Page 33 of A Very Beary Christmas
Eventually, I got her calmed enough to shift back into her human form. She remained in my arms, trembling and shaking. Only then did I shift back, too.
“What happened to me, Sam?” she asked weakly.
“You shifted.”
“But how? Why?”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’ll figure it out. The important thing is, you’re okay, and I’ve got you.”
I kissed her head and rocked her until she fell into an exhausted sleep. Then I tucked her into bed, threw on some pants, and went out into the living room to get some answers. I left the bedroom door open so I would hear Chloe if she awoke or started spontaneously shifting again.
My parents and uncle were still there, talking quietly in the kitchen.
My mother looked up the moment I stepped out. “How is she?”
“She’s sleeping.” I looked pointedly at my uncle, who looked somewhat shaken himself. “What the hell happened?”
“She shifted.”
“I know that,” I snapped impatiently. “Howdid that happen?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve witnessed plenty of primary transformations, but never in anyone as old as Chloe. I take it you didn’t know she was part-shifter?”
“She’shuman.”
My uncle shook his head. “Half-human, maybe, but not full-human. Shifting is physically impossible without the genetic foundation to do so.”
“Could it be because I bit her? DNA transfers, right?”
“Some of it does, yes. Enough to allow for procreation, but not enough to change her physiology. If she shifted, Sam, it’s because it’s in her blood. The fact that it hasn’t occurred before now suggests that only one of her parents was a shifter, or less likely, a grandparent. Some half-breeds never shift. It depends on which genetic code is dominant.”
“Her father wasn’t one of us,” my dad said, the scowl on his face conveying exactly what he thought of Jack Lewis.
“Chloe doesn’t remember her mother,” I said, remembering our conversation from earlier. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “Do you think she could have been a shifter?”
The corners of my uncle’s mouth quirked. “Given what I just saw, I’d say there is no doubt about that.”
“What now?”
“Now you—we all—need to help Chloe acclimate to this new part of herself,” Eli said. “Physically, the worst of it is over. Coming to terms with her dual nature is going to take longer. It’s like discovering a twin you never knew you had.”
I nodded, still somewhat in shock.
“In the meantime, she will find you her greatest source of comfort,” my uncle said, rising. “If you need me, call. Otherwise, I think it’s best we all give you and your new mate the time and space to deal with this.”
I thanked them all for coming so quickly. It was good to know my family had my back, and now Chloe’s, too.
“Take care of my new daughter,” my mom said, pressing a kiss to my cheek as she prepared to leave. “She’ll be wanting a woman to talk to at some point, so have her call me. Any time, day or night, you hear me?”
“I will, Mom. Thanks.”
