He hadn’t planned to introduce himself to her today, but after seeing the two snakes talking to her and then the green-haired one followed her to the coffee shop, Callon realized he couldn’t wait any longer.They were getting too bold, and inhisterritory.He could no longer just be a spectator.Callon had been trying to wait for the right time to approach her.He wanted to do it in a way that was more natural, the way humans met and dated.If the snakes were the ones behind the women being stolen, then Lola was in danger.That was unacceptable.Callon would protect her at all cost as would the Kingdom of Claws.
“We were saying goodbye,” Lola answered, her brow furrowing as she wrestled with what her head was telling her to do, and what her soul needed her to do.As much as she was his, he was hers as well.The image of the lion they both bore on their flesh sealed their fate.
“You asked me why I’ve been stalking you,” he reminded her.“I’ve yet to give you an answer.Not to mention how I know exactlywhatyour tattoo looks like.Don’t you want to knowhowI knew that it looked like mine?”
“I’ve formulated some answers.”She held up a finger.“One, you’re insane.And two,” second finger, “Kian is obviously a friend and he probably showed you the drawing of the tattoo he did.Which means he’s as insane as you are because crazy people stick together.“What I don’t know is how neither of you, or any of the others with the weird things I can’t explain– like Jaxine and her spider legs– haven’t been put in a mental hospital yet.There’s no way there’s so many of you running around without someone calling the mental police.Not that there are mental police.Though there really should be.Sometimes you don’t need to call the regular police because it’s not criminals that are terrifying you.It’s just people who need to have their heads examined.Like hot dudes who take their shirts off to show you their matching tattoos that they got when they were still sucking on a pacifier.”Her quick wit made him laugh and her curiosity made it clear she was indeed a felineanimus.After all, the saying, ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ wasn’t totally wrong.“So, no.I don’t need any answers.I’m good.Going to go on about my life and you’re going to go back to yours and that’s that.I’m totally good.”
“Liar,” he said with a slight purr.She brought out his inner lion and soon, he would finally be able to take on the full form of his beast.And Lola would discover that she was more than human.“You’re dying to know more.Admit it.”His lip rose slightly showing off a fang.“You saw Jaxine’s legs.”
“That sounds so disturbing without even knowing that there were eight of them,” she said on a sigh.
“That’s just more proof that you’re exactly who I say you are.”
“You haven’t told me anything other than the fact that I’myours,” she growled.
“Which is the most important piece of information you need to remember, even after I tell you the rest of it,” he warned.
“You have,” she looked at her phone.“Eighteen minutes left.You better get to talking.”
“What if I told you that what you see is real?”he asked.“The times when you thought you saw animal characteristics in the appearance of different people you’ve come in contact with over the past month, are not a figment of your imagination.There’s a secret world, Lola.A world of shifters– beastwalkers– that live right here among the humans.”He paused, letting her digest his words.
“You’ve been following me and spying on me through my window.You know I read paranormal books, so this is what you come up with?Seriously?”She shook her head as if she was disappointed in him.“I was actually expecting the truth from you.I don’t know why.I had a feeling you were different.But I guess I was wrong.”
He reached for her but she took a step back.“I am different.That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”He wanted to touch her again.To feel her soft skin against his own.“Look at me, Lola,” he growled, attempting to keep his composure.“Reallylook at me.Please.”He needed her to see his beast, to believe what her eyes were telling her despite what her human brain believed to be true.Callon felt the animal inside of him stretching.The skin on his hands tightened, and he looked down to see sharp claws had taken the place of the human nails.The wind rustled his hair, and when it touched his neck, he realized that it had grown longer and felt fuller.He nearly grinned.He wondered if his mane in his lion form would be as blond as his human hair?The darkness around him lightened as if nearly day time.His feline eyesight had grown even more acute as his pupils dilated to grasp as much light around him.Even his canines felt larger than they’d already been.
Lola’s mouth dropped open and then closed.She repeated this over and over as she stared at him.Her eyes jumped from his face, to his hair and then down to his hands.She started to shake her head but then seemed to collect herself.“What are you?”
“I just told you.I’m a beastwalker.”The animal inside of him reached for her, not in a physical way.It was deeper than skin.As if his soul called to hers.Lola gasped as she pressed her hand to her chest, just over the tattoo.“You felt that?”he asked, the desperation in his voice as high as what he felt in his soul.“I don’t fully understand it,” he admitted.“Usually our kind mates with whom they choose.Both male and female choose to love each other, but somehow this is more.Youwere made forme.Please,”he pleaded.“Believe me.”
“I don’t know what to believe,” she answered.Her brow drew low and he hated the confusion he saw there.He wanted her curiosity, not her worry or fear.
“I won’t hurt you.I would never hurt you,” he promised.“Every cell in my body, my spirit, and soul, are yours.”Perhaps that was a little too intense, but then he didn’t really have the luxury of taking it slow.
“Okay,” she breathed out in a high-pitched voice.“That was weird, not that I expect any less from you considering your history, but you have to understand how this sounds.No matter what Iwantto believe.”
“It’s true, and I can prove it to you,” he promised, instilling as much honesty and sincerity in his voice as he could.“I’m a member of the Kingdom of Claws.My father is the Prime, the leader of our kingdom.”
“Mmm-hmmm, and what do you shift into?”she asked slowly, still sounding unsure of what he was telling her.
He couldn’t help the slow smile that formed on his lips.“What do you think?”
Lola met his gaze and stared at his eyes.“Your eyes are like my cat’s.So you’re a cat?”
Callon tried not to be offended.“I’m a lion, Lo.Not a house cat.Big difference.”
“Is there really?”she asked, her face pinching up.“Because you both purr, you both have claws, and you’re both creepy as hell.”
Using his beastwalker speed, he was in front of her before she could retreat from him.Callon took her hands in his and pressed them to his chest.
“You also move fast and gracefully like a cat,” she muttered.
“I’m of the feline family, but I’m far from tame, and I don’t meow.”
To his surprise she laughed.And then kept on laughing.Callon wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not.After a minute, she finally sighed.“Sorry, I got a mental picture of you as this massive lion opening your mouth to roar, but then a little meow came out.”
Callon snarled, and the sound that came from his chest was anything but human, and definitely not a ‘meow.’“Have I changed your mind?”
“Son of a biscuit, you’re really not human, are you?”The light bulb went on in her mind, as if she was actually seeing him for the first time.The human ideas were being replaced by the reality of what she believed to be impossible, what every human believed to be impossible.Beastwalkers were real and she was actually speaking to one.
