Page 72 of Waste
Shelley snarled at her and, in a blink, shifted. She was on Lilith, snapping her teeth in her face as Lilith tried to defend herself.
Seeing Lilith under attack, Uber-merman grabbed Ghoul, who was distracted, and flung him across the room.
Ghoul crashed into a table, breaking it and knocking his treasures flying. He lay there momentarily stunned before leaping to his feet to save his mate. Scrabbling up the wall, he raced across the ceiling and dropped onto Uber-merman. The force of his landing knocked Uber-merman to his knees, and Ghoul took advantage. Tentacles slammed everywhere as Ghoul yanked Uber-merman backwards and nearly squashed himself.
“Enough!” a voice bellowed, and everyone looked towards Dullahan.
Uber-merman and Lilith paused, but Ghoul didn’t. He went straight for Shelley and grabbed her, shoving her behind him. “Mine,” he hissed.
“We can see that, Ghoul. Stand down. We don’t harm mates,” Dullahan growled.
“Holy crap,” Shelley hissed as she stared at the Headless Horseman. “His head speaks.”
Ghoul let out a hiss of laughter but kept himself between Shelley and the others.
“Mine. She’s my mate,” Ghoul insisted.
“Ghoul, the fact she shifted tells us that. Why didn’t you contact us to explain the bond had formed?” Dullahan inquired rationally.
“Because you wanted to kill me,” Shelley replied.
“No. Where did you get that idea?”
“I heard him say it,” Shelley pointed at Uber-merman, clearly recognising his voice.
“Jase?” Dullahan asked.
“I said it. But at the time, Drew was adamant she wasn’t his mate. If the memory spell didn’t work, then we’d have had to quiet her,” Jase retorted as he shifted back.
“Well, it’s moot now. Ghoul, do you plan to keep Shelley away from us?” Lilith asked as she shifted into Lily.
Ghoul bared his teeth.
Lily shook her head. “You don’t frighten me, brother.”
Ghoul glared but didn’t comment. He was too busy petting Shelley and trying to settle her down. Reality was settling in, and Shelley was starting to panic.
“I’m like you!” she cried.
Ghoul nodded.
“Is this permanent?”
“No. You will shift back when you calm down,” Ghoul soothed.
“Are you sure?” Shelley asked, her red eyes boring into his.
“You’re like me. I like this. We can play together,” Ghoul stated.
“Huh?” Shelley said, curiosity welling.
Ghoul didn’t think Shelley had realised, but she was beginning to relax a little. “Like this.”
Ghoul leapt away and bent backwards. His palms reached the floor, and he crab-crawled around.
“That’s terrifying,” Lily commented as she watched. Ghoul stood upright and then lay down. He shoved upwards with his hands as his spine bent, and his legs came over his shoulders and his feet placed on the ground. Shelley’s eyes widened. Laughing, Ghoul leapt up, scurried up the wall, across the ceiling and down again.
Shelley’s shift was sudden, but Ghoul shifted back to Drew, too.
