Page 140 of Gates of Rapture
“Do you have changes that are permanent?”
“I have one.”
“Can I see it?”
“You’ve seen it repeatedly.”
She wrinkled her nose.“Is that a double entendre?”She glanced at his crotch—then her brows rose.“So you can change the DNA, huh?”
He rolled his eyes.“My cock is big enough as it is, as you well know.”
Yeah, she knew, and thoughts of that powerful aspect of his anatomy, despite the dark nature of their present conversation, sent shivers down her neck.“You’re right.You’re plenty big.”
He smiled and looked very male as he nodded.
“So, what’s this other form of yours?”
He didn’t say anything.He just changed.
Her mouth dropped open.“Shorty?”
Light blue eyes twinkled at her.
“Well, I’ll be damned.So you were serious that one time you told me you could be anything I wanted you to be.”
“Pretty much.”
A moment later, James began to disappear, and Braulio re-formed.James was Braulio, and Braulio was James.
“Holy shit.Well, this isn’t so bad.And, hey, Thorne can morph like this.”
“Unfortunately, there’s a big difference,” he said, sitting on the coffee table again.“I have to become James at least once a week to release that part of my altered DNA, or I start to go insane.This is always true, for me and for you.For Greaves as well.”
“So, if you don’t like the form you take, too bad, you’re stuck with it?”
“Exactly.”
“But why did you choose ‘James’ then, for an alternate shape?”
“A lot of reasons.James is a harmless persona and has served me well in approaching Alison, for instance, while she was in her rite of ascension.I’ve also served more recently as the gatekeeper to Third Earth in James’s form.Again, the less threatening shape has given me a strong advantage when challenged by powerful Third Earth entities.”
“You’ve battled on Third Earth?”
He shrugged.“Battledisn’t quite the right word since I’m not allowed to battle.I argue and threaten, and when provoked, I offer a display of power that is sufficient to turn away any Third aggressor.”
“You’ve been busier than I thought.”
“I do my part.”
“But now I have this virus.I suppose next you’ll tell me this has something to do with the little peach.”
Braulio dipped his chin.“And the ability within the next hour to become whatever you need to be in order to survive.”
“The next hour,” she repeated.She didn’t ask him to explain.She knew.She felt it in her bones.She’d be facing off with Greaves over White Lake, probably not long after Alison worked her magic with the Third portal.
She stood up and held his gaze for a long moment.“You going to tell me how this battle ends?”
“We’ve seen several outcomes.But I’m not allowed to interfere and I won’t.Just take everything I’ve said into consideration.I’m sure right now Greaves is plotting what to do with his morphing ability.”
