Page 36 of Snowed in: With the Alien Tentacle Monster

"That's, uh... that's Gordon Ramsay. Hot, but definitely not the best choice for blending in."

Valen hummed thoughtfully and kept surfing channels, pausing briefly on each to study the humans he saw. A weather reporter. A sitcom actor. A car commercial spokesman. With each new channel, he tried on a new form, like someone browsing through clothes at a store.

Logan found himself both fascinated and slightly unnerved watching his mate try on different human appearances so easily. It was strange seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces appear where Valen stood, but through their connection, he could still feel his mate's essence. Valen was curious, eager to learn, wanting to get this right.

"Wait," Valen said, pausing on a channel showing some kind of medical drama. "I like his eyes." He shifted, taking on the actor's warm brown eyes but combined it with the previous channel's news anchor's stronger jawline. "And maybe..." He flipped again, landing on a coffee commercial. The man in it had thick dark hair that fell slightly over his forehead. Another shift, and that hair appeared on his emerging composite face.

Logan watched, fascinated, as Valen created something entirely new.

But then Valen stopped and looked at Logan.

"What do you prefer?" Valen asked, and Logan felt his sincere desire to please, to find a form his mate would want to look at every day.

"I..." Logan hesitated, warmth spreading across his cheeks. "I like you in any form. You're still you."

"Logan." Valen brushed his arm gently. "You're allowed to have preferences." He gestured at the TV. "What appeals to you?"

Logan looked at the screen, then back at Valen's current borrowed features. "Well... I do like those eyes. But maybe a bit lighter? More amber than brown?" He watched as Valen adjusted the color, making them warmer, with hints of gold that reminded Logan of his natural topaz pupils. "Yes, like that. And maybe..." Logan leaned forward as Valen flipped to another channel, pointing at an actor in a commercial. "That nose? It's distinctive but not too much."

Valen made the adjustment, and Logan felt his mate's pleasure at his growing involvement. The nose did suit the face they were building, adding character to the classical features.

"What about the mouth?" Valen asked, switching channels again. He paused on each face they saw, letting Logan study them.

"That one," Logan said, surprising himself with his certainty. The man on screen had a gentle smile, the kind that started in one corner and seemed to hold secrets. "It's... expressive. Like you."

Valen incorporated it, then turned to Logan with that same smile, somehow both borrowed and entirely his own. Through their bond, Logan felt a spark of excitement. They were getting closer.

"The hair's still not quite right," Logan mused, more confident now. He watched as Valen flipped through channels, both of them searching. "There!" A character in some period drama had appeared, his dark hair falling in soft waves, longer than current fashion but not excessively so. "That style, but maybe a shade darker?"

Valen made the changes, and suddenly Logan's breath caught. The separate features they'd chosen had merged into something... someone... who looked both completely human and uniquely Valen. Those warm gold-flecked eyes, the secret smile, the dramatic sweep of nearly black hair… it all came togetherinto a face that Logan could easily imagine walking beside him through the city streets, sitting across from him in coffee shops, drawing subtle second glances but not unwanted attention.

Through their bond, he felt Valen's own recognition. He liked this too.

Valen looked down at himself, flexing his fingers. "This is strange," he said. "Only two hands. How do you deal?"

Logan laughed. "Two hands are plenty."

Valen held one of those hands out to him. "Come here."

Logan's heart beat fast as he obliged and took the offered hand. It felt warm and solid. Human. But this man was still the alien he knew, radiating the same affection, the same desire to be close, even if his physical form had changed.

Logan reached up, letting his fingers trace the strong line of Valen's jaw, the soft curve of his mouth. "I like those lips."

""You do?" Valen smiled. "Then I shall keep them." He leaned closer and brushed those lips over Logan's own. "You like this too?"

Warmth sparked inside of Logan at the soft kiss. "Definitely."

He let himself be pulled against the newly transformed body, enjoying the sensation of Valen wrapping his arms around him. It was different, but not in a bad way. Just new.

His fingers touched the soft fabric of the sweater Valen was wearing. "What is this made of?" he asked.

"Part of my body," Valen said. "I can make it disappear." The next moment, Logan's fingers were touching naked skin—and muscles. Naturally Valen had given himself a six-pack like he'd seen on the athletes on TV.

"You're cheating." Logan laughed again.

"Do you not like it?"

"No, I love it." He traced the lines of those abs with his finger tips, enjoying the shudder that ran through Valen's body at thelight touch. "We'll have to get you some actual clothes in the city."

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