Page 17 of Birds of a Feather

After quite a bit of focus, Gabby spread her wings and took to the skies.

Her shoulders ached from flying. The hot sun rained down heat from its zenith, baking her black feathers. Gabby needed a break. If her bird body could sweat, she would.

She spread her wings, feeling the breeze trickle through the edge of her feathers as she floated down back to the Earth. The heat from the ground below rushed up at her as she neared the edge of a field bordering a park. Children ran, chasing each other across the playground. Gabby would have to stay away from them or risk someone seeing her arms.

A seagull gulped down water from a puddle in the parking lot. She walked over, eyeing the water. She could see the bottom, and it didn’t smell bad. It had rained the other day, so hopefully it was fresh enough for her to drink. She leaned over it, letting her black beak scoop up some hydration. The seagull gave her a sidelong glance, squawking at her human arms. She gave it her middle finger. The bird blinked before taking off. Maybe the arms were useful. She cawed out a chuckle before lapping again at the water.

She glanced up between sips. The humans took no notice of her, but the birds stood clear. A set of robins gave a shrill cry in her direction before taking off. It was a call to warn other birds of possible danger. Was she what they were all afraid of? Or was something else amiss?

The children continued to play in the distance. It looked like a new game. Instead of tag, they tried to get around the park without touching the ground. Some parents watched their kids, chuckling to themselves, while others played on their cellphones. No one took notice of the crow with arms drinking from a puddle.

Maybe she didn’t smell like a bird, and that had the fowl keeping their distance. Though most birds didn’t have a good sense of smell. She leaned in to take another swig of the warm water but noticed a shadow in the reflection. Something tall stood behind her.

She ran as fast as her bird legs would carry her under the bumper of a nearby car as a pair of arms swooped toward her. The hands splashed in the puddle. The hem of the man’s khaki pants was just visible beneath the bumper of the vehicle where Gabby hid as he crooned, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The hell you aren’t.She’d heard that voice before. In her hospital room. And after her last run-in with the shrew, Dr. Grimm gave her wings. Who knew what other concoctions the lunatic wanted to try out on her next? No thank you.

“Ow.Ow!” the young man suddenly yelled. Gabby peeked her head out from under the vehicle to see a bright pink hummingbird stabbing the man over and over with its long, needle-like beak.

Lyla!It must be!

The man flapped his arms, but the bird was too fast. She pursued him, not stopping until he was well out of the park.Then the little bird zoomed back to Gabby, landing on the ground beside the parked car.

Gabby observed the tiny bird’s chest heaving with exhaustion, but she wasn’t ready to rest. With a tiny buzz, Lyla ushered Gabby away from the parking lot and the screaming children in the park to the tiny slip of woods beyond. She looked from Gabby to the greenery beyond. Gabby understood her meaning. With any luck, they could find a place to hide and work out a plan. The two took to the air, landing in the brush of the small forest.

Before Gabby could caw a thank-you, the hummingbird transformed. It grew in size, losing all its brilliant feathers, with the exception of the ones around its head. Soon Lyla was standing before her, naked, sweat glistening on her olive-toned skin. She leaned an arm on a nearby tree, struggling to catch her breath. Gabby thought back to the IV bag that always accompanied Lyla. Hummingbirds were known to need a lot of energy to move as fast as they did, and if Lyla’s captivity was anything like Gabby’s, she was barely fed. That would mean Lyla risked physical burnout to find her. She could have easily run out of energy and gotten stranded somewhere.

Gabby shifted and threw herself toward Lyla in one swift motion. She needed her to know how thankful she was for the rescue and how relieved she was to see her again.

After knocking the tops of her wings on a low branch, she threw her arms around Lyla, sobbing into her sweet-smelling hair. Lyla’s warm and safe body welcomed her. It was so good to be with her friend again, but it didn’t solve everything. Most specifically,How soon before he finds me again?

12

“How?” Gabby sobbed into Lyla’s neck.

Lyla gently stroked Gabby’s unkempt hair, willing her heart rate to slow. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

“I talked with the shifter birds I came across.” Many had given a warning of a crow who didn’t seem a crow. Lyla figured it would have to be Gabby, though she was caught off guard when she saw her in bird form with little human arms. She gulped, trying to find the courage to state the obvious. “Word spreads quickly when…” Her voice trailed off. She looked to the black wings sprouting out of Gabby’s back. The woman had been through Hell more than once, yet here she stood before her, a smile on her face as if none of it mattered.

“Crow with arms,” Gabby finished as a dark look clouded her blue eyes.

“Yeah.” Lyla stroked the hair out of Gabby’s eyes. She bit her lip, glancing in the direction of the park. They were hidden where they were, but that creep could easily circle back to find them. Who was that jerk anyway?

As if reading her mind, Gabby said, “Shrew. Found me.”

“Shrew?” Lyla understood the second part, but what the hell was a shrew?

“Tail. Not worm.”

Then it all made sense. What Lyla had seen outside the library, which the agents hinted was a creature—apparently a shrew—had a worm-like tail. She felt her brow wrinkle up in confusion. “But how did he find you?”

Gabby shrugged. “Dr. Grimm said…” Her nose crinkled as she focused. Lyla let her have as much time as she needed, admiring how cute her face looked when she focused. “Shrew good at finding… things.” She huffed out a breath.

Lyla squeezed Gabby’s arms with a smile. “That was a long sentence.” This time, instead of pointing out her inability to focus, Gabby leaned in, pressing her lips to Lyla’s. The touch of Gabby’s lips sent a buzzing excitement through Lyla’s body. She felt she could fly for a thousand miles if needed. She’d stab all the shrews in the world with her beak if it meant Gabby would kiss her again.

She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Gabby, careful not to bump the new wings. The touch of Gabby’s smooth skin built a fire beneath hers, flames licking under the surface, threatening to consume her. She parted her lips, letting Gabby in to taste her. Their tongues twirled in a rhythmic dance, hungry for more. Her clit tingled, aching for Gabby to taste it next. Then for her to taste Gabby next. Lyla wanted nothing more than for this moment to last forever, for their bodies to be entwined with the heat of passion.

But she pulled away.

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