Then with a heavy, fearful heart, Carlos led Caitlyn outside to the gazebo. He glanced back at the Romatech cafeteria and could see Shanna inside, pacing nervously while her husband and Connor stood nearby.
As the moon rose higher in the night sky, Caitlyn's breathing became more labored. The first pain hit right after they entered the gazebo.
She curled up on the mattress, her eyes squeezed shut. When the pain subsided, Carlos encouraged her to undress. She was shaking, so he wrapped her in blankets and held her tight.
Another pain hit, and she cried out. Soon she was rocking back and forth, whimpering.
"Do you want the painkiller?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I'm going to get through this, Carlos. I'm not giving up."
Tears blurred his vision. "You're the bravest woman I've ever met."
She cried out and collapsed on the mattress. She rolled onto all fours and trembled. She screamed when claws burst out of her fingertips. Her arms started to shimmer, then turned black. Her hands shifted into paws.
"You're doing it, Caitlyn."
She screamed when her back legs crackled to reform into panther legs. Then her back arched, more bones crunching and shifting. Her whimpers turned into a growl.
"My head," she whispered. "It's going to explode."
He held her tight. Her body was now sleek and black.
She screamed again. Her head shifted, and her scream turned into a roar. She collapsed onto the mattress, panting.
"You did it." He held her head in his hands and gazed at her lovely turquoise cat eyes. "Catalina, my beautiful cat, you did it."
She licked his hand, and her tongue was raspy.
Carlos stripped and shifted. She was still lying on the mattress, but her breathing had eased. He nudged her with his head. Come on, let's go play.
She lifted her head. You can talk to me telepathically?
Yes. It was a power I gained when I reached level three. Level one were-panthers can't do it, usually, but you came into this with psychic power. He nudged her with his head again. Come on, run with me.
She rolled onto all fours and followed him outside the gazebo. She glanced toward the cafeteria. Shanna was inside, and when she spotted two were-panthers, she jumped up and down, hollering and punching the air. She and Roman hugged each other, laughing.
Carlos chuckled, then trotted toward the woods. Your senses will be sharper. You'll be able to see in the dark.
I feel strong, she told him. Like a hunter.
They ran all over the grounds at Romatech. She learned to leap and sharpen her claws. She even tried pouncing on Carlos a few times. When the moon began its descent, they returned to the gazebo.
The shift back to human form was less painful for her. Still, she lay back on the mattress, breathing heavily. "My God, I'm exhausted. I could sleep for a week."
Carlos shifted back, then covered her with a blanket. "You did it, Catalina. I'm so proud of you."
She heaved a sigh. "I'm glad it's over. Now you can stop looking at me with all that guilt in your eyes. It was hurting me to see you hurting so much."
Tears threatened to fall. "I don't know how I could have lived with myself if I'd lost you. I love you more than I can say."
She touched his face. "It's all right. We made it through." She smiled. "I guess Shanna was right from the beginning. I get to have kittens."
Smiling, he brushed her hair back from her brow. "Our children will be completely normal until they reach puberty and shift for the first time." He tilted his head. "I take that back. No child from you would be completely normal."
"Hey." She swatted his shoulder.
He chuckled. "I mean your children will probably be beautiful, intelligent, and psychically gifted."
"Oh. Well, that's true." Her eyes twinkled with humor. "And your children will probably know how to sweet talk their way out of trouble."
"I like them already." He kissed her freckled nose.
"Me, too." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Maybe we should get started on them right away, you being an endangered species and all. It would be the environmentally responsible thing to do."
"I love it when you talk sexy."
She laughed. "I love it when you purr in my ear."
He nuzzled her ear and growled low.
She shivered.
He kissed a path down her neck. "Catalina, are you sure you're not too tired?"
"I'm exhausted. But then I thought I'd just lay here and let you do all the work."
He lifted his head to give her a wry look. "You're never forgiving me for that, are you?"
Her mouth twitched. "You'll never know."
"Naughty kitty."
With a laugh, she flipped him over and straddled him. Holding his shoulders down, she leaned over and nipped at his ear. "No more dying, you hear me? I won't have you dying for me."
He chuckled. "For you, sweetheart, I want to live forever."
The End