Chapter 14

Iflew away hurt and still not knowing what was happening to me. Why hadn't Belisarus told me this would happen? I didn't even want to kiss Leodos. I meant to ask him what was happening to me, and it was like I lost control of my body. I knew what kissing was because it happened in the stories Belisarus told me. I didn't know it felt that good, but his stories always stopped after the kiss.

I didn't know what mating was because Belisarus never told me. I couldn't stick around for Leodos to explain because I knew I didn't really want to kiss him and he only wanted to kiss Esylle, but I couldn't stop trying to make him kiss me.

I knew Leodos told me to stay small until it passed, but I flew to a clearing in the woods and changed back into a girl. I really wish Belisarus had explained this to me. It wasn't just confusing. It fucking hurt.

Leodos told me if I had been raised with the tribes, I would have a ceremony on this day and be married, but which tribe did I belong to? And I didn't like that idea, anyway. I didn't think I'd ever get married, but if I did, I wanted it to be like my stories. I wanted to get married because I fell in love, not because something weird was happening to my body. I smelled something horrible behind me and whirled around and saw Tollam with his sword drawn.

Tollam was a pest. He really did remind me of the goat Belisarus got for milk when I was younger. It was loud and sometimes Belisarus wouldn't let me play in the yard because it had worms again and he needed to treat them. Tollam wasn't the goat. The goat was useful. Tollam was the worms the goat got sometimes.

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now and we both know who would win this fight. Go away," I snapped at him.

"They aren't here to stop me or protect you now," he snarled at me. "You shouldn't exist!"

I sighed. I really wish the Tempris hadn't hidden their abilities. I knew why I hid mine, but they were royalty. Leodos talked about my mouth, and I knew why I talked the way I did, but if the other Tempris had put a little fear into some of these humans, Tollam wouldn't stink up this clearing while I was trying to figure out what was happening to me.

Tollam pointed his sword at me and I was just so annoyed. I couldn't control my hair or eyes if I passed out, and he saw me after the bear. He knew I had fire, and he was bold enough to try to come at me, anyway. I sent heat to his sword to make him drop it. He was annoying, but I didn't want him dead. I just wanted him to go away.

Tollam drew two daggers from his belt and charged at me screaming. I didn't try to burn him alive or change into anything to protect myself. I felt something stir inside me and I knew I didn't have to run from a human. I dodged his knives the way Leodos, and the others taught me and smacked my hand across his neck.

I looked on in horror when he disappeared when I touched him. I'd turned him into a fucking goat. I panicked. I didn't know how to fix this and Leodos was going to be so mad at me. Belisarus was furious when I changed a frog into a man. What would Leodos do when I turned a man into a goat?

I looked to the trees. There had been two eagles who had been following us for the past two days. I noticed them, but the rest of my party had not. I was sure they were Farkhi, and I wasn't sure what they wanted. They hadn't tried to approach me, but I hadn't been alone the past two days.

"You've been following me for two days. Do something!"

Both eagles flew to the ground. I watched them transform. I'd only met one Farkhi in the dungeons and that was brief. There was an older dark-skinned man in front of me in yellow robes with his face painted and a younger Farkhi who resembled the older man, but he had different paint on his face. I groaned. The younger man was beautiful, and he smelled amazing.

"Do something!"

Belisarus didn't seem to know how to fix it the last time I did this, but he was human. Maybe the tribes would. I really hoped they didn't want to hurt me, too, because turning Tollam into a goat was just as much an accident as turning Frog into a man. Frog loved being a man, but Tollam was probably going to get mad about the whole worm thing if he wasn't stuck like this.

"We can't fix this," the older man said. "Only you have the power to fix it, but he's going to be different when you change him back. This should have been taught to you since you were a child."

"How can I fix it if I don't know how I did it in the first place?"

"Touch him and concentrate. Feel the emotions you felt when you touched him the first time."

I was pissed off and just trying to get him to go away the first time. I touched the shaking goat and tried to focus on that rage. I was relieved when Tollam changed back. I was sure I'd broken him.

The Farkhi finally tried to help me by kneeling next to Tollam. "You are changed now. You need to pick a form now, from any land beast. You can be a man or you can assume this form when you choose. She gifted you this when you meant to hurt her. You need to choose now or the form will be chosen for you. I'm sure you don't want to be a goat, though you had it coming."

"I will make sure you pay for this," Tollam told me through clenched teeth.

I still didn't know what I had done to him, but I watched as he turned into a horse and then ran away from us.

"I appreciate your help and I want you to explain to me how I just did what I did, but I can't be around anyone right now. You should just leave," I said.

I was drawn to the younger Farkhi. His face and bare chest were painted in green, red, and yellow. He wore the yellow robes of the Farkhi, but his had accents that were the same color as his paint. His bare chest was muscular, and I wanted to lick it, even if I really had no idea why. I wanted to rub all over him so he smelled like me.

I was surprised when both Farkhi laughed.

"Child, my name is Volaris. I am the Farkhi king and this is my son and heir, Sono. We have been watching you since you first showed up at the castle. I've heard about everything you've done since you got here. I know what you are going through because the women of every tribe go through the same thing. It happens to them once a year. Sometimes, it's not logical for them to have a baby when they go through this. We know how to make it stop without making a baby."

I looked at him, confused. "How can you stop it without making a baby? I don't even know how to make a baby and what is supposed to happen when I feel like this. It's the first time this has happened, and I was never told it would."

I really didn't want a baby. If mating made babies, then they could just turn back into eagles and fly away while I dealt with this shit. Even if the Farkhi prince was very pretty and I couldn't stop thinking about kissing him. I wanted to kiss Sono a lot more than I wanted to kiss Leodos.

"Did Belisarus teach you nothing? You should have been raised with us and taught how to use your gifts. They aren't bad and they shouldn't be hidden. You are special. What's happening to you is completely normal. We know how to mate and not make a baby," Volaris said.

"I don't even know what mating entails. I just know I'm having a hard time being around him right now," I said, pointing at Sono.

"If you'll trust me, I can make that feeling go away and not make a baby. It would be an honor," Sono said.

There was something about him that I trusted. He had this beautiful, honest face. I wanted this to stop. Leodos said it would go away, but I wasn't sure I could last that long.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"I'll try to avoid that. I promise you that you will enjoy it and this feeling you are having will go away. I know the Tall Man told you it only lasted a few days, but it's not going to go away until you've mated." Sono smiled.

I whimpered. I didn't even have the capacity to think about all the things Belisarus either kept from me or lied to me about. This was horrible, and I wanted it to stop. I just had one question.

"Do you know why I am this way?"

"Yes. We all do and you're very special. Explaining to you will take time and I'm sure you want this feeling to go away. I don't just smell good to you. You smell amazing to me right now, too. It will feel good, and your head will be clear enough to hear what you need to hear after," Sono said, holding out his hand.

I took his hand. He wasn't just helping me get through this awful feeling. Sono promised to make it feel good, andhe helped me with Tollam. They also promised to tell me what Belisarus kept hidden from me.

I could have waited to get to Idric for him to tell me, but I wanted input from as many people as possible because I wasn't supposed to exist.