Kierra

Faline and I proceed into Ava's room with her just in time for my cellphone to start ringing. My sister being the fastest in shifting with Ava not far behind answers it for me. While the ocelot goes human within five seconds or so, the snow leopard taking maybe eight, has me coming in third at just under a minute.

Just like everything else, shifting time gets faster with practice. Weres can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes to change, so I've been working on shortening my time. Vampire and Shifter changing being almost instantaneous gives me a serious case of envy.

Hearing the male voice on the other end of the line, it sounds vaguely familiar but I can't place it. That is until he asks if 'Silver' is there. Aww, hell. Alarico. Telling him to hold a minute, she looks at me.

"I'm guessing he's referring to you?"

Coming into a mouth that can speak English, I nod. Hands run through my long derpy hair till it's all sorts of disheveled. It goes to just below my waist, wavy with an annoying amount of curl mixed in, and used to be shades of red, blond, bronze, brown, and a bit of black.

Still is, just now there are silver streaks through it, going from my scalp on down. Not gray, but an actual silver that's the same texture as the rest of my long locks. When other supernaturals see it, it seems to tell them right away who and what I am, especially other wolves.

Taking the phone, I hold it to my ear and grab my underwear and jeans. The male on the line is the Alpha for the local Red Wolf Pack, and since I almost shoved a knife into his mate's tongue by way of under her jaw, we're on shaky ground.

"Wolf blood pizza delivery, what can I do you for?"

"Silver?"

I have to fight from chuckling with the other girls on my side of the conversation. Yes, I know it's childish, but sometimes, I just can't help myself. My inner child is a rotten little bastard.

"Yes, Alarico, it's me. What do you need?"

Can almost hear his scowl over the phone the silence is so telling.

"Well alright, if that's all, I'd like to go so I can get some clothes on."

"Wait. I need to talk to you, can you come to the bar?"

I can, but do I want to? Not especially. We left on ‘good’ terms when I sort of apologized and threatened him, swamping him with my emotion of looking for my sister seems to have helped with his not being that hostile towards me. His wife on the other hand... I really don't want to see that woman again, her very existence annoys me.

"Um, sure. Need me now or some other time?"

"Now, preferably. The bar isn't open yet, but will be soon."

They must keep weird hours since it's already pretty late. I look to my sister, Orion's going to be picking her up on his way to the brothel. From my house.

Orion is the lion she met there while a captive, becoming almost like siblings. He'd offered her his protection, which gives him several awesome points in my book.

"Go ahead, just drop me off at the house. Asher can stay with Maii and Bastion while Xavier goes with you."

Don't you just love how she assumes he'll watch them? So rude. I reach for him in my head, able to since he isn't that far away. Haven't tried it over long distances yet, so I'm not sure if that'll work.

I've been told by Ava that Weres and Shifters have the same telepathy while in animal form, however, they can use it over long distances while Weres can only do so when near the one they're communicating with. Once I establish a link with someone, I can communicate with them while in any form. Just don't know about distances. Let's hear it for being freaky.

The connection is almost instant as I slip into his head, letting him know Alarico wishes to speak to me. Right away he agrees to watch the boys. I'm guessing they knew each other well before Asher's curse since that's how I learned his name to begin with.

"Wait, that won't work. Remember how much fun it was getting everyone here in my jeep? Ava? Can they stay with you for a bit? They're relatively well behaved."

I smile, knowing damn well they are, even when Lily is all bouncy and hyper they keep level heads.

"Of course, Orion can pick her up here as well if needed."

Shaking my head, I scowl at myself.

"I, uh, haven't gotten a way to contact him. Dude has puppy-piled with us in my basement yet I don't have his number."

Sighing, she laughs at me, still on the phone with a leader of a Werewolf group. If he don't like it he can kiss my ass.

"I'll take her home with our clothes, then when finished at the bar I can come get everyone and actually have room for them."

They both nod while I listen to the bustle going on at the other end of the line. Alarico owns and runs a bar in Downtown Rockford called Howler's Bane Bar & Grill. Don't know just how large his Pack is, but I'm guessing many of them work there as well.

"Alright. Give me half an hour and I'll be there."

He must be near the kitchen, can hear pots banging.

"See you then."

Click.

Well damn. Taking my phone from my ear, I just look at it.

"Needs to talk to me but can't even end a conversation with 'goodbye'. This is going to be very entertaining."

Faline glares at me as I smile innocently. I was never one for fighting before I became a Werewolf. Had lots of attitude, but would never come to actual blows. Since then, however, I'm almost always spoiling for a good throw-down.

I need a boxing buddy.

"Try not to start any problems? I won't be around to clean up after you."

I scoff as I finish getting dressed. Going over all the things that need to be done in my head, the list keeps getting longer and longer as the days go by.

"Should probably be more worried about Xavier, he fought with them too. Would have been 'punished' if I hadn't threatened the Alpha."

Both women gape at me, I shrug and grin. Might not want to mention how I almost split his wife's, who is a self-proclaimed Alpha, tongue by shoving a knife under her chin. I was having a really bad day.

Heading out into the front room, I let everyone else know what's going on. Lily is finally back in human form. She'd been having troubles the past week or so of only being able to stay humanoid for very short amounts of time.

She's all smiles at me, has been since I almost died. Not sure what's in her head. Child minds are so much crazier than adults.

I can make a psychic connection with an adult supernatural relatively easy as most of the time thoughts are focused or dwelling on something specific. A link with a child, on the other hand, is like watching Junebugs on crack on the fourth of July. Some are worse than others though.

Lily, for example, has the Junebugs, Maii's is more laid back but still skittish. My connection with Bastion is on and off. Sometimes I can connect while I'm human, other times I can't. Always able to when in animal form though.

His are skittish as well but more focused like an adult. With the coyote, it's all emotion, color, and images. No words. Like he literally doesn't talk even in his own head, as if even in his head he's mute. Not even Ava understands it, so it may be magic-based.

Gathering up all the laundry that pretty much fills up the back seat, Faline, Xavier, and the papers that I have to go over for the boys to get into the Shifter school, then we're off. Getting here was really fun, as most had to be animals just to fit. With Maii being the smallest, he was curled up on my lap, Xavier sat in human form in the passenger seat with Faline on his lap, and Bastion got the backseat with all the laundry and Asher under his feet on the floorboards.

Suffice to say, everyone was glad when we got to Ava's. The crowdedness wasn't so much the problem as all the body heat building up. It's been snowing on and off the past few days, and it's only November, but even with the windows opened, it was quite warm. Didn't want them all the way down since one of us is still straight human and prone to freeze.

The papers had been handed over almost as soon as we got there with a wide smiling Ava. She's the type of person who loves getting others gifts, and that was one for both boys. I still have to fill them out with as much information that I know about each of them, but they have been accepted. Still waiting on their other papers, the ones claiming they're alive with social security numbers, and copies of birth certificates, as well as the forged adoption papers for them both in my name.

Eternally twenty-six with two kids. Not sure how that happened when I really dislike children. Aside from Lily to begin with of course. Would appear becoming an animal has made me all soft and maternal.

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very scary thought.