Shifted

10.

Kalaya

I couldn't believe it. Josalena was pulling me into her room now, her other arm filled with a bag of food and a wine bottle.

As she led me inside, I stared, wide-eyed and in awe at how large and beautiful her room was. It looked so luxurious. Her bed was so large and piled high with blankets and pillows. I've never seen anything like it.

I let go of her hand – even though I didn't want to – to walk over to a little stand with a mirror on it. Looking into the mirror made something twist in my gut. All I saw when I peered into it, was a dirty shifted inside a room made for a princess. Everything was crème colored or gold and it was way bigger than my one bedroom shack.

I didn't belong here. I shouldn't even be in here. It had to be some sort of sick joke.

Josalena stepped up behind me, and when I met her eyes all I saw were happiness in them as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You're incredibly beautiful," she whispered as she slid her hand down my arm, but before it even went halfway down she snatched her hand back.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, stepping away from me. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea." Her face was scrunched as if in pain. "By that I - I don't want you to think I brought you here just to um,"

​I raised an eyebrow. "Have your dirty way with me?" I couldn't help it; I wanted to mess with her. It was adorable, how one second she seemed so bold and fearless to a flustered  mess the next. The way humans viewed sex was very different than us. They felt only a man and woman should be together that way and that only a very few partners a lifetime. And that it was something to not speak boldly about. Something to do only during the cover of darkness.

To be honest, if Josalena were a shifted, after the first few flirtatious exchanges, I'd have my head between her legs by now. But humans viewed sex as sacred and I knew if I wanted her to fall for me enough to trick her, I would need to hold off that side of me.

​"Yeah, nothing like that! I was just thinking that you know since it's your last night here, we could hang out. I mean I might not see you again after this,"

​"Are you planning on going somewhere? Moving to another town?" I questioned turning and stepping closer to her. My eyes were drawn to her plump lips as she sucked in a breath, our chests close to touching but not quite. I could hear her heart beating wildly. As it was downstairs long before she stood in front of my door. Was she afraid of me? Nervous?

​"Um no, but –"

​"Then we'll see each other again," I reached and stroked a finger down the side of her chin to the end of her neck, listening to her hold her breath while seeing the pulse in her neck going wild.

​ I had thought I had really fallen asleep and was just dreaming when the curly haired beauty stepped in front of my cell.

​At first she had just looked at me and I had wondered if she thought my eyes were scary in the dark, I knew how the humans reacted to seeing my eyes at night. So I waited for her eyes to widen in horror before she turned to run away.

​But instead, a smile blossomed on her face and it had lit up her whole expression.

​The moment she offered her hand out to me, I had been lost.

​And now here I was, in her room, her bed nearby and she was watching me with her brown eyes filled with wonder.

And all I could think about was if she'd really trust me enough to fall asleep in here without locking me back up.

​Stepping away from her, pretending to be interest in her little trinkets around her room, I decided I hated myself. Here I was, in a room with the most beautiful girl ever and all I could think about was if I should kill her father and escape.