Temptation by Raven McAllan

in her hands. “I could eat a horse.”
    Marloth put the cool box onto the floor and sat in the other chair. “Not a tiger? I’m gutted.”
    “Well, you would be if I ate you, now wouldn’t you?” She put food onto her plate.
    Trust her to be literal. Marloth sniggered to himself and copied her actions.

As they ate, Meryl realized they were chatting like old friends with no worry or constraints, even though they both knew there was a lot of talking to be done. Eventually, she put down her cutlery. Marloth gazed her.
    “What? Do I have lettuce in my teeth or something?”
    He shook his head and smiled. “No, I’m just looking at you because I want to. Because I can. And because I want to know what went wrong, and why. Not for one minute do I think it was down to us. However, someone, somewhere didn’t want us to be together, and I need to find out who and why. Are you up for that?”
    He needs to ask that? She realized he waited for her answer and looked worried as hell. “Of course. Where do we start?”
    “Before I met you.” Marloth stood up. “Shall we go and sit on those loungers? Then at least we’ll be comfy before what I tell you makes us uncomfy.”
    It sounded worrying. However, Meryl was of the school that it was best to know what you were up against and fight accordingly. “Lead on, oh wise one.” She let him take her hand as they moved toward the long soft seats set on one side of the shady patio, near a sparkling pool.
    To her delight, Meryl noticed a clever gap in the bushes that gave a glimpse of the sea. If this were her home, she’d be more than delighted. She wondered if it would ever be likely.
    “So where do we start? Or I guess where do you start, because I’m assuming it all ties in with who you are and what you do?” She waited as Marloth turned a piece of fruit over and over in his hands. It wouldn’t be worth eating, but the action seemed to help him. He took a deep breath.
    “I think so. To get things clear in both our minds, maybe I’ll go back to when I realized I was different and I discovered what my life was due to become.” He coughed, and Meryl got up to grab the jug of water and their glasses. She poured him a glass, and handed it to him.
    “Thanks.” Marloth took a deep swallow. As ever, the ripple of his throat made her body tingle. It wasn’t the time to get hot and horny. Meryl followed his actions and drank.
    “So, let’s go back to my twenty-first birthday. When my father told me my history. It’s a strange thing in my family, but you don’t shift until you come of age. That is twenty-one. Oh, and by family, I mean it more than a mum, dad, grandparent sort of thing. I guess other sorts of shifters will have clans, and packs, and stuff. We have a family. Each to their own. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. I have no idea how or why it happens like that, the being twenty-one stuff, but it does. So, the night before that date, you’re invited to meet up with the council, for your coming-of-age ceremony. It’s all very hush-hush and no one ever talks about it afterward. Even now, I’m not going to explain things to you, except to say, I was told what would happen, and how. I had to pledge certain things, as well. Of course, at twenty-one, and in front of all these people you’ve known as friends of your father, it was scary. I couldn’t help but wonder about mafias, or mason-type things. Overawed and overwhelmed was an understatement. Not only that, one of those things indirectly involves you.”
    He shivered. Meryl squirmed. She was uneasy and didn’t want to show it. A sheen of sweat beaded on Marloth’s skin, and Meryl herself felt clammy. Tentacles of fear were once more busy and crawling over her body, and she had to know more. It wasn’t something she did very often, but Meryl prayed that Marloth would be able to explain without breaking any oath he’d taken. “It does? How?”
    “Let me do it all in order, ‘kay? Then I think you’ll see