I curled my lip and glanced down at my feet, lifting one, then the other. I could talk to animals, but that didn’t mean I still wanted to run into a strange snake in the middle of the night.
After I was sure I wasn’t about to be bit, I crouched down and pictured Sam in my mind. “Hiss.” Sam? Saaamm? I waited, ears pricked, then hissed again. Sam, my name’s Jolene, and I’m here to help. I’ve got your friends with me. It’s safe—you can come out now.
To my left, a bush rustled, then some of the knee-high grasses swayed. Daisy lifted her head, and Francis tipped back upright unnervingly quickly.
A little green snake slithered closer to my foot, and I forced myself to hold my ground—even though part of me wanted to shriek and leap into Peter’s arms.
I gulped and hissed again. Sam?
The snake’s forked tongue darted out, tasting the air, and then it hissed as it passed me by and headed toward the princess. Yesss. It’sss me, Sssam.
The princess looked at me with wide eyes until I nodded. “It’s definitely him.”
“Oh, yay!” She clapped and dropped down to a crouch. She set Iggy’s lantern down on the ground beside her and used one finger to gently stroke Sam’s scaly head.
I hissed again as the prince crouched down beside her and waved at the little snake.
Sam—it’s safe now. Why don’t you change back?
The snake turned its head toward me, its lips curved up in a constant smile, though his tone was tremulous. I tried. I wasss too ssscared.
I nodded and licked my lips. Peter bent forward, his warm hand on my shoulder. See that sack your vampire friend is holding? The man who ordered the attack on you is in there. You’re safe now—safer by far than you were before.
The little snake’s tongue darted out again. Okay. I’ll try again.
It took another few moments, but in a whoosh of magic, the snake disappeared and Sam Snakeman, in human form, sat on the ground in his place.
“Sam!” The princess lunged forward and threw her arms around him, tackling them both to the ground. He still wore his suit and bowtie from when he’d given his speech, but neither of them seemed to care that they were both getting covered in dirt and leaves. Peter helped me back to my feet, and Daisy trotted over. We both petted her head—to my surprise, she let me.
I woofed at her. Good work, girl.
She grinned up at me. Thanks. She snapped her jaw shut and woofed again. But don’t call me “girl.”
I nodded and woofed back. Fair enough.
39
STARTERS AND ENDERS
“Yum.” Heidi closed her eyes in bliss as she slurped up a noodle.
I grinned, chopsticks poised over my bowl of ramen. “They didn’t have this up at the palace?” I scooped a piece of pork into my mouth.
Will swallowed his bite and jabbed his chopsticks in my direction. “That’s about the only thing they didn’t have, sister.” He flipped his white lab coat back and scooted closer on his rolling stool. “I’ll miss that place—it’s much more my style.”
I grinned and slumped happily down in one of the lobby chairs in Will’s clinic, my booted feet propped up on the coffee table next to a pile of glossy magazines. Peter, who sat eating beside me, tipped his head and leaned it against mine. Daisy lay at our feet, a thick bone propped between her huge paws. She gnawed on the end of it as rain tapped at the roof and the metal door that led to the alley.
I felt a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt in, well… ever. I snuggled against Peter—I was dating a great guy who accepted me for who and what I was. I kept up great banter with his adorably prickly dog, and my friends and I and all the shifters on the island were finally free from the tyranny of Ludolf Caterwaul. All that, plus a bowl of ramen from our favorite cart, made me one happy gal.
I pointed my chopsticks at Will. “What are you going to do now with all that extra money from not paying Ludolf ‘protection’ fees?”
He looked down at his steaming bowl for a long moment, then looked up, uncharacteristically serious. “I’m a surgeon, right?”
I frowned at him in mock confusion. “A what now? You’ve never mentioned that before.”
Heidi snickered, and he shot her a flat look.
“Har har.” He shrugged his beefy shoulders. “I can operate on people, and now I have experience operating on animals….” He lifted a bushy brow. “I figured I’d open a practice where I saw shifters—a perfect marriage of the two.”
I nodded. “That’s actually a great idea, Will.”
He shot me a sassy look. “Actually?”
I rolled my eyes. “I just mean, I wouldn’t have thought of it. I’m sure you’ll be rolling in it in no time.”
He nodded, primly. “Me, too.”
Peter lifted a palm. “Maybe you can start with all those cured shifters that were trapped in the animal sanctuary for so long. I’m sure they need some good medical attention.”
I nodded my agreement.
Will finished a bite. “Have the royal healers cured them all?”
“Yeah.” I bit my lip. I hadn’t been sure how to tell my friends this part… I wasn’t sure they’d approve. “After we booked Ludolf last night and we joined you guys at the palace, I had a talk with them.”
Heidi put her bowl down in her lap, and Will leaned forward.
I took a deep breath and blew it out. “The healers said my files were among the ones the prince and princess recovered and that they’d been working on a cure for me.”
Heidi gasped and opened her mouth to speak, but Will waved at her. “Let her finish.”
I gulped. “They said that most of the cases were pretty straightforward, but mine was different. The way the curse interacted with my abilities was unique. Being able to speak to animals was a side effect that complicated
