Page 64 of A Lesson in Deceit
The sound of footsteps running along the gravel caught my attention. I pushed past Corrin and saw a wave of blonde hair. I squinted making sure I was seeing things right. “Marianne?”
My best friend came running towards me, her eyes wide and alert. She was breathing heavily, practically plowing me over when she reached me. “Oh my gosh! Riley! We have to go!”
“Wait! Marianne, go where? What happened?!”
She looked behind her, her body shaking.
She took in a breath, placing her hands on my arms. “I got a little turned around and then my car stalled a little bit down the street. I got out to check it out and then I heard something. It sounded like growling…I got a better look at it and its eyes flashed this yellow color that freaked me the fuck out, so…” Her shoulders tensed when a crackle came from the wooded area near the parking lot.
She shuffled behind me as if I was going to protect her from whatever it was.
“Growling and yellow eyes?” the bartender asked her.
Marianne nodded swiftly, pulling pieces of her hair from her face.
I noticed Corrin and the bartender give each other a look before rolling both their eyes. I really wanted to be in on whatever they had silently communicated. A large shadow extended against the ground, projected by the light from the bar and the moon. It wasn’t monstrous, but it wasn’t just a simple woodland creature. My breath caught when I saw paws, connected to a large, furry body, and the face of a wolf. Its canines were pronounced and just like Marianne had said its eyes were yellow. Its coat was deep brown, thick with a few broken leaves stuck to it.
Its eyes narrowed on Marianne, but it didn’t make a move to attack. It looked like no one in the vicinity was necessarily backing away but just waiting.
Corrin let out a heavy sigh, turning around to look at me and Marianne. She smiled, stepping away from us and towards the wolf. “Mateo, you really need to learn that no one understands you when you’re a wolf.” She looked up at the animal and extended her hand.
Mateo?
The wolf dropped its head, pressing its snout into her palm. It shook its body, the leaves falling away, along with some dirt and dust.
“Like I said, Mateo gets a little tense when their beer doesn’t go well. They’re working on it.” She smiled, apologetically.
A small wind gust formed, circling around the wolf and after a few sparks and what sounded like bones cracking, Corrin’s partner was in front of us. And they were…naked.
A resoundingohandfuckechoed around us.
“For the love of fuck, Mateo!” the bartender screamed. She placed her hands in front of her eyes, turning her back to them. “As you can see, this is my younger sibling and they are nothingto be afraid of.” She placed her hand over her chest. “I’m Jade and I actually don’t love random people seeing me nude.”
She gave us a tight smile and raced back into the bar.
Corrin tried her best to stand in front of her partner, but to no avail. “Just because you enjoy being naked doesn’t mean everyone else enjoys seeing it, honey.”
Mateo let out a loud laugh, giving their attention to Marianne over Corrin’s shoulder. “My apologies.”
Marianne stood with her mouth open. “The first time I encounter a fully shifted shifter and I also end up seeing them naked. This was not on my bingo card, but I’ll take it.” She wrapped her hair over one of her shoulders, catching her breath.
Jade came stomping back outside, throwing a robe in Mateo’s direction. “Put some clothes on.Deja de traumatizar a la gente, pinche idiota!” She charged up to them, smacking the side of their head. She turned around addressing all the people around us. “Nothing to see here, please go back inside for free drinks on me.”
Mateo started laughing again but stopped the minute Jade threw a look over her shoulder. Corrin helped them put the robe on, kissing their cheek.
“I assume this is just the beginning of the night and I’m about to be told more things that will shock me.” Marianne followed behind Jade, who was muttering a multitude of Spanish obscenities, stepping inside the bar.
I gave her the most reassuring smile I could muster.
31
Riley
Mateo had changed clothes and now wore a fitted t-shirt and black suspenders. Apparently, there was a shower in the back room of the bar and they had cleaned up, coming to sit with us. Their hair was still damp, looking much darker than when I saw them on video chats with Corrin.
Jade sat a beer in front of her sibling, giving them a less than friendly smile.
“You can’t be too upset with me. I tried to explain.No todo el mundo habla lobo.” Mateo pouted, wrapping their hand around the glass. Their accent wasn’t overly thick, but they put a little more stress at the end of their words. Jade’s was the exact same way.
