11:40
Emma stood frozen, her mind a chaotic whirlpool of emotions as the jaguar slinked further into the sitting room. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, each beat reverberating in her ears like a drum. She had always known there was something different about her sister. But this? This was beyond comprehension. She didn’t see this coming.
If she thought that Amelia was hiding something, it was maybe her practice center, her diary, her fetishes or something else. Something human. But not this.
The sleek, powerful form of the jaguar, with its piercing, familiar eyes, filled her with a mixture of awe and terror. Those eyes-so unmistakably Amelia’s-sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Were their parents aware of this? Was Amelia adopted? Or did something happen to the real Amelia back in college, and this was an imposter? No, if this was an imposter, she would have noticed. This was Amelia, in the flesh and blood.
Emma cocked her head to the side, still unable to come to terms of what was before her. Shock paralyzed her. She couldn’t reconcile the majestic, dangerous beast in front of her with the sister she had grown up with, the one she had shared secrets and dreams with.
A sense of betrayal surged through her, hot and suffocating. Amelia had lied to her, and had kept this monumental secret hidden. What else had she been hiding? What other truths had been twisted or obscured in their lives? Emma felt the ground beneath her feet shift, her world upending in a heartbeat. Trust, once unshakable, now teetered on a fragile precipice.
Her breaths came in shallow gasps, each one a struggle as she tried to process the reality before her. The jaguar’s presence was overwhelming, its powerful aura filling the room, making it hard to think, to breathe. Why hadn’t Amelia told her? Why had she chosen to hide something so crucial, so defining?
The questions circled like vultures, picking at the remnants of her trust and leaving behind raw, exposed nerves. Emma’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms, the pain a sharp reminder that this was real, that this was happening.
As the jaguar took a tentative step forward, Emma’s instinct for self-preservation kicked in. Fear twisted into resolve, and she felt a surge of heat in her palm. Without thinking, she summoned a flame, its warm, flickering light casting long shadows across the room.
The jaguar halted, eyes widening slightly, an almost human expression of surprise crossing its features. Emma held her ground, the flame a barrier between her and the unknown threat. If her sister was a foe, she was ready to fight for her life.
The jaguar’s form began to shimmer, the edges blurring and shifting. Emma’s heart raced even faster, her pulse a roaring crescendo in her ears. The transformation was both fascinating and horrifying to watch, as fur retracted, bones realigned, and muscles shifted. Within moments, Amelia stood before her, naked and vulnerable, yet still exuding an aura of power.
“Can you, um, get me a cloth or something?” Amelia’s voice broke the tense silence, a touch of amusement in it despite the gravity of the situation.
Emma’s mind was a storm of conflicting emotions-anger, confusion, betrayal, and an undercurrent of relief. She averted her eyes, cheeks flushing with embarrassment, and quickly grabbed a blanket, tossing it to Amelia. “Here,” she muttered, her voice trembling.
“Thanks,” Amelia said, wrapping the blanket around herself. “You can look now.”
Emma turned back, her eyes locking onto her sister’s, searching for answers. “How… how did you do that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s a long story,” Amelia began, settling on the edge of the bed. “But first, stop looking at the time. You can transform at any moment during the day. There’s no specific time.”
Emma didn’t bother to ask how her sister had known that she might shift today, but then if Amelia was here, then she knew what was exactly going on, why she was special, and the entire prophecy thing that Zipfarah and her community thought that she was. So, she forced herself to focus, trying to push past the betrayal she felt.
“Who are you?” She asked, the question heavy with the weight of her shattered trust. “And why are you here?”
Amelia took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Emma’s with a serious intensity. “I’m still your sister, Emma. But there’s more to me than you know. I have the ability to transform into a jaguar, a gift passed down through our family line. Our ancestors were guardians of the forest, protectors of the balance between nature and humanity.”
Emma listened, her mind struggling to keep up. “Guardians of the forest? Why haven’t you told me this before?”
“Because I didn’t see the necessity then. If I had, you wouldn’t have believed me. You might have even run away from me. I didn’t want that. I was waiting till your eighteenth birthday.” Amelia admitted. “…but I’ve been training, learning to control my transformations and harness my abilities. I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure you were ready, and that I could protect you and our family.”
“Protect us from what?” Emma asked, fear mingling with a sense of awe.
***
“Which medium of transportation would be faster to get to the pack?” Nathan asked, as he fixed the ring with the abstenum in his fourth finger of his left hand. His brother had lent him his own, which meant he had to get abstenum from the pack, by whatever means possible.
“Vapor.” Kane answered, looking at Dobah who had Blenda in his arms. “Is she fit to travel in that condition? She vomited twice after we had landed here first. She still looks sick.”
Blenda glared at him, and he lifted up his hands in surrender. “Apologies, Blenda. I was just being concerned.”
Blenda snorted, and held tight to her lifemate. No way was she missing the drama that will ensue at the pack with Nathan’s return.
She turned aside to look at the man who reminded her of a well hewn rock, and soughed when she didn’t see him. He already turned to the vapor.
“Does he know where we are heading to?”
Dobah chuckled. “I’m not sure. But Kane can handle that.”