Fated in Forbidden: Forbidden Shifters, #2

Introduction

Forbidden, Kentucky—where mates meet, and monsters make mayhem.

Chapter 1

Sophie

Taking a deep breath, I blew out a puff of air. It made my bangs fly up, so I quickly checked them in the camera preview on my computer. I’d edit this part out of the video, obviously.

I took a sip of water and set the bottle back down at my feet again. No desk now. No bed. No dresser. Other than some of Sarah’s boxes, where my laptop was perched, the room was empty. All that was left to pack were a few of my clothes I’d left in the closet. My voice echoed strangely as I continued talking into the camera.

"So you know the drill with Sophie Tells it Like it Is, I said. Maybe everything looks like a wreck here, right?"

I stepped aside, conscious of all the flaws I was revealing to the viewer. The cracked plaster on the walls, the tape peeling at the edges of my Sophie Tells it Like it Is banner, the dust I hadn’t cleared yet after Bea had helped me haul things to the moving van.

"Well, it’s fine if things look like a wreck. Because you know what? The surface isn’t what’s important. It’s what’s inside that’s important. Change can be hard on people, but it doesn’t control us."

A shuffling noise and muffled voice came from the other room. Sarah must have come back early, and she was on the phone. My stomach dropped. If she interrupted me, it could throw off production until next week. And I wanted to get this wrapped, edited, and ready to put online before we left. The money I got from advertising would go a long way to getting me set for a new place.

In the meantime, I’d be crashing at my brother’s house...and my twin nephews were little terrors. There was no way I would be able to record with two five-year-olds climbing on my head.

Swallowing down the ill feeling growing in my gut, I went on, It’s totally okay if I’m figuring things out for the next few weeks. I have a brother and an awesome sister-in-law who will take me in, and true friends who’ll support me.

There was a thump that sounded like it came from the other side of my bedroom wall.

I had to get this wrapped up before Sarah popped in and invited herself into the video. She loved the attention, and it usually garnered her a few more followers on her PhotoGram account.

Where was I? Right...true friends.

So no matter what, I said in my most cheerful voice, "remember that you are in control. Remember that you get to decide how you feel about everything that happens. You might not be able to control the world, but you do control your reactions to it."

There was another bang, this time louder. What was she doing out there?

"And that’s all for this episode of Sophie Tells it Like it Is! I’ll be back next week with updates and more of the true life advice you’ve come to love and trust." I waved at the camera, a smile plastered to my face for the count of three...two...one. Then I stepped forward to turn off the camera.

Surprisingly, Sarah hadn’t interfered with the end of my video. I breathed a sigh of relief.

There were more thumping sounds coming from Sarah’s room. I might be able to edit them out if they were audible in my video.

I turned off my video camera and picked up my phone. My viewers would probably love some additional footage of my empty room, plus the last few things in the closet that I hadn’t packed.

Actually, even better, I could do some live footage and post it to PhotoGram. My followers loved that kind of thing because it was real and unstaged. Added benefits were it would serve as notice for why I wouldn’t be around as much over the next week as I settled into my move, plus, I could use it to hype up the video I’d just finished filming.

Turning on my phone camera, I spoke up in a cheery voice as I panned around the room, So, I just finished filming my last video in this apartment, because, you guessed it, I’m moving! This is my empty room. One of the things I’m trying to accept about myself is that I’m not perfect.

I turned the camera to face me and smiled. Thankfully, we won’t find any skeletons in my closet.

Turning the phone camera back around to face the closet door as I turned the handle, I said, However, you’ll see there are still a few remaining things--

I opened the closet door.

A shriek stabbed into my ears and I flinched, stumbling back. I tripped over one of the boxes and fell on my ass. My phone tumbled across the floor.

Arms flailed out toward me, along with a five-inch heel. Was Sarah hiding in my closet? One of the arms was way too hairy and way too thick to be my roommate’s.

I scrambled to reach my phone and stop the livestream.

When I grabbed it, I inadvertently saw what was on the screen before I could hit stop--a gross, hairy ass.

I gagged and hit stop.

This was the worst thing that could happen to me. How was I going to explain this to my fans?

Sarah and Pete climbed out of my closet, tumbling over each other. Pete at least had the decency to look embarrassed as he buckled his pants. He gave me the most awkward smile I’d seen in my life, a small wave, and he ran out of my bedroom door.

Sarah adjusted her hair, and lifted her chin like it was me who had done something wrong. She towered over me in her sky-high heels and pretentious dress. She’d worn nothing but designer dresses since she and Pete had started dating, instead of the yoga pants she’d worn every day since high school. It was like she was a different person now. A colder person, with a Stepford Wives makeover. The kind of person who thought it was okay to have sex in my closet, with my ex.

Her auburn locks were extra shiny. She’d probably used the last of my conditioner again. Dammit.

I stared at her, unsure what to say.

Do you really believe that bullshit? she asked.

Wait, what? Blinking, I said, Um, did that just happen?

Moving past it, she said. I’m talking about what I was listening to while you filmed your little video thing. All that bullshit you spouted about perfection and acceptance. You believe that?

Was she expecting me to pretend that nothing had happened?

How many times are you going to ask me that? I took another deep breath. She was seriously about to make me lose my cool, but I did believe that I was in charge of my own reactions, so I’d prove it right here and now.

I don’t know, she said. It’s just so...well...I guess it’s you, isn’t it?

Yeah, I said. I wouldn’t try to give that advice if I didn’t believe it one hundred percent.

You do you, I guess.

She was always so dismissive. I couldn’t help the pang in my throat. Sarah and I used to be close. I still didn’t know what had changed.

Do you need something? I asked, sounding kinder than I actually felt.

Yeah, I just wanted to measure this window. She held up a tape measure. Hold the end, will you? I think Pete and I can put our bed right here, and it would be fab if we could center it at the window and still have room for my vanity on the side.

Nothing would ever be big enough for her vanity, but I kept the secret joke to myself and dutifully held the tape measure.

After measuring my old bedroom with Sarah and hearing all about how she and Pete were going to arrange their furniture and decorate the space that used to be mine, it was finally time to get on the road for Sarah’s bachelorette trip.

You sure you don’t want to drive with us? Bea, Sarah’s sister, asked. It would save on gas.

She had Sarah’s same blue eyes. Her hair was just as beautiful as her sister’s, too—auburn and shiny—but I happened to know that she came about it honestly, with her own conditioner. That was because after Sarah had started dating my ex-fiancé, Pete, I’d stayed with Bea for a couple of nights to figure things out again. Now Sarah and Pete were getting married. Bea and I were the lucky bridesmaids, meaning we’d gotten to plan this great weekend away. It was a girls’ trip instead of a bachelorette party. I wondered if we were doing it this way because Sarah didn’t have more friends, and a night out with just her sister and me had sounded too lackluster to her.

Pretty sure, I said, patting the hood of my truck. This old baby was a hand-me-down gift from my brother when I’d graduated high school, and I’d kept her running in the six years since then.

You’ll miss out on all the girl talk, Sarah said from across the top of her Mercedes.

Bea gave me a desperate look and whispered, Please don’t leave me alone with her.

She’s your sister, I mouthed back. In a louder voice, I said, Nah, you two have fun. I’ll be meeting my brother in Virginia after this, so it’s just easier to drive myself.

The two-hour drive from western Kentucky to Forbidden, on the eastern half of the state, went quickly. I listened to some feel-good affirmations narrated by one of my favorite self-help gurus, Carly Joy.