Chapter 3 – The changing

Two hours later, Aniya left the restaurant with her friends, and they all went to the gym together. For some years, they all trained in self-defence together, because Aniya convinced them it was the perfect way to bond their friendship and build their bodies, but they were never a match for her, considering she had been training for far longer than all of them combined.

During the ride in Aniya’s limousine, and even with her friends doing what they could to distract her, Aniya couldn’t forget Nick’s dark green eyes, and she was silent most of the way.

She forced herself to listen to Lisa McCarty, the crazy redhead, grumping about something related to her parents wanting her to meet a few of their friends’ sons in a clear and futile attempt to tame her, and despite her greatest efforts, all that Aniya could think of were those green eyes and the mysterious words of their owner.

When they finally arrived, Aniya almost jumped out of the car, and while waving at her friends, she grabbed her gym bag Davis had taken from the trunk and rushed to the main entrance.

Lisa made a slight smile while grabbing her bag, “No way I am going to train with her today! She is way too distracted for my taste, and she might kill me! You do it, Violet! Take one for the team!”

Violet Green slapped Lisa’s butt. “You take it! Aniya is dangerous in her normal state, but the way she is right now, she could kill us all and not even realise it! Let her go against the instructor, he might survive!”

Lisa answered while rubbing her butt to ease the pain, “The proper word is ‘sensei’, Violet. He told you that over and over, and I am not sure if even he can handle Aniya today! Remember the last time he tried to attack her by surprise? She threw him against the wall without even sweating! I am not sure how she could do that, considering she is half his weight and size!”

Violet answered while opening the door of the gym for the other girls, “Momentum. You know that! She used his weight and movement against him. She explained several times, were you sleeping every single time?”

“Yeah, I kind of close my ears when she goes all battle maniac. Our sweet and spoiled favourite brat goes too crazy for my taste when she trains or talks about self-defence moves! Why does she even worry? That personal driver of hers is dangerous enough! He is always packed with two guns, and he is always at her side!”

Emma Atkinson frowned and kicked Lisa’s left foot to make her stumble. “Shut up, ginger! We all know you have a crush on Davis, and you wouldn’t mind if he used his meat gun on you! Preferably on your sweet butt, you pervert!”

Lisa McCarty pointed her butt out and twerked it a bit. “Oh yeah, give it to me, baby, yeah! What? That guy is hot. I wouldn’t mind much if he shot me!”

Both girls ran after Lisa along the corridor, trying to put some sense into the laughing red menace.

…

At dinner in her mansion, Aniya was playing with a pea on her plate, completely distracted, and realising that the pea had a lighter green colour than Nick’s eyes.

Her mother noticed the unusual silence and signalled with her eyes to her husband at the top of the table.

Dan Rossi was a big and muscular man who had nothing to do with the usual image of a powerful CEO of a major technological company. A thick moustache that ended in a curl at each end, knuckles with calluses caused by his long hours of punching bags, and completely shaved hair to disguise the lack of it on the top of his head, signalled her back, Violet Rossi, a tall and blond woman with light blue eyes like her daughter.

Violet’s curvy figure and generous-sized breasts hinted at her as a trophy wife, when, in fact, she was the actual power behind every decision her husband took. She was extremely intelligent, with a Master’s degree in Finance and one in Accounting. She was the one pulling the strings. Her husband was a mere disguise because it was far easier to convince those traditionalists on the Board of Directors that a man was in charge of the company’s fate, instead of a sexy woman like her, who had always been underestimated since her younger years.

“Aniya, you are awfully quiet. Did something happen today? Because I got a few messages on my phone, and your unusual mood right now definitely has nothing to do with your visit to the Dior shop.”

Aniya squeezed her fork and did her best to maintain a normal tone. Her mother was overly attentive, and she could detect the faintest nervousness in anyone’s voice. “A bit, yes. A thief tried to rob my purse when I put one foot on the sidewalk. Davis shouted to warn me, and I reacted as soon as I saw a shadow approaching and threw him against the limousine, head first. Then a random guy grabbed my arm and asked if I was alright, and I sent him flying. He was probably just worried about me, but he chose the wrong moment to touch me. I left Davis to deal with all the mess because I had better things to worry myself about. I am also thinking about tomorrow’s morning meeting and devising a strategy. I thought of several outcomes, and my decisions will depend on their reactions.”

Violet Rossi thought that there was more to it, but it probably was not a good idea to ask at that moment, considering how gloomy Aniya looked.

Dan Rossi nodded and spoke with his natural thundering voice that, as always, made the thin crystal glasses tremble. “Way to go, Aniya! You dealt with the situation like a Rossi warrior! Your ancestors would be proud!”

Aniya grinned, “Which ones, father? Your Italian side, or mother’s Viking ancestors? Because I seriously doubt your heart-breaker Italian playboys would like to find out that I broke a guy’s head, while mother’s Vikings would shout that I was worthy of entering Valhalla!”

Dan Rossi waved his hand, more than used to his daughter teasing him about his Italian heritage. “Italians are amazing lovers and terrific opponents! And they used guns! I would want to see those leather-helmet-wooden-shield Vikings go against one of them with only a battleaxe! Pum, pum! Bye-bye, Viking!”

Violet Rossi sighed, visibly displeased with her husband’s choice of words, and she didn’t fail to explain how much. “Dan, do you mind not showing off your lack of education? You are supposed to be a high-class member of our society, so I would prefer it if you kept the conversation to those standards. If you cannot, I would rather that you didn’t even open your mouth!”

Dan Rossi went immediately silent, slowly nodding and eating the food on his plate, like a kid caught doing an evil deed.

Violet faced her daughter again, and Aniya felt her eyes piercing her soul. “Davis already told us what happened, but even that, or tomorrow’s meeting, would not be able to disturb you that much.”

Aniya stared back while keeping her voice steady and her heart calm. “Whatever you might think, it is only that. Even if there was more, I wouldn’t tell you because you have that annoying tendency to try to control me like you do with father. I warned you several times, mother. I love you a lot, but if you ever try to turn me into one of your toys, I will make sure that you regret it. Consider this my last warning. If you excuse me, I just lost my appetite!”

Aniya threw the napkin she had on her lap at the table and stormed out of the room. Violet frowned and turned to her husband. “What did I do this time? I am just worried about her! You should have said something!”

Dan Rossi faced her with his eyes, screaming in anger. He squeezed his fork and bent it in the middle. He lowered his voice and answered, “Our arrangement only works in front of others, Violet. For obvious reasons, I need to keep this facade, with you ordering me around and me obeying like a lost puppy. But don’t you ever forget your duties and your place.”

Violet turned pale and answered in a whisper, “I am sorry. I deeply apologize. I went over my limits because I think something happened to Aniya and she is not telling me. Do you think she-“

“No, we have been extremely careful all these years. I am sure she knows nothing, and I would prefer it if she didn’t find out for two more years. That’s the time I think she will need to get a grip on everything in the company, and then she can be introduced to our real family business.”

Violet slowly nodded. “You are right, my dear. Aniya is still twenty-two, and I only found out at twenty-five. We have been preparing her slowly for all these years, and even her sensei is impressed with her self-defence skills. I was told that even in the shooting gallery she keeps on breaking records, so I think she will be alright.”

Dan Rossi made a slight smile as he eased the angry wrinkles on his face, saying, “Of course, she is my daughter after all!”

Violet Rossi disguised her nervousness with those words by taking a long sip from her glass.

…

In the middle of the night, Aniya was in her bed, sound asleep. The surrounding light changed to a dark green that then concentrated in the eyes of a man in front of her, a few metres away. He was wearing the same clothes she saw in the morning, a t-shirt, ripped jeans and sneakers, and she easily recognised the face of Nick Kerrisk, who was smiling at her while opening wide his arms to receive her.

Aniya ran to him and jumped, landing with her thighs around his muscular waist, feeling his abs against her sweet spot. She kissed him and felt the warmth inside his mouth as his tongue went to meet hers halfway, and his fingers pinched her left nipple and twisted it. A shiver travelled around her spine, and Aniya, in her dream, began rubbing her sensible pearl against his toned abs.

As for Aniya in her bed, she had her left hand under her panties, rubbing her soft buds in a continuous movement, while her right hand was twisting her nipple as if she wanted to take it out.

A pure ecstasy feeling rushed from between her thighs and travelled along her body, making her tremble for a few seconds, as wave after wave of pleasure made her shake.

Then she heard it. At first, she could only hear her breathing mingled with Nick’s in her dream, but the noise didn’t stop, and she was pulled out of her sleep and realised how wet her fingers were. She turned on the light over her bedside and noticed from where that annoying noise was coming.

A noise of something hitting her window on the first floor made Aniya go to it, in search of the cause of the annoying interruption that had awoken her from a pleasant dream. Looking out, she saw a dangerously handsome man standing on the ground below, looking straight up at her, naked and completely covered in fresh blood and with a dumbfounded look on his face as if he didn’t know how he got to her front yard in the middle of the night.

The clouds unravelled the moon, and the moonlight covered her backyard once again.

Then she saw it. And heard it. And felt it as if it was her. Nick curled into a ball on the ground and kicked one leg forward while his head was going backwards, almost touching his shoulder blades. He suddenly got up, and his hands, now with sharp long claws, ripped the skin and flesh from his chest.

Aniya muffled a scream and saw in horror the man who had such a strange effect on her during the day, ripping his body apart as the sound of bones breaking and changing places reached her ears and soul. Nick’s face opened in half, being eaten from the inside by a strangely long snout covered in dark fur with sharp teeth, as if it was a nightmarish beast.

The dark fur beast continued to tear Nick’s human body apart until only pieces of flesh and blood were left on the ground, which he eagerly ate and licked before the pale Aniya, who was not believing in her eyes.

As he turned into a nightmare, Aniya felt the call of their bond for the first time, reaching out to her, trying to lure her to him. All the cells in her body were screaming at her. She closed her eyes and vigorously shook her head, trying to end the weird and unknown sensation.

What was that? Why did she feel she wanted to break the window glass and jump from the first floor to go to him and eat all that flesh, almost unable to control herself?

She opened her eyes when she heard a howl. The dark beast was howling at the full moon with his knees bent backwards, like a dog or a wolf, and standing straight, even taller than the former Nick.

The nightmare beast ran at high speed, crossing easily the over twenty metres of Aniya’s back garden, straight into the forest at the limits of her property, disappearing in mere seconds. The sound of trees being thrown away from his path was the last drop. She screamed. A never-ending scream, until she fainted from the shock.