Chapter 11: Kali

11

KALI

W hat beast?

Now it's my turn to look confused. Is this a trick question?

I tap him in the middle of his chest. "That beast."

Tilting my head, I'm trying to understand why he's being obtuse. Do they call it something different where he's from? I've heard stories that we're distant relations of something called a Lycan, but since we tend to be solitary and nomadic creatures, there's very little historical evidence of where we actually come from. Anything written down is too dangerous to keep.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He says it, but it's a lie. Griffin's jaw ticks, and his lip twitches at the corner.

At least now I know his tell. But why he's playing this stupid game is a mystery, and it's making me uncomfortable. I was already feeling like crap when I thought he was going to bolt, and this isn't making me feel any better.

"Your eyes are glowing, Griffin. Just like mine." I'm used to pretending around humans, but we couldn't be more alone. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, why are you acting so weird?"

There's no need to deny what we both know is true.

When I reach for him, he pulls away, his hands lifting to his pale, drawn face, and then touching his temples. Then he turns his back to me, shutting me out, again, and my heart cracks as I feel the rejection like a slap in the face.

I can't stand this push and pull, being toyed with. Am I an idiot? Did I exaggerate the strength of our connection?

I'm glad Griffin was here when Jed showed up, and hopefully, Griffin's possessive display will keep him away for a while, but I don't need this. I came to Sutton to get away from the rejection I felt every day in my hometown.

The prophecy, nothing more than a rumour passed down through generations, as far as I can tell, declares that the last blonde beast will give birth to a white devil, and that child will be the one who destroys us all.

Whatever that means.

Having that hanging over my head hasn't made me popular with the neighbours, which was hard growing up, but as it turns out, getting rejected by strangers doesn't feel any better.

"Sure. Fine. Look, if you're going to be a dick, that's okay. I'll go instead." I spin, ready to leave and weather the storm at Evan's rather than stay here and be mocked. Maybe Ben is off. He's always good for a laugh and some light relief. If I spend the night there instead of here, and just say I didn't want to be home alone, nobody will question it.

Griffin's hand flashes out, catching me by the wrist.

My claws are out before I even realise it. I dig them into the back of his hand, and a quiet growl vibrates in my chest, my beast not appreciating being manhandled without her permission.

"Let. Me. Go." I snarl.

She's dangerously close to the surface, already feeling wounded by Griffin's change in demeanour.

Grabbing me was the wrong way to go, and he knows it. He immediately releases me, staring at the small puncture wounds I've left in his arm and then brushing his thumb over them carefully, while slowly lifting his head.

"Your eyes…" he whispers. "They glow like mine."

Repeating what I said earlier, he stares at me, wide-eyed, as though he's seeing me for the first time.

"Of course they do, it's my beast." I pat my chest, just like I did to him. "You pissed her off." Throwing my hands up, I take a step back. This guy is giving me whiplash. "What the hell is up with you?"

"I've never… I know there's something wrong with me, but I've never met someone else…" He continues to study me, dumbfounded. "You're different, too?"

Oh, god, no. It can't be.

"You don't know?" I mumble, watching him carefully. "You don't know what you are?" Incredulous, panic starts to take hold now that I've revealed a secret that all beasts have been drilled to never speak of. Ever.

But his beast is so strong, so obvious. How could he not know?

Griffin takes in his surroundings, and me, his fingers running back and forth over the wound on his wrist, as if doubting whether any of this is really happening, but… he's not acting.

"I'm a monster. But… are you? I don't understand."

My stomach drops to my feet as I watch Griffin's perception of the world fracture before my eyes.

Did he really think he was the only one? Has he really never met others like us? I don't know how that's even possible, but no wonder he wasn't horrified by my pale hair. He doesn't know about the prophecy, because he doesn't even know what he is.

"We live spread out among these mountains, keeping to ourselves to avoid trouble." I explain, wondering how he even managed to end up here if he knew nothing at all. "If you don't know what you are, and you're not here to let your animal run, what are you doing?"

How is it possible that his parents never told him? Or how did he make it to this age without either exposing his secret or getting himself killed? His beast is practically feral, so how he ended up lost, cooling down in a lake, makes little sense.

"I thought I was losing my mind. I eventually left the army, because… it... was becoming more violent and aggressive. But boring desk jobs were even worse. So, I signed up for ranger training, and met a man named John, who suggested I come to Sutton. He knew something was wrong with me without me saying a word."

John. My cousin's guardian. The local ranger who knows our secrets.

It's quite possible he recognised the beast within Griffin, and then convinced him to come here so he could show him he's not alone. John raised my cousins from when they were boys, so he would have seen Griffin struggling and wanted to help. It's just the type of man he is… or was.

"You're not a monster, and you're not losing your mind." I assure him. "There are lots of us living here. I can help you learn how to manage it. You need to transform and run free, or your animal will go insane."

Our animals need physical exertion. They need space and solitude. My cousin Evan needs to run his beast hard just to keep it under control. When he doesn't, he gets himself into trouble; it's a lesson he learned the hard way, after years of ending up on the wrong side of the law.

"No. It's not safe. I need to keep him locked down." Griffin scoffs, edging away. He raises his hands in front of him to keep me back, but still, I attempt to come closer.

This is a man who needs a hug, if I ever saw one. My heart goes out to him. What must it have been like to carry this around his whole life without being able to talk to anyone about it?

"It is safe, Griffin. Trust me. I'll help you." I promise. "You just need to understand what he needs, and to work with him. He's angry because he can't get out."

Griffin shakes his head, looking lost. As he drags in deep breaths, his chest rising and falling, his muscles stretch the thin material of his shirt, about to burst. Fire blazes in his eyes as he meets mine, and a deep, guttural growl fills the tiny space.

His beast can sense me calling him forth, and he's ready to come out again.

"No, it's definitely not safe. Especially for you," Griffin shouts angrily, squeezing his eyes shut and dragging a hand over his face. He looks at me with tortured longing, increasing the distance between us even more, backing himself into a corner. Even though he's pulled himself as far away as he can, he still fills the small room with his massive frame and powerful aura. The bookcase beside him and the old armchair look positively dainty compared to him.

"Why, Griffin? My beast likes yours. She doesn't fear you, and she knows he means no harm to her."

Now I'm being purposefully obtuse. Fighting isn't what my beast wants... She wants it all, and she wants to help him be free.

"I can't. He wants you, right here, right now. And some things he wants to do..." Griffin groans, clenching his fists tightly at his sides. "You shouldn't be anywhere near me. I should be locked up just for imagining this shit."

My eyes drop to below his waist where the evidence of what he wants to do is pointing straight at me. Heat unfurls low in my belly.

Griffin grips his head, tormented by desires swirling around inside his brain.

But deep within me, lust takes hold, making my greedy pussy clench with the need to be filled. I know exactly what his beast wants, and all the dark, depraved things he wants to do to me.

The hunt. The chase…

I know, because I want them, too.

"It's okay, Griffin. It's what we are."

Refusing to believe me, he shakes his head. "Not like this. You'd hate me if you could see what I'm thinking."

Griffin thinks he's a monster. He thinks he's a bad person because his beast is influencing his sexual fantasies, edging them toward the darker side of human-acceptable behaviour… but he's not.

His body tenses, muscles flexing and bulging, straining at the confines of his clothes, as he struggles to keep a tight rein on his animal.

"Do you want to pin me down?" I taunt. "Is that it, Griffin?" I press forward, crowding into his personal space, inhaling his intoxicating scent. "Are you thinking about rutting into me from behind, like a wild animal? Sinking your teeth into my flesh as you pound into my soft body? Do you want to chase me, stalk me through the woods, and then fuck me as your beast?"

His breathing stops, and his glowing, brown eyes flash to mine.

Bingo.

I hit him with my best doe eyes while he shakes his head from side to side at my words.

He's still trying to deny the truth, but his cock hardens at my words, straining against the fly of his combat trousers.

Trailing one finger over the material, over the thick erection fighting to get free, I watch with delight as his cock twitches at my touch.

Griffin presses his palms hard against the exposed log wall behind him and swallows.

"It's what my beast craves, too." I admit on a purr, placing my palm on his cheek.

He freezes at my touch, looking away with a guilty expression. He wants it alright, wants everything I just described. Maybe he's afraid of how strong his desires are. Maybe he thinks I'm too fragile to handle it.

As I trail my hand down toward his neck, letting the fingers of my other reach out to the button of his fly, his hand darts out.

Griffin grips my throat as his animal surges forward, clearly having enough of my teasing.

A thrill of excitement rushes through me. My core quivers, loving his dominance, as we lock eyes and the fire consumes us both, our already glowing irises reflect the amber glow.

With a desperate shake of his head, Griffin forces his beast back, and his eyes change back to their human shade.

Groaning in frustration, he blanches when he realises how he's holding me, tightly, possessively, before he yanks his hand away, leaving me disappointed. He doesn't move or push me back, and electricity crackles between our bodies, still just mere inches apart.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispers, tormented. "Fuck, I've never wanted anything so badly… but I'm afraid that if I lose control, I could do something terrible."

Pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, I smile. "You won't. You need to trust him, Griffin. He's part of you."

I've seen Evan battle with his beast instead of accepting who he is, and it never works. Someday, they'll both learn.

"You're not alone, Griffin. I can show you…"

Rooted to the spot, Griffin doesn't move. He wants to see her. He wants to know, to see that it's true, that there are others just like him.

Glowing eyes and long nails are one thing, but a complete transformation is something else altogether.

Finally, he nods.

My beast preens at the idea of this powerful male checking her out. Except she's feeling naughty, and she wants this to be fun.

"…but only if you can catch me."