Page 43 of Shaped to Be Yours

“Are they converting people?”

Shit, shit, shit. I tried to back out of the converging crowd. I could feel the urge to change, and I had no way of knowing if it would be the wolf or cat version now. If I lost it in front of these people, it was all over. McDickhole would win.

I needed to talk to Ricky.

I needed to talk to Whitmore.

We needed to figure this out.

Now.

“Jason?” Kai asked from behind me.

I had backed up to the Beastly Brewhouse door. Kai must have kicked the automatic button or gotten someone to open the door for him, because his hands were full with both of our coffee trays, and he had our bangs hanging one from each elbow. “Come on.” I took one of the trays and looped my arm with his to lead him out of the shop toward my truck parked down the street.

“You see!” McDickhole called after us. “Choosing monsters over telling us the truth! Maybe they are converting people! What is happening in those woods, Bosco? We deserve to know! We deserve to feel safe!”

“Take it up with someone in authority then!” I yelled back. “I’m just me! And I’m not a threat to anyone!”

Not today.

I didn’t know if Kai had taken some sort of vehicle to get here, but he got into my truck with me, and we high-tailed it awayfrom the scene. I would drop off the food and drinks for Mom and the others at the school, but then I needed to get back to the house.

To Ricky.

RICKY

“I have returned with lunch!”

Awesome. I was starving.

But when I looked at Kai’s arrival down the deer path, he was accompanied by Jason holding a coffee and carrying a bag of his own.

“What is the meaning of—” the ogre began, but Beck cut her off. He and Zinnia knew what Jason looked like.

“It is okay, Officer Breckt. Our son brings someone fully authorized to join us.” He and Zinnia were all smiles as they went over to greet Jason.

“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Zinnia asked. “We were told you had no interest in our research.”

“Shit might start hitting the fan soon,” Jason said, “and I can’t risk getting caught in the middle of it, or… letting Ricky or my mom get caught up in it either.” I’d noticed the distinct lack of him making eye contact with me, so when he finally did, I felt it like a push.

I’d been distracted since our fight, forced to work through it and daydream about all the ways tonight’s dinner would probably suck. Now he was back.

“The people of this town are not fooled by DO NOT ENTER signs,” Jason continued. “We need to solve this whole portal, missing persons, unknown monster thing. I don’t know if testing me will do anything, but if it’ll help, I’ll let you. And, um, you can eat your lunch at the house, if you want. I should have offered that earlier.”

I smiled. Whatever had happened must have been big enough to change his mind.

“If shit has the potential to hit any fan,” the ogre said, “we need to keep watch.”

“Oh! Here you are then!” Kai rushed over to her first to hand her a sandwich and some napkins, then delivered the same to the human officer. “Enjoy!”

There was a porta potty now too, which Jason eyed skeptically. “If you need a break from using that thing,” he told the guards, “you can take turns using the house for that too.”

Kai handed out the coffee, leaving only the bag of remaining sandwiches. He eyed us all hopefully, and his parents gestured down the path to agree to a change of scenery for lunch.

“You go ahead,” Jason said to the team. “I just need to, um, talk with Ricky.”

A flutter of nerves blossomed in my gut, even if he did look apologetic. I had screwed up too. I was supposed to be subtle. Supportive. Not the harbinger of his worst fears.

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