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Tiger
The new day arrives much more slowly than I would have wanted it to. The past few hours can only be described as torturous as far as I’m concerned. A while ago, Kristina stretched her body over mine as she sought warmth, forcing me to sit immobile longer than necessary.
Unbeknownst to her, she has stirred feelings and emotions I can’t quite describe, nor do I want to accept. It’s the closeness that’s made rethink my decision to keep her from freezing during the cold night.
I have never been in such a compromising position with any human, let alone one who is aware of my secret. After our conversation about proper touching, I’m befuddled as to how to go about interacting with her from this point on.
I’m fully aware I must uphold a certain sense of decorum for her sake, but unsure as to what the limits of my boundaries are. Kristina has made it clear I need to keep my distance and watch how I manage any physical contact between us.
Normally, this wouldn’t present me with a problem, but I have come to learn that Kristina is not an ordinary young woman. She stirs things within me no one else has before and this frightens me more than the threat of being locked in a cell for a week.
I believe, to some extent, she recognizes we need to work together to get through this, but right now she’s taken the brunt of the work, which burdens me with yet another person to protect.
She did not choose to become involved in my mission. I sought her, knowing ahead of time she would ultimately be caught up in the aftermath of my escape plan. Now it is up to me make sure Gerard does not hurt her. Or Rose.
Kristina stirs next to me, arms tightening around me while her eyelids flutter faintly. The sound of the steady drumming of her heart invades my ears—it matches the rhythm of my own. I tense for the inevitable. Once she opens her eyes and realizes how close in proximity we are, she is bound to react badly to it.
For most of the early morning hours I remained awake. I could hardly sleep with Kristina as near to me as she is. Resting in confined places, I’ve done many times. I can adjust if necessary, but holding someone to me is new. This made for a very uncomfortable night.
One hand dances up my chest, her fingers slithering over my skin. I hold my breath, conflicted over what to feel. I’m unable to deny enjoying the effects brought on by her unconscious actions, but I’m also worried about her reaction.
“It’s so cold,” she murmurs in her sleep. “I don’t want to move.”
I look out the window. The sun has risen up high in the sky. We need to get going, but I lack the courage to wake her and the desire to move her. I have delighted in her closeness, maybe, a bit too much.
“Kristina? You have slept long enough. We should push on.” For her sake and mine, we need to put some distance between us.
She shakes her head and buries her face in my chest. “I don’t want to.”
Sitting in the same exact position for hours has stiffened not only my spine but my muscles, too. I must shake off the soreness in my body.
“We have to,” I insist softly. “We should find someplace to eat and stretch our legs.”
Kristina groans in protest. She shifts ever so slightly to her left and the hand that had gone exploring with no particular path in mind changes course abruptly, down to my stomach. I suck in some air and jerk into a sitting position. Kristina’s head pops up and her gaze immediately searches mine.
“What...” she clears her throat and tries again, “...how long have I... we been sitting like this?”
“Close to four hours.”
“Crap. I wasn’t supposed to sleep this long.” Her fingers slide toward my ribcage, causing a ticklish sensation to my side, which I immediately prevent by capturing her hand over my shirt. She glances down, suddenly conscious of where her extremities are.
“You fell asleep,” I say, hoping to break the tension that’s now palpable between us. Her eyes broaden as she realizes how much of me she has unintentionally explored.
“Oh...” she snaps her hands away as if they’ve caught fire. Her cheeks now sport a pinkish hue they did not have before. “Thank you. I was...very...warm,” she mutters, lowering her gaze to her feet. “I’m dying for a cup of coffee. What about you?”
I resort to looking out the window. “Maybe a cup of water.”
She laughs. The sound catches me by surprise and I roll my eyes toward her, unable to keep myself from gaping as she runs her fingers through her long, brown locks.
“Coffee didn’t make a good first impression on you, did it?”
I swallow as she tilts her head to the side and rewards me with a grin.
“I think I prefer water,” I say in response.
Her eyes twinkle with amusement as she stares at me. “Got ya.”
It’s the most peaceful I’ve seen her since our paths first crossed two nights ago. I admire the serenity I can see on her face.
“Have you ever tasted hot chocolate? Its cold out and it might warm you up. Not that I think you’d need...since you’re like a furnace...” She cuts off, her cheeks turning a darker shade of pink.
I dip my head. “I can give it a try.”
“Let’s see if we can find a place to have breakfast, preferably one with a bathroom.” She grabs the maps from the floor before crawling to the front of the truck to make herself comfortable in the driver’s seat. She flips open the maps and reviews them in short before saying, “Well, there’s a rest stop about forty minutes away. We could stop by, use the bathroom, eat, and get on our way. Does that sound like a plan?” Her mood seems to have improved after resting for a few hours.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Okay, then buckle up.”
I settle in for the ride as she drives off to the location she mentioned.
“Tiger...Grandma and you wanted to keep me out of Gerard’s path, but my neck is already on the chopping block here. Shouldn’t I have a bit more insight on what’s up with the evil nerd?”
“I suppose so. What is it you want to know?”
“For starters, why does Gerard think of you as his most valuable specimen? You explained you’re considered a success story, but could you put things in perspective for me?”
Kristina’s curiosity is normal and something I’ve come to expect, but there’s only so much I can say.
Dismally, I go on to repeat what I have heard Gerard say on many occasions. “For years, Gerard tried to achieve a specimen as close to perfection as he could manage. I was the end result.”
“Perfect? As in how, exactly?” she questions, her gaze focused on the road ahead.
“Gerard was vague with the details, but I believe he accomplished a level of greatness he had never seen before and as a consequence he became obsessed with anything related to me.”
“Yesterday afternoon, I saw something in you...it’s hard for me to describe what I saw, but it kind of...freaked me out a little.”
I offer her the blanket as she quakes.
She spares a glance over her right shoulder at me. “How did you...?”
“I can sense it.”
“Well, thank you, but I can’t take it. I’m driving.”
I settle on my seat with the blanket draped over my thighs.
“See...that...there. You know when I’m cold, tired, sleepy. How?”
“Some things are obvious. Some require paying close attention to. I’m able to sense things humans cannot. For example...” I look out the window, “your friend, Wyatt, is very sick. He doesn’t have long to live.”
“What?” There’s a hitch in her voice, which makes me aware I have made an insensitive remark. “He’s dying? What’s wrong with him?”
“He has some kind of disease eating away at his lungs.”
“Oh, God,” Kristina replies in obvious shock. “I can’t believe this.”
“I apologize, Kristina. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No. I...uh, am just...caught off guard. I guess...it was evident, but I...it’s hard to accept. He’s had a bad cough for a long time. Having it confirmed like this is a bit much, that’s all.”
Kristina adds nothing else. I imagine she’s taking in the news and trying to cope with it.
Conscious I may have ruined her good mood, I decide on staring out the window in silence.
The human mind is very complex, I realize. They need time to cope with things they can’t understand or handle all at once. I don’t have that problem. I accept whatever comes my way however best the situation allows for.
Every creature, human or otherwise, reaches its breaking point at some time. I’m no different in that aspect. One incident threw me over the edge at last. No more. I can’t continue to be his perfect specimen. I want to be free. Own my actions. Be the only one in charge of making my decisions. To live alongside humans without being a threat to them.
I want to coexist.
“What else can you do?” Kristina asks, breaking me away from thoughts of freedom.
“I...can change...forms.”
“Like, shift? You’re some kind of shapeshifter? You can change forms like...from human to animal? Is that what you mean?”
“No. That’s not what I can do.”
“Okay, like a werewolf then? Are you a werewolf?”
I’m curious as to how she knows what a werewolf is so I ask, “What does a werewolf looks like?”
Her right brow bumps up. “I’ve seen movies, so I have a general idea.”
“Did I resemble those you have seen?”
“No. Well, not exactly. You didn’t change all that much.”
My gaze falls on her hands as I notice how her fingers tighten on the steering wheel fleetingly before going slack again. She’s nervous.
“Does it bother you?”
“Does what bother me?”
“Talking about...me.”
“No. Yes. Well,” her fingers curl around the steering wheel again, “it’s just that it’s so hard for me to understand or come to terms with all this. It’s hard to believe. We grow up believing such beings don’t exist...and then you show up...”
“I think I understand,” I murmur, divided over what I should say.
“So, is that what you are?” she asks, reverting our conversation to our main topic.
“No. I’m not a werewolf. I’m not sure what I am.”
“Well, I can rule you out as being a vampire, too, since you’re not burning to ashes on the back seat.”
Vampires burning to ashes? Where did she get that impression?
“Are we close?” I ask.
“About ten more miles,” she announces.
Good. I need to refill my stomach to keep the bloodlust at bay. It’s also essential for me to maintain my level head, stamina, and strength. Thus far I have been able to uphold my objectives, but things won’t always be this easy.