Dream Catcher (Woodland Creek)

On a deep and pained sigh, Warren put his arm around my shoulder as he picked up a piece of my toast, feeding it into my mouth. Between bites of fried and sugared bread, I licked his fingers when he spoke again, startling me

with whispers hot against my neck. “You know, dear heart, that your roommate is a raven, right?”

Twisting in my seat, I looked at him, then at Reagan, who was smirking behind her menu. “Excuse me?”

I looked at Jase, who was useless with his head down on the table, laughing and pounding his fist against his leg under the table. Jase and Reagan were dating of sorts, so I figured he would know, right?

Isn’t it enough that my boyfriend is a wolf? What the fuck is up with this town? I tried to play it off as a joke because it just couldn’t be possible. Wouldn’t Warren and Jase try to…eat her? I was pretty sure they were all bullshitting me anyway when I shrugged it off. “Sure as in a football fan, I know.” Jase choked on a laugh and Warren looked insulted and maybe a bit appalled at best. He smacked a ducking Jase on the back of his head, sitting next to him in the round corner booth.

Reagan said nothing except to smile wide, the plastic beak slipping low over her face as she patted my hand reassuringly. See, just a joke and a poor one after my scare last weekend. Except her eyes took on a weird glittery look and I was confused until it all slowly started to click into place.

“Oh.” I chewed my bacon thoughtfully and a little queasy to my stomach, mulling over what Warren had said.

“God, can’t I just show her and get this over with?” Reagan began to stand when everyone shouted loud enough for the few patrons inside to look at us.

“No!” Warren growled.

“Dude, it would be easier.” Jase chuckled.

“What’s a bunch more feathers?” Reagan whined.

“I’d kind of like to see it,” I said.

Warren continued grumbling, waving his fork around like a dictator. “Not here of all places in the middle of town at breakfast.”

“We can go to the edge of the forest near campus?” Excited, Reagan suggested an alternative and I had to agree with her it sounded like a good idea. I kind of wanted to see the actual transformation. Warren so far had refused to show me what he looked like in his shifted wolf form out of some deep-seated fear he’d psychologically damage me. Well, I’d already seen a spider, a snake, and a trio of bear cubs. How much worse could it be?

Reluctantly, Warren agreed, deciding we should finish our breakfast and wait until dusk to do it, just in case. In case of what…I wasn’t sure, but I went along with the decision because I was finally getting what I wanted.

Chapter Sixteen

*

WARREN

Taking Kerri to the edge of the woods at dusk was not an idea I fully supported. How would she react to seeing Reagan transition into a raven for the first time? I was pretty much outnumbered by the group and left feeling conflicted, uneasy. There were reasons we didn’t tell anyone about our kind. It was a sort of forbidden rule that had nothing to do with trusting Kerri and more to do with ingrained biases and traditions instilled in me, in all shifters from the beginning.

Kerri bounced with energy. Curiosity and wonder seemed to take over her. “So how does it work?”

“Work?” Reagan asked as her face wrinkled in thought. Personally, I hadn’t given much thought to something we automatically did from birth.

Shyly, Kerri bit her plump bottom lip before continuing. “Yeah, like do you get all naked first and then jump in the air to fly?”

“I like to get naked.” Jase couldn’t keep his big mouth shut and I hit him hard in the stomach, getting a growl in return. I preferred Kerri not seeing any of Jase for that to happen. Irrational jealously rotted my gut, though I knew there was nothing between them at all.

“We should have left you at home,” I muttered, hoping the exhibition wouldn’t get us into any trouble. I’d spoken with Eden about Kerri waking up and telling her about my ability to shift. She wasn’t happy, but short of hoping for a lapse in Kerri’s memory that wasn’t going to happen, I thought the truth was best. Luckily, that had turned out okay, followed by Eden’s usual lecture about the ley lines, magic, and the new responsibility I was taking on.

“It depends on the shifter. See, like Jase and Warren here…” Reagan pointed at us both from the back of my truck, explaining things. “These two have to carry extra clothes because half the time they rip them to shreds changing form. Me…well, I shift into something much smaller, so if I’m not flying far away, I just slip in and out of my clothes easily.” In the rearview mirror, I watched Kerri taking it all in. Her eyes were wide but so far not afraid, which I took as a good sign. After the night by the cliffs, I chose to be extra careful with shifting. I had my own problems doing it and didn’t need her having a panic attack seeing me stuck in between in a baffled state of hairy.

She asked about the night of her accident, which I explained as Jase and I getting her out of her car safely before the wrecker and the sheriff arrived. Some things like the bear and panther that helped us were probably better left unexplained for now.

I parked the truck in front of Lupin Hall and helped the girls step down from the back. “You know, this gives that beautiful mural a whole new meaning.” Kerri stood next to me and the urge to put my arms around her was impossible to ignore.

Before the moment could turn into something more, we were interrupted by Jase. “Kerri-man, you should have heard Warren when he came home that day to tell me.” Laughing at my expense, Jase picked up Reagan over his shoulder playfully.

“Oh? Do tell.” She was smiling when I picked her up the same way, swinging her over my shoulder, ignoring her peals of laughter.

“I think he was ready to shit himself with shock.” My cousin was a regular comedian, making jokes at my expense.