Cats VS Dogs.

The Pond

PIcture of Cassie on the sidebar! 

"Oh my god, oh my god," I chanted over and over. Dak was lying on the spare bed that Aunt Emily slept in on her visits.His eyes were closed, and blood was drying on his face. 

"Cassie, he is going to be all right," Lisimba reassured me. He patted my arm reassuringly. My mind relived the ordeal again. Jasper had laid Dak on the bed, blood staining the quilt. Dak's limp body and shallow breathing almost made me hysterical. Lisimba had come in, examined him, and told us that he had been severely beaten. His lungs were punctured, ribs were broken, his nose was broken.....the list went on and on. If a shifter wasn't dead when the beating stopped, they could heal from almost anything, if they were just given the time. 

As soon as Jasper heard that Dakarai was going to be all right, he left. The other shifters parted to give him room. I watched him go, seeing how his shoulders were quivering with anger. Layla laid a hand on his arm and tried to say something to him. He just shook her off and slammed the door behind him. She turned and caught me watching, shooting me an icy glare.

It was two hours before Dak opened his eyes. He blinked sleepily at my worried expression.

"This isn't how I pictured waking up next to you," he groaned. 

"Shut up," I giggled. I felt like jumping up and down. Dak was okay! 

"What happened to you?" I asked. 

Dak's amiable expression turned angry. "I got jumped by wolves while I was out for a run." 

"Did you see any of them?" The question was not mine, but came from the door. I looked over to see Jasper standing there. His fists were clenched at his sides and his eyes were hard. Usually not a good sign. 

"One. He stopped me and said, "Tell Jasper I said to say hello to Cassie for me. I didn't know what the heck he was talking about, but then his friends attacked me." 

"Asher," Jasper gritted out. I glanced at his furious expression. Whatever had happened with him and Asher in the past was working with this situation to make him seething mad. 

"He must have recognized Dak from the store," I mused. "He's just trying to get to us." 

I turned to look at Jasper but he was gone. "I'll be back," I assured Dak as I hastily followed Jasper. He was angry, and that meant that he probably wasn't going to be making the best choices. He stalked out the back door, slamming it behind him. 

I quickly walked through the living room with the intent of trying to reason with Jasper. If he was thinking of hunting Asher down alone, that was suicide. An alpha was never without at least part of his pack, especially an alpha as crafty as Asher.

As I was reaching for the door handle, Layla appeared in front of me. 

"Excuse me." I tried to sidestep her, but she moved with me. 

 "Just leave him alone," she said in a patronizing manner. Immediately, my metaphorical hackles rose at her tone. 

"Move, please," I politely said. 

"Cassie, I know you're trying to do the right thing, but I know Jasper much better than you do, and I can tell that he needs his space right now." 

"Really Layla, this doesn't concern you," I said, a little less politely. 

"I'm just trying to help him. I know you are too, but I've known Jasper for many years. I know what he's feeling." 

I was getting a little tired of all of this I've-known-Jasper-longer-so-your-opinions-don't-matter-and-I-have-the-right-to-tell-you-what-to-do crap.