On the Ridge by Jayda Marx

Chapter Six

Zane

 

I followed Ridge through his home, gawking at its beauty. The rock floor was smooth and shiny, but the stone walls and ceiling were in their natural state, bumpy and striped with different color patterns.

Lanterns hung on the walls and illuminated rock formations, including stalactites which protruded from the ceiling, which was luckily tall enough that neither of us had to worry about bumping our heads.

“We’re in a cave,” I gathered, and Ridge smiled at me as he nodded.

“This is a natural cavern in the mountain. There are two others which are nearly identical, and Rowdy, Rider and I have made them into our homes.”

“It’s beautiful here.” Even though the structure itself was rustic and natural, Ridge had all the comforts of home, including furniture and even a few pieces of artsy decor. There was one thing missing, however. “Do you not have electricity?”

“Nah. Even if it’s possible to run electricity here, we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Besides, we have everything we need. The surrounding rock keeps the temperature even all year long. We mainly eat fresh foods, but we each have an ice chest if needed. And during the day, plenty of light comes in through these.”

He led me into a large living area, where I found two wide panes of glass. I could see the clear, starry night sky above us and the expanse of the forest below.

“I’ve looked at this mountain a million times and I’ve never noticed windows.”

“Our homes are situated above a rocky ridge,” he explained. “So you can’t see any evidence of them from ground level. The rock face is too smooth and steep to climb, and the only way into the heart of the mountain is a passage which we keep hidden from sight.”

No wonder Dad and I never found any sign of them. “It sounds like you guys are pretty private. Do you get lonely up here?” Granted, they had each other, but I’d get bored hiding in a mountain all the time without electricity.

“We’re not hermits or anything,” Ridge replied with a chuckle. “We go into town often for supplies or entertainment. We enjoy things that humans do; restaurants, movies, shops. But we are private when it comes to our...non-human sides. We like it here because we can run free in nature without getting unwanted attention.”

I followed him into a large open area, where I saw two additional cavern entrances, which I assumed were his friends’ homes. Then Ridge guided me to the ledge of a steep rocky path which led down to the ground below.

“May I hold your hand? I don’t want you to fall.” I nodded and Ridge tangled his fingers with mine, making my heart flutter at the innocent touch. He held on tightly as we started down the steep trail.

I kept my focus on my footsteps, making sure not to slip on any loose rocks. But about halfway down, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked, “You mentioned your ‘non-human’ side, and I saw you change from a cougar to a human. So...what are you?”

Ridge didn’t seem offended by my forward question. He just squeezed my hand and replied, “I’m called a shifter; a species which can transition from human form to animal form whenever I wish. No matter what form I’m in, I’m still me. I’m in control of my animal.”

“Are you three the only shifters alive?”

Ridge chuckled and shook his head. “Oh no, there are many of us, in many different animal forms. Some of our best friends are lion shifters.”

I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen Ridge’s transition with my own eyes. “So if there are so many, why don’t people know about you? My dad and I saw a cougar shifter when I was little while he and I were on a hike.” As I told him, recognition sparked in his eyes and Ridge nodded slowly, but he didn’t say anything. “But when we told people what we saw, they thought we were crazy. Nobody believed us because they’d never heard of you.”

“That wasn’t always the case. Shifters and humans used to live in harmony. Actually, our species was created to protect humans.”

“I don’t understand. Created by who? And to protect us from what?”

“We were created by the same gods who designed humankind. In early times, humans nearly became extinct, even though they had been on this earth a short time. Between wars, famine, and disease, their numbers were dwindling. The gods saw the need to protect their precious creation, so shifters were born.”

Ridge continued, “We are much like humans, but we have animalistic properties too; we have keen senses and intuition. We are great hunters, and helped provide the early humans with food. To ensure the protection of their creation, the gods made shifters immortal, immune to disease, and blessed us with great strength, quick healing, and regeneration abilities. We fought in wars to spare human lives.”

“You’re immortal?” I asked, dumbfounded by his story.

“Our natural lives won’t end. We can be killed, but it’s difficult to do because of our abilities. The only thing we can’t survive is decapitation, for obvious reasons.”              

“Damn.” I was too shocked to say much else.

“We helped and protected humans for centuries, but eventually, they outgrew their need for us. They invented weapons, medicine, and technology, proving themselves to be a solid species. Over time, our good deeds towards them were forgotten, and they began fearing us for our differences. They attacked us. Because shifters’ sole purpose was to protect humans, we did not fight back. Many of our kind were killed and the rest fled, vowing to keep our identities hidden to stay safe.”

My heart went out to him and his people; they did so much for humans just to be tormented and killed in the end. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Ridge gave me a kind smile and replied, “Thank you, but it was before my time. I didn’t live through the dark years, but I still feel their effects. I understand the fear of being found out and the need to conceal my true self.”

I understood why it had been impossible for my dad and I to find out anything about the creatures, and why no one else knew of their existence. What I didn’t understand was, “Why are you telling me all of this? Aren’t you afraid?” He could have lied to me or hidden himself away, but instead, he was divulging all of his secrets.

We reached the ground and Ridge helped me through a thick curtain of ivy before turning to look at me. “I’m not afraid. I want to tell you everything, and I know that I can trust you.”

I nodded; now that I understood more about Ridge, I’d never spill his secret, and I felt guilty that I’d told anyone in the past, even though no one believed me. “How do you know?”

“Because I know your heart and I can feel your spirit. You are a good man who is beautiful inside and out.” I ducked my head, flattered by his words even though I still didn’t understand how he knew anything about me. As if Ridge heard my thoughts, he said, “I know this because you are my mate.”

“What does that mean?” After he assured me earlier that we hadn’t sexually mated, I was curious without being so afraid.

Ridge squeezed my hand that he was still holding (I wasn’t about to let him go) and explained, “The gods grieved when humans pushed us away. They remembered what we’d done for their creation and thanked us with a very special gift; each shifter was promised a human mate.”

"Each mate is the shifter's perfect match; the other half of their soul, and the shifter recognizes them by scent and instinct. Once they meet, love is instant, and the shifter devotes their life to protecting, caring for, and providing for their mate. They would do anything to make their beloved happy, and they are eternally bound to them. They can never love another."

My pulse raced wildly as his words poured over me. I'd never had any interest from a man, and now this strong, sexy shifter was fully devoted to me.

"But I must apologize to you," Ridge offered, and my heart dropped. "Shifters immediately recognize their mate and fall in love, and though it usually takes humans more time, I truly thought you knew who I was. I never would have sealed our bond without your permission, but I thought I had it. Plus, you were dying and I was desperate to save you."

My mind spun with questions about everything he said, but the first one to pop out was, "Seal our bond?" What the hell did that mean?

Ridge lifted his hand to touch his fingers to my throat. "I gave you my mating mark." His face pinched up with guilt as he explained, "It claimed you as being mine and linked our lifelines together. You inherited some of my gifts; immortality, quick healing, and regeneration."

My knees buckled, but Ridge caught me before I hit the ground. He sat down and settled me onto his lap, stroking my back in a soothing rhythm. "I'm so sorry, Zane. I don't mean to dump this on you, but I want to be honest. I pray that you can forgive me. I swear on my life that I didn't mean to take advantage of you. I only wanted to save you."

I lifted the hem of the sweatshirt I wore to look at the scars on my torso, which were lighter pink than earlier. They stretched from my collar bone to below my navel, and I remembered how deep the cuts had been and how much blood I lost.

"You did save me," I insisted before lowering my shirt. "You said it yourself; I was dying. I'd accepted it - I knew the bear had done serious damage and was either going to eat me or let me bleed out on the ground. But you stopped it. You healed my body. I wouldn't be here without you."

"But I gave you my mark without your consent. I bonded us together forever."

I nodded slowly. It was a lot to take in, but replaying the memory in my mind, I understood how he thought I'd recognized him. And if he hadn't, I'd be bear shit by now.

"You also did whatever you could to let me live," I pointed out. "You allowed me to have more time with my father and I'm grateful to you. I won't lie; I'm a little overwhelmed and I need some time to wrap my brain around all of this, but I'm not upset. Humans may take longer to fall, but I can tell that you have a good heart and are beautiful on the inside and out too."

"I don't deserve you." Ridge pulled me into a tight embrace and I soaked up the warmth of his hard, strong body. But then my own words hit me and I jerked away.

"My dad! I need to get home to him. I've been gone for so long. Fuck, we're so far away; my home is on the opposite end of the forest." The trees were too thick to use any kind of vehicle, so we had to go by foot. It would take hours.

"I can get you there quickly," Ridge argued. "I'm fast, even in human form, and I can see clearly in the dark. Hold onto me and I'll get you home as fast as I can."

I nodded and Ridge helped me up onto my feet. He stayed on the ground and offered me his back, so I climbed onto him for a piggyback ride. I locked my ankles around his waist and wrapped my arms around his neck. I trusted his strength and knew that he wouldn't drop me.

Once I was secure, Ridge took off quickly through the forest.