"Oh!" Aoife came to a startled stop, looked back at the enclosure, and laughed. "Oh my God. Is that why shifters stay here? Because it's cheaper than a hotel?"
"It's definitelyareason," Elliott agreed. "But also it's fun to be able to hang out in your shifter form in public for a while. We're pretty secretive about it all, you know? It's nice to stretch your legs. And it's a good way to bring attention to parks like this. Unusual animals in for a little while."
"It's been sending me spare," Aoife said darkly. "I've worked here almost four years and…well, now I understand how the elephant got here. Elephants are really hard to move! It didn’t make anysense! But look, but do they feed you? We don't have a lot of spare budget or I wouldn't even be talking to people like that Collins woman."
"I could eat," Elliott admitted. "It's a lot easier to take myself out for Chinese as a human than ask a zoo to provide me with a giant hunk of meat. Also tidier. But wait, whathappenedwith Ms. Collins?"
"Chinese it is, then. She and Molly left," Aoife said with a helpless shrug. "I have no idea what to make of any of it, and I'll have to explain myself to Dr. Kelly, butlord, what pieces ofwork those two were. I've no regrets. So," she said, changing the subject as she pulled him back into a walk, "we'll have to take the train back into Cork. I mean, we'd have to anyway, unless you can also sprout wings and fly. The train's the only way into town from the back side of the park. I don't drive."
"I do, but everybody does in Iowa."
"I…" Aoife hesitated. "Have no idea where Iowa is. Except, presumably, in the States."
Elliott laughed. "Yeah. Midwest. Do you know where Chicago is?"
Aoife wobbled her hand. Elliott grinned. "Right. Well, it's the next state west of there."
"Chicago," Aoife said cautiously, "isn't a state."
"True, but I kind of figured if I said Illinois that wouldn't mean anything to you either."
"You are very right about that. Oh, come on, we've got to hurry if we're going to make the train." They ran for it, Elliott outpacing Aoife so easily he wondered if he should stop and pick her up. He slowed and Aoife yelled, "No, no, go, go, get your ticket, I'll be there!"
He ran ahead, but took enough time trying to figure out the ticket machine that Aoife caught up just as the train arrived. She bounced in its doorway, holding it open while a conductor leaned out the window and glared at her. Elliott finally managed to get the ticket and threw himself into the train, laughing, as it pulled away toward a stretch of water that glimmered darkly in the fading light. Aoife, breathless with laughter herself, said, "I thought you were going to have to pick me up and throw me into the train ahead of you, you're so fast."
"I did wonder if I should pick you up like a football and carry you."
Aoife's expression exploded into outrage that immediately dissolved into laughter again. "Oh, no, the awful thing is thatprobably would have been faster. Oh, my dignity. Being little is impossible. I can't see over anybody's head and I can only reach the third shelf in the grocery stores."
"You'd have to be an actual leprechaun to only reach the third shelf," Elliott objected.
Aoife tipped an imaginary top hat and took a puff on an equally imaginary pipe. "Top a'tha marnin' to ye, laddie! Seriously," she added, much more serious and in another whiplash topic change, "thanks for your help today. It was dumb running all the way into the enclosure like that, but that jump washot."
A swell of hope rushed through Elliott. He tried to ignore other swelling, and cleared his throat. "It probably was dumb, but I'm glad it turned out all right. Look, Aoife, there's something I feel like I should tell you sooner rather than later, and it's going to sound like, I don't know, like a lot."
She scooted closer, lifting her lips to just beneath his ear, so they touched his lobe when she murmured, "'A lot' beingmorethan 'I turn into a lion'?"
She smelled so good. Outdoorsy, mostly, but also like some slightly floral-scented something, perfume or deodorant, and just like warm human girl underneath that. Elliott wanted to bury his face in her shoulder and justbreathefor a while.
Instead he tried to scrape a few brain cells together. "Possibly, yeah?"
"Umph." Aoife sat back again, studying him. "Okay. Is this a discuss-it-on-the-train thing, or do we need more privacy?"
"Probably more privacy," Elliott admitted.
Aoife offered what could only be considered a leer, which made not only various parts of Elliott sit up and take notice, it also made his lion sit up and take notice.She wants to mate! We should mate immediately!
Not on the train, man! We'd get in so much trouble!
The lion gave a great irritated snort at human delicacy in such matters, and lay down sullenly while Aoife asked, "Howmuchmore privacy?"
Elliott, feeling like he was missing an opportunity, but also feeling very, very hungry, said, "Probably a private booth at a restaurant would be enough?"
Aoife threw her head back and laughed out loud, gaining attention from other commuters on the train and obviously not minding one bit at all. "Oh, you're a sound lad, aren't you? I like you, Elliott Harkness. You're grand altogether. I'm starving of the hunger myself. C'mon, then. It's only a few more minutes to Cork, and we can walk down to the restaurant and you can tell me all your secrets."
CHAPTER 11
Kent Station in Cork was at the top of a hill that managed to offer a lousy view of the city even during daylight hours. In the evening dusk, it was even less exciting, but the walk into city centre wasn't a long one, especially if Aoife took Elliott through the slightly dodgy alley shortcut. It spat them out just above the River Lee on the quays, a word that Elliott said "kways," much to Aoife's delight.
