Nature calls

4 - Kira

I'm outside my house with Shawn and Kate and something very weird and very painful is happening. A branch is wrapped around my waist, pulling me away from Shawn's embrace, making a sharp pain explode in my chest and I cry out.

Shawn looks at me in panic and shouts, "KATE, STOP. YOU'RE HURTING HER." The branches let go of my waist and the pain stops. Shawn quickly walks up to me and wraps his arms around me again.

Breathing heavily, I ask, "will someone please tell me what's going on?" I look back at Kate and her hands are glowing yellow. "Kate?" Then I realize... Anger starts to run through my veins. She's like me. She's just like me! Letting go of Shawn, I slowly walk towards her.

"You're just like me. You're Just. Like. Me!"

"Kira..."

"NO! DO YOU KNOW HOW LOST I'VE FELT? DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT'S BEEN?

"Kira, please-." she begs but I interrupt her. "YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!" Tears fill my eyes and I almost want to throw up.

"Kira, I couldn't. When you moved here, I was assigned to protect you and ordered not to tell you," she says, looking pleadingly at me. Her words shock me. "What? Who? Why?" She sighs and dries away a tear that escaped her own eyes, making me frown.

Is this just as hard for her as it is for me?

I take another step towards her. She closes the distance between us and cups my face with her hands. "I'm sorry, Kira. I truly am, but that's not the biggest problem right now."

I raise my eyebrows. How can that not be the biggest problem? "What do you mean?" I feel Shawn's presence behind me, and he puts his hands on my hips, making my whole body shiver because of the sparks running through me from head to toe.

Kate looks between me and Shawn before she says, "the way you react to him. The way you react to each other. You're his mate."

My eyes widen and I raise my eyebrows. "I'm his what?" He turns me around to face him and he smiles at me. "You're my mate."

I burst out in a hysterical laughter. This is stupid. One big joke. "You mean like in books where werewolves have mates?" I ask between laughs.

"Kira, it's true," That makes me stop. Then he says, "panthers have mates too but that's only between panthers. Not with another creature." Raising my eyebrows, I have to hold back another round of hysterical laughter.

"Creature? Are you seriously calling me a creature?"

Kate slowly walks up to us and then she says the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, "Kira. You're a nymph. A forest nymph." I'm a what now? Shaking my head, I say, "this is ridiculous. Stop messing with me!"

"It's not a joke," Shawn says with a soft voice. "Look at what you can do with nature. That doesn't just come out of nowhere. That doesn't just happen."

What? That can't be true... Can it?

I slowly start to hyperventilate, and I start to panic. My knees buckle under me so I'm now on my knees, resting my hands on the ground and they light up, spreading that green color through the earth. Kate and Shawn kneel down next to me before Shawn rubs my back in soothing circles.

"Kira, relax. Breath, honey," Kate says. Shawn wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him. "Shh, it's going to be alright." His touch makes me relax instantly, so I lean against him and rest my head against his chest.

Kate sighs. Then she looks at Shawn. "Right. Who knows about Kira? Who knows about your mate bond?" Shawn clears his throat before he says, "my sister and aunt... And my father." Kate jumps up. "WHAT?"