Page 49 of Shaped to Be Yours

Whitmore practically face-palmed, which I didn’t think I’d ever seen in real life.

“One of these days we are going to have to discuss what classified means,” Whitmore said. “But so be it. Donotshareanything you see or hear outside of this room,” he ordered Kai and… Bina, was it?

“Like I evenwantto know,” she said.

She didn’t have an accent, or she’d done a really good job of phasing it out. Her voice and general presence were indistinguishable from any human high schooler I’d met, if not for the fins, black eyes, and frog legs. And possibly hallucinogenic skin? Her coloring matched Beck’s but a slightly darker shade of magenta with more pink stripes.

She also wore modern teenage clothing like Kai and a glittery headband beneath where her mohawk fin began and around the back of her head just above her ears.

“Although I wouldn’t be opposed to learning snake-man’s digits.” She batted her sideways eyelids at me. “I’m eighteen next month.”

“Gay.” I pointed at myself. “And taken.” I pointed at Ricky.

Kai whispered something in Bina’s ear, and she giggled.

“He’sthe one you—”

Kai slapped a hand over her mouth. “Unimportant. Mistaken identity.” Then he gave Whitmore an up and down perusal almost as penetrating as he—and his sister—had given me.

That boy really needed to get laid.

“Can we finish the tests, please,” I said with hinting eyes at Kai. “In peace. With only the professionals present.”

“Sorry!” Kai grabbed hold of Bina and started dragging her out of the lab. “But I would very much enjoy spending time together someday. With both of you! No Bina.”

“Hey!”

“Absolutely, Kai,” Ricky said.

Bina huffed and shrugged out of her brother’s hold as they left. “Geez, you are soOhio.”

I was clearly too old already for the next generation’s slang.

I really wanted to ask about the skin licking thing though. Knowing my luck, asking either of them would get mistaken for flirting.

We returned to the testing, and once the newest blood was drawn, scans taken, and cup-peeing completed, I finally got to be human, bare-assed again on the exam table. Unlike having to wait for results after a normal physical, we had some to go over pretty much right away. I had zero idea how to read any of it, but I could tell that certain levels of things were completely different when comparing my various forms.

“Well?” Whitmore asked, after Beck and Zinnia had been staring at the results and scribbling notes for far too many minutes. “What is he?”

“It is quite fascinating!” Zinnia said. “We have no idea.”

“What?” Whitmore and I both snarled.

“You’refromthe monster realm,” I complained, “and not even you know what I am?”

“There are so many species!” Beck said. “So many areas of our realm that most registered monsters have never seen. Have you seen every corner of your realm?”

“Well, no, but I know every species that exists—”

“Actually, we don’t,” Ricky interrupted. “Even if not humanoid examples, we still discover new species every day. It makes sense it would be the same in their realm.”

“Awesome,” I grumbled.

“With nothing on file to match these readings,” Zinnia said, “we will need to consult with outside experts. Learning the full truth of what Mr. Bosco is could take any number of years—”

“Years?” I leapt down from the table, because no. No way. I didn’t care if the open back of my gown meant mooning someone. “I went through all of that for nothing?”

“Not nothing! Everyfleshdiscovery—”

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