Page 36 of Research with Rivals
The shift surged within me, and I couldn’t hold it back.
“Evelyn?” The register of his voice elevated. He sounded worried, like when he thought I was doing a particularly risky experiment. Usually, he would run his hand through his hair when he used that tone of voice—further evidence of his nerves.
It occurred to me then that I could no longer see his face. I had fallen to the ground. On all fours, to be precise. My now paw didn’t need to scratch my head to know that reddish-brown fur covered my body.
I shifted in front of Ambrose Yarrow.
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Ambrose
My knees hit the packed dirt in front of Evelyn as I reached for her, attempting to catch her before she fell. I realized too late the danger I’d put myself in. She wasn’t falling so much as collapsing into her shift. Now, her veil cat’s yellow-green eyes pinned me in place.
They looked so different from Evelyn’s deep brown. They were no less alluring. Gods, I needed to focus. The variance in color signaled that the animal might have been more in control of this particular shift than Evelyn was.
Evelyn was a veil cat shifter.
Puzzle pieces slammed together in my mind. How scared she’d been that I might have seen it. Her line of inquiry about the current Vesten Point’s form. It was certainly not a common shift. The current Vesten Point was the only one in recent history.
More concerning than the type of animal she shifted into at this particular moment was the fact that she did not seemto have any control over the change. The cat stared at me for another moment, and then one paw moved toward me.
I wasn’t sure if I should shift into my wolf or if that would only make things worse. My animal whined in my head with indecision.
“Evelyn,” I tried.
The veil cat growled as the yellow-green eyes I stared into shifted to brown.
Interesting. Interesting and dangerous. Evelyn’s growl showed off her sharp, lengthy teeth. Her ears went back, and her hackles raised. All the straightforward signs that I needed to give her space. Still on my knees, I shuffled farther back until my shoulders hit the bushes surrounding the small enclosure.
Evelyn was in control when the veil cat’s eyes matched her own. I got the sense that Evelynin controlof her veil cat was worse for me. A strong, innate understanding told me that she wouldn’t attack, but honestly, I had no idea where that confidence came from. My cowardice had allowed her to leave the tavern embarrassed and alone. I’d followed her into this secluded space, and now I’d seen the shift she was hiding.
She was probably pissed at me.
Before I could decide to crawl back through the bushes, her eyes shifted to yellow-green again. With the change in eye color came a significant reduction in her signs of aggression. Her movements were quick toward me, and I didn’t have time to get away. Not that I wanted to at this point. I still hadn’t told her what I needed to about our bond. And the way she kept losing control of her shift worried me. I didn’t think she should be left alone.
I understood what was happening. Like with her not knowing how to use her fire magic to warm herself, she must not have had anyone to explain this to her, either. She was acting like a young Vesten first learning about their magic. Our court wasblessed with both fire magic and the ability to shift forms. Most outside of the court didn’t understand how the two magics went together, but we considered them two sides of the same coin. The flame ignited the change from fae to beast and back.
Once one understood that, they tended to realize that the animal itself wasn’t separate from us. It was a part of us, just like our fire magic. Evelyn’s eyes shifted color again, and the separation between her and her veil cat was evident. She was fighting too hard; she wasn’t comfortable in this second skin.
How long had it been like this?
I knew nothing about Evelyn’s fae father. Her mother had stopped by the library a few times for meals or to drop something off. I’d liked her immediately. My Vesten hearing came in handy when she was around. Her first question after asking Evelyn about her day, or whatever errand had brought her there, was always about me. A broad smile usually followed her asking where the handsome Ambrose boy was hiding. Her mother seemed to enjoy the way Evelyn’s shoulders tensed at the mention of my name.
Admittedly, I liked it, too.
The veil cat’s eyes shifted once again, and with the brown came a growl that should have scared me more than it did.
Anger flooded me that no one had taught Evelyn about her shift. Where had her father been? Where were any other Vesten fae who could have helped her? I counted myself as one of them, and something clenched in my chest at the thought. The feeling had nothing to do with the magic that bound us. My heart broke for Evelyn, and heat surged through my veins, arching my back like I, too, might shift uncontrollably.
I never lost control of my magic. Before exploring blood magic, I had trained for years to perfect my use of the Vesten flame and shift. Fire flared in my palm now as I wondered how anyone could consider Evelyn less than perfect.
She’d moved closer to me. Her steps paused as my fire erupted, but she didn’t flee. I held my breath as she leaned in even closer. The tip of her nose sniffed my flame. Her eyes were that yellow-green color.
Had no one taught her how to shift? Our Vesten customs to not discuss our shifted forms outside of family had boxed her out of learning—the same way our definitions of Vesten had kept her from our schools for so many years. It wasn’t right. Even if, on some level, the shift was instinctual, it wasn’t something I wished anyone to have to go through alone.
There was a comfort that came with having the shift explained. I’d found an internal acceptance when my father did so for me.
She licked my hand, unafraid that my flame would burn her.
