tale of the other kind: a therian novel by leandi cameron
DESCRIPTION
Kai Emery is mysterious, quiet and rather keeps to himself, but this makes him all the more alluring. However, his infatuation for his classmate, Sienna Fynn, has made his invisibility status all the more impossible to upkeep. From the start of his journey, Kai experiences ominous symptoms, which he refuses to acknowledge. Kai experiences his first shapeshift into a were-leopard, and his world spirals out of control when he discovers that he isn’t completely human – leading him towards an internal struggle with his new-found anatomy. However, unpredictable vampire Astrid, enters his life, and leads him down a path that soon reveals his destiny - a world filled with magic and terrifying darkness. His inability to stay away from Sienna soon leads him towards a dangerous path, for disobeying the unwritten rules of the shapeshifting kind, forbidding them from falling in love a human. This leads Kai towards a fight for his life, and he learns that he has to find it within himself to protect everyone that he loves, or lose them to the wrath of the god of the underworld and magic. This book is available on Amazon. Simply copy this link http://amzn.to/SUlarS to view.TRANSCRIPT
i
ii
A TALE OF THE
OTHER KIND
A Therian Novel Volume 1
LEANDI CAMERON
iii
Published in 2012 by House of LeaVik - Writing, Publishing & Design Division.
All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under the RSA and international copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means with prior permission in writing from the publishers or in the case of reprographic production in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency and may not be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Editors: Shannon de Ryhove, Linda Rostoll Layout & Design: House of LeaVik
Images by Bigstock Photo
Copyright © 2012 Leandi Cameron All rights reserved.
ISBN 10: 0620525991 ISBN-13: 978-0620525992 ISBN- Ebook: 978-0-620-52658-6
v
DEDICATION
To dad, my musical angel staring down at me from heaven, and to all the other angels on earth that have helped me make this book a reality. Thank you for your love and support.
vi
REVIEWER SNIPPETS
From Amazon Reviewers
“ I loved all the characters and how well
they were developed. ”
“ Every line and page of this book will
have you spellbound. ”
“ The combination of these amazingly rich
characters and the unique lore all within
this amazing backdrop of Sabie made this
tale spellbinding. ”
LEANDI CAMERON
1
LEANDI CAMERON
!
3
CHAPTER 1
Winter was always Kai’s favourite time of
the year; however, on this particular mor-
ning, he had no desire to get up as early as
he normally did. He pulled the thick
thermal blanket tightly around his neck as
a cold shiver ran down his exposed arms.
He was running a temperature, sweat
was trickling down his forehead, and his
bones felt as if they were being torn from
his insides. The temperature dropped to a
chilling low during the night and a gust of
wind blew the shutters open, killing the last
flicker of flame in the fireplace. All he could
think of was Sienna, and how his behaviour
had gotten the better of him the day before.
He frowned as the events unfolded in his
waking mind, and the thought of Sienna’s
horrified face made him feel sick to his
stomach. A sinking feeling consumed his
chest as he realised that he had to get up
and face her. But now, on top of all that
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
4
had happened, he had come down with the
flu as well. The red alarm clock on the oak
bedside table started ringing. He tried to
push the screeching sound out of his mind
by pulling the bed covers over his head. His
chest felt suffocated and tight as if a heavy
block of steel was forcing him down into his
pillow. A smell of fried bacon filled the
room, and the aroma of brewing coffee
tickled his nose from under the blanket,
tempting him to leave the comfort of his
bed.
He breathed a deep-throated sigh and
pulled away the blanket, lifting his arms out
from the warmth that was begging him to
stay. Eventually, after considering the idea
of whether to stay in and sleep off his rising
body temperature and throbbing pain that
was pulsing through his body, he realised
that he had to gather his courage and get
up to face the day. Slowly, he flung his bare
muscular legs over the side of the bed; a
soft moan escaped his throat as pain
radiated through his calves.
He switched off the beeping alarm clock
LEANDI CAMERON
5
while drowsily sliding across the room
towards the bathroom he shared with his
mother on the second floor of the house. He
got into the shower, trying to drown the
overwhelming feelings of guilt and confu–
sion that were plaguing his thoughts. He
felt lightheaded, an aftermath of the fury
and anger sparked by seeing James hurting
Sienna the day before. He could still
remember the menacing look in James’s
face and the anger he poured out over
Sienna who was defenseless to his attacks.
She was kind—too kind for someone like
James who ran with the wrong kind of
crowds. Kai knew that she was getting in
over her head when he first saw her moving
towards a relationship with James, but he
was powerless.
She was just too trusting and, perhaps,
a little naïve in thinking that she could
tame a beast of his kind. Kai sighed as the
warm water trickled slowly out of the
showerhead through the frozen pipes, but
soon a smooth stream of water catapulted
from the hose, making the unbearable cold
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
6
weather somewhat tolerable. Kai stood
silently underneath the water as it washed
over his face and shivering body. Steam
slowly filled the small bathroom, keeping
the warmth created by the water locked
inside while he wrapped a large white bath
towel around his waist. He leaned over the
basin to wipe away the vapour built up on
the mirror with the palm of his hand.
He barely recognised himself as he
squinted to see through his bruised eye.
Wincing, he touched the cut on his cheek
that was already beginning to heal.
Carefully, he dabbed antibacterial cream on
the wound before brushing his teeth. He
grabbed two painkillers and flung them
down his throat with a glass of water. A
sharp pain shot through his joints as he
dressed. He leaned back against the closet
door when the room started spinning; his
eyes unable to focus. He slowly found his
feet as the dizzy-spell evaporated, and he
tried to gain his composure by breathing
deeply. On his way out of the house he
hoped his mother wouldn’t notice him, but
LEANDI CAMERON
7
his luck was turned against him.
“Kai, where are you going?” she called to
him from the kitchen when he opened the
front door.
“Ma, I’m late for school,” he said,
without turning around.
“Rubbish, you have plenty of time. You
can’t go to school without breakfast.”
With a grunt, he turned around and
headed back towards the kitchen. Bethany
Emery greeted him with a glowing smile,
which quickly turned into a questioning
frown.
“What happened?” she asked concerned
over her shoulder as she walked towards
the washbasin, placing dirty dishes in the
soapy water. Her eyes grew at the sight of
his bruises.
Bethany was neatly dressed in the all-
black ensemble that she usually wore for
work at the fashion boutique she managed.
She dipped her hands into the luke-warm,
foamy water, but distractedly started
scrubbing at the dirty pots and pans from
the previous night’s supper.
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
8
Kai shook his head, “Nothing.”
“Did you get into a fight?” she
questioned, concerned.
“You could say that,” he replied, pulling
his lips into a thin line.
Her eyes narrowed. “This is not like you
Kai. What happened?”
“Don’t worry about it; it’s nothing I can’t
handle.”
“Do I need to call a parent?” She asked,
worried before turning her focus on his
scars, “Did you put something on that cut?
It might need stitches.”
“Please ma, stop fussing. I’m fine. Like I
said, you don’t have to worry.”
With a sigh she looked at him for a long
second, “You didn’t eat last night,” she said,
“I’ll put your food in the fridge if you want to
eat it for lunch after school.” She blew at a
lock of blonde hair that fell into her face.
“Thanks mom,” he forced a smile back
at her and took a seat at the wooden
kitchen table. Toast and on assortment of
jams were sprawled across the surface of
the table, with boiled eggs and the bacon
LEANDI CAMERON
9
placed neatly in a plate for his breakfast.
“Damn, but it’s cold this morning. I
mean, winter gets cold, but my toes feel like
they’re about to fall off,” he said, rubbing
his cold hands together.
“It’s snowing honey,” Bethany smiled.
She still had a questioning look on her face
as she dried her hands on a towel and
walked across the room towards the kitchen
table. She leaned across the table and
pulled at the blinds that were shielding the
outside world from their cosy cabin,
revealing a blanket of white snow covering
the tree tops and the now, unrecognisable
landscape surrounding their house.
He flinched as the bright winter sun
stung his eyes. He gasped slightly, “Wow!
It’s amazing. Unusual, but so beautiful.”
“The Drakensberg snows must be
moving further north this year,” she replied,
still looking at him curiously. She gave him
a once over. “Are you running a fever?” she
asked, placing a hand on his forehead, and
wiping away a small drop of sweat.
“It’s nothing; I have a headache.”
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
10
“I see,” she replied, unconvinced at his
bravery. “At least try and get some food in
your stomach,” she gestured towards his
untouched plate of food. She sat down at
the chair opposite Kai and started nibbling
at a piece of toast while opening a copy of
the Lowvelder newspaper.
“Looking for extra work again?” he asked
as he noticed her scanning the classifieds.
She lifted her head and smiled at him,
ignoring his question. She placed the
newspaper on the table beside her and took
a sip of her tea.
“You know I’m old enough to help you
with all this stuff. I could get another job.”
“If I need your help, I will ask; promise.
Besides, my job at the boutique is getting
us by just fine.”
“I’m just checking.” Bethany smiled at
him. “You sometimes remind me so much of
your father—always worried.”
“Yeah, you always say that. It’s a pity
that he left, maybe I would have gotten to
know him a little better,” he sighed, with a
slight hint of sarcasm.
LEANDI CAMERON
11
“Sorry I missed your rugby game last
night. Stocktaking took much longer than I
anticipated,” she said with a guilty smile.
“It doesn’t matter; rugby hasn’t been
going too well this year anyway. You really
didn’t miss a thing,” he lied, again. How
could he tell her how badly things had
turned out after the rugby game where he’d
discovered James hurting Sienna, and his
odd experience at how he found them? A
moment of silence passed between them
until the wild clanging of tea being stirred
filled the air.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bethany
asked looking at him worried.
A couple of seconds ticked by before he
noticed that he was staring straight at her
while drifting off in thought. Kai finally
placed the teaspoon down and took a big
sip from his cup. He tried to relax his
furrowed forehead, which was contributing
to his thumping headache. “It’s fine ma; I’m
just worried about a test. That's all,” he
said, trying to summon an encouraging
smile.
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
12
Bethany tilted her head sideways and he
knew she wasn’t completely convinced.
“Well, okay then. You should probably get
going,” she replied, pointing at the snow-
covered landscape through the window,
noting that it was going to take a while to
get to school. At that moment, however, the
test was the least of his fears. He sighed,
closing his eyes, hoping that seeing Sienna
wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it would
be. He took a deep breath and rose from the
table to give his mother a kiss on the cheek,
before heading out into the cold winter
snow. Once outside, Kai realised that his
usual walk to school would be impossible
with the thick layer of snow, and he decided
to use his motorcycle instead. He usually
enjoyed the brisk walk to school; it gave
him the freedom to enjoy the weak, wintery
sun and the vast mountain grassland and
pockets of Afromontane-mistbelt forest,
fragmented by the plantations of exotic pine
and eucalyptus trees.
But, today, the usually colourful
grasslands and treetops were covered in a
LEANDI CAMERON
13
blanket of white, and large icicles hung
from the trees like Christmas decorations.
Maintenance workers were already busy
struggling to clear up the thick layer of
snow covering the roads, unaccustomed to
snowfall extending this far north on the
Drakensberg mountain range.
The distraction that nature usually
provided only held Kai’s attention for a
fraction of a second and, as he neared the
edge of Sabie, the uneasy feeling he woke
with that morning came rushing back. He
could feel his eyes burn and his skin tingle
as his pulse rate began to rise. His
breathing became deeper and quicker as he
neared town. He slowed the motorbike to a
snail's pace while he contemplated flaking
out and turning back home, to climb back
into bed where no one could bother him. He
came to a stop in front of the large iron
gates enclosing the old stone school
building, which was surrounded by an
equally old stone wall, some of which had to
be restored over the years because of
degradation.
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
14
He hung his head when the large gates
slowly opened, knowing that there was no
way that he would be able to hide from his
feelings or from the girl that made his heart
skip a beat. Sienna would be there, and he
would have to face his fears, even as he
wished that this day would simply end. Old
Mr Steward, the grumpy geometry teacher,
was on post at the gate, looking furious at
having to wait for latecomers in the freezing
wind. His thinning grey hair, which was
usually neatly combed over his head to hide
his bald patch, was fluttering around
furiously, triggering a snicker from Kai as
he entered the gate.
Steward displayed a death-stare in an
attempt to illustrate his dissatisfaction at
Kai’s tardiness, and folded his arms across
his chest, annoyed.
“You are late young man, you should be
glad that I’m even letting you in,” he said
sarcastically, nodding his head unwillingly.
“Good morning Mr Steward. I’m sorry for
being late. It's the snow, you know, it was
really unexpected,” Kai said, as he parked
LEANDI CAMERON
15
his motorbike in the parking space closest
to the main gate. He removed his helmet
and hung it over his arm.
“Well you better hurry Emery, or else
you’ll miss your first class.”
“Yes, sir,” Kai replied, sliding past Mr
Steward, grinning guiltily.
The parking lot was already deserted
and he could see the students moving
towards the main building from the school
grounds. He sighed with relief that he didn’t
have to stand around waiting for classes to
start. His feet felt heavy and his back
strained as he walked up the stairs towards
the school entrance. He shook his arms,
attempting to dissolve the nagging joint
pain that refused to subside. He took a deep
breath to ease the panic that was crushing
his chest, but not even that could cure his
racing heartbeat. Sweat started to form on
his forehead, even though the cold bit deep
into his cheeks. He wasn’t ready to face
Sienna’s resentment for interfering in her
spat with James, but he’d been unable to
stop himself from punching him. The large
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
16
hallway was stacked with lockers alongside
the double-volume walls. The roof was
decorated with wooden-carved sculptures of
the illustrious big-five in their most
ferocious forms. The heels of Kai’s shoes
bounced off the cold, concrete floors, and
the soft sounds of voices coming from
teachers and students radiated from behind
the closed classroom doors. Drifting in
thought, he barely noticed when his
classroom door opened up.
“Kai,” Sienna said, with a look of shock,
as she stepped into the hallway, “I thought
you wouldn’t be here today.”
He swallowed hard at the sight of her,
and in a desperate attempt, he pushed
passed her, walking towards his class. He
stopped mid-step and turned around to face
her. Even though this was the moment he’d
been dreading, the moment that had kept
him awake the entire night, he knew he had
to face reality.
Kai remembered how his life had
changed since Sienna had enrolled at Sabie
High on the first day of his final year of high
LEANDI CAMERON
17
school. Mesmerised by her eloquent manner
when she approached him, making his
knees buckle at her striking beauty. He’d
looked around, bemused, when she chose
to talk to him while all the other seniors
had been equally hoping for her attention.
“Hi, I’m Sienna Fynn,” she said with a
soft voice. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled
in the sunlight—a sharp contrast to her
dark brown hair that seemed to go on
forever, cascading down her back like a veil.
Her presence made him shiver nervously.
Realising that he had to say something,
he’d responded awkwardly, “Kai Emery,”
and shook her hand furiously.
“Wow. Strong grip there,” she smiled,
revealing a deep dimple in her cheek.
He’d felt his cheeks flush at his clumsy
approach. “I’m sorry to be bothering you,
but I’m new and need some directions to
Mrs Wolmans’ class. Can you perhaps point
me in the right direction?”
“Umm, yes, sure,” he replied, taking a
deep breath to calm his nerves. “Her class is
on the second floor, third door to your left.”
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
18
Her presence had made his heart jump and
he’d shot her an embarrassed, shy smile.
“Thank you ... Kai,” she said as she
walked away, flashing him a smile that
exposed her bright white teeth.
It wasn’t long before she started dating
James, however—renowned for being a jerk.
This left him merely a friend—someone on
the sideline, slowly watching her make a big
mistake.
Now, he has stupidly gotten involved in
the middle of a fight between her and
James, and he knew that they needed to
talk. The vacant hallway left him nowhere to
escape and he felt trapped by her lingering
close by. Her long, dark hair was pulled
back into a loose ponytail and her delicate
ivory skin was decorated in light glittery
sparkles.
“Oh my goodness,” she gasped, when
she saw his face. She reached up and
touched it lightly.
“It’s fine,” he said, uncomfortably,
flinching slightly.
“Did you get this looked at?” she asked
LEANDI CAMERON
19
concerned.
“No, I didn’t. It’s fine.” A moment of
silence passed between them as Kai looked
down at Sienna, unable to form the words
that were melting on his tongue.
“Why ... why did you have to react so
fast Kai? It was a dumb thing to do. James
is furious, and he could have hurt you so
much worse,” she said, shaking her head
sadly.
“Do you really want me to answer that? I
cannot even comprehend why you are still
hanging around with James. How many
times does things have to turn South
between you two before you realise that he’s
bad news?” Kai asked crossly.
Sienna shifted uncomfortably and
looked down at the ground. “He wasn’t
going to hurt me...” she attempted.
“No, he was hurting you. Why do you let
him get away with it?”
“I...” she stuttered, shaking her head.
Kai looked at her tenderly, stepping
forward, lifting her arm. Softly, he moved
his finger across her hand, lifting the
A TALE OF THE OTHER KIND
20
carefully placed bracelet that concealed the
bruises on her wrist. “I wish you would
think this through. You deserve better,” he
said, sha–king his head in frustration. “You
do realise that he’s part of a gang, Sienna?”
He took a deep breath, and softly
released her hand, moving backwards to
cover up his true emotions. He knew she
was looking up at him, but he looked away
and closed his eyes, trying to imagine that
she wasn’t still there. He moved closer to
her, once again, and whispered in her ear,
“Just leave him Sienna. He’s no good for
you.”
“No, I can’t do it right now; I wish you
would leave me to deal with my own…” she
started, visibly shaking, but he interrupted
her before she could finish her sentence.
“What do you mean you can’t do it now?
When do you suppose will be a good time?
You are putting yourself in unnecessary
danger and the next time he does
something like this ... who knows what he
might do,” Kai said angrily, frowning.
“I just can’t, not now, can’t you
LEANDI CAMERON
21
understand that?” Sienna said, frustrated,
holding onto his arms. “Please, just let it go,
okay?”
He stared down at her, shocked and
turned around slowly, and walked into the
classroom. He could hear echoes of her
footsteps down the hallway, running away
from him.
23