"I'd be offended if you didn't," I said.
Frederick smiled. The power he held was coiling around me. I really caught feelings for this scholarly city human. The urge for a future with him sent an electric spark through me.
But humans were fickle. He still didn't even know I was a shifter. What would his reaction be to finding out the truth?
As a scientist, Frederick was prone to distrust. What would he think when a real, flesh-and-blood jackalope crossed his path? Would he think it was a trick of the light? That I'd spiked his drink? That he was plain old crazy?
Breathe, Jake. You know he's the one. Have some trust in your fated mate.
I had an idea. I glanced to where he sat, rocking beside me, a contented expression splashed across his face. Despite complaining about the amount of sugar in his drink, his glass was empty. He clearly liked it.
“Still thirsty?” I asked.
Frederick lolled his head lazily in my direction. “Hmm?”
His grin was haphazard, unbothered. I could tell he loved it here. It tugged at my heartstrings.
“You want another?” I pointed to his empty glass.
“Sure. Maybe with a pinch less sugar this time?”
I chuckled. "Fine, city boy."
“Thank you for recognizing my sweet tea incompetence.”
“I aim to please.”
I collected the empty glasses, told him I’d be back in a jiffy, and walked inside the house, closing the front door behind me.
My heart pounded. This was it. Frederick was about to see me as a jackalope.
I walked to the kitchen so Frederick wouldn't notice the change in the heaviness of my footsteps, then exited through the back porch door. Once in the open air, I let the shift come over me. It happened in a soberingpop. My brawny cowboy musculature disappeared, all sucked into the small form of a jackrabbit with antlers. My hat floated to the ground.
I glanced at my reflection in one of the side windows. My tawny fur was short, suited to the heat, and my long legs were powerfully built for the desert terrain. Of course, my most iconic features were my huge ears like long satellites and the two proud antlers jutting out between them.
I was proud of who I was. I just hoped that Frederick would be accepting.
With my heart galloping and my paws leaving indentations in the sand on the side of my property, I strolled around to the side of the front porch. I maintained a cautious distance. I wanted a reaction, but I didn’t want to startle him either. For all Frederick knew, his cowboy was inside retrieving more sweet tea. Meanwhile I played it up, acting like a random wild animal stumbling onto the property.
My movements captured his attention quickly. Jackrabbits aren't small, and it helped that I had antlers like neon lights that screamed, "Hey, look at me!"
Frederick bolted from the rocking chair as if a fire had been lit underneath him. His eyes bulged and his mouth hung open in shock. He looked so alarmed that I had a crushing feeling that he might completely freak out and run back inside.
“What the...?” he exclaimed.
I stayed still except for the deliberate twitch of my whiskers and the thumping of my heart. What would he do?
To my surprise, Frederick took a slow step off the porch. He moved cautiously, as if afraid to startle me, and approached with wide-eyed awe.
"Okay, Frederick," he mumbled to himself. "Relax. It's just a rabbit with Shope papilloma virus..."
If I was in human form, I would've scoffed. That was the typical scientific explanation to a jackalope sighting. But I was no infected rabbit. My antlers were the real deal.
But despite Frederick's initial assumption, he carried on his investigation. He inspected me, his eyes patrolling me from top to bottom. He blinked, rubbing his eyes as if he fully expected me to disappear after that. When I didn’t, he stretched his neck out and tilted it to the side, observing me as if I were an enigma.
“I haven’t hadthatmuch to drink,” he said to himself. “And I’m not thatmuch of a lightweight..."
With precise movements, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his cell phone. I watched as he swiped to the camera and began taking pictures of me as I pretended to graze in the dry patch of grass.
