Shifting the Night Away (7 page)

"I know you are because I’m going to personally drive you to the school."

Peter slid down in the seat and released a loud sigh.
 
"You’re right, I need my balls back."

"You’ll feel better after you shift tonight and breathe in the night air."

"I’ve never had anyone make me feel this out of control before."

"I know, buddy.
 
I know.

They drove in circles through the park until they saw a table being set up near Summit Rock.
 
"I see sandwiches," Peter said as they made another pass and found a parking spot.
 
"Let’s find a bench with a view."

They made their way to a grassy area near a thicket of trees and plopped down on a bench.
 
The table was a few hundred feet away in their direct line of sight, separated only by a handful of Frisbee players crossing back and forth in the last hour of daylight.
 
The trees towering behind them would provide perfect cover for shifting when the darkness hit completely.
 
Peter felt his nose begin to twitch.

"She’s close," he said.

"Don’t tell me which one," Charles said as he looked around.
 
"I want to see if I can guess."
 
He studied the women walking by, following their steps until he zeroed in on bouncing curls cascading down the back of a pink dress.
 
"She’s the one.
 
Pink dress."

"Final answer?"

"Absofuckinglutely."

"Isn’t she magnificent?"

"Gorgeous hair, confident walk, curves for days … she’s just so pretty.
 
I love how her muscle indents on the side of her calve.
 
It looks so strong and sexy with those—"

"Okay, you can stop looking at her now," Peter said with a low growl.

Charles laughed and said, "I’m just showing my appreciation for your choice."

"I can appreciate her enough for both of us."

"So, go over and talk to her."

"I just want to watch her tonight."

"You mean stalk her," he said with a smirk.

Peter shrugged.
 
"I’m not the least bit insulted by that word.
 
It’s what our kind does."

"Yeah, when we want to eat something."
 
They both looked at each other, and then back at Mia’s curves.

Peter licked his lips.
 
"Here’s hoping.
 
I can only imagine what’s under that dress."

"We need to change the subject or I’ll go back to appreciating her in my mind … in very naughty ways."

Peter growled again, but completely understood as he’d already experienced his fair share of lustful thoughts.
 
They watched her interact with the homeless men and women, offering a paper bag with food and a welcoming hug.
 
The crowd lingered, enjoying the company as much as the food.
 
She knew most of their names and spoke animatedly with her hands while they filled her in on the comings and goings of their lives.
 
Peter and Charles easily picked up the conversation with their heightened sense of hearing.

"Miss Mia.
 
How are your students?" asked a tall gentleman who had a collection of plastic bags tied around his belt so it looked like some type of flotation device.

"They’re fine, Jonesy.
 
Thanks for asking," she said as she rubbed his arm gently.
 
"The citywide basketball tournament is coming up.
 
We’ve been practicing, not that I’m very much help.
 
I just need the principal to come through with our new uniforms.
 
How did it go with the Department of Housing?"

Jonesy looked down and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
 
"They approved me … and I moved into a little studio."

"That’s fantastic!"

He took a long pause and said, "But then I got evicted because I kept letting my sister and her kids use the place while I came back to sleep in the park."

"Aww Jonesy, it’s okay.
 
Why did you keep returning to the park?"

"All my friends are here," he said matter-of-factly as he swept his arms wide around him.
 
"Why be anywhere else?"

"That’s a good point," she said, smiling up at him in appreciation of his kindness and innocent wisdom.

He took a bite of his sandwich and expressed his approval by rubbing his tummy.
 
"Ham with cheese is my favorite.
 
Thank you."
 
Jonesy sat on a retaining wall with his friends as they laughed and enjoyed their food.
 
If you ignored their disheveled clothing, they appeared as people who wanted for nothing.

Peter glanced at Charles and said, "They’ve got it right."

"The homeless guys?"

He nodded.
 
"Remember when we were young and all we had to do was play in the snow and help feed the pack?"

"We had some lean years, but they were mostly fun.
 
Do you want to go back to simpler times?"

"In some ways I do, although I have no desire to chase caribou all over the place," Peter said shaking his head.
 
"That guy really doesn’t have any material possessions to speak of, but he’s overjoyed because he has his friends and a simple sandwich.
 
He is probably ninety-nine percent happier than I am."

"You have a great life!"

"I’m not denying that, but YOU are my only witness and while I love you, my dear cousin, I have no plans to mate with you."

Charles threw his head back and laughed.
 
"I should hope not.
 
We’re now sitting so close to your potential future.
 
What are you worried about?"

"She may not be interested."

"I have to agree that she isn’t like the others.
 
This one actually has a soul," he said with a laugh.
 
"I want you to forget about my suggestion that you find your Alpha balls.
 
She is human, so you should lean on your human emotions to woo her.
 
I don’t think this can be a rush job."

As they were watching Mia interact with people, she suddenly turned her head in their direction as if she could feel their eyes examining her every move.
 
She couldn’t see very well in the evening light, so she tilted her head and squinted her eyes.

"Shit!
 
She might recognize me from the basketball courts."
 
Peter jumped up and turned to face the thicket of trees.
 
"I’ll come out when the coast is clear."

"She can’t make out our faces from that distance, but you can go into the bush if it makes you feel better.
 
I’ll stand guard in case we need to make a run for it."

Mia hadn’t recognized Peter at all.
 
She turned back to help fold up the table and carry it back to the Sandwich Samaritans’ van.
 
Hugs and handshakes were exchanged and friendly waves sent the van off as it drove away in the dark.
 
Most of the people were slowly walking away to their preferred evening hangouts, but Mia had climbed atop Summit Rock with Jonesy.
 
They positioned themselves flat on their backs with arms clasped behind their heads as they stared at the stars beginning to appear overhead.

"Sitting up here reminds me of being a kid in Queens" Jonesy said.
 
"The lock on the rooftop door was busted, so we used to hang out there all the time.
 
On the Fourth of July, we’d straddle the wall and let our legs dangle so we could watch the fireworks.
 
Nobody ever fell."

"I think about the crazy stuff I did as a kid too," Mia said.
 
"It’s a shame we lose that fearless nature."

"Shit, we haven’t lost it.
 
Sometimes you have to be fearless just to wake up in the morning.
 
It really is a jungle out there, but it’s a beautiful jungle."

"Worth the risk, Jonesy?"

"Absolutely."

Their conversation was interrupted by the incessant yapping of a little dog.
 
It was lunging forward toward the thicket of trees, restrained only by its elderly owner who was struggling to control the leash.
 
"C’mon Spike.
 
There’s nothing in there.
 
Bad dog," she said as she wrestled with the little beast.
 

Mia watched as a man sitting on the nearby bench walked over to the woman and gently took the leash with one hand and held out an elbow for her to hold onto.
 
"Must be squirrels," he said.
 
"Let me walk you to the crosswalk before your dog drags you into the trees."
 
She laughed and eagerly took his arm.

"That dog sure was going nuts," Mia said to Jonesy.
 
"Now I’m curious."
 
She got up and slowly made her way down the rocks.

Peter was watching her from the trees and slowly backed up in a vain attempt to hide his white fur.
 
He could see Charles in the background as he walked back to the bench.
 
He often played the role of "keeper" in human form, allowing Peter to shift and expend his energy in relative safety.
 
They’d only had a few close calls that left them running from curious city dwellers who had entered the park for bird watching or a quick make out session late at night.

Mia reached the edge of the thicket and scanned the ground for any nests that may have fallen and then moved her sight along the trees for any trace of squirrel tails.
 
Finding none, she turned to leave.
 
Peter unconsciously stepped forward to follow her scent when his front paw snapped a twig.
 
He tried to retreat, but she had whipped back around too quickly.
 
They both froze.
 
Peter didn’t want to move.
 
He wanted to see how she’d react.
 
Mia paused to focus her eyes, but didn’t run.
 
She bent down and placed both hands on her knees before puckering and making kissy noises.

What the hell?
 
Is she blowing kisses at me?

"Come here boy," she said while slapping a hand on one thigh.

She thinks I’m just a dog.
 
Peter wanted to laugh, but knew it would come out as a howl.
       

"Did you find some squirrels, Miss Mia?" Jonesy asked as he walked up behind her.
 
"They might want the crust from my sandwich.
 
I never finish it."

"No, it’s a beautiful dog.
 
I think he’s afraid.
 
Maybe he’s hurt."

Jonesy peered in behind her and suddenly jerked his head back with wide eyes.
 
"That’s no dog!
 
That’s a wolf!"

"Whaaat?"
 
She grabbed his arm and they both took a few steps back.
 
"Why would he be in the park?"

"Maybe he escaped from the zoo."
 
Jonesy moved in front of her.
 
"Just stay behind me.
 
Don’t make any sudden moves."
 
The wolf turned in a circle to find a comfortable spot, revealing his dangling bits in the process.
 
"We know he’s a male."

"Yes, we do!
 
Why isn’t he running away?"

"He’s probably deciding which one of us to eat first?"

She smacked his arm.
 
"But he’s not even growling.
 
He could have gone after that little dog earlier.
 
Throw him your scraps."

They kept their eyes forward as Jonesy dug into the paper bag he’d crammed in his pocket and pulled out pieces of crust.
 
He tried to throw them, but their weight kept the pieces from going very far.
 
Peter yawned in response and used his paw to swat away some annoying gnats.

"Aww look at him rub his nose," Mia gushed.
 
"It’s like ‘Dances with Wolves’ city version."
   

Uggh, not that fucking movie.
 
Peter hated the film and thought it made things harder for shifters, turning their packs into tourist targets with everyone expecting some type of animal show.
 
But if Mia liked it, he would dance a jig on his hind legs just to please her.

"What did you guys find?"
 
It was Charles to the rescue.
 
He made sure to stand directly behind them so they wouldn’t get a close look at his face.

"A wolf," they whispered in unison.

"It seems friendly," Mia added.
 
"I wonder if he’ll let us pet him."
 
She took a step forward, but Charles yanked her back.

"Miss, it’s a wild animal," he said.
 
"Better to observe from afar."
 
He knew Peter would kick him for that, but he wasn’t sure he’d want to meet her with Jonesy in tow.