Once everyone had arrived I lead them over to the old barn. We stepped into the building, pushed the doors closed behind us, preventing anyone from driving up and accidentally seeing what was going on. Blinking as our eyes adjusted to the dimmer light inside, we gathered near the middle of the large empty space at the center of the barn, and I stepped forward.
"Devon, you know already know Bill and Alexis, and you met Gabriel a few weeks ago. This is Caden Bradley," I motioned each person as I said their names, "He provides security for the Harmonia" I turned to the other man, "Caden, this is Devon Wilson." Devon offered his hand to Caden.
"Nice to meet you," Devon said, they shook hands, briefly, "Thanks for coming today." Caden nodded, but remained silent.
I lifted one eyebrow at Bill and motioned for him to take over but he shook his head
"This is you're thing, you're in charge." He deferred, "I'm just here as a witness."
I nodded, accepting control, "All right then. I’ll just do a quick run through of what I expect to happen. Just so there's no surprises, then we'll get started.
"Simply put, I'm going to try to shift Devon. He's never been able to shift before, but I can feel a wolf in him. We're not sure if it will work, but we're going to try."
"Alexis, I'd like it if you'd watch him with your healing sense. I don't want to hurt him. If you're watching, you can stop me before that happens." She nodded, agreeing to my request.
"Any questions?"
"What do you need from us?" Gabriel wanted to know.
"Hopefully nothing. You're here because we couldn't have the Anikitos and Harmonia in what could, potentially, be a dangerous situation without their security. Plus, you make good witnesses, should this work."
"All right," He nodded, stepping nearer to Bill as Caden stayed close to Alexis, preparing to do their jobs should the need arise.
"Anything else?" I looked at every one around me, watching for more questions. When no one else stepped forward, I turned to Devon, "If you're ready, you can go change."
He nodded, "I'll be right back." He grabbed a small duffel sitting near the front door and stepped into the feed room in one corner of the barn.
I turned back to the group in front of me, and saw surprise on Gabriel's face, "He's been away from the Kindred for some time, and isn't as comfortable with the casual nudity anymore. Plus, he knows I'm still not all that comfortable with it either, so he's going to wear shorts or something this time around." Gabriel considered it for a moment before nodding.
Devon came back out of the room, leaving the bag behind, wearing only a pair of boxers. He padded confidently on bare feet to where the group was standing.
"You ready?" I asked.
Devon remained silent but dropped down to one knee in front of me; if I didn't know better I would have said he was preparing to propose. He didn't bow his back or bend and put his hands on the ground like most do when shifting, he kept his back straight as he looked me in the eye and nodded.
I looked up at Alexis to see if she was ready and saw the glassy look in her eyes that meant she was using the piece of her that she used to heal. Without another word I reached out and set my hand on Devon's bare shoulder.
I closed my eyes and focused. I concentrated on extending that metaphysical part of me that called animals into Devon. I found the wolf inside him, the one I knew was there. I touched it with my energy, petting and comforting it. He seemed comfortable with me, content to let me touch him all I wanted. I knew he was familiar with my scent; I just had to convince him to trust me enough to call him to the surface.
I started coaxing him, drawing him toward the surface. He stood from where he'd been curled and slowly followed, but when we were almost to the surface he stopped. I tried to coax him further but he wouldn't budge. I reached my power down again, this time taking a firm grip in the soft fur on the ruff of his neck and pulling. He took another step, but halted again. He seemed willing to come anywhere I wanted but it was as if there was an invisible wall blocking his progress.
I stopped pulling, and stood still for a moment, petting and soothing the wolf, trying to decide what to do next.
*Try again,* Bill's voice whispered through my mind.
I gripped the fur on the back of the wolf's neck again and gently tried to pull him forward. This time the wall that seemed to be blocking him before was gone. I continued pulling, bringing the wolf all the way to the surface. I opened my eyes in time to see Devon's body blur in front of me, at the same time I felt the fur flow against my hand. I'd never been touching someone when they shifted before, it was an interesting sensation. When the blur around Devon faded it revealed a large, beautiful dark gray and black wolf sitting where Devon had been kneeling moments earlier. He looked up at me; wonder filled his now golden eyes.
I was speechless. I looked up at Bill, and saw shock and wonder fill his face. He was thrilled and awed that we had managed to bring a non-shifter into his wolf form. I looked over at Alexis, the glassy look was gone from her eyes and she looked happy, but somehow thoughtful too, as if she'd just realized something.
I looked back down at Devon. "Are you all right?" I asked.
He tilted his head to one side quizzically, as if curious about something. I dropped my shields slightly, trying to pick up his thoughts.
*You did it!*
"We did it…" I confirmed, smiling. I was almost certain that more had happened than what I had done, but I didn't know what.
"Do you want to shift back now or do you want to wait a while?"
*I'll wait if you don't mind.* I laughed.
"I don't mind, investigate some if you want." I looked up when he left, moving around the small machinery stored in the barn, investigating the different scents around us.
I stepped closer to Alexis, "What did you do?" I asked softly.
"While you were trying to shift him, I saw that he was being held back. I saw what was keeping him from shifting. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I thought it was something I might be able fix, so I tried. You'd stopped trying to shift him by then, so I told you to try again."
"I didn't hear you, I was concentrating so hard on what I was doing I didn't hear a sound."
"I thought that might have been the case, I get the same way while I'm healing. It's part of why Caden is with me; because I can be so engrossed in what I'm doing I'd never hear an attacker. When you didn't respond right away I asked Bill to tell you." We both looked over at Bill.
I saw him watching the two of us, the thoughts running through his mind hidden behind a carefully blank face. I suspected that he was thinking that if we could do this for Devon, was it possible we could do it for others?
I talked to Bill for a few minutes, but not about anything important, we were all in a state of surprise and shock that it had worked so we decided to meet another day to discuss what had happened.
"Can you get him shifted back, or do you want me to stay and help?" Alexis asked as Bill and Gabriel headed to their vehicle to go.
"I'm good. If he can't shift back on his own I can shift him, no problem." I said confidently.
"You're sure? It's no problem for us to stay and help."
"I don't think he's going to need any help.” I glanced over at Devon where he was still checking out the corners of the barn, “I plan on feeding him, and then seeing if he can shift on his own. He knows what to do, he should be fine."
"If you're sure…" She gave me a quick hug and headed for the door, Caden following close behind her, "If you need help, don't hesitate to call." She called over her shoulder.
"Will do." I turned back to Devon. I spotted him near an old tractor parked near the large rear door of the barn. "You ready for something to eat?" He picked up his head and looked at me with interest. "Come on." I headed out the door.
Devon and I walked together out to the car where I pulled a raw steak out of the ice chest I'd packed, just in case and handed it to him. When he'd finished eating, I encouraged him to shift again
. He walked beside me his fur brushing against my leg as we went back to the barn, he went back into the feed room while I waited near the door. A couple of minutes later he walked out, human and dressed in the jeans and boots he'd taken off earlier. He'd pulled the same shirt on too, but hadn't bothered to button it, and the tails flapped on either side of his hips as the shirt hung open.
He had a huge grin on his face as he approached me. He spread his arms wide and I stepped into them, accepting the hug he was offering.
"Thank you, so much." He pulled me tight against him, my arms wrapping around his waist as I hugged him back. The joy at being able to give him something he thought he'd never have rushed through me. I never saw it coming, one moment he was hugging me, all but dancing with his excitement, and the next I had his lips pressed against mine. His mouth moving over mine as he gently coaxed my mouth open. He kissed me as though he'd been waiting a lifetime for the chance. I couldn't stop myself; I kissed him returning his intensity with my own.
Devon broke the kiss after a moment, released me and went out to the car without another word. Not sure what was going on, I followed him and we went home. I couldn’t help being confused by the kiss and Devon’s reaction to it.
Monday evening I met with Bill and Alexis to discuss what had happened when I shifted Devon. We sat in the black leather furniture in Bill's office as we talked. I kicked my sandals off, and pulled my bare feet into the seat with me before we started.
"I want to go over what each of you did separately, and then put it together," Bill explained, "I think doing it this way will help us to get as many details as possible from both of you."
I nodded my understanding as Alexis spoke.
"Which of us do you want to start things off?"
"Let's start with Nickie. She was more deeply involved in what was going on."
I repeated everything had happened while I concentrated on shifting Devon, "I had his wolf moving, he was voluntarily moving to the surface, until suddenly, he stopped. I tried to pull him to the surface, but couldn't get him to move any more. It was like he'd hit a stone wall and couldn't move any closer. I started calming him, soothing him so I could try again. I was almost ready to try again when I heard Bill tell me to try again. When I tried the second time the barrier was gone, as if it had never been there.
"After you all left I gave him some meat I'd brought for him and he shifted back with no difficulties. He did it on his own; I didn't have to help him at all." I finished, not telling them about the kiss that had followed.
"I watched from inside while you tried to shift him," Alexis began, addressing me instead of Bill, "It wasn't until you hit that 'wall' that I noticed it. A small difference that was keeping him from shifting. I used my healing energy to make a small adjustment and asked you to try again. When you didn't respond I had Bill ask. When you tried again, he shifted normally." I looked at her for a moment, looking for the right words.
"So what you're saying is there was a physical problem keeping him from shifting?"
"Not physical really, more of a genetic defect, though I don’t think that's the right term either."
"And you were able to repair that ‘defect’?" Bill asked, "I wasn't aware that your talent allowed you to make changes on a genetic level."
"It doesn't, so in actuality it probably isn't actually a defect in the genes, but that's the best way I can think of to describe it."
"I'm not sure I understand." I said, confused.
"Think of it like this. Genes are like a series of switches, blue eyes, curly hair, the switch is either on or off, if it's off you don't get it, if it's on you do. Following me?"
"Yeah, I understand how that works, and how you inherit your specific set of genes from your parents."
"Good. So, when you tried to shift Devon I noticed that his shifting gene wasn't on either on or off. It was like a blown breaker, stuck in the middle. I nudged the 'switch' with my energy and it popped over to where it should have been. When you tried again, he shifted like he should have all along."
"Interesting," Bill leaned back in his chair, his elbows resting on the chair arms he had his fingers laced together, index fingers forming a peak as he thought, "Do you think you could 'reset' other non-shifters?"
"It would depend on several things." Alexis spoke slowly at first, "The person, what exactly was keeping them from shifting; I can't assume it's the same issue with them all. Whether or not Nickie can sense an animal in them to even try to call. But I can say with almost certainty that neither of us would be able to do it alone."
"She's right. It never would have occurred to me to try if I hadn't sensed Devon's wolf, I wouldn’t have known where to start. I'd have to spend some time with anyone who wanted to consider it before I could say. And I'd have to have help, I'm not saying it has to be Alexis but it would have to be someone who can do what she did."
"I couldn't do it alone either, simply because I couldn't sense his wolf until after you shifted him. I can feel it now, but I couldn't until after that first shift, I never can."
I turned back to Bill, "I'd say it's possible, but not guaranteed.” I concluded, “I'd have to spend time with the person in question before I'd be willing to commit to trying. Each person is different; I can't say that I could do it for them all. I'm not that optimistic, or ambitious."
"If I were to pair the two of you as a team, would you be willing to try with others?"
"I would" Alexis answered immediately.
"I would, provisionally," I agreed more slowly.
"What do you mean provisionally?" Bill narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"I don't want to force it on anyone. I also think that anyone we make the offer to should be mature and it should be their own, un-pressured decision, like Devon.
"He’d learned to accept that he didn't shift, he was content with who he was. He wasn't a teenager wishing to fit in, not someone who's family, friends, significant other was telling them they would love them more, they would like them better if they were like them and could shift too."
"I see what you mean." Bill said thoughtfully.
"I also don't want to offer it to someone, and then, meet them and not be able to feel their animal form and not even be able to try. That would be cruel. If I am going to offer the possibility to them, I want to be somewhat sure I can do it before I give them the option. I feel it would be cruel to offer it to someone only to discover that I can't do it."
"I guess I can understand that, and respect it." Bill said, "How would I feel if I arranged for you to meet another non-shifter, let you spend a little time around them and see if you think you can call their animal form?"
"I’d be okay with it, as long as they didn't know why they were meeting me. I don't want to give them the hope of acquiring the ability to shift; at least not until after I see if I think I can do it."
"Understood." Bill agreed, "I don't have any more non-shifters in the pack that still live around here. We have a couple who are living elsewhere, married and left, off at school or found work elsewhere, like Devon did when he joined the military. Let me talk to a couple of families and see if they can arrange for a visit."
"All right."
"We can also invite Hank's sister for a visit.” Alexis suggested, “ She may not want to try, but it would give you another non-shifter to meet."
"That would be great." Bill said, and I nodded my agreement.
We finished our discussion and separated, each going our own way. I went home and went to bed, my mind still filled with thoughts of the kiss Devon and I had shared.
Chapter 28
By Wednesday I couldn't take it anymore. I realized that morning that I'd been avoiding Devon. I didn't know how to act since we'd kissed. I didn't want to ruin the friendship we'd built, but at the same time I wasn't sure I could ignore the attraction either. By the time I got off work I knew it had to end, now that I'd realized what I was doing, my pride wouldn't allow it to continue.
By the time I pul
led into my parking space at home I’d worked out a plan. I went up to my apartment, intent on getting out of my suit. I changed into a pair of comfortable denim shorts and a soft, bright colored tank top. It wasn't an outfit designed for seduction, it was just comfortable, non-work clothes.
I headed back down to Devon's, intending to invite him up for dinner. But as I closed my door and turned to descend the stairs I saw him, he was half way up the same stairs, and climbing fast. I stood for a moment, taking in the sight of him. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a snug blue t-shirt that made me want to touch him, and in one hand he carried two pizza boxes.
"I was just coming to see you." I smiled down at him.
He looked up, smiling when he caught sight of me, "Imagine that." I stepped back so there was enough room on the landing for him as he reached the top step.
"I assume you're planning on sharing those with me?" I pressed my thumb to the panel beside the door to unlock the door so I could let us into the apartment I'd just left.
"That's my plan." He stepped inside behind me and pushed the door closed.
"How are you adjusting?" I lead the way to the kitchen, to get plates and drinks for us, "Have you told your family yet?"
"So far so good. The more sensitive hearing is still a bother more often than not, but nothing too bad. I'm getting used to the additional strength, and all the rest. And no, I haven't told my family yet. I'm still trying to decide the best way to go about it." He set the pizza boxes on the table, turned and watched me as I moved around the kitchen. "What've you been up to?"
"The usual, nothing out of the ordinary other than the meeting with Bill and Alexis a couple of days ago." I fixed a couple of glasses of iced tea, using a plastic cup for Devin’s, and put the plates I'd pulled out of the cabinet on the table. "Bill wants to see if we can shift other non-shifters too."
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