The Savage Garden Ch. 04

Jade’s laughter echoed through the trees as she played chase with Darion. It had been a long week, filled with reading and training exercises that left her exhausted. This morning Darion had taken one look at her and called off the daily training, saying that she needed to spend some time unwinding. The picnic had been her idea. Jade skid to a halt in front of the picnic basket and flopped down onto the blanket. “Darion, do you ever regret coming out here? Leaving the rest of the world behind and secluding yourself the way you do?” She asked timidly as he flopped down beside her.

“No my kitten,” He responded,” It isn’t really safe for us out there. If there is one thing I’ve learned from studying history books, it’s that we can’t just walk around like everyday people. Sooner or later, somebody is going to catch on. And when they do we might just have a repeat of the Inquisition. I wish that things were different, but they aren’t. Look at how hard it is to be a Pagan. There are always people waiting to drag you down, because they don’t understand you. Di deals with that every day. Imagine what those kinds of people would do if they found out what you really were. It’s disgusting, but it’s also reality.”

“I know.” Jade whispered. “I know all of that, but I still miss it. I miss knowing who I am and where I stand. Right now it’s all just a jumble. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life isolated, afraid to trust people because they mind just stab me in the back. I don’t want to live in the constant fear of discovery. It isn’t fair.”

“I know that, but sometimes we don’t have a choice. Think of the good that you can do. If you hadn’t been there, Sera would be dead. You saved a life. This is a curse and a gift Jade. It just depends on which way you look at it, and what you do with the time that you are here on earth. Look inside of yourself, what do you feel?” Darion asked as he looked deeply into her eyes.

“I feel strength, strength and need. But I also feel fear, and pain, and insecurity.” Jade sighed. “I just don’t know if at the end of the day I’m going to be strong enough to take this.”

“Trust me Jade. If I didn’t think that you were strong enough I would never have agreed to train you. Now how about we work on changing completely. Now is as good a time as any.”

Jade shrugged and stood up. Breathing in time with Darion, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the need she felt, and embraced the hunger. Her body began to move as if fluid as she began to change into the form of a large cat. She pushed harder, willing herself to complete the change. She felt Darion’s hand on her shoulder and a new strength filled her. “I can do this!” she said to herself, and the change was complete. She sensed Darion moving, and suddenly he was beside her in his were form. He nuzzled her neck once and ran off into the trees. She followed.

Jade could sense him ahead of her. She could feel him moving. And then she heard his voice inside of her head. “Come to me.” The voice said. “Come to me, and I’ll show you what it’s like.”

“Coming!” Jade thought back, and then she was upon him. He was standing next to a lake, looking down at his reflection. She stopped as her paws reached the water, and looked down to see herself this way for the first time. She was beautiful. Strong, and powerfully built. Sleek fur covering tightly wired muscle, and piercing eyes giving a hint to the intelligence behind them. “I feel so free.” She thought to Darion. “I never imagined that it would feel like this. Before it was just anger, and hunger, and pain. Now, it’s beautiful.”

“Come with me, my kitten.” He thought back. “I want you to see something. I think that you are finally ready.” Darion began to sprint back towards the house, leaving Jade to follow. When they reached the front steps, he slid back into his human form, and without a thought Jade found herself doing the same. Darion smiled. “The change back comes easier doesn’t it? With time you will be able to do both without effort.” He led her into the kitchen and pulled up a trap door. “Down here.” He jumped down into the basement and held up his hands to catch her. Jade bit her lip and jumped into his arms. Setting her onto the floor he switched a light on, and took her over to a desk that sat in the corner. Pulling out a folder he motioned for her to sit, and dropped it into her lap. “Look through these. I will be back in a few hours.” And with that he was back up through the trap door and out of the house.

Jade thumbed through the folder. Newspaper articles, magazine clips, and photographs. Headlines that read “Murder Suspect Found Bound and Gagged in Local Graveyard”, “Child Molester Found Dead in Estes Park After he Escaped From Prison”, “Young Kidnap Victim Saved by Unknown Man”. The list went on. Jade read through all of the articles, she remembered these stories. The fourteen year old kidnap victim had said that a large man had burst into the room where she was being held, and knocked her attacker unconscious. She said that he had been so fast that she could barely see him move, and that after dropping her off at the local police station he had vanished. Her parents had called the rescuer a guardian angel and had offered the man a reward of twenty thousand dollars if he would surface to claim it. He never did. Then the realization hit her. Darion… He had done all of this. Setting the folder back onto the desk, Jade found a small ladder and climbed back up into the kitchen. Darion was sitting at the table, waiting for her response.

Jade sat down across from him. “Is that how you live with it? Is that how you deal with the hunger?”

“Yes,” He whispered. “I channel it, use it to help others. I told you that it was a gift kitten. Maybe it isn’t a gift to me, but it’s a gift to the people who would have died if I hadn’t been there. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how you would react. I just couldn’t chance it before.”

“And now?” Asked Jade.

“I had to know.” Darion looked into her eyes and reached for her hands. “I had to know if you could live with who I really am. I want you to stay here, with me. Being with you this past week has made me realize that I don’t have to deal with this alone. I want to share it with you, all of it. If you will let me.” Darion held his breath and waited for her answer.

Jade just stood up from the table and pulled him out of the kitchen and up the stairs into his room. As she pushed him down onto the bed she whispered “For now, my love, and for always.” Her hands ran over his body as they began to move together in the age-old sensual dance that they both knew so well. Their clothes fell to the floor as they explored each other’s bodies. Jade gasped as he slid inside of her, and the rest of the world disappeared. There was nothing but the feel of him, the taste of him, the sound of his breathing. Working together as one they reached out for the waves of pleasure they felt building. As the waves came crashing down, a howl split the silence of the sleeping forest, and a whispered promise sifted on the wind. “For now, my love, and for always.”

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