Page 11 of Shifter Situations

“You keep your wandering hands to yourself, Vampire. Palmer might threaten you over them, but I will remove them with no other warning than this one,” Briggs stated, eyeing Novak suspiciously.

As they had their silent stare-off, I grabbed two oranges from the fruit basket on the counter and slid out the back door. We’d been home for hours, but I hadn’t seen Pete yet.

I spun one of the patio chairs around and sat down to peel my orange. Vaughn followed me, setting my half-chewed shoe on the table. He chuckled when Helios snatched it and ran away. I just shook my head.

I surveyed the yard, searching for any movement from Atlas, Cronus, or Pete in the trees before my eyes fell upon the scorched ground. Whistling low, I grimaced at the sight.

“Damn, I burned my grass last week, didn’t I?”

Vaughn rocked his head side-to-side. “You did, but that warped angelic magic that sucked Jack into the Underworld did a number too. York can fix it before we leave.”

I smiled at my fae, reaching down to pull one sock off. I preferred to be barefoot if I wasn’t wearing shoes, so I yanked the other one-off too. Earthy power crawled over my feet as I stretched to touch the grass from my seat.

I pushed the power out, repairing the lawn, and I could feel each step the boys took as they roamed the grounds. I called Pete to me, wanting to see how he liked his new form or if I needed to switch it up for him.

His hooves thundered against the grass, and he popped around the corner of the patio so fast that I didn’t have time to remind myself of his new appearance.

Pete no longer had the dark, leathery skin of a pedmar, the obsidian tusks, or the trunk that looked like an elephant.

A single scream graced my lips before I slapped my hand over my mouth.

Vaughn jumped out of his chair, glancing around us in a panic, but I couldn’t form the words to tell him why I had reacted like I did. All I could do was heave deep breaths in as I calmed myself.

The back door swung open, and the guys came running outside. Everyone stopped short with questioning expressions pointed at Vaughn and me, but he only shrugged his shoulders.

They all looked so worried, but I didn’t know how to explain that while I knew Pete was here, and I knew I’d gotten the magic-embedded collar to turn him into a horse… I still wasn’t expecting a horse. Even if I had called said horse to me.

As soon as York heard my rambling thoughts, he fucking cackled. He just lost his godsdamn mind right there on the patio, slapping his hands on his thighs as he leaned over.

He knew exactly why I had screamed and had probably been waiting for this to happen since I told him I’d be bringing the pedmar home as a horse.

I unsnapped Pete’s collar and watched the magic roll off him until he stood in all his leathery glory. And then I groaned as I rubbed the pedmar’s side affectionately and fed him my orange.

“Sorry, Pete. I didn’t really think about turning you into a horse while we were in Hell. They kind of freak me out.”

3

Palmer

Tuesday, June 2nd

Late Night

Sloane’s shriek had terrified me. Even upon seeing Pete in horse form, my heart still wouldn’t stop trying to escape my chest. There were no threats; nothing had attacked her or breached the barrier around the house.

York’s laughter was my only cue. He’d explained that she was scared of horses—something to do with Jack’s first shift—but I’d not believed him until now.

She could go head-to-head with Satan, take on an infected vampire, and stand on her own with small armies. Whatever happened with Jack must have been traumatizing to make horses one of her top fears.

I nodded my head to Briggs, silently asking him to follow me as we left Sloane on the patio with Vaughn. I needed an equally confused ear to work out my inner thoughts.

As we climbed the stairs, Briggs inquired, “Where are we going?”

“Sloane’s room.”

“Why?”

“I need yer nose.”