UnleashingtheAnimal by J L Taft Page A

right now.”
    He was quiet for a second and then, “So, you accept the fact
that I’m a Shifter?”
    “Yes.”
    “Just like that?” he said in disbelief.
    “Yes.”
    She felt him release a big breath in relief. “What about
you?” he asked quietly.
    “What about me?” She turned so she could look at him.
    “What about you being a Shifter? How do you feel about
that?”
    Blinking up at him, she said, “I’m not a Shifter.”
    She watched his green eyes go hard and determined. “You
are.”
    Pulling away from him, she jumped to her feet. “That’s
crazy! I am not!”
    He stood and reached for her. “Take it easy.”
    Slapping his hands away, she glared at him. She didn’t
understand why he couldn’t leave well enough alone.
    “Blair, when I found you in the woods last night you were
well into the first phase of changing. I’m not sure why it’s hit you so late in
life but I know what I saw.”
    He couldn’t be right. She couldn’t be what he said. She
backed away from him and she felt that familiar swell within her, her heart
starting to race and her hands shaking. She needed one of her pills, it was too
much, hitting her stronger and faster than ever before.
    Turning, she took off running across the yard and into the cabin.
She knew Shane was right behind her but she ignored him, rummaging in drawers,
looking for her pill bottle. Finally she found it and struggled with the top
before it popped open and the little pills went flying across the kitchen
floor.
    Dropping to her knees, she grabbed the nearest one and went
to put it in her mouth. A strong hand on her arm stopped her, taking the pill
from her clenched fingers.
    “What the hell are these?” She didn’t understand why but
Shane was angry.
    “Give it back please. I need them.”
    “That’s not what I asked, Blair. What are they?”
    “They’re to help with my anxiety, it’s just a mild
sedative.” She reached for another and again he stopped her.
    “How long have you been taking these?” He grabbed the now
empty bottle and read the front.
    “I don’t know, Shane!” The strange feeling was getting
stronger and she worried what would happen if she didn’t take one soon. There
had never been a delay before, her mother always ready with one in her hand.
    “Holy shit,” he mumbled and scooped her off the kitchen
floor. Taking her to the living room, he sat on the couch and held her in place
on his lap with strong arms when she struggled to get free.
    “Blair, calm down. I know what you are feeling and it will
pass soon,” he said gently.
    “No one knows what it feels like!” She was holding onto a
fraying rope and she didn’t want to lose her grip. But her voice was choked
with tears.
    “I know it seems that way but it’s not true. I do know what
it feels like. Your body is just getting ready for your first change. I went
through it alone. At least you have me.”
    There was pain in his voice and she looked up at him,
sinking in the depth of his eyes. Suddenly she remembered the night before in
vivid detail. Going for a walk and the searing pain spreading in her body.
Green eyes and a wet nose nudging her. Then the cold forest floor and the
sensation of being carried in the rain.
    “You found me last night as the wolf, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah, then I carried you back to my place.” His finger
played with her hair, soothing her. “When I was eighteen I left home to travel
across the country. I didn’t know what was going on when I started going
through the change. I was camping alone in the desert when I changed that first
time. The pain was…well, you know what it’s like and I didn’t want you to be
alone and afraid.”
    Blair laid her head on his chest and let him continue, “I
care about you, Blair, and I didn’t want you to live with the same scars I
have, and not all of them are on the outside. Well, that and the fact I like
your body just the way it is.”
    It wasn’t what she had expected him to say and she