Page 56 of Bitten Shifter

Her gaze flicks up again, uncertain. “Really?”

“Of course! Let me grab one side. Between the two of us, we can manage. Where are we headed to?”

“Just down the hall.”

“No problem.”

She moves to the front handle but hesitates before turning her back to me. “Thank you. It’s a case from the shifter military—apparently, they used it for rockets, I think. But now…” She giggles nervously. “It’s just packed with my stuff. Mostly books. I couldn’t leave them behind. I’m a total bookaholic, and e-readers just don’t smell the same, you know? I’m not bothered about clothes that much, so I stuffed the case full of?—”

She keeps talking as we shuffle down the corridor, her end dipping precariously. I adjust to match her uneven grip, taking care not to lift too high as she struggles.I’m much stronger than I should be.

We finally reach her room, she opens the door, and I help manoeuvre the case inside. We set it down at the foot of her bed with a thud.

“Oh, look at my hands!” She rubs her red, sweaty palms on her jeans. “Thank you so much! That was so kind of you. I’m Alice.”

“Lovely to meet you, Alice. I’m Lark.”

“Lark,” she says, smiling brightly. “That’s such a pretty name. So, where are you from? I’m from a tiny coastal town. Our house is by the beach, and the view is so beautiful.”

“Um, I’m from the Human Sector.”

Alice doesn’t skip a beat. Her smile widens. “Really? That’s so interesting! I’ve never been, of course—protection and all that nonsense—but one day, when I’m older and fully shifted, I’d love to visit. Where would you recommend I go first?”

We chat about various places, and I mention sights I think she might enjoy. She even lights up at the idea of spying on vampires, though only from a safe distance.

“So, are you nervous about shifting?” she asks, bouncing on her toes. “I’m so excited! I’ve started meditating, but it’s so difficult. How do people sit there and think about nothing? And the meditation instructor on the app keeps smacking his lips. It’s so annoying!” She scrunches her nose in mock disgust, and I laugh.

“Yes, meditation isn’t for everyone.”

“What do you do for work?” she asks, tilting her head.

“I’m in IT.”

“Oh, cool! So you, like, build computers?”

“Sort of. I do some building, but mostly programming.”

“That’s amazing. I run a cupcake business. I make weird and unusual cupcakes. If you want a Sunday dinner cupcake, I’m your girl. I can create the entire thing in fondant. Look.” She takes out her phone and shows me pictures of intricately decorated cupcakes. They are amazing; some are shaped like flowers, others like miniature feasts, and more.

“Alice, these are incredible! You’re really talented.”

“Thanks!” She beams. “One thing shifters are great eaters, so it’s a match made in heaven.” She dashes to her metal case, flips it open, and pulls out a tin. Alice pops the lid to reveal a bouquet of cupcakes so lifelike they could be fresh flowers.

“Here, try one!” she offers.

“Thank you. I almost hate to ruin it—it’s so pretty.” Nonetheless, I take one and bite into it. The flavour is outstanding. “Alice, this is delicious.”

Her face lights up. “I’m so glad you like it! Here, take another one for later.” She presses a second cupcake into my hands, still smiling. “And thank you again for helping me.”

“Well, I’d better get going.”

“Oh, of course! I didn’t mean to keep you. But… we’ll chat later, right?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Yay!” She claps her hands together, practically bouncing in place. “See you soon!”

Riker is waiting outside Alice’s room, his expression turning melodramatic as I finish off the half-eaten cupcake.

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