The Feline Gaze

“That sounds scary.”

“Not as scary as when I accidentally shifted back and was naked in front of the entire class.”

“Damn.”

She nods, and I can sense the emotions wafting off of her: anxiousness, sadness, loneliness. It must have been hard for her, on some level, dealing with all of those feelings and experiences on her own. It sounds like her parents were never really there for her, which is hard. It’s terrible, actually.

“Nobody deserves to go through that,” I tell her.

“You’re right. It’s one of the reasons I want your project to go through.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I want something to change in Lyon County. It’s been way too long. A lot of parents don’t talk to their kids about shifting and then it comes as this huge, terrible shock. Why can’t we help parents teach their kids? I know that the conversation can be tricky to have, but it’s important. By facilitating more opportunities for different shifters to come here, whether it be through affordable housing or even through programs designed to help shifters get appropriate healthcare, we can create a place where shifters feel safe.”

“In turn, their kids will feel safe.”

“And we can start more programs to educate shifters on what exactly is going to happen to them during puberty.”

I smile. “Yeah, changing from a human boy to a lion teenager wasn’t exactly a simple process.”

“Did your parents help you through it?”

“My parents were kind of like yours,” I tell her honestly. “They were never really around, and when they were, they spent all of their time fighting.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, it was pretty rough. My mom was okay, but my dad was about as terrible as Alastair’s father is.”

“A total dick, then.”

“Pretty much.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get more support,” she tells me. “Everyone deserves a chance.”

“Everyone does.”

I look at her and I love the way Cassidy is so passionate right now. She’s just so excited and wound up and so intent on saving the world, and I love that. I love this excitement I’m seeing in her. Most people get on these trips where they want to do something to help the people around them, but nobody really knows what that means.

Cassidy doesn’t need anyone to tell her how to save the world.

She’s going to do it just by being herself.

She’s quiet for a minute, and then she leans forward and places her hands on my knees. The touch sends spirals of electricity through my body and suddenly, everything feels hot and warm and wild.

“Matthew,” she says. “I want you to take a chance on me.”

Chapter 9

Cassidy

It’s definitely way too forward for this type of situation, but I don’t even care anymore. Who gives a shit? Life is too short to worry about good and proper behavior. Besides, I can smell Matthew’s arousal from here. He wants me just as much as I want him and if I’m going to make a decision that could potentially end my entire career, like calling out my uncle in public, then I’m going to need something to fall back on.

One night of wild, passionate sex could give me a memory that gets me through the tough times up ahead, and if Matthew’s down for this, then all bets are off. I’m totally willing to go all the way if he is and something tells me that right now, Matthew is totally ready.

I whisper what I want.

Him.