Chapter 6

Kelsey lay there looking at the ceiling. She’d been awake for a while now, a bit confused about where she was. It had been a long time since she’d opened her eyes to find herself in this room. It was a good feeling until she’d remembered the night before. It was an odd moment to think, oh yeah, I’m a big cat.

Sitting up, she looked down at her legs, still in her jeans, wondering if she’d notice anything different after learning what she was. Shaking her head, she got up and went over to the window. It was so nice to see the trees with no towering buildings blocking the green space. This is home.

Sighing, she turned to get changed and ready to face Gage, which had a totally different meaning than it had before last night. As much as she tried to accept what he’d told her, she still needed to know more. So many things he said last night were flagged for further discussion. So many questions after finding out something she should have known her entire life, she sure as hell was going to get the answers today.

When she stepped into the kitchen, Gage was at the table looking through a folder. He looked up at her, his dark eyes appraising every inch of her.

“Hey, honey. Did you get some rest?”

She poured herself a cup of coffee and added a touch of sugar before turning to face him. “I actually slept like a rock. I don’t think I moved at all.”

He closed the folder and sat back. “That’s not surprising, last night took its toll.”

Sitting down, she traced the handle on the cup. “I have questions.”

“I’ll answer what I can, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does.”

His tone was soft and gentle, as if he was afraid of upsetting her again. Sipping the coffee, she looked over the rim of her cup. The only serious conversations she had planned to have with him was whether he thought of her as a sister, now, that was the furthest thing from her mind as she held his concerned gaze. Lowering the cup, she smiled a weak and helpless smile. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Nodding, he leaned forward on his elbows and clasped his large hands together on the table. “Pick one and we’ll go from there.”

“Okay.” She took a quick breath. “You said I was close to the change. What exactly does that mean? How do you know I am? And why now?” She realized her one question bled into three, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Other shifters, especially from the same clan can sense, or smell it.”

“I smell?” She cringed.

He grinned. “Not a bad odor smell. This is just a particular scent.” He sat back and cupped his hands behind his head. “It’s a scent that will only be noticed by your family.”

“So, normal people wouldn’t be able to smell me?”

He shook his head and dropped his hands back to the table. “No, honey, to them you don’t have a scent.”

“Okay.” Turning the cup in a circle, she tried to stay calm enough to continue. “What’s happening to me?”

“Your body is going through the natural changes…” He rolled his eyes when she glared at him. “Natural for us. Women go through it later than the males.” He shrugged. “Ages vary. I’m thinking you’re a little later than most, because you were away and not around other shifters.” He pushed the folder to the middle of the table and clasped his hands again. “You’re not going to suddenly turn into a large feline on a moment’s notice if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I don’t know what to expect.”

“Most of the changes at first are going to be on a…” He let out a slow breath. “I really don’t know quite how to explain it all. It’s different for males, we just feel the change and want to shift, everything else falls into place after that.”

“And for women?” She watched him bite at the side of his lip as he thought about it. “I’m not going to like it am I?”

He gave her a hesitant look. “You’ve heard the expression ‘a cat in heat’ right?”

Kelsey’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Blinking, she closed her mouth as a shudder went through her body. “I’m going to…” Shoving the hair back from her face, she looked everywhere around the room but right at him.

“Kelsey.” Her eyes flicked to him at the tone he used. “It’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking I’m going to be like a cat in heat, acting all needy and slutty.”

His lips quirked, but he didn’t smile. Points for him there. “You won’t be slutty. This is natural with our kind and nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not something you can stop or turn off.”

“Wonderful,” she muttered. Her mind was going faster with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. “So, when you said I was close to the change, that’s what you meant?”

“Among other things, yes. The chances of you changing are high too, so your body is going to start wanting that.”

Rubbing a hand over her face, she looked down at the coffee in her cup. “I need some time with that information before I can take in anymore.” Her heart jerked in her chest. “Is there anything I need to know about it? Like need to know?”

Gage picked up his cup and took a drink. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed it. When he set the cup down, he looked uncomfortable. “Males can sense it.”

“Sense it?” She jerked in her chair. “You mean they can smell I’m coming into…” She grimaced. “…into heat or whatever it’s called?” Shaking her head, she looked at him. “So, they know that I’m going to want to…” She couldn’t even say it out loud to him.

He nodded but didn’t offer anything further.

“Jake, Blair, they all know…” She couldn’t even say it.

“Yeah.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “Kel, we’re used to it. None of us are kids; this is something that’s normal for us.”

Fanning her face with her hand, she knew her cheeks would be bright red. “Well, it’s not normal for me.” She covered her face with both hands and leaned on the table. “God, can I just hide in my room until it goes away?” Jerking upright again, she sent him a panicked look. “It does go away, doesn’t it?”

He grinned. “Yes. The first time is going to be the worst, and then it will only be a few times a year. It varies, maybe lasts a week at a time.”

“Oh good.” She felt her face flush again. “I’ve never really been into…” She waved her hand around. “Stuff like that.”

Gage looked down at his hands and seemed to be studying them instead of looking at her. “Everyone is different.”

Unable to sit a second longer, she paced over to the window and looked out into the yard. “Is it still okay if I come to the shop? I mean, I was going to hang out there for a bit until I find my groove here again.”

“You’re always welcome there, honey, that will never change.”

“Okay.” She nodded and took a deep breath. “I think that’s enough talk about that part for now.” Turning, she leaned back against the counter and gripped it lightly to keep her steady. Her knees were a little shaky. “Can I ask about Noah?”

Gage gave her a puzzled look. “What about Noah?”

“Gary said they’d finally persuaded him to shift. Why did they have to persuade him? Does it have something to do with him needing to come here to heal?”

Blowing out a breath, he got up and picked up his cup. With slow steps, he came over to the sink and placed the cup in it. “You don’t forget a word anyone says, do you?”

She smirked and shook her head. “I didn’t hear a thing at the time, but it all came back to me in pieces this morning.”

“There’s so much I want to tell you, but it’s like trying to teach you an entirely different language in a day.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and looked down at her. “There’s an organization, a criminal one, that seems to have a penchant for keeping shifters from any clan, in servitude.”

Her heart thudded heavy in her chest as she waited for him to finish.

“Noah was forced to stay there for fifteen years. We don’t know the full extent of what he went through, but we do know he wasn’t allowed to shift…”

“Wouldn’t that be hard to do? I mean, if it’s a natural thing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, and just how he managed it, I’m not even sure. We can control it, but there are times you just have to shift, or it becomes painful.”

“So, he shifted last night and then freaked out.”

“Pretty much.”

Inhaling deeply, she looked up at him. His eyes were filled with pain and compassion. “I’m glad he’s here now.” Reaching out, she placed a hand on his chest near his heart. “You’ll help him get through it.” She left her hand there, feeling calm that she hadn’t experienced in a long time from touching him. It was, she realized, the first time she’d ever just touched him for no reason. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but in the chaotic emotions swirling through her, she’d take it for now.

Gage closed one of his hands over hers and smiled down at her. “You amaze me,” he said in a whisper. “The way you’re handling all of this.” He squeezed her hand. “Thank you for what you did last night for Noah.”

“I think, in hindsight, I probably should have run the other way.”

He grinned. “But you didn’t.” Stopping, his look changed. Releasing her hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I better take this.” He answered it with a deep tone and then held it against his chest and looked at her. “Make sure you eat. That’s a necessity now: regular food intake.”

She nodded.

“Come to the shop whenever you’re ready.”

With that he turned, scooped up the folder and went out the door. Staring at the door for several minutes, she shook her head and turned around to look out the window. “Well, as homecomings go, this one had been quite special.”

As she made eggs, she realized there were still so many questions she didn’t have answers for. Then again, if the answers were anything like turning into a needy wanton cat woman, she wasn’t sure if she wanted the answers at all. There was just so much information; she couldn’t process it all at once.

She wasn’t just a regular girl. She was a shifter, a tiger. It was just too much to take in. What was she supposed to do now? In any other crisis moment, she had always called Beth, but knowing that she had kept all of this from her, it just didn’t feel right. She needed some time to deal with that, too. The people she held in the highest regard in her world had done everything possible to make her live a lie for her entire life. Her parents, Gage’s parents even Cooper. Cooper who had been like her favorite uncle since as far back as she could remember. He’d been the one to come to her and tell her when her parents had been killed. He’d been the one that held her while she fell apart, and he’d been the one that had brought her here.

The only one who cared enough to end the lie was Gage, and he’d only done it because apparently things were happening now, and he didn’t have a choice. She sighed as she finished the last bite. She couldn’t be mad at him, though. If it weren’t for him, she’d still think she was losing her mind.

Placing the plate in the sink, she turned back and looked at the door. She needed to do something to take her mind off all of this. It wasn’t going to go away, but that didn’t mean she had to sit here and mope all day. The idea of the guys at the shop being able to smell that she was going through some sort of animal thing made her cheeks flush, but it was also something she wasn’t going to be able to avoid…according to Gage.

Maybe it made her a coward, she didn’t care at this point. The guys were all giving each other strange looks every time she walked past them. When Cooper suggested she give herself a quick refresher on some of the bigger equipment, she practically ran outside, anything to stay out of smelling distance, or whatever it was referred to.

After the first few minutes in the knuckle boom loader she was happy to be alone with no one watching. She was more than a little rusty maneuvering it. She’d almost tipped over when she’d forgotten to put the stabilizer legs down. The guys never would have let her forget that, ever.

Glancing up from the joystick, she saw Noah walking in her direction. Turning the engine off, she opened the door and looked down at him. “Hey.” The hesitant look on his face made her heart ache for him. “Come on up, I’ll give you a crash course.”

His amber eyes lit up with surprise, as he nodded and climbed into the cab. He hunched in the door until she moved over to perch on the box in the corner of the cab.

“Sit.” She grinned. “It might be a real crash course. I’m a little out of practice.”

Noah angled his large body until he was in the seat but turned enough to look at her. “You still know more than I do. All I have done since I got here is fetch tools and hold things. I feel like a nurse in an operating room.”

She laughed. “There’s an image.”

He smiled, it was tense and a little awkward, but it was a start.

“I’m a bit embarrassed about last night.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you for what you did. It couldn’t have been easy to do.” He gave her an anxious look. “I think it was your fear that snapped me out of it.” He shrugged. “It was worse than my own.”

Rolling her eyes, she turned so she could see him better. “Hey, I’m always happy to be scared witless to help someone out.” She studied his eyes for a few seconds. “Gage told me a bit of what caused it.” She touched his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here now. I think it will help.”

He looked at her hand on his shoulder, then back to her face. “I hope it does.” His chest rose with a deep breath. “I’ve done a lot of things I regret, but maybe I can still find a bit of peace.”

Lifting her hand away from him, she clasped it with her other one in her lap.

“So, are you really out here to practice or are the guys getting on your nerves?” he asked quietly, as if he was afraid of crossing lines with her.

She grinned. “I couldn’t handle the looks they were giving each other behind my back. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Ah.” He sighed. “Gage explained some things.”

“Yeah. Why aren’t you doing everything possible to get away from me?”

Gripping the levers, he looked out the front window guard. “Part of what I…” He clenched his jaw for a second before continuing, “I’m used to being around females while they’re cycling.”

She flushed at the mention of it. “You’ve built an immunity to this scent or whatever?”

Noah grimaced and gave her a coy look. “I wouldn’t say I’m immune, I just have better control.” He gave her a genuine smile that disarmed her embarrassment almost completely. “Truth be told, you smell really appealing to the cat in me, but as you saw last night, I’m more than a little apprehensive giving in to anything to do with that part of me.”

She knew her cheeks were heated, and he was only making fun of his situation to put her at ease, but it still tugged at her heart knowing he would do that. “Thanks for controlling yourself.” She looked out at the shop. “I wished the guys would get a handle on it.”

“They will.” He tapped the joystick with his fingers. “So, show me your magic with this beast so I feel like I know something.”

Laughing, she leaned over and started it again. “At least we’re far enough away from everything that we won’t drop the grapple assembly on anyone or crush anything.” Disengaging the stabilizer legs, she motioned to the levers and foot pedals. “These are to move the whole unit.”

He hesitantly touched one then the other to get a feel of how it moved. “That’s some encouraging words; things get crushed often around here?”

Pulling the lever, she moved the loader back in so they wouldn’t tip until she showed him how to engage the legs. “Not too much. I put a nice dent in the side of an off-road truck when I was learning.” Grinning, she motioned to the shed at the other end of the lot. “That used to have an awning built on it. Jake took out two of the supporting pillars when he was first starting.”

Noah laughed, his eyes shining. “I’ll have to ask him about that sometime.”

***

Forty-five minutes later, Kelsey turned off the engine in the second rig they’d used. “I think you’ve found your niche here, Noah.” She patted his shoulder and grinned at him. “You did great. Just practice whenever the guys aren’t working on them.” She shrugged. “You may be able to go on some of the calls when they only need a piece of equipment for a day and don’t have a qualified operator.”

Turning in the seat, he grinned at her. “I feel better, more than I have in a long time. Thanks.” Clearing his throat, he turned and looked out the window in the door. “I better get out of here; I don’t need Gage wigging out because I’m alone with you.”

Kelsey motioned for him to climb out. “Why would Gage care?”

Noah stopped halfway down the ladder and gave her a wide-eyed look. “Uh…” He looked down at the ground. “I guess I thought you two had a thing going on.”

She watched him climb down. “Not that I’m aware of.” Turning, she climbed down two steps, getting out of these things always made her feel small.

Her boot caught the side of the bar and before she could grab onto anything, she dropped butt first toward the ground. Right when she thought she was going to hit the dirt, Noah caught her. She lost her breath when she hit his chest and grabbed onto his neck. Catching her breath, she exhaled loudly. “Nice catch.” She made a noise close to a giggle, something she didn’t really do. “Thanks.”

He was smiling again as he set her on her feet. “Anytime.” He sobered. “But hopefully not.”

Placing a hand on his arm, she took a deep breath to steady her heart rate, and then she heard a low menacing growl.

Turning, she looked over and saw Gage and Blair standing a few feet away. Blair looked worried, which was odd for him, and Gage looked pissed off.

Noah stiffened and stepped back from her. “Thanks again,” he said quietly.

She nodded, giving him a bewildered look before turning back to give Gage a narrow-eyed stare.

Blair motioned to Noah. “Come on, you can come with me to drop the wheel dozer off.”

Noah nodded and then headed toward the gate, giving Gage a wide berth as he went.

With her hands on her hips, she stood there staring at the man she wanted to kick. What the hell was wrong with him? The expression on his face was cold. Spinning on his heels, he stormed off in the other direction without a word.

That ended her good mood. Looking around, she saw Cooper leaning against the fence a few feet away.

“Let’s go talk, Kelsey.”

Huffing out a breath, she threw up her hands and followed him out of the yard. Cooper rarely used her name, so that told her right then that she wasn’t going to like their talk.