I looked away and glared at the floor. I hated it when he did this. He was doing it on purpose.
He sat down next to me and placed his hand on the bed behind me. “I have a feeling you’re here to talk to me about something.”
“Could you at least be decent enough to get dressed?” I muttered.
“Just tell me what you want, Eira.”
I sighed and pulled the book Seda loaned me into my lap. Raikidan took great interest in it. “We have an assignment.”
“All right, what does it have to do with this book?”
“It requires you, Rylan, and Raid to be shifted, and I know you still don’t know much about domestic animals.”
“So you want me to use my shifting ability to help in this assignment?” He asked. I nodded. “All right, fine.”
That was easy. I chuckled. “And here I thought you’d get mad for me asking.”
“I don’t know where you got that stupid idea.”
I handed him the book and then headed for the door. “I’ll let you look through that then.”
“Wait!” I stopped. “You’re not going to help me choose?”
I turned to look at him. “I didn’t think you’d want me to.”
“I don’t know anything about these dogs. I won’t know if it’s a good choice or not.”
I chuckled. “If it’s not a dog that’s smaller than my ankle and bounces when it barks, you’ll be fine.”
“But I don’t want to make a stupid choice.”
“It can’t be stupid if you choose it. Your choice is your choice.”
“I don’t know how these dogs act.”
I half smiled. He really does want me to help. I walked back over to him and thumbed through the book with him. He took interest in the larger breeds, but none caught his eye until we flipped to a page with a large, black and brown, semi-long haired dog.
“What is this one?” Raikidan asked.
“That’s the Alsatian,” I informed. “It’s a popular shepherd breed. Do you like it?”
He nodded. “It looks strong. Why is it popular?”
“They’re strong and highly intelligent for one, but their best quality is their loyal, loving, and protective nature. They’re a versatile breed, used as herding dogs for those who own farms, and they’re a great choice for a work dog for people like military personnel. But they’re also great for families or individuals who like having a great companion or guard. To be honest, I’m not surprised you’ve taken a liking to it.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “You just share similar qualities, that’s all.”
“Then it’s settled.” He stood up and loosened his towel. “I choose that one.”
“Raikidan!” I shrieked. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I’m still right here.”
Raikidan chuckled. “You’re really going to be like this?”
“Yes, I’m going to be like this. Removing your towel in front of me isn’t appropriate.”
“I still don’t understand what your issue is. It’s not like I’m human or anything.”
I sighed. He really was clueless. “Either shift while your towel is still on, or go back into the bathroom and shift. Do not disrobe in front of me.”
Raikidan sat back down and leaned close to me, placing a finger on my cheek. “And if I do?”
I placed my hand on his warm, sculpted chest and tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge. “Raikidan, not now.”
“Yes, now.”
I tried to push him away again while fighting an uncomfortable, warm sensation building inside of me. “Raikidan, we have work to do. Don’t start with this.”
Raikidan removed his finger from my face and forced me to keep my hand on his chest. “It’s the best time to start this.”
I pulled hard to release my hand from his grip and headed for the door. “Fine, I’ll leave.”
Raikidan sighed. “Eira, wait. You win. I’ll keep it on. Just don’t leave.”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“I’m going to need your help. I haven’t shifted into this breed before, so I’m going to need a little guidance.”
I sighed. “You give me your word that the towel will stay on?”
“Yes. Please, just don’t leave.”
“Fine.” I turned around and was surprised to see his back facing me and him tightening the towel. Walking back to my bed, I picked up the book and held it up so he could look at it.
“Hold it like that,” he told me. “Once I shift, tell me if anything is wrong.”
“You’re not even facing me. How do you know I’m holding it right?”
“I just do.”
I grinned and flipped the book upside down. Raikidan, sure his towel would stay up on his own, turned around and placed his hands on his hips while a scolding look appeared on his face. I snickered and flipped it back over. He took a deep breath and attempted to shift into the dog.
The process was slow. I looked away when his towel fell off. I should have known this was going to happen. I looked at him again when he gave a short bark. Raikidan tilted his head as he sat there while I looked at him. He barked again when I didn’t move, making me jump slightly. It didn’t startle me, I just wasn’t expecting it.
Placing the book on the bed, I crouched down and looked him over. He had the coat pattern and face shape correct. I made him stand to be able to get a better look at him. Both his stance and body shape looked correct as well.
“You’ve pretty much nailed it. Your tail needs to be slightly longer and have a little more hair, but that’s it.”
Raikidan looked at me but didn’t fix his shifting. Figuring he wanted to see the book again, I grabbed it and held it up for him to look at. Raikidan tilted his head as he looked at the picture, and then attempted to fix his tail. When he had it right I rubbed his head, but he pulled away.
I sighed. “Raikidan you need to act like a dog as much as possible, and dogs like to be pet. They also wag their tails when they’re happy or excited and they like to play.”
Raikidan looked back at his tail, but it didn’t start to wag. It didn’t move at all.
I shook my head and stood up. “I can’t teach you how to do that. You’ll have to figure it out on your own. I’m going to change for this assignment, so while I do, you stay here and figure it out.”
I unbuttoned the three snaps on my shirt and discarded it on the floor as I reached the threshold of my closet. My pants were next, and I stood in my unnecessarily large closet, hoping to find something to wear. As I filed through the clothes on hangers, my attention was pulled from my search by the sound of something thumping on the floor. My face burned when I spotted Raikidan sitting inside the closet watching me with his tail wagging and tongue lolling out. Here I was, half naked in my undergarments, and he was wagging his tail and panting.
“Raikidan, I told you I was changing! Do you mind?”
Raikidan barked and his tail continued to wag. At least he’s figuring out how to act like a real dog.
I failed miserably to hide some part of me with one arm, as I pointed to the doorway of the closet with my other arm. “That means get out.”
Raikidan’s ears flattened and his head lowered, but he didn’t leave. He was doing quite well, to be honest. I was getting the feeling he knew how a dog acted and only pretended to not know.
“Please leave, Raikidan. This isn’t funny.”
Instead of leaving, he trotted over to a shelf and pulled off some denim pants without any rips in the knees. He dropped the pants on a circular padded chair in the middle of my closet, and then nosed around my obnoxiously large collection of shoes. I tilted my head when he pulled out a knee-high boot and dropped it on my pants. He went back to my shoes and rummaged around for the
partner boot.
I knelt down by the chair and looked at the boot. They were brown leather, with a shorter-styled heel than the rest of the heeled shoes I owned, and was styled with belts and thick, layered leather that gave the boot an armored look. Ryoko had bought me so many things I never knew I had these.
Raikidan dropped the partner boot next to me and huffed. I pet him on the head and his tail began to wag again.
“Thanks, Raikidan. I’ll pick out the rest.” He gave me a quick lick on the cheek and I chuckled as I wiped his saliva off my face. “Now let me change alone.”
Raikidan snorted, but left the closet like I asked. Pulling my pants on, I pulled on some socks and secured my feet into my boots before rummaging around some more to find a good shirt to go with what I was already wearing. I sighed when I realized I had been looking for ten minutes and still couldn’t settle for something. I wasn’t good at this fashion stuff.
I turned around to search the other side of my closet and stopped when I noticed Raikidan peeking around the doorway. “Raikidan.”
He disappeared, but then peeked around the doorway again. I had to refrain from laughing. Had I not known it were him, I would have believed he was a real dog. For someone who claimed to not know anything about domesticated animals, he was doing a good job of being one.
“Raikidan, don’t tell me you’ve been taking lessons from Blaze.”
Raikidan growled and then crept into the closet. I just watched him as he made it to some vests that hung on a rack and sat in front of them. He didn’t touch them, nor did he look at me—only waited. Taking interest, I strolled over and looked at some of the vests.
Most I wouldn’t be caught dead in, but a denim one with a collar and a two-snap clasp in the front caught my eye. Raikidan’s tail thumped on the floor in approval as he panted.
“Well this will work, but I need to wear something under it.” Raikidan shook his head and I nodded. “Yes I do, Raikidan. Are you saying I should go out in public with an outfit that could easily reveal my breasts if I move wrong?”
Raikidan groaned and I chuckled. Making my way over to a dresser, I pulled open the drawers until I found a navy blue sleeveless top. Pulling it over my head, I pulled on the vest and then faced Raikidan once the collar was snapped together.
“So, what do you think?”
Raikidan barked and wagged his tail in approval. Smiling, I gave him a quick pat on the head and then left my closet. Thinking of a color to change my hair to, I wandered out of my room and tripped over a beautiful, black Alsatian of the short coat variety, with amber eyes.
I sighed. “Raid, do you mind not sitting right in front of my door?”
His ears flattened. “Sorry. I’m just trying to stay calm and out of the way.”
I gave him a quick pat on the head in understanding and headed for the bathroom to pick out some hair dye. Raid followed.
“Where are Ryoko and Rylan?” I asked.
“I think they’re still arguing in his room,” Raid said. “They’ve been quiet, but I don’t doubt they’re still fighting in some way.”
I sighed and shook my head. I thought she would have been able to convince him by now. I didn’t understand his problem. He didn’t have an issue back in the day. He tended to prefer that form, from what I remembered.
Raikidan trotted over to us and sat down next to Raid, only looking at him briefly before focusing on me.
Raid sighed. “Why can’t I have a normal coat like him?”
“Your coat is normal.”
“Black isn’t normal. You barely see them.”
“It’s in the breed standards. Hell, the panda coat pattern is a recognized breed, so there’s nothing wrong with the way you look.”
“He’s still lucky.”
“He didn’t have to shift with that color, or coat length.”
“What, really?”
“Raikidan is a real shapeshifter. He can shift into what he wants and change his physical characteristics for certain species if he wants to. The book we had just had the tan and black pattern with the semi-long haired coat, so we didn’t have much of a choice.”
He looked at Raikidan. “There are rumors real shifters can shift into the opposite sex. Is that true?”
Raikidan shook his body in response and Raid looked at me in confusion.
“Raikidan can’t speak common in any other form but a humanoid shape,” I explained.
“Wow, that sucks.”
“It might for you, but not for others who can’t shift, like me. I know he’ll bark and not accidentally speak.”
Raid huffed. “Why can’t Rylan and I have it easy?”
“You and Rylan, or just you?” I teased.
“Don’t make fun of me. I try my best. It’s just not easy.”
I finished lacing the multiple colors of dye into my hair and faced him. “Maybe it’s because you don’t have a strong desire or care to look human, like your brother.”
“You think that’s the reason?”
I shrugged. “It’s the only thing I can think of. Rylan hates shifting now. That’s why we can’t win a losing battle with him for this assignment, no matter how much we like to make ourselves believe otherwise. He won’t join us. You’ll see.”
“That’s it, I’ve had enough, Rylan!” Ryoko screamed. “Be an asshole for all I care. Laz and I will do this assignment with Raid and Raikidan since they’re more than willing to do this.”
I refrained from cringing when she brought up Raid’s name. Adding him into the equation changed everything every time. Ryoko slammed Rylan’s door and stormed down the hall.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” she muttered.
I cringed again when she slammed the basement door so hard that the force broke it off its hinges and it fell to the floor. “You two go with her to make sure she’s going to be okay. I’ll finish getting everything ready and meet you down there.”
“Okay,” Raid agreed.
He headed down to follow her, but Raikidan stayed where he was. I gave him a stern look, but he still stubbornly stayed put.
“You’re a terrible listener,” I said as I rinsed my hair.
Once my hair was thoroughly rinsed, I dried and styled it before leaving the bathroom. As I walked down the hall to look through a closet, I noticed Rylan leaning against his doorway watching me as I passed. I ignored him and continued on my way. Rummaging around the closet, I found a backpack and a few toys we’d be able to use, along with some dog collars and leashes we kept on hand just in case.
Figuring that was all I needed, I headed back to the living room. Rylan was still in the doorway but I still didn’t say anything to him.
“What, you’re not going to call me an asshole, too?” he taunted.
“Since you already know what I’m thinking, I didn’t think it needed to be said,” I replied.
“Why is it that I’m an asshole when I say no to something I don’t want to do?”
I stopped walking. “It’s because you give us a hard time for trying to convince you, but you give us no reason for arguing against something so simple.”
“I don’t like feeling more beast than man.”
I grunted. “That doesn’t even make any sense. You had no problem taking that shape back in the military. Hell, you seemed to prefer it. Now? Now you want nothing to do with it. You’re nothing but a puppy who is afraid of his own shadow.”
Rylan snorted. “Coming from someone who hides behind a mask?”
“This isn’t about me, Rylan, so leave me out of it.”
“You can’t be a hypocrite, Laz.”
“I’m not being a hypocrite, because this is bigger than just one person. This is about more than just me or just you. This is about you hiding from something you never used to hide from,
and this is about upsetting Ryoko in the process. You’ve changed, Rylan, and she and I both can see it. You’re not the same person, and that upsets her. You used to be carefree and would do anything on a whim. You used to be more like Raid.”
“Don’t you dare bring him into this!”
“I will bring him into this!” I snapped. “I will because he does a better job at making Ryoko happy. He does a better job at accepting who he is and what he can and can’t do, unlike you. I’m starting to think Raid is a better choice for her.”
Rylan looked taken aback by my words. “How can you say that?”
“I don’t know, maybe because Raid puts in a hundred and twenty percent to make her happy? Maybe because Raid jumps at every chance to make her smile? Maybe because Raid bends over backward for her? You on the other hand, you don’t ever act like you care. You barely put in eighty percent for her. You’re not a good choice for her. You won’t keep her happy. Raid is better for her and I should have realized that before I told you to go after for her. Give her up. You haven’t told her how you feel by now, so don’t even try at this point.”
I stormed off before he could say anymore. I pretended to be mad until I was on the stairs going down to the basement. Maybe now he’d try. Raid was a good choice for Ryoko, but I didn’t believe he was the best. Raid wasn’t the most responsible person, and he wasn’t good at making a good effort, especially when it came to shifting.
Ryoko needed a man, not a dog. Rylan had the potential to be that man, if he could get over his insecurities. Otherwise, we wasn’t a good pick, either. She needed someone strong who could support her while she fought her own problems.
I stopped walking when I felt teeth latch onto my pants leg. I looked at Raikidan curiously. “What’s up, Rai?”
Raikidan let me go and jumped up, resting his front paws on my shoulders and rested his head in the crook of my neck. I rested my head against his and gave him a hug back.
“Thanks,” I whispered. “I needed that.”
I pulled away from him and he gave me a quick lick on the cheek before hopping down. I rubbed his slobber off my face before continuing to the garage. Strong arms snaked around me, stopping me.
Secrets Page 13
