Chapter 13

The tense return trip home was filled with Laylah's angry silence. She'd tried to not let her father get to her, but like everything else in her life, she failed miserably. He treated her like a five-year-old and it hurt. The dinner idea was an unmitigated disaster. And to make it worse, she would not get to go to Britta's party. Her eyes hurt from holding back tears. She refused to cry, preferring instead to wait until she was alone.

The limo stopped and Jacques opened the door. "Laylah, I'm sorry it didn't go as planned."

The pity was too much for her. She stormed by him, fury and humiliation burning her soul. Laylah ignored Jacques' command to stop and ran inside. She rushed by a surprised Naiya and took the steps two at time before going into her room and slamming the door. Her tears broke free as she slid down the door to the carpet. She heard footsteps and she reached up, locking the door.

"Laylah, can we talk?"

"No, Naiya. I want to be left alone, please? Please, leave me alone!"

"Laylah, if you don't let it out, you'll make yourself sick."

She gritted her teeth. She hated it when Naiya sounded so…so reasonable. "No, I'll be fine. I'm going to bed. Night." She sniffled, angrily wiping away her tears. She heard Naiya sigh and several minutes later Naiya left.

Laylah got up and woodenly shed her clothes on the way to the shower. She made the water as hot as she could stand and stepped inside. Snatching up the makeup remover, she scrubbed her face until it hurt and all the makeup was gone. Still, the inner chill of knowing her father didn't care about her lowered her self-esteem. She must be the worst daughter in the world to have a parent that would rather run in the opposite direction than talk to her.

 She unbraided her hair, letting the water soak into it. Even the scent of the shampoo failed to cheer her up. By the time she finished showering, the water was cold. She shivered and turned the water off. She grabbed two towels, one for her body and one for her hair, and wrapped herself in them. 

She went to the bedroom, got her pjs and smiled at the koala bears design. They were cute and she felt better looking at them. They had been a best friend gift from Britta two years ago. Laylah forced her mind away from thoughts of Britta. She was not looking forward to telling her friend the bad news about being grounded. She towel-dried her hair, brushed out the tangles and headed to bed.

On her way, she snagged a stuffed panther toy from her bureau. Yeah, she was still collecting stuffed animal toys. Britta teased her about it, but Laylah didn't mind. She felt at home with them. The toys, at least, never condemned her.

Laylah flopped on to the bed, lay back on the pillow and snuggled the panther. "It's you and me, Protector." All her animals had names and even though the lion was king of cats, there was something about panthers that made her love them more. Their glossy fur, sleek muscles, and intelligent gaze--all admirable qualities. Her toys were custom-made with special synthetic fur that felt like the real thing. Incredibly soft to the touch, she stroked it and felt calmness come over her. She yawned and gave herself over to sleep.

~***~

The room was not hers, yet Laylah knew it would still welcome her. The opulent tapestries and drapes, the burgundy furniture--all were familiar. This dream was the same one she'd had for the last two months. Each time, more details were added and each time she woke from it, she felt unhappy and incomplete.

This time, however, was different. The room was filled with more animals than the two who normally kept her company. There were felines of all types, wolves, birds, snakes and some type of reptile she didn't recognize. They perched, sat, paced and lounged on the furniture. And she sat in the middle of them on silk pillows, dressed in a harem style top and pants made of sheer material that bared her belly.

Any other time she would have felt exposed at showing so much skin, but here she felt almost overdressed. To her left lay a white wolf with a gray foreleg. His dark eyes seemed old and held the weight of knowledge that made Laylah shy away from gazing too deeply.

It was the warning growl of the white wolf that had her head snapping up, eyes going to the double doors that swung open. An eerie silence descended and fear raced through her body. The animals were never silent. Always, they made some noise. She threaded her fingers into the wolf's ruff, eyes wide as she waited for whatever it was to come through the door. The growling grew to a crescendo, and then abruptly ceased. Laylah stiffened and knew, with certainty, that this moment would change her. "Come inside. I'm not afraid!" Her voice echoed in the stillness.

She blinked and there stood a man. She gasped. Mustering her courage, she forced herself to look. The man had no shirt on and his bare chest and muscular shoulders were hypnotizing. Her eyes moved from his chest to his stomach where his clearly defined abs proved he took care of himself. She flushed with embarrassment from ogling him. She glanced at his face – his face was blurred!

Rubbing her eyes, Laylah checked her vision, but he remained the same. Terror seized her and the other animals reacted with warning cries.

"Enough!" His voice whipped out with force, commanding instant obedience.

She could taste her fear but felt a surge of an emotion she didn't understand. The fear made sense. After all, this man's dominating presence reminded her of the school bullies and her father. The wolf growled again. She forced her attention back to her visitor.

"Who are you?"

He tilted his head to one side, watching her until she squirmed. He took a step forward but found his path blocked by a lioness.

"You afraid?"

His voice washed over her and she shivered. The animals would protect her if she asked it of them. That she did know, but…She ignored her cowardice and decided to take a chance.

"No and yes. I've never seen you before. I don't dream of boys, let alone men." She stared at his blurred features. "And I can't see your face, well, at least the parts that matter," Laylah complained.

The man laughed. "Such honesty is refreshing. Most girls play games." He grinned at her. "Are my features that important to you?"

She thought about it. "I suppose not. No one ever pays attention to me anyway. I'm a nobody. Besides, I'm not some drop-dead gorgeous person like my best friend or even Violet. Nope, I'm ordinary." She shrugged. Let him think what he wanted of her; everyone else did.

"You are more than 'okay.' Perhaps it is time someone showed you."

Her heart sped up; her mouth went dry. The man's words sounded almost like a purr. She felt hot, her skin tight and her thoughts…they were strange, uncomfortable and exciting.

"Oh my! I don't understand." She pulled her knees to her chest, gaze on the floor. The wolf pressed against her side, growling in earnest. "Shh, my friend, I'm okay." Laylah tried to calm herself by stroking his fur. "This is a dream, Laylah. Wake up and it will be over," she muttered to herself.

"But do you really want to wake up? Do you want this dream to be over?"

His words had her blushing and it made her angry. She didn't like feeling these strange emotions. She lashed out.

"You don't know what I want! No one does! Everybody thinks they have me figured out but you're all wrong!" Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't notice. "You're making my heart beat too fast and my body feels funny. I don't like it, make it stop!"

"You poor thing. They've sheltered you too much. You don't even recognize what's happening to you."

"Stop giving me pity looks! I am not sheltered!" Laylah protested, but she knew he was right.

"I mean, Beautiful, sheltered from your passion and feelings. Have you never had a crush on a boy before?"

She squirmed at the man's probing gaze. "No," she mumbled.

He took a few more steps toward her. The lioness, who had blocked his way the first time, came between them, hissing.

"Please, let me help you." He held out his hand and waited.

She stared at his outstretched hand for a long time. Should she take it? She was tired of not being like the other girls who had boyfriends. Even Britta had dated a boy or two. Why couldn't a boy like Laylah that way? She knew the answer.

"Because I'm a freak," She whispered.

"No, not a freak, Beautiful. Different and unique. Let me show you. Take my hand."

Tension sang in the air and she waged an inner battle with her feelings and her mind. She wanted this. If the only way to have a boyfriend was to dream one up, then so be it. Laylah stood, ignoring the concerned whine of the wolf. Carefully she nudged the lioness aside and came to stand a foot in front of the man. His features were still blurry, but it didn't bother her as much.

Gently, he took her hand, his fingers stroking her palm.

"Oh." Her mouth parted in surprise at the feelings he was creating.

"I see you like it. This will make you smile." He lifted her hand up to his face and placed four, slow kisses, starting at her fingertips and going to her wrist.

She felt her knees go weak and focusing was an issue. She was so hot, burning inside. She had the crazy urge to purr and rub her chin along his hand…That thought scared her and Laylah jerked away from him with a yelp. "No! No! I can't do this! I have to wake up now!"

"Wait! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you!"

He reached for her, but Laylah was already running away from him and toward the ring of animals. She turned, took one last look at him, and willed herself to wake up.