by Eve Langlais
He shook his head.
“Then let’s go.”
Chase’s idea of lessons involved making him shift, muttering, “Holy shit, you’re huge,” and then turning into a grizzly. Which also gave him some size. Chase then spent the afternoon knocking his ass down on a mat over and over again. Enough times that it hurt. But by the time suppertime rolled around, Jakob had managed to pin Chase once.
Then they broke for dinner, a raucous affair in a massive cafeteria with dozens coming and going. Miranda actually sat for a second to eat an astonishing amount of food.
Looking around, Jakob took in the many faces, but one in particular was missing.
“Where’s Maze?” he asked Tom, who sat across him.
“Downstairs in the lab.” The man pointed.
“Oh.” He shouldn’t have been surprised she’d gone off to do her own thing.
Bummed, he grabbed some of the fresh bamboo they’d provided on a side plate and discovered honey truly was delicious on bamboo and everything else it was drizzled on.
After dinner, he took a jar of honey and a bag of bamboo to his room and proceeded to eat it, wondering what he could do to win Maze over.
11
Maisy left her room minutes after dropping her bag, spending only a quick moment splashing her face to wipe away the travel fatigue. She pulled the samples she’d smuggled into the country from out of the makeup case she’d stored them in. Would they find any answers in the blood? With the help of the most up-to-date equipment and some of the sharpest minds, she hoped to soon find out.
The case with its vials was tucked into a satchel, and with only a slightly longing look at the bed and those comfy-looking pillows, she left. In the hall, she glanced at Jakob’s door but didn’t knock. What purpose would it serve? He was here for one thing. She had come for another.
It was best this way.
Needing to stretch her legs, she headed to the main building on foot, making note of the interesting sections in the Academy, like the alchemy lab and the kitchens. Something for everyone, including a golf course with some wicked sand traps. The handbook had a warning about not playing in them. Apparently, they had a sandworm who tunneled through the sand leaving weak spots that could swallow a person whole.
The man-made lake she passed was beautiful. According to what she’d learned, it provided its own ecosystem. The bottom was lined with buildings built ahead of time inside a massive pit before being flooded. It wasn’t just the fish shifters that went to that part of the school. A few dolphin shifters, freshwater lobster shifters, and even a trio of selkies attended the aquatic classes.
Glancing overhead, she noticed there was a cloud that seemed to more or less hover over the campus. Shapes sometimes darted from the fluffy cumulus. A campus in the sky with lots of flying creatures?
Yummy.
Birds and dangly bits were weaknesses. Although, she’d learned her lesson when it came to running with loose string because it usually ended in tragedy for the unravelling sweater.
The main building, WANC, projected into the sky. It had nice girth, a solid presence pulsing with life. A constant flow of students ebbed in and out.
All the people she passed gave her a nod or a smile. Dude with the shades on was a raccoon, the girl in pigtails an actual pig, the lanky one with the longish, dirty-blond hair barely more than a colt.
Given Maisy’s age in her thirties, they probably assumed she was staff. Once inside, she found herself trying to remember where to go. She’d only visited briefly once before. The Academy had reached out to her after the incident with a hybrid chameleon named Joey. She’d not been able to do much; however, the Academy had still called upon her a few times after for help and most recently had headhunted her.
They wanted her to work for them.
Surrounded for a second time by the vibrant energy on the campus, she would admit to being tempted. The vitality in the place was off the charts, but it was what hid below the earth that made her scientist heart beat faster.
The elevator had regular buttons for the top floors. She placed her hand on the spot above the keypad, the wood grain seamless from the rest. The doors closed, and the wall outlined the contour of her fingers in light.
“Floor number?” a soft voice queried.
“The labs, please.”
The elevator didn’t jolt as it slid down. The ride was smooth except for the weightless sensation in her stomach.
Whoosh. The doors slid open on an empty room with a closed door. She stepped in and waited. Whir. The elevator left, and grills opened in the walls. The same voice of the elevator said, “Strip and place your clothing and belongings in the bin.”
A drawer slid out of the wall. She pulled out the case of samples and placed it atop the pile she put inside.
Whir, click. The drawer disappeared, and she stood naked and waiting.
Despite knowing what would happen, she still grimaced as a powdery substance emerged from the walls, followed by a brisk blowing, which began cold and then got hot. Almost too hot to handle. Decontamination level one.
Only once the wind died down, and her hair sported more wisps than she could quickly fix, did the door click and open. On to the next layer of protection. There were three decontamination protocols in total before she could enter the lab proper wearing her clothes, which had gone through their own detoxing. It might seem like overkill. After all cryptids were resistant to disease.
But the things they studied could be fragile. Accurate results required clean environments. The labs were partitioned with glass, the giant windows enclosing each section, sealing them hermetically against contamination or a dangerous leak.
This was where they studied potential biological hazards and tried to understand what Mastermind’s potion had done. How had she changed her subjects? Could it be reversed? Could aspects of it be used for good?
They already knew its potential for evil. Mastermind had paved the way when it came to depravity with her experiments. But it didn’t end when she died. Next came Kole, in cahoots with the ex-Mrs. Jones. What possessed them to devise a way to change humans and develop the scent thing, where they couldn’t tell shifter from non-shifter anymore? Even she, with her weak sense of smell, never realized how much she still relied on it.
What else did the devious Mrs. Jones plan to do? Could she get any more depraved than changing her own son into something else? Poor Jakob. Maisy couldn’t imagine not being her panther. What if she’d been the one caught and turned into something horrid like a chipmunk? From predator to prey… She didn’t want to become anyone’s squeaky toy.
“You must be Maisy Williams.” A man with an impressive head of blond hair emerged from a lab with a bright white smile. “At last we meet in person. I’m Dr. Nolan Manners.”
She took the hand he offered and shook it. “Thanks for letting me bring the samples.” She waggled the box. A good thing she’d thought to grab blood and tissue from the four thugs who attacked. Pity she couldn’t get any from the passengers on the plane.
“I have to admit to being intrigued. A shifter with no scent. It seems impossible.”
“It’s not natural,” she agreed. “You’ll get to experience it, though, if you take a moment to meet with Jakob.”
“Ah yes, the Jones fellow who is now a panda instead of a kangaroo. Truly remarkable. Good job bringing him here for study. We’ll give him today to settle in before we start tests.” Nolan rubbed his hands, clearly enthusiastic about the idea.
Maisy balked. “I didn’t bring Jakob here for you to poke him like a lab rat. I suggested the Academy because he needs help figuring out his panda side.”
“And he’ll receive all the aid he requires, but you can’t deny he provides us with the perfect opportunity to study what his mother did.”
The fact that Nolan made sense didn’t alleviate her sudden guilt. She’d not thought about the fact he’d be a test subject. “I’m not sure he’ll agree.”
“If he’s not kee
n, then perhaps we can convince him because the more we learn, the better equipped we’ll be to deal with the victims of Mrs. Jones’s experiments.”
“Can we stop calling her Mrs. Jones?” That woman had stopped being a mother and wife the day she stepped out on her family to start a career as an evil mad doctor scientist.
“Technically, she never did divorce.”
“She was declared dead. I’d say that’s enough,” Maisy pointed out.
“We can refer to her as per her casefile name, Mother Q.”
“Do we know where she is?” she asked, following Nolan into one of the sterile rooms. She set the case down beside a centrifuge, a machine to separate the components in blood.
“Not currently. A tip FUC followed turned out to be gas.”
“Jakob said his family was planning to raid her compound the last time they spoke.”
“They did. It was a joint operation with FUC that unfortunately failed. She slipped away before we infiltrated.”
“That woman is more slippery than an intestine,” she grumbled.
“And has a lot to answer for. Hopefully she’ll cooperate with the doctors when we find her. Some of the things she’s managed to accomplish are incredible.”
“That almost sounds admiring,” she accused.
“The woman accomplished the impossible.”
“I’ll tell you what, Jakob doesn’t think his mother’s meddling is incredible.”
That stifled Nolan’s eager expression. “I didn’t mean to make light of his situation. It is a horrifying thing to have one’s intimate self replaced with another. I would never condone that, but the work his mother has done growing limbs, wings… Imagine if we could provide that level of healing to everyone.”
All good things started out with the best of intentions. “It’s playing God.”
“Or it’s evolution.”
“Evolution is supposed to happen on its own.”
“And it is. Mankind has gone from a primitive living in the dirt to sophisticated enough to create tools to build things. Medicine isn’t really any different. It’s evolved with us.”
“Mastermind’s and Mother Q’s research comes at the expense of others.”
“Which is why we should try and at least see if some of it can be used for good.”
“Good?” She snorted. “How can it be good to know how to change someone from a kangaroo to a bear?”
“Actually, in the case of those dealing with identity issues, it might be a cure. Look at Mastermind. She only ever wanted to be a different animal.”
“Jakob doesn’t though.”
“And that is unfortunate. Perhaps, once he’s gotten used to his new shape, he’ll appreciate it. Pandas are rare and valued. Did you know they are the only kind of shifter allowed to counsel the emperor?”
“Do you really think Jakob is advisor material?” He’d probably start a world war just to play with toys that went boom.
“No, but if we figure out how it was done, perhaps we can change him again. Change all those that never felt right in their skin. As if they were meant to be someone else.”
“Humans, too?” she asked.
“That decision wouldn’t be up to me.”
“But you don’t think it’s a bad idea,” she blurted out in a moment of perception.
“Right now, there are many more of them than us. We could even those odds.”
“By changing them into shifters? How does that make us any better than the Masterminds of this world?”
“I made a vow to save lives, meaning if we don’t act and the humans turn against us, how many will die?” Nolan spread his hands. “Too many.”
“Why does everyone assume mass extinction? We’ve been coexisting forever. Nothing has to change.” She said it and yet wondered if she truly believed it. They lived in polarized times where social media exacerbated issues.
“What if you’re wrong? Shouldn’t we have a backup plan in place so we don’t end up in cages, or worse?”
She eyed the vials of blood. She could get rid of them. It wouldn’t be hard to crush them under her foot.
But she’d brought them for a reason. Answers. Could she predict what would happen if they unraveled the truth? No. Would she let the fear of the unknown stop her?
“Let’s get started.”
They didn’t make any epic discoveries over the next few hours as they partitioned the samples out and set them up for various tests. Given the hour grew late, she returned to the guesthouse ready for some sleep while the machines ran their course. She held the rail as she trudged up the stairs to her room. She ran into Jakob on her way. And by running into him, she meant she knocked on his door until he answered, bleary eyed and shirtless.
“Maze? Everything okay?”
“No.” She pushed past him and entered his room to pace. “I don’t know if bringing you here was a good idea.”
“Actually, it was a great one. I’m already doing much better.” Said by a man with two black eyes. Given how green they looked, they must have been doozies to have not healed already.
“You don’t understand. They want to use you for tests. See how your mom changed you.”
“Awesome.”
“No, it’s not awesome.”
He frowned. “Don’t you want me to get fixed?”
“Of course I do. It’s just…” She huffed out a hard breath. “What if that information falls into the wrong hands? What if someone figures out what was done to you and starts changing folks?”
“Most people aren’t like my mother.”
“Most. Not all. There are some who would sell that knowledge to someone unscrupulous.”
“Yep, there are some who would.”
“What if it’s better we don’t find out?”
“What if. What if. It’s a game that can go on forever. I should know. I used to play that game a lot. Still do. Like what if I’d fought harder to win you back?”
“What if you’d chosen me and never left at all?” At his expression, she immediately felt contrite.
“You know I did that for my family.”
“I thought I was your family.”
“I will say it again, I was stupid. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Why do you care if I do?” she asked, noting the intensity of his expression.
“Because how else can I get another chance?”
“To what?”
“What do you think, Maze? I never stopped loving you.”
He’d said it. First. Out loud. And her heart raced in reply. “Things have changed. I’m not the same person I was.”
“Me either. Which is why I’m hoping you’ll give me a second go. I promise, things will be different.”
She shook her head. “It’s not just me I have to think about. There’s Peach, too.”
“Give me a chance to prove myself. Please.”
She eyed him, uncertain. Had he been cocky, she might have had a different reply. But the vulnerability in his tone made the decision for her.
She grabbed him by the cheeks and kissed him. Pressed her mouth hard against his and felt him stiffen. He froze as if unsure how to act.
So she told him, “This is where you kiss me back.”
“Maze.” Her name was but a rumble, and it made her shiver down to her toes.
Drawn into his room, with the door shut, they did an awkward shuffle walk toward the bed, made more difficult because she latched onto his neck, sucking the slightly bristly skin, loving the lingering soapy flavor and inhaling his scent. She nibbled at the flesh, and he stumbled. Kind of gratifying to know she had that effect on him.
She pulled away far enough that she could shove him. His legs hit the bed, and he fell over. She pounced and crawled up his body, blowing against his naked torso, chuckling as he clenched the comforter rather than manhandle her like he obviously desired.
She crawled high enough that she could reach his lips, dipping to plaster her mouth over his, the passion of their embrace
stealing her breath. But she didn’t need words for him to grasp her impatience.
His hands pulled at her top, and she helped him to remove it, delighting in the feel of his fingers over the skin of her back. Her breasts, still clad in her bra, brushed against his bare chest. Her nipples hardened behind the fabric.
She lifted herself far enough that she could dangle them as an offering for his mouth. He latched on, his mouth tugging and sucking at the erect tip, soaking the cup of her bra, making her shiver and quiver between her legs.
With a twist of her body, she swapped breasts and moaned as he treated the other side to the same attention, each sharp tug a zing to her pussy.
She ground against him, delighting in the hardness of his erection against her sex. She leaned up and braced her hands on his defined chest. She ran her fingers over the flesh of his torso, tracing the muscles under the layer of softness, noticing they had thickened since the last time she touched him.
He sucked in a breath as her hands slid over the ripples of his abs. She dragged her nails down his sensitive underbelly, following the ridge that disappeared into his trackpants.
There were too many layers separating them. She tugged his pants down over his hips, wiggling backwards as she maneuvered them out of the way.
He wore no underwear. His cock sprang to attention the moment she freed it. She eyed that long shaft as she finished denuding him then made him wait a moment longer as she stripped the rest of her clothes, too.
Standing at the foot of the bed, she licked her lips.
“Waiting for something?” he asked in a low voice.
“Debating actually. Do I suck you and then ride you? Or do I make you lick me and then ride you? Or do I just ride you?”
He moaned, and his cock twitched.
She grinned. Nice having all the power, which was why she knelt between his legs and grabbed hold of his velvety shaft. The heat of the flesh just about scorched as she wrapped her fingers around him. It pulsed at her touch, a long, living thing capable of such pleasure.
She squeezed her thighs as the anticipation made her quiver.
She blew lightly on him, and his cock jerked. Actually, his whole body shook. She cast him a sloe-eyed peek and was gratified to see him staring at her, his eyes smoldering with passion. Holding his gaze, she stuck her tongue out and lapped at his full head, the salty pearl at the tip the right place to start her licking. She swirled her tongue down the length of him, along the ridge. He moaned as she lapped at him. He fisted the comforter as she inhaled him into her mouth and sucked.