Page 33 of Snowed In with an Incubus

“Cozy,” Oliver said, giving Sam a look that was far too amused for Sam’s liking. “You guys seem like fast friends.”

“Which is good,” Reg said, too loud. “He needs more friends.”

Sam glared even harder.

“Just saying,” Reg said.

“Good to see you let loose. Soon you’ll be—” Oliver stopped, staring.

“Be what?” Sam asked, voice full of steel. He knew how that sentence ended: Soon you’ll be walking around with your horns out. It was a saying Sam had heard a lot since moving to Claw Haven, and Sam hated it. It made him feel like an idiot. Like hewasn’t monster enough for the monsters, and not human enough for the humans.

“I don’t see you with your fangs out,” Sam added.

Oliver nudged Reg. Reg looked over, then startled when he saw Sam.

“What?”

Oliver shook his head, his smugness from earlier gone. “Nothing.”

“Nothing,” Reg echoed. His gaze flickered pointedly up to Sam’s forehead.

Sam went cold. He could feel it now—twin spots sprouting from his forehead. Not horns, yet—just nubs. His shoulder bladesitched, his tailbone twitched under his skin.

I’m not hungry, he told himself desperately. It was true, he wasn’t. But Jaz’s scent was so tantalizing where she was pressed against him.She was so warm, and he wanted her warmer. Wanted her red hot. Wanted her sweaty and writhing.

“Right,” Oliver said as Sam tried to keep himself under control. He cleared his throat, looking deeply uncomfortable beforehe continued, “Look, you know I had some trouble shifting when I moved to Claw Haven.”

Sam didn’t respond. He only knew about Oliver’s struggles from the gossip grapevine, which meant he didn’t know details. Justthat Oliver had lost his ability to shift after the mess that brought his family to Claw Haven, and that Oliver only got theability back after he got together with Luna.

Oliver cleared his throat. “Anyway, since all of … that, I’ve been trying to shift more often. Be one with the wolf, orwhatever. But I don’t shift all the way at parties. This is as far as I get.”

Jaz gasped as fur sprouted out of Oliver’s cheeks, the start of a muzzle bulging out of his face. He grew a foot taller, eyesflickering gold before going back to their usual brown. Sam looked around, but nobody was freaking out over a werewolf almostshifting in the middle of the party. And why would they? This was Claw Haven, after all.

“Hard to drink without opposable thumbs,” Oliver continued, taking another sip of light beer that wouldn’t get him drunk unlesshe stuffed a bunch of wolfsbane into it. “If you’ll excuse me, that’s my socializing done for the night. I’m going to go findmy wife. Good to meet you, Jaz.”

“You too,” Jaz said weakly. She was grinning. “Sam, that was so—”

She stopped. Sam had twisted away, pretending to examine the wallpaper. He should’ve picked a corner with more to stare at,but he panicked.

Reg cleared his throat. “I’m going to go get another beer. Unless you want me to—”

“Go,” Sam snapped.

“Right,” Reg muttered. “Uh, shout if you need me.”

Sam made a tight noise between his teeth. Jaz’s smell was everywhere. He closed his eyes, pushing every inch of strength into reining himself in. His horns melted back into his forehead. Histailbone stilled. His wings stopped fidgeting under his skin.

He barely had time to let out a sigh of relief when Jaz touched his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

Sam turned. For a second he panicked that he didn’t do it right, that there was still the hint of dark bone poking out fromhis forehead. But her worry didn’t get any bigger as she stared at him, hands hovering in front of her like she wanted totouch him but wasn’t sure if she was allowed.

He hesitated. Then he stepped close, sliding his hands over her hips.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just having a moment.”

She nodded. That sunny smile crept slowly back, the one he’d first glimpsed after he showed her the tattoo sketch.