The Paranormal Council: Complete Series

Chapter 8

LIA

It took Lia three hours to calm herself down enough to return to human form, after which she had to sneak back into the house for fear of being caught n***d in the gardens. After the first time she’d shifted, she’d somehow managed not to ruin any other clothes until this time; there was definitely something to be said for being able to control her emotions, she didn’t know how shifters managed to cope.

She sighed and leaned back on her closed bedroom door, relieved that she’d made it back without being spotted. A prickly feeling, almost like she was being watched, ran over her and she was suddenly alert, looking around the room to try and locate the threat.

“I was wondering where you’d got to.” Kem’s low chuckle came from the corner by her cherry blossom tree and a low growl sounded from her throat. At the same time, something stirred within her, and she felt the same desire to touch him as she had last night. Oblivious, Kem stepped forward, quickly crossing the room with his large strides. He was still wearing the same suit as he had been last night, which didn’t make sense to Lia considering how early he’d snuck out of her bed, but then, not much was making sense to Lia at that moment in time. He rubbed a hand along his jaw and she watched it, jealous of the contact it had with the dark stubble lining his jaw. Despite herself, she licked her lips, her gaze taking in his dishevelled appearance.

“And what about where you went?” she bit out, proud of herself for being able to think past the urge to touch him. Kem’s arms caged her against the bedroom door, his eyes doing a leisurely sweep of her n***d form, only flaming the fans of her desire more. Hurt as she was, she still wanted him, and a part of her hated being so weak.

“I went to sort out a problem,” he mumbled against her neck, causing vibrations to travel down the length of her. Her back bowed and she pressed her n***d breasts against his chest, only to be trapped there by one of Kem’s arms. He nuzzled further into her neck, kissing the smooth skin where it met her collarbone. An involuntary moan slipped from her before she could clamp it down.

“What problem?” she half panted, as his kisses turned into light nips. Last night she’d had the uncontrollable urge to bite him, and while that desire had faded somewhat, she was now feeling a similar urge to be bitten instead. Fleetingly, she figured that it was something to do with completing the bond that they’d accidentally started a year ago, but the thought soon vanished as his tongue darted over the spots he’d nipped.

“Your sister,” he mumbled against her skin, stopping Lia cold. It took all of her strength to put her hands to his chest and force him back.

“My sister?” Her eyes blazed with anger, stopping Kem in his tracks. He looked slightly sheepish, as if he was being caught doing something that he shouldn’t be. “As in, you’re supposed to be getting married to my sister, but are too busy seducing me?” She was almost hysterical, the idea of Kem with Aella was making her feel sick.

“No!” He tried to take a step forward, but the look on her face must have stopped him. Moving swiftly, she scooped up her robe from the bed and tied it around her waist. Even though the robe was thin, and made from a silky material that was doing nothing to stop the desire she was feeling, the act of putting it on almost felt like donning armour, giving her the strength to carry on confronting him.

“No?” She raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms, trying to make it clear to him that she wasn’t giving in until he gave her a satisfactory explanation. Even then, she might not.

“I never wanted to marry your sister…”

“But you were going to?” she cut him off.

“Not if I could help it. Damn it Lia!” He looked angry, but she could see the undercurrent of hurt in his eyes and had to steel herself against it. Even so, her traitorous heart wanted her to comfort him in any way she could. “The Council is in trouble, and they need the support of the Nymph Council to help them, their way of dealing that was a marriage between me and Aella. I didn’t want to go through with it, and this morning I left to go tell them that there was no way I could.”

“Why, what’s wrong with Aella?” A smirk pulled at her lips. She believed him, and knew of several reasons why he might not want to be with Aella, but she wasn’t about to make this easy on him. Plus, he’d not actually said that he wasn’t going to marry her, just that he didn’t want to.

“Nothing’s wrong with Aella,” he responded hastily, causing her to give a short laugh. “I told them I couldn’t marry her because I met my mate.”

“Oh.” Disappointment flooded through Lia. She’d assumed that she was his mate, but he hadn’t actually said that. Just that he’d met her.

“You, Lia. I meant you.” He stepped forward and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. Their eyes locked and she could see the hope and uncertainty within them.

“You think I’m your mate?” she asked in a small voice. He pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

“You don’t?” She took a step back and swiftly untied her robe, dropping it back to the bed. Hunger filled Kem’s expression as he looked at her, but Lia just shook her head. She’d never purposefully tried to shift before, and didn’t even know if it would work, but the best way to reveal the truth was to show him. She pictured a panther in her mind, with sleek black fur and glowing yellow eyes, though she knew from looking in the mirror while shifted that her eyes were duller than those of a real panther. She supposed that there had to be some differences somewhere.

Her teeth lengthened in her mouth and her bones reformed until she was on four legs instead of two, a long tail swishing behind her. While she supposed that the shift should have been painful, it wasn’t, nor had it been any of the other times. Instead, it was quick and painless, with only a slight tingling sensation to let her know it was happening. She didn’t know if that’s what other shifters felt, or if it was just because she’d been born a dryad and been unable to shift until now. She didn’t even know if she needed her cherry blossom tree close by anymore, though she doubted she’d ever change her ways where it was concerned; it was too much a part of her.

Kem stared at her with a look of wonder on his face. He cupped her large head in his hands and scratched behind her ears, which she hadn’t realised would be such a pleasant experience. She leaned her head into his hands and a small smile curved at the edges of Kem’s lips.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered reverently, before standing and stripping off his suit. A strange feline whimper came from Lia at the lost touch, but he smiled at her and continued to undress, until he was standing n***d in front of her. If she could drool, then she would, but it appeared as if a panther’s drooling reflex worked differently to hers, and wasn’t going to drool over a n***d man. Kem’s face took on a look of concentration, and then, just as she had, he morphed into a panther before her eyes. It was over so quick, that if she’d blinked she might have missed it, but her eyes had stayed glued to him. Like her, his fur was jet black, though up close, it looked almost blue as the light reflected off it, with the jaguar like spots showing through. He was slightly bigger than she was, and wider, just like he was in human form, and she couldn’t help but admire his form, even as a panther.

To Lia’s surprise, Kem rolled over and bared his throat to her. While she wasn’t too sure what it meant, something primal within her panther liked the display. She lowered her head so that it was lying next to his, and with a surprising amount of grace, Kem flipped so that they were lying down next to each other. He nuzzled into her neck, though unlike his earlier nuzzling, this felt like a sign of affection. She purred, a sound that was echoed by him. She knew that the two of them needed to talk properly, and that they’d need to be in human form to do it, but everything just seemed to make sense while they were lying there, and she was in no rush to break through the illusion. Settled and comfortable, it wasn’t long before Lia’s eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.