Page 308 of As The Shifter World Turns

His fur rippled along my arms and he took over. He let out a huge grizzly growl and turned to face the living room. Anthony gulped and Neil hugged him close while whispering, “It’s okay.”

Taking my skin, I put on my pants and wandered back into the room.

“And this is why you all disappear sometimes and I wonder why I’m the only one in either the manor or the houses on either side?”

“We’re really sorry, Anthony,” Toby said as Charlie toddled over to Anthony and offered him a toy. “We like you and consider you family, but we’re not really supposed to tell humans about us.”

Anthony jerked his head at Neil.

I piped up. “Too much beer.”

“What about Charlie? Is he a…?” Anthony stumbled over the words.

Nate helped him out. “Shifter.”

“No, our little boy is human, but he’s been around shifters since he became part of our family,” Neil explained.

“Now what?” Ivor asked. “My beast is pushing me to hunt.”

“Mine too,” Archer agreed.

“Hunt?” Anthony squeaked.

“Deer and rabbits,” Neil explained.

“Go, everyone.” As Neil and I were babysitting, I picked up Charlie in one arm and took Jasper from Archer. Anthony watched wide-eyed as everyone shifted. Only Micah remained. In Anthony’s eyes, my friend’s unicorn would be the most impressive.

“Watch Micah,” I told Anthony.

“We’ve had wolves, foxes, a stag and hedgehog. I’ve seen your grizzly, Daire.” Anthony studied Micah. He wasn’t ready for this. No human would be. Even shifters were open-mouthed if they caught a glimpse of Micah’s beast.

“Ready?” I asked.

Micah transformed. He pranced back and forth in front of the house. I guessed that was for Anthony’s benefit. And then he raced into the woods. Anthony’s eyes grew wide, his mouth formed an O and he fainted again.

“Oops.”

I fanned our friend’s face and when he came to, he mumbled, “I saw a unicorn.”

After Anthony drank a glass of water and Neil wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, I told him, “This is a secret. You can’t share this with other humans.”

“My daddy is a unicorn,” Elune announced.

“Someone should tell Elune it’s a secret,” Anthony said.

“She understands. We’re family and she doesn’t discuss it at school.” Shifter kids learned that rule very early. And if they didn’t, most humans assumed they had vivid imaginations.

“I’m glad you know,” I told Anthony. “Now we don’t need to pretend or lie. And you can be with us when we come here to shift.”

I took my phone and deleted the manor group without Anthony. Now he was in the know, he was truly part of our family.

“You must be hungry.” Neil pointed to the food laid out on the table. “Finding out about shifters makes you want to eat. Trust me. I know.”

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

142

IT’S ONLY A BIT OF FUR

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