Page 78 of The Spellreader and the Phoenix

Turning her attention back to Max and Rory, she said, “I think moving here was exactly what we were supposed to do. I was trying to get away from my family. My parents didn’t approve of Kevin, but they supported me and Alex anyway. I actually thought maybe they were better grandparents than they were parents. They often looked after Alex when I was working evening or night shifts, and it really seemed like they were being good. Supportive.” Her lips compressed into a thin line. “They didn’t think I should be encouraging Alex’s artistic abilities. They thought if I hadn’t had Alex, I would be a doctor by now. And then when they started in on Alex’s gender expression… I thought I could counter the other stuff. I never wanted to be a doctor, and Alex was winning awards, which they liked. But that last one.” Her eyes were hard and bright. “Well. You only need to find your kid in tears thanks to your parents once. We had it out, they gave an ultimatum, and we moved out here.”

“We’re doing just fine, Mom,” Alex said staunchly. “I don’t need grandparents who don’t like me the way I am. You got me out of there, we found Max and Rory, we’re going to figure the whole bear thing out, and we’re going to be so happy here.”

She offered them a watery smile, and Alex hugged her again.

So… Max still wasn’t totally sold on fate, but he could acknowledge that it was an interesting confluence of events that led to Alex finding him and Rory mere weeks before they exhibited their shifter traits for the first time and needed someone to guide them through it. Max went cold just thinking about what might have happened if a stranger had found them, or even if their mom had when she had no idea what was going on.

Thank goodness Alex had been here.

“Okay,” Natalie said, sniffing and squaring her shoulders. “As wild as all of this is, let’s say that I believe everything. What are our next steps?”

Rory said, “Alex, I know you mentioned never wanting to shift again. Was that stress talking, or would you prefer not to shift anymore?”

“We didn’t totally finish talking about it,” Alex said, looking uncertain. “You said it’s not like werewolves or the movies. Does that mean I could choose not to shift ever again?”

Rory tilted his hand back and forth in a see-saw gesture. “Sort of? There’s no external compulsion, like I said. It doesn’t happen just because you’re upset or angry or anything like that. But it is still a part of you. So while you could choose to suppress it, that’s not always the healthiest choice overall.”

Alex nodded. “That actually makes a lot of sense. And it was mostly stress talking. I had no idea what to think at first, and I had no idea how to change back. I, uh, would prefer to do it while you’re nearby until I’m sure I’ve got it figured out.”

“Of course,” Rory said warmly. “I’m happy to help as much as you need.”

They’d already explained to Alex’s mom that clothing stayed on the whole time during a shift, so she wouldn’t be worrying about that, at least.

“You’re sure it doesn’t hurt?” she asked anxiously. “How can it not hurt?”

Rory did the whole spiel that he’d done for Alex yesterday and demonstrated switching once again between human and bird form.

“I thought you said it wasn’t wise to shift frequently?” she asked.

She sounded mostly curious and a little as though she was still trying to reveal the lie in this whole thing. Given how much it had messed with her world view, Max couldn’t blame her.

Rory smiled at her. “It’s not a good idea when you’re new. But I’ve been doing this for quite some time, and I’m able to transform more easily.”

Max had never seen Rory hesitate between transforming into his bird or human form. It truly seemed second nature to him. But somehow, turning into a bird didn’t seem the same as turning into a 300-pound bear. Was that size-ist of Max?

Magic was so weird.

“You’re both welcome to come here if you want,” Rory said, then glanced at Max like he suddenly worried he shouldn’t have said that.

“The basement is a very safe area with no windows,” Max agreed immediately, “and I can cast spells that will ensure people don’t notice if that will make you feel better. We can even move the table out of the way first.”

Alex groaned. “Yes, please move the table first. I’m so glad you could fix it!”

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” Natalie still looked a bit stunned. “I, uh, need to think about everything.”

“Of course,” Rory said smoothly. “You’ve got our numbers, and you can text or call if you think of questions later. It’s totally normal to think of lots of questions once you’ve had time to consider everything.”

“Thank you.” She put an arm around Alex. “I think we’re going to head home now.”

They bundled back up into their coats and hats, and then they were heading off down the street.

Max blew out a breath. “Well, that’s a life-changing day.”

Rory nodded. “It really is. But I’m so glad we were here for them.”

Max shivered at the thought of what could have happened to Alex. Would the Great World Spell have tried to hide what was going on from their mother? From everyone? Could it have? Max didn’t like the idea of putting it to the test, and he was very relieved they wouldn’t have to.

It had made for a much more action-packed two days than Max had expected, though. And they still needed to open the store and work all day.