Free A Tale of the Other Kind: A Therian Novel by Leandi Cameron Page B

standing next to him. Kai looked down at her - too scared to get too close to her. He felt like a coward for taking her to the hospital and then disappearing without a word. 
    'Sienna,' he replied. Words escaped him and he didn't know what to say to her. He was taken aback by her beauty ... and scared at the same time. His breath became shallower standing so close to her. His heart beat faster, making thinking clearly much more difficult. 
    'I ... I can’t do this,' he said, turning around and walking towards the doorway. 'Don't you dare walk away from me again Kai,' she said angrily as she walked after him. He opened the door and stepped outside, hoping that she wouldn't follow him. 
    'Kai!' she yelled, grabbing his arm. Her touch immediately made him stop and he turned around to face her. 
    ‘Sienna, I’m sorry for what happened to you. I will never be able to forgive myself, but you have to stay away from me.' 
    ‘Why?' she asked, clearly upset. 
    ‘Because it’s not safe and you don’t know what it means to be close to me,' he replied, getting angry. 
    ‘I don’t know what this means? Kai, you left me! You left me and I was attacked by a freakin lion,’ she said as anger welled inside her, showing her frustration. 
    ‘And then there was this black leopard, which I always thought was just a legend, but it wasn’t. It’s more real than you would ever know. I thought that I was never going to see the light again.’ 
    ‘I’m so sorry Sienna. It wasn’t my intention. I never thought that something so terrible would ever happen to you,’ he replied, softly. 
    ‘But it was okay to leave me if you thought nothing would happen to me?’ she asked angrily. 
    ‘No, that’s not what I meant,’ he replied. 
    ‘Then what happened? Why did you leave? Why didn’t you come back?’ she demanded. 
    He sighed, ‘It doesn’t matter now. It won't change anything.' 
    'It might. I deserve an explanation. Look at me,' she said, pulling the sleeve back from her shoulder, exposing four claw marks across her back. 
    Mortified he ran his fingers gently across the visible scars. ‘I should never have taken you there. And for that, I’m truly sorry,’ he tried to explain. 
    She shook her head, frustrated, ‘I’m not looking for an apology. I need an explanation.’ 
    ‘I can’t explain it to you, Sienna. If you had any idea, you would run, and I couldn't bare it.' 
    'I will not run. I haven’t yet, have I?' 
    ‘We are just not the same – you and I. We will never work.' 
    ‘What are you talking about? You’re confusing the hell out of me.' 
    ‘It’s for the best. Trust me. We just need to stay away from each other.' 
    'How do you know what’s best for me?' she demanded. 
    'I don't, but, for now, I should figure this out by myself.' 
    'You’re driving me nuts and you’re being silly.' 
    'Silly? You think I’m being silly? You almost died Sienna, and it was entirely my fault,' Kai scowled. Sienna looked at the ground and took a small step closer to Kai. Her presence made his resolve weaken and his heart beat faster, and his throat became tight. 
    'I cared for you Kai. Why did you just leave me? How could you be so cruel?' she asked again. 
    He had to compose himself, and with all of his senses, he tried to draw away from her, but there was something about her that mesmerised him, making it harder to move away from her. He looked at her silently, touching her face gently with the back of his hand. 'And I care for you. That's why I need to stay away from you. I’m bad news. I don’t want to hurt you,' he said, gently running a finger across her cheek. 
    'You won’t,' she said, determined. 
    'Well, I can’t take the chance. I will not risk it,' Kai said stubbornly. 
    'What’s with the drama, Kai? It’s not like you to hurt me or anyone else for that matter? You just took off and left me there to be torn apart by animals, but I knew you had a reason. You do have a reason, don’t