One thing that it did fix in her mind was why she had always felt so compelled to the supernatural world. Maybe that was why she had felt so drawn to them to begin with. Truthfully, Laurel thought there was something more to it. She had always felt that there was something more to the crush that she had on Nathan. It hadn't felt like a crush. It felt like some kind of devastating attraction that could not be tamed or changed. She wouldn't have wanted to, anyway.
Nathan’s strong arms went around her, his smile enveloping her every sense, but it was not enough to stop her from shaking uncontrollably in his arms. What had just happened to her? What was she?
“Did you know?” Her voice was so small and timid.
“Did I know what, Laurel?”
“Did you know that I was like this? I mean, don't you guys have extra sensors or something and know the difference? Haven't I heard that before?”
He shrugged. “I don't know what happened, to be honest with you. I guess that it usually happens that way. I can usually tell when other shifters are around, but I never picked that up from you. Even when we were away from the Academy and other shifters, I never felt like you were like me.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don't know. There's a lot that I don't understand about this. I'm going to have to figure it out. I wonder if you know anything. Did you not have any idea that you weren’t human? Any clues?”
She agreed that she hadn’t. She was as surprised as he was, possibly more because it was her that had shifted. Laurel had always thought that she was just a human, like everyone else. Now, though, she had parents she hadn’t ever met and a huge secret that had since been revealed to her. It was a bit overwhelming, and Laurel needed answers more than ever before.
“I really didn't. I don't even know what to say. Where is Nancy, by the way?” Laurel couldn’t help looking about her for the crazy woman to jump out at her again. She was out for blood.
“I sent her home for now. You don’t have to worry about her. She won’t be coming back here, and she won’t mess with you, anymore.”
“It's easy for you to say. I think she was going to kill me.”
He agreed. “And that's probably what saved you. Our shifter side, while usually controllable, the only time that is not the case, is when our lives are in danger. Something else clicks on and there is no holding us back. That is why you shifted, without knowing what you were doing. It was just instinct.”
“I see that instinct is an awesome thing. I felt so powerful. Do you walk around like that all the time?”
“Pretty much. Although, I guess I don't have much to compare it to. I've always felt this way, always had this power. I would imagine it's a little different for you, though, having been a human much of your life.”
She just shook her head. “I can't believe that this is really happening. It's kind of crazy, you know? I mean, I never in a million years would have thought that there was anything special about me.”
Nathan grinned. He didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. He actually seemed to be happy, and that made her happy as well. She had literally just gotten everything that she ever wanted in her life. All she had to do was almost die first. That seemed about right.
“You look like you’re about to burst. What make you look that way?”
“Nothing, it's just, I can't believe that this is happening.”
“Well, now that it is happening, at least you are in literally the best place you could be in. I mean, your luck is legendary.”
She looked at him a little strange. “How so?”
“Because you are in one of the best shifter academies in the world. I will teach you everything that you need to know. Teach you how to control it and so much more. This is the best place for you right now, Laurel, and I’m glad I will be the one to help you.”
All of a sudden that sounded really good to her. She didn't know what to say or how to think. It had all just happened so fast. Before she could really think it through, she had pulled him in for a big hug and she felt his body stiffen up almost immediately. That made her rethink her action and wonder why he reacted so differently than she thought he would.
Laurel pulled away. “I'm sorry. That was way out of line. I am just so happy to hear that you will help me. I'm scared of having all of this happen to me and not know anything about it. I don’t want to hurt someone.”
“It's fine, really. I'm going to help you with this, and you will see that you're going to be a great shifter. I never doubted it for a minute.”
She was a little relieved to hear all of that and she wanted to give him another hug, but she was quickly learning that the touch of him was hard to handle. Really hard to handle, and she liked to believe that he felt it, too.
***
Everything in Laurel's life changed pretty much overnight. One minute she was unsure about her future and what exactly it was even going to entail, and the next minute, she was feeling like the sky was the limit and her way seemed so much easier now. She was a shifter. That was enough. She didn't have to have arbitrary titles and jobs if she didn't want them. Being a shifter was enough for her, and she’d thought long ago that it would be.
Laurel immediately started several classes at the Academy. Nathan set her up with a schedule that was much like the new students and she was already learning so much. It was all more sophisticated than she had imagined, rules, regulations, and all the right and wrong ways to do things. Laurel liked the parameters brought into her life. It felt like she had been coasting and not really going anywhere for the last couple of years. It was good to have a plan.
On top of all of the regular classes that she was taking at the Academy, she was also taking a one-on-one self-defense class with Nathan. He was convinced that she just needed more practice in keeping herself safe. He didn't tell her why exactly, but Laurel had a feeling that it had something to do with Nancy. She had obviously made herself an enemy. Whether she wanted to or not. Nancy was pretty scary, and it certainly wasn’t an enemy that she would have preferred to have made. She could have done without that.
