When Zach catches sight of me, he breaks into a smile. But there’s something new in his eyes. Something complicated.
And then the figure lifts her head.
“Kayla?” I gasp.
Stockinged feet be damned, I run to her through the thick snow.
So much pain, so much loss and guilt. It doesn’t matter. I throw my arms around my best friend and hug her tight.
“Oh god, you’re here,” she breathes. “I never thought…”
“Let’s go inside,” Zach said, a laugh in his voice.
We go into the cabin, Kayla peels off her coat and we all stare at each other, looking back through the years.
She still has her old vitality, but she looks different now, more put together. Her home-made piercings are gone, and her hair is no longer fire-engine red, but a subtle shade of copper, expensively styled and highlighted.
“You’re back,” Zach says. “I just can’t believe it.”
A flicker of shame passes across her face and she takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry I haven’t kept in contact. But I’ve dealt with…everything. It felt like the right time to come back.”
“You look so good, Kayla,” I tell her.
“I second that,” Zach says.
“So do you guys—” Kayla looks from her father, to me and back again. Then her smile drops. “Wait a minute—”
Her nose wrinkles, and she takes a deep sniff. “You’re together! What the fuck?”
I wince at the gathering rage in her voice.
“Now, Kayla—” Zach’s voice is also loud, reminding me of how he used to be when we were teens.
She rounds on me. “I always knew you were after my dad. I could see it in your eyes.” She comes up close. Her own eyes spark pure emerald fire.
“I-it wasn’t like that,” I stammer. “I was just a kid. I didn’t understand my feelings.”
“Like hell you didn’t.” She grabs me by the shoulders.
I try to push her away, but she’s ten times stronger than me. I see the wildness in her eyes. It was developing when we were teens, but now she’s full grown, it’s awesome. Terrifying.
She curls her lip, and I see how long and sharp her canines are. “My own father. How long have you been…?” She trails off in disgust.
“Just a few days. Things happened real fast.”
“Fast? Like this hasn’t been going on for years?” she snarls.
Zach steps behind Kayla, wraps his arms around her and pulls her off me. “I’ve been looking out for Blair, that was all. Because she had no one. But things developed. We didn’t choose it; it was fate.”
Despite all the tension, when my eyes meet his, my heart gives a little jump.
But Kayla is struggling in his grasp. I see teeth and claws and suddenly, even he can’t hold onto her anymore. Her clothes start to burst apart, and… Kayla is gone and in her place is a big cat. A huge, magnificent jaguar. She tips her head back and roars. It’s like a sonic boom, knocking me senseless. She’s going to kill me. Rip me right open with her claws. I cower in terror.
Zach tears the front door open again. “Kayla, get out of here!” he bellows, his volume matching her own.
She throws me one last, disgusted look, then she spins, swiping me with her long tail. And she’s off, out through the door.
And Zach is tearing his own clothes off. In a flash, his bear bursts out of him, massive and bristling. And he’s after her, barreling out into the snow.
