Chapter 55

 

It was past midnight, everyone had been gone for a few hours and Kelsey paced around inside the house. The air was damp, a storm was coming in. Gage had stood impatiently while everyone said good bye and then after a long look at her had taken off in the direction of the shop.

Outside in the dark Blair and Jake were taking their turn on watch. She didn’t know how long that would be the case, but wasn’t going to balk about it after what had happened. The walls were starting to close in on her as her mind raced in a hundred different directions.

Everything that had happened since she came home was stuck on a loop inside her head, and she was going to explode soon if she didn’t find some sort of resolution with all of it. It wasn’t fair, not one bit of it, yet this was her new reality. Her new life was leaps and bounds away from what she had always pictured.

She could only fool herself for so long, but had to at least give it a try or be disappointed. Her choices in life were limited no matter how she looked at it. The options she thought she had really were limited.

It wasn’t the fact that she was a species other than human she had always believed she was. That, in a weird way, felt right to her. Being a tiger shifter was okay with her. Sure, she wanted to know more, because at this point she was a toddler and that wasn’t going to do at all, but it was easy enough to resolve that.

The lies that had been told to her for years were almost acceptable, now that she understood the reasons. Of course, she’d always be a little miffed about the way it had all gone down, but there was no sense in burning energy being pissy about the situation. She would always regret that her parents hadn’t told her, that they’d withheld an important part of her heritage from her, but there was no sense in freaking out about something she couldn’t change.

Then there was this whole thing with Gage. The man that she’d pined for as a teen, that she’d had fantasies about all the years she’d been away. He was the reason no other male had ever stirred any interest from her. She only wanted one man, and if she wanted him she could now have him forever, and she’d never have to worry about him straying or breaking her heart. There was that marvelous concept as far as the whole shifter world went. Fate found your match and you stayed with them.

So, what was she doing wearing a hole in the floor while he was out romping around the bush trying to stay away from her? She wasn’t sure. There was just something that kept her from taking that last step. She loved him, she knew that. I love him. He had to love her, she knew this now. Why else would he work so hard to make sure she was happy, make sure she had the time to come terms with everything? Pausing she looked out the window and watched lightning strike in the distance.

Get it together, Kelsey, you can’t make the man wait forever until you figure out what the hell you’re doing. He’s shown you the patience of a saint and let you have every opportunity to find someone else. I don’t deserve you, Gage. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and then blew it out nosily. And even after you did that I still came back here. Opening her eyes wide, she looked up at the ceiling and then down to the floor. I’m an idiot. The answer is right there, and you’ve been carrying on like a schizoid for the past week whining about options and choices.

Turning on her heel, she darted for the door and ran out onto the porch. A loud crack of thunder boomed and echoed into the night. It was like the exclamation point on her thoughts. Blair and Jake ran toward the porch as the sky opened and sheets of rain pelted down.

“That came out of nowhere,” Jake mumbled as he wiped the water off his face.

She looked from one to the other. “Do you think Gage will be back soon?”

Blair held up both hands and then dropped them to shake the rain off. “Who knows, the crazy bastard always loved running in a storm.”

Leaning on the railing, she looked out into the trees, hoping he’d be back soon.

“Everything all right, Kels?” Jake asked, moving to stand beside her.

Nodding, she kept her eyes moving along the tree line.

“He’ll be fine.” Blair added as he went to the other end of the porch and leaned against the corner post to watch the other side of the yard.

A breeze blew the rain onto the porch making Jake back up, she stood where she was, not caring if she got soaked, as she continued to look for him. Inhaling the rain scent, she smiled when she recognized another scent. Turning she went down the steps and started for the path to the shop.

“Kelsey?” Jake called out.

Before she could reach the path, a large white tiger came out of the trees. He was huge she realized, the closer he got to her. Turning his big head, he glanced at the porch to the men that were supposed to be watching over her and then looked back at her. His easy stride brought him to her in very little time.

When he nudged her toward the porch with his shoulder, she turned and ran her hand down over his wet fur. He paused and let her before nudging her again; she refused to move, just kept pushing her fingers through his coat. Gage made a soft yowling noise and she knew, without interpretation, that he was giving her hell for standing out in the storm.

Leaning down, she rubbed her cheek along his large jaw, “Change back,” she whispered.

Pale blue feline eyes studied her for a moment before he turned to the porch and chirruped at the men.

She didn’t look, but could hear their boots on the wooden steps as they stepped off.

“Have a good night.” Jake called out as he headed into the trees. Blair stopped at the tree line and looked back for a brief moment, then straightening his shoulders he turned and followed Jake.