Shift by Emily Zimmerman. (best fiction books to read txt) 📖

more tears from her eyes as she clipped it around my neck “I wore it for a long time sweetie, I want you to remember me when you see it” she said. I held back tears and grabbed her into another hug “I love you mom, bye” I said, trying to bring myself to let her go. I finally let her go, and she smiled sadly “goodbye” she said. I got in the car, and as they drove away, I waved to mom and she blew kisses to me. I stared out the window as we drove to the airport, not wanting to speak to anyone. It’s not that I resented them for what they were doing, I knew that they loved me, and were just trying to protect me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to just let them into my life and pretend that all was well and that we all knew each other.
The ride to the airport was quiet, and awkward. Maria would try and speak to me, and I would just answer her with one word, soon she gave up. When we got to the airport, I expected us to have to go through allot of security, but we drove straight onto the tarmac, and to a plane. It was a privet plane. I gaped at it as we got out of the car. Three people came up to us, two took my bags and put them on the plane, and one took the car. We walked up these stairs to the entrance of the plane. When I walked in, I had to stop for a second and take in the hugeness of the plane. The plane was vast, with eight chairs, seated in rows of two by the windows; each row was facing each other. There was a small fridge, with a couple counters next to it, and a small pantry that snaps closed for safety. All this just made me miss home, I missed my little redheaded mother, I just wanted to go home and see her again. I walked over to the first row of seats that were nearest to me, sitting in the window seat. I hadn’t noticed before, but there was someone already seated in the fourth, in the seat facing me. I guess I just wasn’t noticing him there. “Hello Drake, I hope we didn’t make you wait too long, this is Jenna, Jenna this is Drake” Maria introduced. I waved at him, not really looking at him; my backpack was put in the seat in front of me, so I was rummaging through it, trying to find something that my mom gave me. I pulled out a collector’s coin that mom gave me, it was dads, and when he died, mom thought she should give me something to remember him by. The coin was gold, with silver in the middle, and a five scent sign in the middle, it was a collector that dad treasured greatly. And he never left it home, he called it his lucky coin, and so I never left it home either. I kissed it and asked dad to wish me luck, and then put it back in the bag. It was then that I noticed Drake was staring at me, a quizzical look on his face as he searched my eyes, we stared at each other for what seemed like hours. I looked away out the window, Maria, Laurence and William sat in last of the rows. I guess they got the message that I wanted at least a small bit of alone time.

Chapter two. Jenna. (Drakes P.O.V.)
I sat in the privet plane wondering what was so important about coming here, they still haven’t told me what they have dragged me here for, all they have told me is that I’m to be a bodyguard, a bodyguard of whom? I have no idea. I ran my hand through my blonde hair, it’s blonde, I found, from me being a lion. My eyes are bright green like a cats, night vision is an awesome tool. With my hearing, I could hear a car come onto the tarmac, and the men outside the plain start to prepare for takeoff. The first person to enter the plane was one I didn’t recognize, but she was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was honey blonde, and her eyes were bright green, she was a lion, I knew it. She seemed to be taking in the plane, her eyes past over me, but she didn’t seem to notice me. She walked over to the last row of seats and sat down, that’s when she noticed me, and we stared at each other for a second, she looked away when Maria and the rest came in. “Hello Drake, I hope we didn’t make you wait too long, this is Jenna, Jenna this is Drake” Maria introduced us. She waved at me, rummaging through her backpack. She pulled out what looked like a coin; she smiled in relief and kissed it, putting it back into her bag. She looked up and met my eyes, we stared at each other for probably five minutes, and it clicked, she’s my mate, I was drawn to her for the same reason my friend Jill was drawn to Lauren. She looked away out the window, seeming depressed in a way. I got up and walked over to the seat across from me “mind if I sit?” I asked. She looked up at me, and then nodded, gesturing for me to take a seat. When I was seated she stared at me expectantly like I was going to say something to her. “So you’re the new shape shifter” I said, more a statement then a question. She nodded “yeah, apparently I’m to shift tomorrow” she replied. Her voice was as beautiful as her face “I nodded, yeah, the eighteenth birthday is always the day you shift” I said. She nodded, looking down at her hands “so, why didn’t you come to the house?” she asked me, looking at me questioningly. I shrugged “I honestly have no idea” I chuckled. She smiled a small but bright smile. “Apparently I’m your bodyguard, and I’m to protect you from yourself when you shift” I told her. She nodded “so I don’t hurt myself trying to get out” she amended. I nodded “yeah, see, when you shift, you go into a-“
“Rampage, and the instinct to kill is overpowering, yeah, they explained it” she said softly. I nodded and looked out the window of the plane “so…who protected you from hurting yourself?” she asked. I smiled “Laurence, he helped me through it, and taught me my ways” I said. She stared at me in shock “my father?” she asked. I nodded “I guess” I said. She nodded “my biological father, and mother are sitting over there, but the mother I have known for years is at home” she said sadly. I nodded “where is your father?” I asked. She looked away “he passed away when I was ten years old” she said, playing with something around her neck. I rubbed the back of my neck guiltily “oh, I’m sorry” I told her. She waved me off “you didn’t know” she said. I nodded “yeah, but I shouldn’t have said anything” I muttered. She shrugged “It’s fine” she dismissed me. I nodded, looking out the window.

Chapter three. Drake. (Jenna’s P.O.V.)
The plane ride was not as bumpy or scary as I thought it would be, it was actually quite smooth. My first plane ride I ever had was was stressful; we were in the middle of a bad storm, and the plane was being shaken by how bad the wind was, I was just glad we got to the place safely. And Drake kept me distracted enough to where I wasn’t nervous. We talked about my mom, and his parents, and what it’s like back home, and what my school is like “I don’t really have any friends, I guess I know why they seemed to be intimidated by me” I said. He nodded, smiling “yeah, before I changed, everyone was afraid of me” he said. I nodded “is there school where we are going?” I asked. He shook his head “no, were going to the island of Neilia” he said. I looked at him in confusion “I’ve never heard of it” I said. He nodded “no one ever has, except the people who keep it hidden” he said. I nodded
“It’s a hidden island?” I asked. He nodded, smiling “yes, a new technology these people have discovered allows us to cloak our island, so no one can even see it” he said. Questions rose up in me, but I held them back as the pilot started speaking “ladies and gentlemen, you are free to move about the cabin, the servers will be out shortly with your meal choices” he said. I looked out the window, and all I could see was blinding light. We must be covered in clouds. I closed the window; the light was so bright that my eyes watered. The server came bye, asking us if we wanted anything, I passed on dinner, not really in the mood for eating. “You’re not hungry?” Drake asked me. I shook my head, looking away “no, I lost my appetite a while ago” I said. He nodded and told the server to bring two pillows “are you not hungry either?” I asked him. He shook his head “no, I ate a few minutes before you got here” he said. I nodded, and the server came back with two pillows, he handed one to me “you seem tired, and you need as much rest as you can before you shift” he told me, seeing my inquisitive look. He is vigilant, I was exhausted. I thanked him and laid my chair back, finding out that it reclines so I can put my feet up. Drake had a server bring a blanket so I could be warm. I listened to him speak about the island a little more, before I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
I woke up to someone carrying me, I didn’t hear the loud sounds of planes and cars, I heard the soft sounds of birds, and tree frogs in the distance, I opened my eyes and looked up, finding that we were walking from the plane, there were trees all around, kinds of trees I had only seen On TV. I looked up to find Drake staring down at me with a smile “good morning” he said quietly, his voice almost a part of the quiet of the forest. “You didn’t need to carry me, I could walk” I sighed groggily, feeling a little guilty that he had to carry me. I felt him chuckle silently “I didn’t want to wake you, and it’s alright, were almost to the car so we can get to the sanctuary” he said. I already had my head buried in his chest “m-Kay” I mumbled, already half asleep. I felt him shift me to one arm, and then I heard a car door open before I fell asleep again.
Chapter four. Revealing. (Drakes P.O.V.)
She fell asleep again shortly after she woke, so I kept her in my arms on the way to the sanctuary, she seemed so peaceful in her sleep, and it felt nice to have her in my arms. I fell in love with her more and more as we spoke of her home, and of her parents, she shared with me how she missed her mother so. It made my heart ache to comfort her as her beautiful face looked so very sad.
The drive to the sanctuary was short, just a few minutes. “Drake, will you take her to courter eight? We’ll let her rest right now, but tomorrow, were going to introduce her