A second later, the cigarette was plucked from my mouth.
“House rules,” Tarik said in my ear, tapping the cig end on a paper towel. The towel started smoking and he jabbed the cigarette against the kitchen counter several times, swearing softly. “Besides, all that smoke isn’t good for your body.”
My wings pressed hard against my spine, white hair spilling into my eyes. I shook my head and inhaled, focused on stopping the transition. When blue and black strands fell over my shoulder again, I smirked. “You know what’s not good for your body? Taking a cigarette from an edgy shifter.”
He looped a strand of my hair around his finger and tugged. “I’ll risk it.” Then he was gone.
“What are we risking?” Caspar asked. He leaned against the door frame, the electronic chirp of an arcade game blaring out of the handheld his eyes were locked on.
“Entire limbs, if Tarik’s not careful.”
“Do you have to play that noisy thing so early in the morning?” Tarik grumbled from the table, adding, “It’s not natural.”
“Yes,” Caspar shot back. “Just to annoy you.” He grinned, but dropped into a chair and rested the device on the table. “So when do we eat? And what are we eating?” He sniffed the air. “Smells good, whatever it is.”
“Something that’ll change your life,” Tarik said. “And put hair on your chest. Or, in your case, more hair.”
I nudged a strip of bacon, deeming the piece finished, and dropped it onto a paper towel beside me. Tarik was there in a flash, snatching the piece even as I warned him he would burn himself. He rounded on his first target, Sebastian, who had been stoically ignoring us as he flipped the pages of his book.
“Hey, man, you have to try this,” Tarik said, waving the strip in front of Sebastian’s face.
Startled, the blond Fae snapped the book shut. Sniffed. “That does smell—wait, is that leather?”
Tarik guffawed before he broke a piece off and slowly bit down with a crackling crunch. “That’s what I said too. Meat tastes a lot better than it looks, I swear. Try a piece.”
This time, he stuck the remaining portion under Sebastian’s nose and the blond leaned away, hands raised. But Tarik was relentless, tracking his movements with the bacon. Finally, his victim shot out of his chair and inched backward. “Look, no offense to the shifters in this room, but the thought of eating meat makes me want to hurl. I’ll stick with fruits and vegetables.”
“I’ll try your meat, Tarik,” one of the twins said, a sly grin curving his lips as he elbowed his look-alike.
“This is an adults-only experience, Micah,” Tarik said, pointing the bacon at him. “Wait another year.” The twins protested loudly as Tarik took another bite, chewing noisily.
Nevaeh brushed past the small crowd gathering in the doorway, rolling her eyes and tossing her gum in the trash bin. Hopping up on the counter, she watched me impatiently as I dropped one strip after another onto the paper towel, snitching two before Tarik could beat her to them. His eyes narrowed. She shrugged. “Too slow.” Her eyes scanned the room. “Anyone else gonna eat, or are Tarik and I going to battle for the bacon?”
A long beat of silence passed. Akeno eyed her warily, his jaw opening, then clamping shut like he couldn’t decide, when Elias said, “I will.” Sebastian lowered his hands, eyes wide. The twins fell silent, and even Caspar tore his attention away from his game for a moment. Elias looked around, then shrugged. “What? I trust Tarik. Maybe it’s time for change. Maybe we’ve been missing out on something amazing all these years.”
An emotion flickered across Tarik’s face. His throat bobbed. I wagged a strip of bacon toward him, gripped between the tongs. He slipped the piece free and strode over to Elias, pulling him into a tight hug. “I missed you, man. Now eat this while it’s hot. It’s the only way.”
He did, and the surprised delight that lit his face encouraged the others on. At one point Flynn passed through the room, his expression blank, utterly oblivious to the chaos of several Fae men now trying to gang up on poor Sebastian. Even Nevaeh joined in, prodding Akeno and Caspar to pin him down. I turned my back to finish cooking the last of the package when a shout rang out, and Sebastian bolted from the room.
“Tarik, Elias, I’m warning you,” Sebastian yelled, sliding around a corner with both men hot on his tail. From the next room, he roared, “Get that thing away from me.”
“You’ll never be the same, Seb,” Tarik practically crowed. “Just one bite!”
—
I shifted, laying myself out on my side with my wings tucked carefully behind me. After our eventful morning, I insisted Tarik let me go out for air; the sweet morning breeze was positively glorious after the heat of the kitchen. The sun warmed my fur enough to stave off a real chill and I stretched my claws, a low rumble of contentment rolling from my throat. My mind dimmed, falling to the cusp of a nap when I heard the door snap shut.
Someone gasped dramatically and I raised my head enough to see Tarik approaching, hand clasped to his chest. “You gave me a fright. For a second there I thought you were a real lion. Then I reasoned, no, lions aren’t usually so pigment challenged. You’re getting the hang of it, though. But be careful not to stay out too long or you’ll get sunburnt.”
I lowered my head to the grass, loosing a growl.
“Really?” A huff. “Fine.” He plopped down next to me. My side twitched where he rested his head, then adjusted himself into a more comfortable position.
Tickles.
I crossed one of my paws over the other, relaxing into a sun-stupor. My eyes drifted closed, breaths slowing, nap in sight.
“I need to tell you something.” At the interruption, my eyes slid open, narrowing. “Can you shift?”
Another low growl vibrated out of
