It wasn'tthe most nerve-wracking car ride Fen had ever taken. She’d gone on a number of supposedly educational road trips with her parents when she'd been a kid. But the drive to the Defenders office with Carter in the back seat trying not to have a panic attack and possibly turning into a monster was definitely up there.
She wished he’d at least sit in the front seat so she could comfort him more easily, but having seen his shift form, she understood why he wouldn't. Even so, if he did completely transform while they were driving, she had no idea how she could possibly explain some strange creature suddenly bulging out from the open roof of the convertible.
So she drove with one hand on the wheel and one around his. He gripped it like he’d fallen into a swamp and didn't know how to swim.
"You know, Carter, Eunice said you’d slowly turn into a monster," she said. "Slowly being the operative word. I don’t think you’ll suddenly have a complete transformation right now."
He didn’t seem to find that very comforting, and she couldn't blame him. Watching him in the rearview mirror, she saw his eyes turn an apocalyptic gray-orange as he said glumly, "Great. So today my eyes start changing color, and tomorrow, tentacles."
She squeezed his hand. "Hopefully it's tomorrow, nothing. Don't count the Defenders out."
"As a last resort, there's always Ransom. I hate to ask it of him because using his powers can be really rough on him, but if all else fails, he might be able to figure something out." His eyes went from that eerie gray-orange to an attractive, piercing light blue.
"What emotion is Cillian Murphy?" Fen asked.
Carter chuckled wryly. "Hope."
A little green faded into the blue as he said, "All else aside, I did want to bring you to the office. I was even going to ask if you wanted to come today. Everyone will be there. You haven't met all the Defenders yet. There's Tirzah, Pete's fiancée. She's a genius hacker, and she takes care of their computers and internet research. And Dali, Merlin’s mate, is the office manager."
Fen wondered what he meant by mate. Was Dali Australian?
Before she had a chance to ask, he added, "It's too bad we had to leave Precious and Sugar to go to the press conference. I was looking forward to introducing them to everyone else's pets. Sort of. Sometimes they don’t get along at first."
"Oh, right, they have magical pets too!" Fen had totally forgotten about that.
“Forgetful Fenella.”
“Fenella would forget her head if it wasn’t tied on.”
I’ve had a lot on my mind,she told her imaginary parents.Having the love of your life in the back seat worrying that he’ll turn into a monster at any second could distract anyone.
"I can't wait to meet them,” she said. “Flying kittens! Teleporting puppies!"
"They’re flying cats by now." He frowned, his eyes flickering reddish brown. "There's also Merlin’s—oh, turn here, this is a shortcut."
Fen parked in an underground lot beneath the Defenders headquarters. She was glad they’d finally get to see looking properly dressed and professional, rather than at the end of her tether and drenched in swamp water, mud, and paint.
They took the elevator up to the office. Just before the doors opened, Carter muttered, "What color are my eyes now?"
"Purple. Just like Elizabeth Taylor." She squeezed his hand. "Nervous, huh?"
"Not exactly. If it’s the shade I'm thinking of, it's more like…"
The elevator doors opened. A living mop the size of a large dog but with bright blue fur leaped at Fen. She attempted to jerk backwards and collided with Carter. The blue mop plonked a pair of huge paws on her shoulders, and a giant pink tongue swiped across her face. She recoiled and banged the back of her head into Carter's chest.
"Ugh!" Fen exclaimed, vainly trying to fend off the blue creature. She regretted opening her mouth when she got a lick right across the lips.
The blue creature’s tongue was everywhere, licking off her carefully applied mascara, eyeshadow, eyebrow pencil, blush, foundation, and lipstick. When she finally managed to shove its paws off her shoulders, it banged itself hard into her legs, sneezed on her shoes, and collapsed in an ungainly heap halfway in the elevator and halfway in the lobby, blocking the elevator doors.
Fen stared down at the creature. It was something like a large dog and something like a small bear, extremely hairy, and extremely blue. A pair of absurdly tiny dragonfly wings grew from its back, buzzing madly and sending blue hairs everywhere. They floated in the air and stuck to her black platform pumps, her narrow black pants, her black silk blouse with its asymmetrical pattern of white Battenberg lace, her short black steampunk inspired jacket, and no doubt her black hair as well. When she glanced at Carter, she saw that he too was completely covered in bright blue fur.
"What is that thing?" Fen inquired.
"It's blue." Merlin, the cheerful blond Defender, was hurrying up to the elevator.
"I know it's blue," she said icily. So much for making a more dignified and less literally colorful second impression. "It's blue and it's all over. But what is it?"
"Every time," said Carter wearily, offering her a hand to step over the blue creature. "Every. Single. Time. Fen, remember how I had blue hairs on me when we were first kidnapped and you asked me if I had a blue cat?"
