Page 48 of Shaped to Be Yours

“There is a veterinarian on staff,” Zinnia said, “since some monsters have physiologies morerelatedto your world’s animals than to humans.” She’d emphasized ‘related’ as if the consonants were difficult to get right. Her and Beck’s accents were thicker than Kai’s.

“Fine, but I’m going to be a lot more skeptical when it comes to the cat.”

There were no scalpels involved, but that didn’t mean I felt any better when Zinnia brought out a snake.

“We’re really doing that?” I shifted on the exam table, back to human, at least for the moment. “I can’t control the change the first time.Ifthis works.”

“It is a garter snake, Mr. Bosco. Non-venomous,” Zinnia affirmed—which I could tell for myself, thanks, but who liked getting bit or stung?

“I know I have to do this, that it’s the right thing to test, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it.” I held out an arm as Zinnia brought the snake closer.

It didn’t seem interested.

“While we do not usually condone negative treatment of animals, I am afraid you may need to provoke the snake to get it to strike.” Zinnia had on protective gloves and goggles. They all did, I realized, even Whitmore.

“Fine.” I kept my arm out but also leaned forward, waiting for the snake’s eyes to meet mine. Then I growled, summoning enough of the cat to grow fangs.

The snake lunged, and I was human again at the exact moment that it bit me.

For half a second.

“Ah!”

I pulled my arm to my chest and tried to lay on the table. It hurt. Not so much the bite itself but the first change always hurt. I started to shake. My instincts were to try escaping the pain, which was stupid and implausible since all that amounted to was trying to roll over and ending up toppling off the table onto the floor.

“Jason!” Ricky dove after me.

“D-don’t… touch me.” I didn’t want to be touched while I was transforming.

I tried to get up on my hands and knees, but I didn’thaveknees. At least the opening of the gown at the back hadn’t mooned anyone for long, because I now had a tail for my lower half, with scales all down it and also up my sides and arms. Where I would usually have had fur—or hair—was frilled almost like the head fins of the fish people.

I could feel the frills when I reached up to smooth my hands over my scalp. At least I had hands, and they were clawed like in any of my forms, despite nothing else being the same. I had scales everywhere, in the same black color as the garter snake that had bit me, with cream stripes and red diamond-shaped spots.

“Are you okay?” Ricky was right there, crouched in front of me, but not trying to touch me. He didn’t look spooked, but he never did. “You look really cool.”

I laughed. The pain never lasted long, but I hated it. I hated that, at least the first time, I couldn’t control the transformation. I couldn’t control most of this.

It did feel a little cool slithering upright and resting my weight on a part of my tail, sort of like kneeling but at the height as if I was standing.

The stunned look on Whitmore’s face was pretty worth it too.

“Hot. What sort of monster is he?”

We all turned to the corner of the lab where the door to the living quarters had opened, and not only was Kai standing there agape, but also who I took for his soon-to-be senior inhigh schoolsister who’d said that.

“Gross.” I pointed at her. “Are you even eighteen? And also… we don’t know what I am.” I slumped, really wishing I could turn human again, but we hadn’t done the routine of blood draw, scans, and peeing in a cup, so I figured I couldn’t.

My junk was internal at least, but in a very different peek-a-boo way than when I was the wolf or cat. It was really weird having only a slit down there.

“Doctors,” Whitmore began in his no-nonsense voice, “this lab is supposed to be for sanctioned—”

“Our son and daughter,” Beck broke in. “We live connected to the lab, Agent Whitmore. We cannot bar them from entry, as that is the only way in and out.”

“Even so—”

“I see no issue with their presence,” Zinnia added. “We would tell Kai and Bina all of our discoveries anyway.”

Ha! Laid back indeed.

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