“Maybe that’s how mythical shifters come about,” Poppy said thoughtfully. “Maybe shifters having kids with other magical beings just ends up…enhancingthem, I guess. And then they become their own thing over time.”
The manticore seemed to be struggling between wanting to be seen as anything other than some fantastical creature that sprang fully-formed from the heavens, and being pleased at being seen asenhanced. Max, on the other hand, was just glad about how well Poppy was taking all of this. He would have to thank Margot later for doing a lot of the work around explaining what shifters and mates were, even if she really probably shouldn’t have done it.
“Maybe so,” said Max with a sigh, poking at the sharp-dressed fae that was still out cold on the ground. His breathing was noisy enough that Max knew he was still alive, and he knew that fae were tough enough that his condition was stable for now, even with the pretty impressive stab wound that Poppy had given him. They were going to have to do something with him pretty soon, though. If only Max had any idea what thatsomethingwas.
He winced as he stared at the fae’s unconscious face. Was he really half… halfthat? Fae had a pretty awful reputation all around. On the one hand, finding out his father was fae seemed to explain a lot about how he’d just left Max and his mom here to fend for themselves… but on the other hand, it also seemed like he’d done it for a good reason. If this guy had been telling the truth, anyway.
“Hey.” Poppy’s voice cut through his musings. “Don’t even think about what that guy said. He’s just some dick. There areplenty of asshole humans out there, but that doesn’t makemean asshole, does it?”
Max opened his mouth to protest that this was different, but Poppy caught his lips between her fingers.
“Does it?” she asked firmly, and Max shook his head.
“Good,” she said, releasing his mouth, and her tone clearly indicated that she considered the matter closed.
She is feisty,the manticore murmured approvingly.
Max had to say that he approved, too. He knew that he had a tendency to get caught up in his thoughts – having someone who wouldn’t put up with too much moping could only be a good thing.
“You know what I want right now?” Poppy went on, and honestly, Max couldn’t even begin to guess.
“What?”
“Sugar,” Poppy said, and her grin glowed bright in the light of the cellphone. She started rummaging around in her purse, cursing as she dug through its apparently infinite contents, before holding up her prize triumphantly.
“I’ve been lugging around these macarons forever, waiting for the right moment,” she went on. “I do believe that that moment is now.”
It seemed almost ridiculous, but Max found that he couldn’t help but agree. It had been an absolutely insane day, and suddenly nothing in the world sounded better.
Poppy’s smile turned impish. “Or are these macarons not refined enough for the renowned Aubrey Z.? Perhaps I should just eat them myself.”
Max groaned. “Are you going to let me live that down?”
Poppy popped a macaron into her mouth. “Probably not.”
Max was tempted to call her out for talking with her mouth full, but he knew full well that she held all the power in this particular situation. It would be a foolish man who tested her.
“Oh, wait,” she said, searching in her purse once more until she’d pulled out a pen. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t figure out your secret identity.”
Leaning forward, she reached out with the pen, and Max closed his eyes with a sigh as he felt its tip touching his face. He deserved this.
“There,” she said with obvious satisfaction, and Max opened his eyes again. “You’re much more recognizable with your pencil mustache, Aubrey.”
“Very funny.” He fought the urge to scrub it off. If it made Poppy smile, then he was happy to look a bit silly. Really, shehadtaken it all remarkably well.
And there were certainly much worse things she could’ve drawn on his face. He was willing to deal with a mustache.
Poppy sat back on her heels with a grin. “I do understand why you lied about it, despite everything. You can’t tell a person you’ve just met your secret identity, after all. I’ve read Superman comics.” Her smile turned thoughtful. “Just how did you manage to keep it a secret, anyway? I wasn’t joking when I said that you’re pretty memorable.”
How to go about saying that he could mess with people’s minds? It was pretty off-putting – in some ways, more off-putting than being able to turn into a giant beast.
I heard that,muttered the manticore.
But she deserved to know the truth – and anyway, she’d already seen what his powers could do once they’d been fully unleashed.
“I’ve always had some minor powers,” he said truthfully. “Not so much mind control or memory wiping as… perception alteration, I guess you could call it. Make people forget they’d met me. Or, better yet, not really notice me in the first place. It made it easier to order whatever I wanted and then write aboutit, without having to worry about anyone remembering the guy with the highly specific order.”
“I see.” Poppy didn’t seem to be too concerned, and Max relaxed a little. “That must be handy, when you just want to be left alone.”
