Charlie's brows raised as he sampled it. "Simple, but tasty." He glanced at Harper, then Nathan. "Let's make a pact. No talk of shapeshifters until dinner, which truly is excellent, is over."
Regina seemed inclined to want to argue, but her husband laid a stern gaze on her. "Oh, very well," she capitulated.
"We'll answer all your questions after dinner," Harper reassured her.
After that, dinner was a quick affair. Charlie and Regina insisted on clearing the table, while Nathan made a pot of coffee. In the living room, Harper turned on the stereo, choosing a light classical selection at low volume.
Within a very few minutes, everyone was gathered in the living room, coffee in hand. Harper and Nathan settled side-by-side on the sofa, while his parents took the soft, overstuffed armchairs.
"Actually, my first question is for you," Regina said to Nathan. She'd initially relaxed when she first sat down, but immediately leaned forward, all but bristling with curiosity.
Charlie, however, sat at his ease, sipping his coffee. He was the quiet one, Harper decided, clearly content with his wife taking the lead in the conversation. His frequent gaze on her held deep affection, and amused tolerance.
Mates, her fox supplied sagely.
"Sure, Mom, what is it?" Nathan asked, his hands tightening around the cup he held.
"How did you know your friends were shapeshifters? Did they come right out and tell you? Or did you not know until you saw Katerina was on that talk show?"
Nathan visibly winced, and leaned forward to set his coffee cup on the table before him. Okay, so, they were diving right into the deep stuff. Beside him, Harper laid her hand on his, threading their fingers together. Her smile was comforting, her gaze encouraging. "You've got this," she assured him.
"Actually, I knew about shifters before they were... er... outed," he confessed. He held up one hand, halting their exclamations of surprise. "Wait... please."
Harper saw Charlie reach for his wife's hand, and their fingers clung as they waited. Charlie was more laid-back about it, but both were clearly riveted, Regina almost breathless with anticipation.
"In order for me to explain how I came to know about shifters, we first have to take a step back. And please, Mom. Dad. You cannot tellanyonewhat I'm about to tell you. This is absolutely crucial. You have to swear."
His parents exchanged perturbed glances. "Of course we promise," Charlie said, his voice solemn. Beside him, Regina nodded.
Nathan drew a deep breath. "Remember when we first started on this subject at dinner, Dad, you asked about magic? The thing is you're right, there are other types of magic... other types of magical beings. And, er..." he gulped, drawing courage from Harper, who squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Well, I have one living with me. And I want you to meet her."
"Not a shapeshifter?" Charlie questioned, a furrow between his brows, his gaze moving from his son to Harper, then back. "What kind of magical being?"
Nathan took a deep breath, then expelled it. "A jackalope."
Silence fell.
"A what?" his mother asked.
"It's a popular hoax from the American West, early last century," Charlie told her. "Some taxidermists in... Wyoming, I think... put antelope antlers onto a jackrabbit and started selling it to tourists. It's taken on the status of a mythologic creature over time."
Nathan frowned, not having considered that. "Was it a hoax?" he asked, turning to Harper. "The original ones?"
"Yes," she assured him, nodding. "Those really were created by the taxidermists, they weren't real jackalopes. We do know that."
"Real jackalopes," Regina echoed faintly.
"Who is we?" Charlie asked astutely. "And how does this 'we' know that?"
She bit her lips, glancing at him from under her lashes.
"'We' is the shifter community. And... er... we have a database."
"A database." Charlie struggled with that, his fingers pressing between his brows for a minute. "Of course you do."
Harper grinned sympathetically, and nodded.
"So this jackalope," his father ventured cautiously. "Is it a shifter, too?"
