The Power Within

Chapter Eight

My mom threw her hands in the air, "Well, now that the tiger is out of the bag, can we, please, all calm down?" Mom sat heavily in a dinning room chair.

I let out a huge sigh, and crossed my arms. My eyes met Gabby's confused, green ones. I guess I can tell them some of the truth, they are shifters, and they did help me before they even knew me. I glanced over at Mica, who still seemed to be pissed, but he was looking at me differently than before. I shook off Mica's weird look, and looked back at Gabby. 

"Yes, I am a three-form shifter. My real parents died when I was two. Ben found me in the woods, and then he and Nora raised me and loved me like their own daughter." That was true, I just left out some of the important bits. The less they know, the safer they will be, and the safer I will be too.

Mica stepped forward, but he stopped when he saw me tense up and narrow my eyes at him. He held up his hands, palms out, in front of him. "Look, I'm...I'm sorry. I just have a thing against humans, because humans killed my dad. But, now I know that these two took care of you...so I am really sorry for what just happened." 

He sounded sincere, but, for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that he did not mean a word he said, other than the part about his dad. I uncrossed my arms, and put my hands in my front pockets. "Look, I really am sorry about Leo, but you don't ever get to threaten my parents. I owe them my life."

He nodded, "So you really are the three-form shifter? You know that Malcom guy has been looking for you for years." 

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I know all about Malcom. Why do you think I wear colored-contacts, and dye my hair?" I said with a huff.

Mica tilted his head, "You don't want Malcom to find you?"

"Uh, no. I am not helping him become some king and take over the world." I said, irritably. 

Louisa seemed to agree with me, "Yeah, that man is psychotic. I don't blame you on bit, cupcake." She glanced at her mom, Mia, and then Mica, "I think I can speak for all of us, and say that your secret is safe with us."

The other two women gave me forceful nods. 

Mica shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, whatever. It's not like I ever wanted to meet the guy. Sis is right, he is crazy."

My mom clapped her hands, once. "Okay, now that we have all that settled, Kiley, please get your things, so we can leave this nice family alone." 

"Oh, no, please don't go... I want to show you how sorry I am for earlier. And, Kiley, I have so many questions for you. I'd love to show you around our town, as well." Mica pleaded, his blue eyes staring at me. "And," he continued while he stepped right in front of me, took my hands out of my pockets and held them, "I think you might be my mate."

 I heard gasps all around the room. What? What the hell is he talking about?  He isn't my mate. I shook my head a few times, as if that could help me understand. "But," I started, "I don't think I am." I said. I removed my hands from his grasp, and plopped down in the chair next to my mom. 

Mica followed me, and knelt down in front of me. "Why don't you think so? I can feel it." He told me, confidently. "Your smell is amazing, and when I am next to you, I feel at peace, just like the mate-bond says, and when we touch..." He grabbed my hands again. "I feel the jolts, like electricity, shooting through my body."

I searched his gaze. Everything he said sounds just like the mate-bond, but I don't feel those things. His smell is not amazing, he sort of smells like an old  locker-room. And I don't feel any jolts. Mom wrote me one letter entirely devoted to the mate-bond. I know all about it; I don't feel anything, though. 

"Maybe it's because you're the three-form shifter. Maybe the mate-bond doesn't work the same way for you." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Mica squeezed my hands, and continued,  "I know without a doubt, though, that you are my mate."

I hesitated. That kind of makes sense. I'm not sure, though. In my mother's letter, she seemed confident that the mate-bond would work the same way for me. 

Mica gave my hands another squeeze, "Give me a few days, please, just a few days, so we can get to know each other, and if you still don't feel the same way, then you can leave."

I looked up as I heard Gabby inhale, "But, Mica, if she is your mate, and leaves, the pain of the separation could kill you." 

Mica kept his eyes on mine, "Mom, do you have so little faith in me?" His tone held a trace of disbelief. But, his voice was soft and pleading when he continued, "Please, Kiley, stay here for a few days, that's all I'm asking."

I looked over at my mom, and then up at my dad, trying to gauge their thoughts about all of this.

"Your parents are more than welcome to stay too." Mica added, in a rush.

Mom shrugged her shoulders, and Dad just crossed his arms. What a bunch of help they are. I rolled my eyes, and let out a huge breath, frustrated with this whole, crazy day.

Mom patted my knee, "I think this has to be your decision, my love."

"Yeah, alright, I guess I can stay a few days, " I continued in a serious tone when I saw Gabby's huge smile and heard Mica's relieved sigh. "But, I make no promises of staying longer than that."

Mica squeezed my hands again, "That's fine. Thank you, Kiley."