questioned, continuing on her way through to the kitchen.

"PLEASE, your Mom loves me. I'm like the son she never had," he called out after her.

"Felix, I have five brothers," Colt called back, shaking her head at him, while putting bread into the toaster.

"And?" He asked, swinging his head around the door frame before his body followed him inside, "What's your point?" He winked.

"While I concede, my Mom, does tend to take in waifes and strays for mothering," Colt began with a sigh, "Lets not kid ourselves, Pussy Cat, that any male will come above *her boys,*" Colt bluntly replied, before taking a bite of her now buttered toast.

"I didn't say that," Felix interjected, "I'm merely stating, that I am also one of her *boys*." Felix argued his case, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You are adorably deluded, Pussy Cat." Colt stated, cleaning up her mess carefully, mindful of leaving Felix his own dishes.

She had learned a long while ago, that Felix was a typical lion male, clean up after him once, and he would expect it to be done forever.

Felix shrugged at Colt's rebuttal though, just as a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Hey, maybe if we make it official, that would solve another of your problems," he suggested.

"What on earth do you mean?" Colt asked, as she put the butter away into the fridge, while balancing her slice of toast between her teeth.

However, when she closed the fridge door, that slice of toast toppled from her mouth. It spun in the air as it danced its way to the ground, leaving buttery smears where it hit Colt on the breast, and then leg, during it's descent. Landing with an echoing *thwap* sound, in a typically buttered side down pose on the floor. All because Colt's mouth was hanging open, as she stared in shock at Felix, down on one knee in front of her.

"Kitten, will you marry me?" He smiled.

*Author's Note: Well, who seen that one coming? Not going to lie, Felix's stunt shocked even me here! What do you think Colt will do/say? B x. P.S. Did you like the chapter?