Page 8 of Baseball and Shifters

Maya’s eyes light up again. “That is so cool! I had no idea, so what about you three? What kind of shifters are you guys? Shit. Is that rude to ask?”

“I mean, you probably shouldn’t ask random people that, but we’re your friends, so it’s okay,” Dallas says. “I’m a sea otter and Aubree is a Gentoo Penguin.”

“I can talk for myself, you know.” Aubree rolls her eyes.

“That’s freaking awesome. I bet you’re both adorable in your shifted form. What about you, Rachel?”

Maya is so excited I couldn’t hold back if I wanted to. I’m not used to this amount of socializing, but something about these girls makes me want to open up.

“I’m a kitsune.” I smile as her eyes widen.

“Those arereal?” she gasps. “I read a book once that had kitsunes. They’re like foxes with a bunch of tails, right? How many tails do you have?”

My blood runs cold at the innocent question. There’s no way Maya would know that’s a sore subject for me, but I also can’t help the visceral reaction I have to any mention of my tails.

“Crap. What’d I say?” Maya cringes. “I always say something wrong. That’s why I’m normally so quiet. I just thought… I thought we could all be friends. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Damnit Rachel. Get over your shit and reassure her. She’s a sweet girl. She could be a friend. Lord knows you need at least one of those.

“Sorry. It’s fine. I’m fine.” I shake my head to clear it of the negative thoughts. “Yeah, a kitsune is basically a fox. Some of them have a bunch of tails, but not all. My mom only had one.”

“Oh. Is that why you got upset? Because I assumed you had a bunch of tails but you only have one?”

Oh sweet, sweet innocent child.

“Not quite,” I murmur. “Our tails are linked to our mates. The number of tails you have signifies how many fated mates you have.”

“Oh my God!Fated mates are a real thing?” she squeals. “Okay.Breathe Maya.Don’t freak out in front of your new friends,” she chastises herself under her breath before finally acknowledging me once more. “And you can have more than one?”

“Totally. It’s not uncommon to have multiple mates,” Dallas answers for me.

“So you already know your mates because of your tails?”

“I knowhow manymates I’ll have because I have four tails, but not who they are or when I’ll meet them. Different shifters find their mates in different ways. For me, that’s touch. The instant I have skin-to-skin contact with any of my mates, the mate bond will snap into place.”

“That’s scary. So there’s no warning? No way of knowing who they are before it’s too late? What if you hate the guy? What if it’s a girl and you’re not into girls?” Her eyes widen as she thinks through the implications.

I can’t help the laugh that bursts free. All these years, those thoughts never crossed my mind. I just didn’t want to be the whore my dad always accused me of being. I never thought much about my actual mates or who they would be.

“I don’t think that's how it works… At least I really hope not,” Dallas says. “How awful would that be? I’ve heard fate’s a bitch and all but surely they can’t be that mean?”

“Of course not.” Aubree rolls her eyes at Dallas.

I get the feeling she does that a lot.

“Your fated mate is the perfect person for you. They were made to complete you. I can’t wait to find mine,” she sighs. “I want the kind of love my parents have.”

I wish I had the same outlook, but I know better. Finding your mate isn’t always a good thing. I know it won’t be for me. But she has hearts in her eyes just thinking about it. No way am I going to bring her down with my negative Nancy thoughts.

“How will you know when you do?” Maya asks.

“My mom says I’ll just know. There will be an undeniable connection. The bond doesn’t form until I accept their pebble though.”

“That’s so cute!” Maya gushes.

“It’s super sweet. My mom has the pebbles my dads gave her on a necklace.”

“What about you?” Maya turns to Dallas.

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