“Yes!” The impulse to crow when she’d correctly identified a bird still hadn’t gone away. “I knew it! You’re not supposed to be here!”
Even with the light aimed at his shins, she caught his glower.
“I mean, that type of hawk is not supposed to be here,” she continued. “Its habitat is more—”
“I know what my habitat is! My hawk’s, I mean! But that’s not the point.”
“Right.” The shape-shifting. How did that work? Could it have been some trick of the light? “I saw you change. How did you do that?” She remembered how the hawk’s wing had rippled. What was it like? Did it hurt?
He shrugged. “It’s no different from cycling or swimming to me. I don’t know exactly how it works.”
“Right.” He sounded sincere and apologetic, but she wondered if he was telling her the complete truth. And if it was like riding a bike, that meant someone had taught him.
There had to be others like him. If there was one person who could turn into an animal, it made sense there were more. As much as anything was making sense today.
“How many of you are there?” she asked.
“I’m the only one who came out here.”
Meaning the rest was somewhere else. “I mean, how many are in your…community?” Where did he live? Did they have a flock? Did he have a nest or a house?
He was silent for a long moment. “Enough.”
She didn’t get the impression he meant that as a threat. He was being vague on purpose. “What brought you here?” She gestured at the remnants of the net on the ground.
He glanced at it too. “Well, you’re a scientist studying birds, so we got worried.”
She frowned at him. “But I didn’t even know shape-shifters existed!” She hadn’t come here to study them. “Not until you got—Oh.” She glanced at the net again. “You don’t like the nets? Have others gotten caught in them?” Had they accidentally gotten banded?
“Not as far as I know,” he replied. “But you’re a scientist. We’re shifters.”
And they were a secret she’d accidentally stumbled across. No wonder the hawk had panicked and struggled so hard to free itself when she’d tried to band him. “And you don’t want to be studied.” Her heart sunk. What was it like to live with such a big secret? “That’s got to be hard.” Knowing that one wrong move could expose you and your kind to, well, her.
“We manage.” He glanced at the net. “Usually.”
She wanted to study this stranger and those like him. Because how could a human turn into a bird? How did he grow those feathers? Where did the extra mass go?
What was it like to fly?
She pushed those questions away for now. This guy, whoever he was, had just had the scare of his life because of her. They had to figure something out, and she could start by introducing herself.
“I’m Doctor Madison Adams from Pinevale University.” She offered her hand.
He smiled, moving so he could shake her hand without revealing anything indecent. “Simon Miller, security guard at the Pinevale Art and History Museum.”
She let out a laugh, feeling awkward the moment it left her mouth. But she struggled to imagine that someone who could turn into a bird also had a regular job like that. “Sorry. It’s a nice museum. It’s just… you’re a hawk.”
“Hawk shifter,” he told her. “And I still need to eat and pay my mortgage.”
The more he explained, the more questions she had. She could stand here talking to him all night, but Simon mentioning a mortgage meant he had a home to go back to. “Right, of course. I still can’t believe you exist.” He was the most incredible man she’d ever met.
She tried not to think how he’d be in that top ten even without turning into a hawk. The more her eyes adjusted to the growing darkness, the more difficult it was to ignore all that skin right in front of her.
“Likewise.” His voice was warm, and she felt herself blushing.
“It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be getting home?” she asked. “Can you come back tomorrow and we can talk some more? Is that okay?” He had mentioned they didn’t want to be studied, and she understood that, but she also needed to do her fieldwork on the local birds. Her career depended on it.
“I can do that, but I don’t mind spending more time with you right now and answering your questions. If you like.”
“Definitely! Yes!” Her cheeks reddened further. “If it’s no problem. I mean, I get it if you have to head home and, um, get clothes…”
It would be a shame if he did, though.
“Do you have anything lying around that might fit me?”
She drew a blank. Simon was taller than her, for one, and while she’d brought practical hiker gear, she hadn’t brought anything in a man’s size. Why would she? “I have some sweatpants that might work.” She’d brought them along because they were always handy to have around. “And you can wear my jacket for now.” It was baggy and came to mid-thigh for her, so maybe it would fit him okay. She juggled her flashlight while removing the jacket, and handed it to him. She turned her back to him while he put the jacket on. “Is it okay? Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m all right, thanks. You won’t get cold?”
She looked up at him. It was getting chilly, but she’d be fine for the ten-minute walk back to her tent. And she was absolutely not thinking of ways they could warm each other up.
What was going on with her? She never reacted to guys like this, even if Simon was hot and it had been a long while since she’d dated.
“I’m good,” she replied. “Just gonna grab what’s left of the net. I don’t want other animals to get trapped.”
“Oh crap, I destroyed it, didn’t I? Let me help you.”
She used her flashlight to make sure they had picked everything up.
“What do I owe you?”
“Don’t
