I met my mate in a bathroom. Romantic? Ha, think again...

Chapter 12

Rose’s POV

On the way home, I started to really think about what William had said. Like the part about the mate. What the heck were mates, anyway? He kept looking between me and Luke when he said it… And who was Nathaniel? I know I’ve heard that name before, I just didn’t know where from.

As I thought more and more about it, I began to doubt my parents were actually my parents. And while I thought about that, I started to get a migraine.

I finally got home, but I stayed in the car. I kept trying to think about the mysterious Nathaniel, and my parents, and the migraine got worse. My hands flew to my head as images of a man and woman flashed through my mind. I had no idea who they were but they looked so familiar!

I don’t know why but I didn’t want to picture to fade away. Even as the migraine went from bad to worse I still didn’t want to forget the people. After a few more seconds of the internal battle, I heard my car door open. But I didn’t move at all; I was too afraid it would make the pain worse, if that was possible.

I felt arms wrap around me, and a fierce snarl passed my lips. I felt the arms freeze, then I heard John’s unsure voice. “Rose? Are you okay?”

I heard another set of doors open, and I heard my father’s voice. “John, take her to the back yard. Then I would advise you to leave.” I felt myself being lifted, and a second later my back gently touched the ground. “Now John, I think you really should leave.”

“I’m not leaving her here. Not like this.” A second late, I felt a hand on my cheek. “She’s burning up.” The hand went away, replaced by someone’s warm breathe. “Rose, please open your beautiful eyes. I need to know you’re alright.”

Ever so slowly, I complied. He gasped as my eyes met his blue ones. But I quickly squeezed my eyes shut as another wave of pain wracked my body. The only good thing about this was that I started to recognize the people flashing through my head. But I still couldn’t remember the man and woman.

I felt a hand on my forehead, and this time the hand stayed for a few seconds. But it shot back quickly. “She’s remembering.” my dad said quietly. He sounded… scared?

“How’s that possible, Gabriel?” mom asked just as quietly. I could barely make out what they said.

Just then, John cut in. “Did you see her eyes?” He sounded pretty shaken. Wait, what was wrong with my eyes?

I felt the ground move slightly as dad came back over to us. “What are you talking about?” There was a second of silence, and then dad laid his hand on my arm. I don’t know how I knew it was him, but I was certain. “Rose, please open your eyes again.”

I painfully opened my eyes again, and he had much of the same reaction as John. Mom came over, and she covered her mouth. “They said she was human. They were certain!”

I was about to ask what the heck she was talking about, when the pain doubled. I screamed, my back arching, and I heard bones cracking. My scream changed half-way, and it turned into a pained yowl. I lost consciousness, not able to take the pain.

John’s POV

I watched in horror as the girl I loved screamed in pain. Her face started to grow longer until she had the head of a large cat. Her body quickly followed. Soon we were looking at a full black leopard.

Without looking at Gabriel, I stood up. “If word of this gets out, she’ll be in grave danger.”

Gabriel stood up, coming over to me. “I know you love her. But there’s nothing you can do here. You should get home.”

I was shaking my head before he finished his sentence. “I’m not leaving.” I said stubbornly.

He sighed, sounding extremely tired. “Whatever. I don’t know why I even try with you vampires.”

His mate stood up and walked over to him. Why could I never remember her name? She turned to me, looking troubled. “John, there’s no way to hide this. Word of this will get out, there’s no way to stop that. But we can prevent her from getting hurt. We’ve been her guardian for 16 years, and I love her. So don’t worry; we’ll try everything in our power to keep her safe.”

I couldn’t stop my next comment. “Yes, but will that be enough? I can’t live without her. I don’t know what I’d do without her. While vampires are nearly impossible to kill, shifters are so vulnerable. What am I to do?”

Shocked silence followed my outburst. I noticed my mistake seconds after I finished. I had never confessed my feelings for her out loud before. And now the leopard was staring me with those unnerving gold eyes. They were so different than Rose’s normal green eyes. I didn’t understand why they would change that much, but that was a question for a different time.

Looking into her eyes now, I realized she heard everything I said. Slowly, the cat backed up, and a second later, she was gone. Cursing softly, I ran after her. Good thing there were no neighbors for miles around…

~~~A/N~~~

Well, apparently the last chapter sucked, because I only got 2 comments, instead of 5. So how about you guys just vote? 3 votes. That's all I'm asking.