by Missy Jane
“W-w-why would they keep that from us? Especially on the front line? How can we do our jobs without that vital piece of information?”
I was nearly hollering now, my heart racing at his implications. I’d always loved my country. When we were the United States of America I was patriotic, the war didn’t change that. To assume we on the front line were being betrayed at this level… I couldn’t even consider it.
“How indeed? Think about it, Alexia. If they honestly expect you to keep all of the shifters out of the country they would have told you about our psychic abilities, as well as all of the other paranormal abilities some of my species exhibit.”
Though his tone was completely calm, his eyes stayed on my slightly raised gun.
“What other fucking abilities?”
My heart was racing and it took an honest effort not to shoot him.
“Levitation, telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, drifting between corporeal and non-tangible physical states.”
I stared at him in shock, my gun forgotten in my right hand as I absently lifted my chair with my left. I plopped back down in my seat and holstered my gun without thought. Andor visibly relaxed once my gun was put away, but remained sitting.
“I don’t understand,” I said quietly.
“Someone is allowing shifters to enter the Combined Human States unhindered, and once they enter they don’t come out,” he replied in a soothing tone.
“How do you know that?”
“I have many sources within my own government who have confirmed the missing shifters. I have witnessed some entering this country myself. It’s been happening over the past three months. Do you realize the significance of that?”
I thought about it for a few minutes, and he allowed me to think uninterrupted. I remembered a news bit I caught about three months ago, and stared at him wide-eyed.
“The opening of Castor Laboratory.”
Andor nodded with a grim-looking smile.
“And Mr. Castor is known to be a shifter sympathizer. Before the division, his house was a refuge for orphaned shifters. He seems to like the reptiles.”
“Son of a bitch. Why the hell is he over here if he wants to be over there?”
“Not everyone is on the side of the wall they’d prefer,” Andor mumbled.
I looked at him, but he was frowning at the floor. This had to be the single most unnerving conversation of my life. If what Andor said was true, our meager border patrol was meaningless. How could normal humans possibly keep out shifters with those abilities? It hurt my head to even think of the implications. I watched Andor for a moment, considering whether I should trust his word as truth.
“What kind of eagle are you?” I asked suddenly.
He looked as surprised by the question as I felt, but I noticed he sat a little straighter and lifted his chin.
“I’m a golden eagle.”
The evident pride in his voice made me think better of him. A golden eagle, I thought with awe. Before the war, eagles of all types had fascinated me. I loved to photograph them and read books about them; that’s how I knew what his name meant, and why I was surprised by it. I never realized shifters had birth names so close to revealing their animal selves. I stared at him for a moment longer, then took a deep breath to gather my courage.
“Show me,” I said.
He looked at me with a shocked expression.
“Are you going to shoot me?”
I might’ve been offended if he didn’t sound amused.
“No.”
“Promise?”
I nearly smiled, but caught myself.
“I swear, Andor. I won’t shoot you.”
He nodded, then stood and walked a few feet away from me. He began to remove his shirt, and I would’ve hollered at him but I stopped. Of course he couldn’t shift in his clothes, at least not without ripping them to shreds. I never considered the mechanics involved in shifting the human form into the shape of an animal. I watched in wide-eyed amazement as he toed off his shoes, removed his socks and began to slip out of his jeans. I couldn’t help but note his lack of underwear. The man had no shame.
His body was the perfection I had imagined it to be beneath the cloth. Luckily, his back was to me, or I might’ve blushed. As it was, I couldn’t pull my gaze above his waist… I promise I did try. His long, thick hair covered his entire back. When he straightened, the skin on his outstretched arms began to ripple. His hair appeared to dissolve into his back and in the next breath, it turned to feathers. They were the same hue as his hair and they began to stretch. His torso shrank a couple of inches and his legs disappeared behind two huge wings. He threw back his head and squawked, and it took all of my will not to scream as I jumped out of my chair.
I watched half-fascinated, half-terrified, as Andor turned to face me as a golden eagle. He was six feet tall, with a wingspan of at least fifteen feet. His golden eyes peered at me with a predatory glare that had me reaching for my gun before I remembered my oath. My heart was racing and I heard my blood rushing through my veins. I was beyond terrified. Andor tilted his head to the side as if considering me for a moment, and in the blink of an eye he was human again. I looked him over, head to toe, his nakedness not affecting my fear.
“Alexia, I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered.
I realized I was trembling, which just pissed me off, and I took a defiant step towards him as I dropped my hands.
“Fine. Put on your clothes,” I said, my voice amazingly steady.
He bowed his head and turned to follow my order.
Chapter Three
I turned away from Andor and walked to the stairs at the back of the large warehouse. All I could think of was getting into my kitchen and pouring myself a cup of hot tea. Mint tea always soothes me, regardless of what the problem might be. I reached the steps and all but ran up them, pulling the key from my pocket to reach my loft. I unlocked the door, walked inside and headed straight to my stove without shutting the door. By the time I pulled my favorite mug from the cabinet, Andor was in my living room fully dressed. I hadn’t meant for him to see where I lived, but I was too shaken up to stop him, and all I could think of was my damn mint tea.
“Alexia, I’m sorry my change upset you. I assumed you’d seen a change before.”
I poured hot water into my mug, tossed in a tea bag and glanced at him. He appeared to be nervous, but not smug. It was such a human look, and so damn unexpected, I suddenly couldn’t hate him like I wanted to. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“It’s not your fault, Andor. I asked you to show me… I guess I just didn’t know what to expect,” I reluctantly admitted, a little surprised I did it out loud.
“You’ve never seen a change before? From any species?” he asked with disbelief clear in his voice.
I looked at him and bit my lip in indecision. I’d already shared more words with him than any other shifter ever. Did I want to continue this conversation? He seemed to honestly want to know the answer. The expression on his face decided for me.
“I saw a reptilian change once, but it was quick. Almost as fast as you changing back.”
I took a sip of my elixir of life, fighting the urge to moan in delight. Andor’s face reddened and he looked at the floor. For a moment I thought a moan had escaped without my notice.
“Again I must apologize, Alexia. My change is normally that fast both ways. I slowed it for your benefit. I thought you wanted to be able to see the transformation step by step as it were.”
I raised my eyebrows and tried not to spit out my mouthful of tea.
“You can control it to that extent?”
“Oh yes. I can even change partially if I so choose,” he replied, looking at me again.
I thought of the cougar from earlier, but decided clarification couldn’t hurt.
“What do you mean partially?”
“Well, if I want to fly a short distance, I bring forth my wings while I remain human.”
I open
ed my mouth, closed it for a second in consideration and opened it again.
“Show me.”
He looked at me, doubt clear on his face as he unsuccessfully tried to suppress a grin.
“Show me, Andor. I won’t freak out this time.”
He sighed and rubbed his face. I looked at how large his hands appeared and wondered why I stood with a shifter I barely knew in my space. The feel of my Glock still in my hand reassured me.
“Would it be too much to ask for you to place your gun…somewhere else?”
I considered it, but not for long.
“Yes. I shower and sleep with my gun, Andor.”
He grinned and nodded in understanding. He took a step away from my sofa into a clearer area of the room, removed his coat and shirt and dropped them to the floor. His wings instantly unfurled from his body, spreading across the room. I looked him over, and everything else about him remained human, or as human as usual. I took a step toward him before I realized what I was doing. Placing my cup on the counter, I stretched my hand toward the tip of his wing and Andor froze. I touched the feathers tentatively at first, amazed at the sheer size of each one. They were soft and beautiful. I had a deep desire to see them in full sunlight, wondering if they would shine like gold.
I heard Andor’s breathing speed up, as if he were panting from physical exertion. I still had my hand on his right wing when I turned to look at his face. He was watching me with completely male interest, and I became self-conscious.
“Can you feel this?” I asked, as I ran my fingers lightly over a feather.
“Y-yes.”
He swallowed loud enough for me to hear, and I noticed beads of sweat on his brow.
I pulled my fingers back and turned away from him. I walked back to my kitchen counter and picked up my mug. By the time I turned to face him his wings were gone, and he was pulling his T-shirt back over his head. To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement, but I wasn’t as humiliated I would’ve expected. Not only did I not tend to converse with shifters, I only touched them if I was fighting one off or moving the dead. For me the exchange we’d just had was weird.
“Okay, some of you can change partially as well as perform some other amazing feats. What does that mean for us, and why wasn’t it present during the war?” I asked.
Andor finished with his shirt and sat on my sofa, his coat in his lap. I sat in a chair across from him, sipping my tea.
“Not all shifters have these abilities, and some are stronger than others. It tends to be an age thing. As I said, I’m very old and, luckily for the humans, the revolution was the idea of the younger generation. As it is, most of the elders are still in hiding and may never come out in your lifetime.”
“In hiding?”
“You would be amazed how many of the mountains and rain forests are beyond even the most ardent human explorers,” he replied. I thought about it and decided he was right. “Not to mention the deepest depths of the oceans. There are creatures down there who are legends even among us.”
Just thinking about that one gave me a chill and I had to suppress a shudder. I had considered that possibility before. There’s a reason I don’t go snorkeling.
“You’re saying the wars were started by children? Is that why you guys came out fighting?”
I didn’t attempt to keep the sarcasm from my voice as bitterness tried to rear its ugly head. We were having a good conversation, but he was still a shifter.
“Essentially yes, to the first question. They called it ‘the great coming out’ as a joke to upset the elders who did not agree with it. But we are in the minority and lost the vote.”
“This was decided on democratically?”
“Well, not exactly. Each sub-species held a meeting and each pack or group within voted. From there a representative of the different subspecies gathered with his counterparts and it was discussed. I’m the last of my kind, not only golden but eagle shifters all together, so I had the final say for my sub-species. I was out voted by the others.”
This conversation was getting too weird for words.
“All right, and what about my second question?” I asked with a little attitude.
I watched him take a deep breath before he looked me in the eye.
“Of course, like any human who watches the news and relies on their government to feed them information, you assume we came out fighting. You think that bloody spring day was the beginning?”
I raised an eyebrow as Andor waited for my confirmation.
“Yeah, sure. Why would I assume any different?”
He looked almost disappointed in my admission and it made me feel stupid. I crossed my arms over my chest and barely suppressed an angry glare.
“Alexia, surely you realize not everything of consequence is reported in the news. The truth is shape shifters have been trying to reveal themselves peacefully for nearly a decade. In every major country on this planet, we’ve been divulged to leadership and dealt with those repercussions. A few countries, such as France and Switzerland, were extremely tolerant to the point of speaking on our behalf to others. Unfortunately, nations such as the U.S. and China were more interested in using us as guinea pigs. As aggressions became more unbearable, and shifters eased into higher positions in every government body, it was decided we had to reveal how strong of an enemy we can be.”
“And damn the innocent bystanders?” I asked, not even trying to suppress my anger this time.
Andor took a deep breath and gave me a sheepish look.
“Again, we did not all agree on this course of action. Both humans and shifters lost in the war, Alexia. I do not make light of your pain.”
I looked away from him to get a handle on my emotions. Hating shifters came as naturally as breathing to me now, but Andor seemed different. He almost seemed…human. I realized that was a dangerous line of thinking and mentally shook my head as I looked back at him.
“Okay, what does all you’ve told me mean for us…humans?”
“I wish I knew for certain, Alexia, but all I can say is I have a really bad feeling about Castor’s laboratory and the missing shifters.”
“Even if you are a human sympathizer and hate being over there, I still don’t understand what your involvement is in this. And how in the hell do you know my name, or that I would even care about this situation?”
“Alexia is a very unique name. As you knew mine, can I assume you know the meaning of yours?”
I suspected he was avoiding my first and possibly second questions, but played along anyway.
“It’s Greek, defender.”
“Yes. In another form it would be ‘defender of mankind’. I find that very intriguing. I know your name because I read your file.”
“What file?” I asked, my suspicion returning in full force.
“The one my government keeps on the most feared executioner of my kind.”
I actually gaped at him, and for a heartbeat was struck speechless.
“Come again?”
“How many shifters have you killed since the revolution began, Alexia?”
The look on his face told me two things, one he didn’t think I knew the answer to his question, and two…he did.
“I don’t keep a tally, Andor.”
“You don’t, but there is a very unique phenomenon which occurs when a shifter dies. You see, we are basically animals, not just in body but also in spirit. When we die our spirit is absorbed by the others of our kind, our sub-species. I have within me the knowledge of every golden eagle who ever lived. Not that there were very many.”
“I don’t understand—”
“What it means is, when we encounter a killer of our kind, we can feel it. We might not know who they killed or even how, but we know how many for the most part. It’s not an exact science so I can’t give you a number, but I have dealt with more killers than I care to count and you, Alexia… You are bloodiest of them all. You are known as Death to those of us who would know such things.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“There are probably men who will be in your grandchildren’s history books as having the most kills. But they are all dead. Right now, on this continent, you are the leading killer of our kind. I know you haven’t killed as many since the truce, but you still kill rogues who cross your path. The others around you, Lance, Tina and the rest of the border patrol, pale in comparison.”
I was shocked, and I had thought the earlier conversation was weird? What in the hell else would I learn before bedtime? The thought sobered me as I realized I had a shifter not only in my building, but in my loft, my personal space. I never truly thought of it as a home. Home is a place you share with your family not just a building full of stuff that belongs to you. I would never have one of those again. However, I valued what I did have and Andor was smack in the middle of it. I might not hate him on sight anymore, but he was still a shifter. I wasn’t sure if I could like him as a person, and I sure as hell didn’t trust him.
“You need to leave now,” I said firmly.
“You’re not going to shoot me?” The suspicion in his voice lit what was left of my short fuse and I got angry.
“Do you want me to?”
He surprised me by appearing to think about it for a heartbeat. He had sounded bitter and resentful earlier, but not suicidal.
“No. This is important to both governments. If I don’t return to work tomorrow it would be a problem. Someone knows I was trying to meet with you tonight and it might stir up unwanted trouble for you.”
“Who?”
“One of the two people I trust.”
“Who is the other person?”
“Me.”
He said it with complete seriousness and I nodded my understanding. He rose and put on his coat as I watched with unexpected interest. He stood taller than most of the men I’d been spending time with on duty, and it bothered me how feminine that made me feel. I didn’t want to be interested in him as a man. I didn’t want to be curious about anything where Andor was concerned, but my mouth ran away from me.
