Chapter 15
Flames from large candles surround me; crystals of various shapes and sizes glow between lush greenery with flowers woven in, and voices sing an ancient powerful hymn.
Power pulses through me—strength, vitality, and passion fill my soul.
It all bursts from my mouth, in the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.
The beauty of it makes me want to weep. This is my purpose, this is my calling. I have been chosen for this.
That song unlocks something inside me, and I need more. I crave it.
Just as suddenly, the joy is ripped from me, and all I feel is pain and despair. I cry out in anguish.
No, this isn’t how it is supposed to be!
People are screaming, and cruel laughter fills my head. My chest and head pound with fear and anger.
Snarls rise up from deep within me. How dare they desecrate this beauty!
I want to do something, anything, to make the pain and cruelty stop. I have to save them. I don’t even know who they are; I just know they need me.
A male is calling my name, pleading for me to come back.
Come back to him? Can I even do that? Yes, I need to go to him. That feels right, he feels right. He feels like home.
Where is this male?
The sound of his voice is faint, and I can’t find him. There is so much agony it’s making it difficult for me to find my way to him.
“Help me,” I hear myself plead.
The male voice gets louder, more urgent. “Kinley!”
Is that my name?
“Baby, snap out of it!”
That voice is so familiar. He is safe. He will protect me. He will help me save them.
“Please, help me.” My voice trembles with shock.
“Kinley, come back. You’re safe. You’re with me.”
My body is beyond my control, shaking with the fear and the emotions of all those people.
“I can’t… I can’t… I can’t.”
“Kinley, you can. Come back to me. Now!”
A snarl of dominance fills my ears, pushing me over into the present. I gasp, my eyes finally seeing what is actually in front of me.
I stare into the bright glowing eyes of Don.
“Breathe, baby, you need to breathe.”
My breath is heaving out of my chest. Am I having a panic attack? Why does this keep happening when I’m with him?
“Watch me, babe. Breathe with me.”
His stern command helps me focus on him, slowly matching his deep breaths in and long exhales out.
“Good girl, keep breathing, just like that.”
My muscles slowly relax as my breathing finally gets under control. As I finally become more self aware, I also realize that four very alarmed men are staring at me.
Their eyes are all so bright. Why are their eyes so bright? Are they glowing?
“Kinley,” Donovan says sharply. “You’re zoning out again, baby.”He strokes my hair, pushing stray strands away from my face. “Has this ever happened before?”
“No, what happened, Don?” I croak out. My throat is raw; it feels like I have been sick, or screaming. I bring my hand up to rub my face, and am horrified at what I see. Blood is dripping off my fingers.
I cry out. Was the blood and pain all real?
I frantically look down, searching for where the blood came from. Then I see Don’s arms, covered in deep scratches.
A broken sob leaves me. “Oh my god, Don, did I do this?”
“Baby, don’t worry about that. I’m fine, I’ll heal. I’m way more concerned with what just happened to you.”
Aiden crouches down next to us, crowding in on my other side.
“Don, we should get her into the house. Get you two cleaned up, and then we will figure out what happened.”
Don doesn’t hesitate; he just scoops me up into his arms, cradling me close to his chest. Cam quickly opens the door for us.
“Don, use the master bath; there’s more room in there,” Brent calls out.
Aiden leads the way through the house into a huge bathroom with dark slate tile and a massive glassed-in steam shower with several shower heads. If I had the mental capacity to be in awe, I’m sure that is what I would be in. But I’m just so numb.
In a slightly hysterical whisper, I can’t help but ask. “What does Brent do again?”
Brent doesn’t even hesitate to answer me as he strolls in; he just leans in close to whisper while I’m still in Donovan’s arms. “Princess, if I told you, I’d have to keep you for myself and never let you leave.”
I give him a startled look, and he winks at me. Donovan gives him an almost feral glare. Utterly confused about how to feel, I glance around and notice all of the guys staring at me intently, as if my head is about to spin around.
Why are they looking at me like that? What the fuck happened outside?
“Guys, I’m going to start freaking out. Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Donovan gently sits me on the cold black granite countertop, looking directly into my eyes.“Kinley, I’m going to be honest with you, but I don’t think you’re going to like my answers.”
“Don, you’re scaring me. What happened?”
Aiden quickly steps around Don and nudges him out of the way.
“Don, you’re not helping. Go clean up your arms, I’ll get her cleaned up.”
A deep rumble leaves Don, his shoulders tense and his fists clench as he takes one menacing step toward Aiden.
How is he making that sound?
But Aiden doesn’t budge. “Don, I know, but one thing at a time.”
Camden gets in on the action, giving Donovan some sterile gauze pads and saline solution and moves him over to the next sink. All I can seem to do is stare, at a complete loss for words. Aiden must sense my turmoil ramping up because he quickly moves in front of me.
“Hey, Kinley, deep breaths for me, ok? You’re ok, nothing bad is going to happen. You’ve got the four of us now and we won’t let anything get to you, ok?”
I nod my head, trying to make sense of what I’m feeling, but I still have no clue what is going on. Aiden just takes control, gently cleaning the blood from my hands. His touch centers me, helping me stay in the moment.
“How did I hurt Don?”
I look up into Aiden’s eyes, pleading with him to answer me.
“Whatever you were experiencing stimulated your claws to come out.”
I gasp. What the hell was he talking about?
“What? I don’t have claws!”
“Oh, you do, but it’s ok; we are used to claws.”He smiles slyly.
My head shakes frantically. “No, I don’t. What the hell are you talking about? People don’t have claws.”
I look around at the others, all with sympathetic, understanding looks on their faces.
They all believe what Aiden just said. They aren’t this cruel, are they? Oh my god, did they drug me? Is this what this is? Am I coming down from a bad trip?
But that doesn’t ring true, as soon as I think it, my mind automatically dismisses it. But the claw thing has to be false, right?
My eyes land back on Don. He doesn’t answer my questioning stare. He just nods.
I feel myself spiral, but Aiden quickly brings my attention back. “Kinley, turn and look in the mirror. You’re not human.”
A pit forms in my stomach. What does he mean I’m not human? Unable to stop myself, I slowly turn my head and look over my shoulder. This time a sob does break free.
“My eyes. What is wrong with my eyes?”
The blue of my irises has completely disappeared. What stares back at me are the most intense electric violet I have ever seen, and they’re glowing brightly. My stomach roils. I’m going to be sick; I just know it. Saliva pools in my mouth, and I can’t help the small gag that sneaks free.
“Shit, Kinley, are you going to be sick?”
Brent doesn’t even wait for me to answer.
He just swoops in, and deposits me in front of the toilet, tucked away in its own private alcove.
I heave, but my stomach doesn’t yield the food I ate earlier.
Thank god for small mercies. A gentle hand brushes soothing circles on my back as I work to get my stomach under control.
I don’t want to humiliate myself further and vomit.
“It’s ok, princess, we’ve got you.”
Realizing the soothing hand belongs to Brent stirs something in me, but my brain shoves it aside just trying to keep my shit together.
“Here, Brent, see if this cool cloth helps. Put it on the back of her neck.”
Brent does what Aiden tells him to, and the coolness helps calm my nerves and stomach further.
“You think you’re done? Don is getting antsy.”
I hear the humor in Brent’s voice, and a part of me wants to smile, but I’m so freaked out, all I can do is take a deep breath and nod. Brent shuffles me over to a teak bench in the middle of the room and gently guides me down.
Not able to resist being away from me any longer, Donovan pushes Brent out of the way and cups my face gently in his hands.
“Baby, it’s going to be ok. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re so fucking perfect. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found you. I’m not sure how you went this long without knowing what you are, but it’s ok. We can help you with that.”
“What do you think I am, Don?”
“You’re Clan, baby. You’re like us. I don’t know how this is possible, but I’m so fucking thankful.”
No matter how sweet he is being, his words make no fucking sense.
I push him away, attempting to stand. Hands reach out as my legs wobble, but I steady myself before anyone can help me.
I take several steps back. I don’t want to be in a vulnerable position.
They are all too close, staring at me, assessing my every move.
I need space. I need room to breathe. It’s making me feel like a caged beast.
“I don’t know what any of this means, Don! None of what you are saying makes sense. This isn’t some fantasy novel. People don’t fucking grow claws and change their eyes! I must be having a fucking mental breakdown.”
Not wanting to stand in front of the guys and break down fully, I go to leave, but Brent is blocking the doorway.
“Move, Brent.”
“Kinley, I can’t do that right now. You’re freaking out, and if we let you go, you could get yourself or someone else hurt.”
“Kinley, look at me, baby,” Don pleads quietly. “I know this sounds fucking crazy. I know you’re scared, but we can explain and help you.”