Page 69 of The Spellreader and the Phoenix

Big brown eyes latched onto him, and the sound that came out of their mouth was definitely not human words. They cut off abruptly, jaw snapping shut over monster teeth. (Okay, not actual monster, that was probably prejudiced. Max just wasn’t used to being faced with actual bear teeth in an actual bear jaw attached to a living bear that could use them.)

Max tried again. “Okay, that was an asinine thing to say. I mean, I’m sure this is scary as fuck. I’ve never turned into an animal, but this is actually totally normal for shifters. Those are people who can change between an animal form and a human form. I get the feeling that before this moment, neither of us knew you could do that.”

Alex made a mournful sound that was still totally non-human.

Max continued, “Yeah, so, it’s like a super big secret that we can’t tell normal humans. Since you don’t know anything about it, I’m guessing your dad was a shifter and didn’t tell you or your mom. Which is kind of a shitty thing to do, but I don’t actually know anything about the situation, so I’m going to shut up about that for now. The important thing is that you’re here, and I know all about shifters, and—shit!” Max yanked out his phone. “I’m just going to call Rory. Rory is actually Red. The cardinal, you know? He’s a shifter, I mean.”

Alex made a weird sound that Max was… pretty sure was supposed to be a scoff.

Rory picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hey, Max, is—?”

“I need you back here now,” Max interrupted urgently. “In the basement. It’s an emergency.”

“On my way!”

Max was maybe a little bit in love with Rory for not even asking any questions.

Max eyed the bear, who had stopped panting in huge heaving breaths and had actually managed to sit up. They were still looking at their paws like they’d never seen them before—which, fair—but they didn’t look like they were going to go on a rampage.

There was the sound of thundering footsteps—Rory must have run the entire way—and then he appeared at the top of the stairs.

He took in the situation in an instant, clattering down the stairs and then advancing on Alex with the biggest smile on his face. “Oh, Alex, you’re magnificent.”

Alex made another growly rumble cry.

“You’re not human right now, that’s true,” Rory said, sounding entirely sympathetic. “I’m sure it’s been a very great shock.”

Alex made another one of those sounds that Max interpreted as a scoff.

Rory’s smile only got wider. “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. We can’t see shifters or witches until they come into their magic. It’s unfortunate in situations like yours, but it keeps little ones safe when they’re young and can’t protect themselves. But you found me and Max, so you’re not doing this on your own. We can explain everything, and we can talk to your mom. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Somehow, it sounded a lot more convincing when Rory said it. Alex seemed to think so, too, because some of the lines of tension seemed to fall out of the… bear. (It was going to take a while to get used to that.)

“Would it be alright if I touched you?” Rory asked. “You can totally say no. But I feel like you maybe need a hug.”

Another weird growl sound, but Alex’s head moved in a very visible nod. Rory leaned in and wrapped his arms as far around as they would go—not very far, because Alex was a bear.

“Come here,” Rory called.

It took Max a moment to realize Rory was talking to him, and then he hurried over, ignoring the part of his brain that was still trying to catch up to the fact that this wasn’t a bear, it was Alex.

A little bit gingerly, Max leaned into Alex and hugged them. They were solid, packed with fur and flesh and muscle. They were also warm and cozy, and this close, Max could feel the buzz of magic even more clearly, which soothed his instincts even more.

Yes, they were huge and had to be at least 400 pounds and could easily kill him, but they were also a shifter and Alex.

Rory was still talking in a soft, soothing voice, and he pulled back a bit so that he could look at Alex. He was gently stroking their fur. Max decided to do the same thing. Alex looked way calmer than they had when Max had found them thrashing in the basement.

“I know it seems like an unhelpful thing to say right now because you feel like you just transformed into a bear for the first time, but there’s always been a bear inside you.” Rory made a bit of a face. “Or maybe it’s better to say that there’s always been a possibility of a bear, just like even when you were a child, there was the possibility of an adult.”

Alex made another growling noise, and Rory let out something that was one hundred percent a giggle.

“Definitely don’t think of the bear like puberty.” Rory shook his head vehemently. “That’s all wrong.”

There was a totally weird sound coming out of Alex’s mouth which after a moment, Max realized was probably what a bear sounded like when it was trying to laugh. Huh. New, weird experiences all round today.

Rory tried again. “Your body is growing and maturing as you age, and your second body kind of does, too. Just… inside, where nobody can see it yet. There are all sorts of debates about whether it would be better for kids to shift right after they’re born or when they’re a few years old, but that’s not how shifters work in real life.” Rory smiled at Alex. “There are some great fantasy books out there that have their own version of shifters, and sometimes they have fabulous ideas. Gotta love everyone’s ingenuity. I’m sure some of them are actual shifters, but I think most of them are normal people who have a really great imagination.”

Alex let out a plaintive noise.