Page 71 of Scout’s Honor

“So the spell fixes your clothes?” she asked.

“It takes them off me when I shift into a jaguar and puts them back on me when I shift into a man, complete with everything in my pockets.”

“Okay...” Bonhi said, thinking about how to do that. She had no idea, and so she watched Dallas, thinking about how much she loved him, and how much she wanted to help him.

An idea appeared. “The cuff!” she said, grabbing it out of her pocket. “This is the time!”

She smoothed open the ring of flat leather and stared at the colorful rock and the strange symbols, feeling hope that this thing was magical enough to guide her through the process. Mama Soline had said to put her magic in it. She cupped the ring in her hand, believing she could do this. Mentally, she poured her magic and her love for Dallas into the circle and all over the leather. Her hands glowed, feeling warm and lighting up the cuff with color.

Dallas watched until the light dimmed, then he pulled his prosthesis up his stump.

Bonhi stopped him. “Hold on,” she said. “This goes…”

She didn’t know where it went but she thought it had something to do with the stump itself, so she pressed the cuff against Dallas’ knee, then moved it down to his stump, trying to figure where it went.

Outside, shouts and thuds arose. Bonhi focused on the cuff in her hand, blocking out the sounds of the fight. She had to figure this out.

She pressed a cupped hand to Dallas’ stump, working with the scarred flesh, molding it and warming it, then she fit the cuff over it with her other hand. Perfect. She motioned for him to put the sleeve on while she kept the cuff stationary, purposely pouring magic inside and all over as they worked together. Blue light zipped up the sleeve, then encircled Dallas’ knee, climbing up his thigh and down his prosthesis. Bonhi removed her hands, but her magic remained, swirling around them. She smiled at the blue light, loving everything about it.

“Good?” she asked.

“Good,” he rumbled, standing and carefully putting weight on the leg that still swarmed with blue light.

Bonhi stood. Dallas placed a chaste kiss on her lips, then simply watched her. She pictured him standing tall with his prosthesis perfect and strong and his clothes on. Light glowed around her hands. She pictured Dallas shifting into his jaguar, wearing only black fur, and his animal prosthesis, and then she pictured him shifting and his clothes coming back to him. She stood on her tiptoes and touched the top of his head, then ran her fingers down his body, muttering, “Men need clothes, jaguars need fur. Make it happen, make it strong, and make it right. Give my mate an everlasting everweft.”

Blue speckles danced all around them while the light at her hands brightened. Grinning at the beautiful magic, she knelt in front of him, spending extra time running her hands over the connection of his prosthesis to his leg.

Bonhi stood up. “That oughta do it.”

Dallas kissed her, bending her backwards. Blue light flared through Bonhi’s closed eyelids, and for just a moment she forgot where they were and what they were doing. There was only Dallas, and her love for him, filling her, consuming her, drowning out all else.

Dallas broke the kiss and Bonhi was able to think again.

“That was the best everweft spell I’ve had,” Dallas purred. “My favorite.” He pulled his pants on, then moved into the center of the room and changed, pitching forward onto four legs, black fur covering him.

Bonhi gaped. Dallas had been a massive jaguar that came up to her waist, but now he was almost up to her shoulders, looking like he weighed 500 pounds, with muscles like granite under a sleek midnight pelt.

Am I bigger? he said in her head, surprising her.

Can I hear your thoughts? she thought.

Can you? The jaguar’s eyes locked on hers.

Yes?

The jaguar showed all his teeth, and she would have been terrified if she weren’t in love.

You’re way bigger, Bonhi thought, surprised happiness filling her at this new telepathic intimacy. Then she noticed—

Bonhi pointed at his rear leg, unable to speak or think… because she saw no prosthesis, only black fur and normal leg.

You’re fucking kidding me, Dallas growled in her head, looking at his own rear leg. My foot is back?

He shifted into a man, and his clothes covered him perfectly. He lifted his pant leg, and they both saw the prosthesis. He shifted into a jaguar again and dropped his head to look at his leg. A low guttural sawing sound came from him. He paced around the small cabin, then leapt up onto the bed and kicked at the wall with the leg.

Bonhi watched him, scarcely able to believe it.

The massive jaguar turned to face her, an endearingly human look on its face.