Page 13 of Shifting Hearts

“So much.”

She sighs and I know that no matter the outcome, I cannot keep hiding my true self from her. Instead of continuing back to the apartment building where we both live, I turn us in the direction of the small forest I frequent for my shifts.

“Where are we…?”

“I’m going to show you everything. My entire truth,” I explain.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. You deserve to know who I really am before we go any further with whatever this is between us,” I say, knowing full well this could be the thing that sends her screaming in another direction. “I’m also tired of hiding,” I add honestly.

She nods, her gaze locked on the side of my face as I drive. Nerves thrum through me as I drive us through the darkened city covered in its sheet of rain. The moment my truck stops in the parking lot I know I have run out of time. Climbing out of the truck, I make my way to her side, my hand trembling as I open the door for her to get out.

“I don’t have an umbrella,” I say softly as she stands before me in the light mist of rain.

“It’s fine,” she says cupping my jaw and forcing me to look at her. “I don’t mind the rain.”

With a nod, I take her hand in mine and lead her down the muddy path into the heart of the small forest. My nerves are getting the better of me and for the longest moment I fully consider turning the fuck around and just going home so I can sleep.

But I know this is one of those moments that needs to be faced head on. Either way this is going to change my life forever.

Stopping, I take Akasha’s face in my hands. Gently I kiss her lips for what may be the last time in my life.

“No matter what happens after this,” I say once I pull away from her. “Know that no matter what you decide, my feelings for you will remain the same.”

“Korvin?”

“Just give me a minute.”

I take my time stripping out of my clothes. Whether she leaves or not, I can’t go running around Brooklyn naked. I fold my clothes and set them on a rock, turning to look at her for one last time.

Taking a deep breath, I call my bear forward, allowing the shift to come over me. The shimmer of the magic distorts the vision of her in front of me until I am fully in my animal form. The two of us stare at each other for the longest moment.

“You’re a bear.” The words are breathed out of her, a sigh on the wind as she steps closer.

I shake my head, discouraging her from coming any closer. I don’t know how my bear will react, and my fear keeps me back even in this moment where it doesn’t seem she has an ounce of fear.

“Now everything makes sense, “she says, laughing loudly. “I’ve been dreaming of you for so long. Not just you, Korvin, but your animal too.”

I didn’t realize how close she was until I felt her fingers brush through the fur on my chest. My bear sits perfectly still, allowing her to touch him, once more purring like a cat. He is content, happy to let her pay him attention.

“Is this what you were holding back from me? Is this what you thought would make me see you differently?”

My bear grunts, making her laugh again.

“Okay, big buy,” she says, scratching beneath my bear’s chin. “I need to talk to Korvin.”

He snorts and shakes his head.

“Don’t be that way,” she says and chuckles. “I promise to make him let you out more. I have a feeling he hasn’t been letting you have the spotlight often.”

My bear grumbles but allows me to shift back. Akasha smiles at me with a fondness I never expected from her, especially not after meeting my bear.

“After I met you the first time, I dreamed of a big black bear. He led me through a meadow,” she explains her dream to me not knowing I had the exact same one. “You were there, angry that I had followed him. Now I know why. You’re afraid of your animal.”

I smile. “I’m not afraid of him. I’m afraid of what he is capable of.”

“He seems sweet to me.”

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