Page 22 of Riding A Cock-Horse
The clan elders all garble out what I assume is a greeting, but it's hard to understand because their accents are so thick. I'm not even sure they're speaking English. I decide somebody will fill me in with what's going on when Jude, Elise, Sian, and Theo step into the room, followed by Harry, Dageus, and his father, the Laird.
“Jude has told me most of the details, as well as Arthur,” Dageus’ dad begins solemnly. “We are now just waiting to hear what you have to say.”
“Eep!” I squeak. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk?!”
Peeking over at Phineas, I see him cover his mouth with a hand—the man is most definitely laughing at me.
“Maybe keep your love of cock to yourself,” Jack advises under his breath to me. “We don't want to give anyone here a heart attack.”
I scowl at him.
“I'll have you know that I can go a good ten…er, five minutes without thinking or talking about cock!”
Elise and Sian have come to join me at my side.
“Only because you're thinking about poon,” Sian teases.
Damn it, she's got me there.
But I'm going to prove them all wrong.
I've got this.
I clear my throat and stand before the elders.
“What is it that I need to say that Jude and Arthur have not?”
Hopefully, it's not very much; that way I don't stick my foot in my mouth this time.
“You're most assuredly human?” one of the elders asks me.
“Yes, I mean, I was until Doctor Fuckf—I mean, Doctor… I really don’t remember his name. Let’s just stick with Fuckface. It’smore thanapplicable. So, as I was saying, Dr. F-Face injected me with something.”
“But you're positive before that—”
I cut him off.
“Dude, I'm a grown woman. Don't you think I would know if I were a shifter?”
The old man shrugs.
“Sometimes there are anomalies in our kind.”
At this, Harry and Jack shuffle uncomfortably, probably reminded of Jack’s sister who shifted too early. It makes me wonder if there are some shifters whocan't shift.
But surely that can't be me because my parents would have said something, right?
Also, I mean, if my parents were shifters, it would be pretty obvious to me I would think.
I doubt my mom and dad could hide something like that. I wasthe nosiest kidon the face of the earth. I always knew what I was getting for Christmas months ahead. (In my defense, my parents wereterribleat hiding things.)
“No,” I answer the elder. “There isnoway I was anything but human before this.”
He nods.
“I understand. It's just something we had to consider. That being said, this changes everything for the worse.”
And it absolutely does.
