Chapter 73 Chapter 73
Gage kept his arm around her, she was still shaking and he was pretty sure it was because she was changing. The heat and sex had just drowned out the beginning, which was a damn good reason for his missing the signs.
He started to take her on the path toward the lake and then remembered Devin and Rayne. Turning in the other direction, they hadn’t gotten far when Kelsey gasped.
“Gage?” she stopped and hugged her arms around her middle. “What’s happening?”
Rubbing his hand over her back, he encouraged her to keep walking. He wanted her in the open when she changed, he didn’t want to lose her in the trees. “It’s okay, honey, don’t fight it, just let it happen.” Even as he said it, he was remembering what it was like that first time your cat moved inside you. It was eerie and awesome all at the same time. “It feels weird, but as long as you don’t fight it, it won’t hurt.”
They were almost to the yard of the shop. He stepped in front of her and ran his hands up and down her arms. Tilting her head up, he kissed the tip of her nose. “This wasn’t what I planned after our first time together.”
Kelsey leaned into him, drawing his scent into her system. “Well, we’re not exactly predictable people.”
He chuckled. “No, I guess we’re not.” She looked up at him, again he was struck by how stunning her yellow cat eyes were.
“Gage, I’m scared.”
Pulling her into his arms, even though his instincts told him to stay out of the reach of her claws, he held her tight against his body. If he had his way, he’d keep her there forever. She was shaking harder now and it he was trying not to show her he was concerned so she didn’t tense. Kissing the top of her head, he gripped her shoulders and leaned back. “Don’t fight it, Kelsey, embrace it head on like you do everything else.”
She gave him a small smile. “I’m trying. It’s…” she bent forward and rested her head against his chest, taking long, slow breaths.
Gage tightened his jaw as her tiny claw tips dug into his forearms. “Come on, honey, let’s find you somewhere private so you can take off the clothes.”
Straightening up, she took a deep breath. “The clothes?” Closing her eyes, she blinked a few times. “Got it.” She looked up at him again, “these eyes are kind of…”
He grinned. “You’re going to love the full package, trust me.” Taking her elbow, he guided her around the fence to the small opening where the guys preferred to change. As they went through the trees, Jake came out with his boots and shirt in his hand. Gage shook his head so he wouldn’t speak. Jake’s step paused as his eyes moved over Kelsey slowly. His eyes widened a bit as he saw her eyes.
Kelsey stiffened, until Jake gave her a big grin and a brief encouraging nod. With that, Jake kept going, leaving them alone in the clearing.
Kelsey’s breathing was growing more rapid. “Gage.”
He rubbed his hand down her back. “You’ve got this, honey.” He wanted to hug her again, but knew better. “Just let it happen,” he whispered, leaning as near to her as he dared.
Focusing for a second, he let his cat roll over his skin, so hers could scent him. Being with clan helped the change happen smoothly. Kneeling in front of her, he pulled the track pants down her legs, wincing as she grasped his shoulder for balance and her claws dug in his flesh. Kelsey didn’t even notice.
Tossing the pants to the ground, he stood up. She looked so sexy in his t-shirt that hung down her thighs. Giving himself a mental smack, there was no time for that. “Close your eyes for a minute, Kels, feel for your cat. She’s right there waiting.” He stood close, letter her breath him in again. “When you’re ready, well get down on our knees and take off your shirt.”
With her eyes closed, she nodded. He knew she wouldn’t realize it, but her breath kept fluctuating between a human’s pattern and feline’s, scenting the air around them with each breath. When she held her breath for a moment, Gage knew she had just felt her cat for the first time. He could smell the female scent much stronger than before. “There she is, honey.”
Making a soft moaning sound, she backed up and got down on her knees. “Off,” she panted.
Remembering how sensitive his skin had been during his first few shifts, he nodded and reached over to help her take the shirt off. Her movements were stiff and jerky; it was almost time as her limbs were getting harder to control. “Get down on all fours, baby, it’s easier.”
He could change in mid-stride, but those first few times, hell, for the first year he’d had to get down or fall down when changing. She groaned in pain and he heard bones snapping as her hips made the transformation first.
Kelsey held her breath.
“Breathe through it, Kelsey.” Her breathing shallow, gasp after gasp, he smelled her panic.
Dropping to his knees, he leaned by her head. He knew this was breaking the first rule taught, but he couldn’t stay out of the way. This was Kelsey, dammit, and even though what she was going through was as natural as taking a first step, he couldn’t just stand back if she was afraid or in pain. “Breathe through it and it will happen faster, honey.”
He heard more bones snapping into place as she continued to gasp, struggling to keep her breathing steady. “That’s it.”
Leaning back to give her more space, he watched as her skin began to darken. She was focused on her breathing and doing so well he didn’t want to speak or move in case he startled her.
He’d seen it happen more times than he could remember, but never had it meant as much to him as it did right now. The popping came closer together, like popcorn, and a few seconds later, the most exquisite golden-orange tiger stood in front of him. Gage smiled into the fur covered face of his mate as she took a few cautious steps, testing her balance.
When she stretched to her full length, he was in awe. For such a tiny package, she was much larger than he thought she’d be. She had to be close to seven feet long. Sniffing the air in an almost regal way, she turned and looked right at him again and then took a few steps to close the distance between them.
“You’re stunning, Kelsey, the most beautiful she-cat I have ever seen.” He whispered, his voice thickened with a gravelly husk. Reaching out, he touched the side of her face. “Give me a second and I’ll change and then we can go for a run.”
Kelsey jolted and crouched down as she scented the air rapidly. Gage immediately let his cat closer to the surface and checked for himself. There was something off. Another shifter’s scent was in the air, and it wasn’t any of his clan or the two visiting wolves. “Kelsey,” he said using his brusquer, more dominant tone. “Stay right there. Let me shift and check this out.”
Her ears flattened and he cursed softly. Using that tone on her when she was in her cycle was possibly the dumbest thing he could ever do. “Honey,” he got to his knees, trying to keep his tone soft, “there’s another shifter out there…”
She hissed and swatted at him, Gage felt the claws slice through his chest and flinched but tried not to react any more markedly than that. Kelsey backed away, inhaling toward him, she could smell his blood. With a throaty yowl, she turned and took off into the trees.
“Shit.” Gage jumped up.
Blair came running from the other direction. “Gage, Gary was out…” Blair froze, his eyes stopped on Gage’s chest.
Pulling the track pants down, Gage turned in the direction Kelsey had gone. “Get everyone. Kelsey spooked and took off.”
“Fuck.” Was the last thing he heard before four paws hit the dirt and he tore off after his mate.
Gage hadn’t realized there was a breeze until he tried to follow Kelsey’s scent. There was just enough air flow that he had to stop every hundred feet and adjust his direction. The fact that he hadn’t caught up to her, let him know she was fast, more so than he’d have liked at this moment.
He didn’t pick up the strange scent again, which settled his nerves just enough to allow him to focus. Listening to see if he could hear her, he couldn’t. Later on, he’d be proud that she was able to move silently though the bush. A noise to his left had him pausing to turn. Before Blair came into view, Gage picked up his scent.
Blinking, he stopped and watched Blair moving through the trees, hauling what could only be the track pants and shirt that Kelsey had been wearing. It was quite the sight to see a six-foot white tiger prowling along with clothes hanging from his mouth. He’d be sure to tease him later, after he thanked him for thinking of it in the first place.
Noah and Jake came bounding out of the trees to Gage’s right, they slowed long enough to run beside him for several strides and then separated, heading back into the trees.
Gage scented the air, her scent was getting stronger. Increasing his stride, he crashed through an area hidden behind thick brush and paused mid-step. Off to his left, Gary was in his cat form staring up a tree. Chirruping, he got his attention. Gary turned and looked at him and then up into the tree.
Twenty feet up in the air Kelsey was sprawled along a large limb, looking down at him.
Cooper came out from behind the tree and Gage knew exactly what the old cat was thinking, there was no way he was going up after her. They were both too heavy. He began to pace back and forth, trying to figure out how to get his mate safely out of the damn tree. Leave it up to Kelsey to go up a tree the first time she shifts.
Going over, he stood beside Gary and looked up at her once more. Why did he feel like she was laughing at him?
Blair came up beside them and dropped the clothes, he looked up at Kelsey and then back to Gage. Every male was too heavy to go up after her. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she picked that tree just for that reason alone.
Blair walked around the tree and then began to prowl back and forth, agitated. Gage watched Cooper pacing the outskirts of where they gathered scenting the air, he’d let them know if anyone was nearby that shouldn’t be.
Looking up at Kelsey, he tried to decide how she would react if he demanded she come down. He didn’t finish that thought, he knew just how well that would go. As he sat there weighing options, Noah came charging out of the bush, running straight for the tree. With a move Gage wouldn’t have even tried, he vaulted off a fallen tree and launched himself up into the tree at the point where it branched out, a good ten feet in the air.
At first, he thought the crazy cat was going to try going higher, but instead Noah stretched up to his full length of damn near eleven feet, from whisker to tail, and clawed at the tree above him. All the while he was making soft chuffing sounds up at Kelsey.
She stood up and looked down at Noah. When Gage saw her crouch, her muscles bunching, his whole body tensed as she prepared to jump down. He was going to tear a strip off her, simply for scaring the hell out of him.
Surrounding the tree, Cooper, Blair, Gary and Jake watched as she came down the tree, one terrifying jump at a time. When she was just above Noah, she leaned down and playfully swatted at him. Noah sat down in the ‘y’ of the tree and chuffed at her a few more times before turning and jumping to the ground with a heavy thump when his paws hit the ground. Walking away, he stopped and looked back at her.
Kelsey moved down to where he had been sitting and then looked over at Gage. Crouching again, she pushed off only to land a few feet in front of him. Gage moved cautiously toward her. This was his unpredictable mate, and while Kelsey was still in control inside the cat, he wasn’t taking any chances. She moved forward and rubbed along his side. Before he could turn to her, she took off at full speed back they way they’d come.
Grunting his annoyance, he went after her. This time he was able to keep her in sight, just barely. The rest of the clan spread out and ran shotgun behind him. He knew Blair could outrun him any day, but was glad that he was showing him respect and letting him deal with her. He was still planning on giving her hell when they got home.
When he reached the yard, she was lying by the gate, her sides heaving. He could scent her fear and the chastising he’d been planning was washed out of his mind with concern. Going over to her, he licked her face to reassure her.
Blair came running up behind him, dropped the clothes and then was gone again. Whether the rest were staying out of the way for Kelsey’s modesty, he wasn’t sure, but after checking around them he was sure they were alone.
Backing up, he kept Kelsey looking at him as he shifted. Without taking his eyes off her, he pulled his sweats on and went over and knelt closer to her. “Just let it happen, honey,” he assured her.
Blinking a few times, she closed her eyes and her breathing slowed. He caught himself holding his breath as she changed back, the reverse much faster than her shift. Normally it took up to an hour to let the change happen. When the last of her fur retracted and she was lying there, Gage went over and picked up the shirt and went to her.
As she sat up, she smiled at him. Pulling the shirt over her head, he helped her to her feet and then hugged her into his body. “You’re amazing, honey.”
She squeezed him and then looked up at him. “That was wicked.”
He chuckled. “That was not how your first shift and run are supposed to go.”
Shrugging, she hugged him again. “You know I’ve always sucked at climbing trees…”
Laughing, Gage tightened his hold on her. “Don’t do it again, you scared the hell out of me.” Looking over, he watched the five cats come slowly out of the trees. “I don’t think they were impressed either.”
Kelsey turned and then pulled free of his arms. Gage looked around for the sweat pants, not liking that she stood there in front of them wearing nothing but a t-shirt. Noah stepped into the trees and came back a few seconds later, dragging the sweats along with him.
Kelsey took them and paused to run her hands along Noah’s back. “I hope I’m as pretty as you guys are.” Blair noticeably jolted and stared at her.
Kelsey laughed. “I don’t care what you think, Blair, you’re pretty.” Pulling the pants on, she moved from one to the other, running her hands along their fur.
Gage stood there with his arms crossed, clenching his jaw. He was barely able to stand still, but had to allow her this greeting into the clan. Normally each cat would greet her while she was still in animal form, but with her in her cycle, it was safer this way, so he fought the rage of his cat and stood there, watching.
When she’d run her hands over the other males, he went up to wrap his arms around her, pulling her back into his chest. “They need to go check the borders, honey.” He made eye contact with Cooper, knowing his silent message was relayed. Find out why I could smell another shifter, was the message.
“Looks like we missed the fun.”
Devin and Rayne came across the yard, arms entwined around each other.
“Oh my, look how pretty all of you are,” Rayne said with wonder in her voice.
Kelsey grinned and looked over at Blair. He chuffed and turned, running into the trees.
Gage leaned down and kissed Kelsey’s neck and then went over to Devin. “I picked up another shifter’s scent.”
Devin’s relaxed posture was gone. “Which way?”
Gage shook his head. “I can’t be sure. Kelsey was shifting and I lost it when I had to go after her.”
Devin turned and inhaled. He closed his eyes for a moment. Shaking his head, Devin opened his eyes. He glanced over at the cats waiting behind Gage. “I’ll go out with them if that’s okay.”
Gage nodded. “I’ll take the girls back to the house and wait for you there. .Kelsey’s going to need some food before the shakes start.”
Devin kissed Rayne quickly and began unbuttoning his shirt.
Putting his arm around Kelsey, Gage gave Rayne a nod and the three turned to cross the yard.