Cats VS Dogs.

Asher Stane

Picture is of Asher Stane 

"What the hell happened in there?" Dak demanded. 

"There was a wolf, Dak! A wolf was in the store!" 

"What?" He looked over at me to make sure I was telling the truth. As if I would lie about something like this. 

"He was there, and I could smell others. Dak, he killed Mable and Hadley!" I burst into tears, covering my face with my hands. 

Dak drove silently, letting me cry. I had known the two kindly storekeepers since I had moved here. They had never hurt a fly. They didn't deserve to die like that. 

By the time Dak parked in front of my cabin, I was getting a grip on my emotions. 

"It's all right," Dak said gently. 

"No, it's not. How can you say that? They're dead. We're all going to be killed." I was babbling, on the edge of hysteria. 

"No." Dak laid his hand on the side of my wet face. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Cassie." 

I just stared at him, wishing I could let myself believe that. He leaned over the stick shift, his intent clear. After the fight with Jasper and the scare in the store, I didn't have the emotional fortitude for drama with Dak. I remembered his soft kiss of yesterday. He was so gentle and light-hearted. I leaned forward the rest of the way and pressed my lips to his. 

Unlike Jasper, Dak didn't control the kiss or take it deeper. He kept it sweet and short. When he drew away, I saw his eyes widen. I looked out the window behind me and saw Jasper standing on the front porch, looking dangerous. His muscles were tensed, his jaw was set, and his black eyes were murderous. 

"Oh boy," I heard Dak breathe. "Come on." Without a word about the kiss, he opened the drivers door and got out. I was paranoid of being by myself; wolves might be lurking all around. I scrambled out of the jeep and caught up to Dak. Jasper was quickly walking toward us. 

"Leave," he said to Dakarai.

Dak's face turned white, and he said, "Jasper, I didn't know-"

"Leave!" Jasper roared. I cringed and felt Dak wince as well at Jasper's anger. Dak quickly began his trek to the woods, looking over his shoulder worriedly at me. 

"Jasper, what the hell?" I squeaked, watching Dak retreat like a whipped puppy. 

Jasper didn't answer, just grabbed my wrist and took me to the cabin. He flung open the door and released my wrist. He was scaring me. Chang was sitting at the table, reading a magazine. 

"Jasper, what are you doing?" he demanded. 

"Get out," Jasper snarled. His black eyes were turbulent, and his whole body seemed to almost be imperceptibly shaking. He almost seemed to be baring his teeth, and I could the lengthened canines. He was on the verge of losing control and shifting. 

"No," Chang said defiantly. "You're scaring Cassie." 

Jasper glanced down at me and his expression immediately softened. I cowered next to him, my eyes huge and frightened. He took a deep breath and released it.

"Please leave," he growled.

Chang studied him for a moment, then said, "I'll be on the back porch." 

As soon as Chang left, Jasper turned to me. "What are you trying to do with Dakarai?" he demanded. 

"What?" It was the only thing I could say after the display I had just seen.