THURSDAY MORNING, I realized a week had passed since I’d first shifted. Seven days since my life had changed forever. So much had happened since, it felt like longer. At the same time, it was hard to believe it had been an entire week. 

I was scheduled to see Karen in the afternoon for shielding practice, I needed it but I wasn’t looking forward to it. While shielding wasn’t difficult, it was exhausting to keep going over the same thing.

I knocked on the front door and waited; a moment later, Gabriel opened the door. 

“Hey, Karen said you’d be here soon. Come on in.” He stepped back, giving me room to move past him. “She said have a seat in the front room, and she’ll be here in just a moment.” 

“Are you joining us?” I asked as he closed the door and motioned me into the room.

“No, I won’t intrude on your lesson. I have some work in the back of the house, but if you need me, call out. I’ll hear you.”

“Thanks, I will,” I smiled. 

“I was wondering, would like to have dinner with me tonight?” he asked. 

I was silent for a second, “I’m going to say it bluntly, so please don’t be offended. With all the changes I’m dealing with, I don’t have time for a romantic relationship. If you’d like to go out as friends though, I’d be up for that.”

“I understand not wanting to get involved,” he said. “I’d like get to know you and help you adjust to our world. You want me to pick you up, or do you want to meet somewhere?”

“Why don’t you pick me up? Normally I wouldn’t give my address to just anyone, but Bill trusts you with Karen’s safety so I can trust you with mine.” I gave him my address and we set a time for him to pick me up before he disappeared into the back of the house.

Glancing around, I made sure I was alone before sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs angled toward the sofa. Last time, I’d found sitting alone helped me to focus. Every movement of another person on the sofa distracted me. Karen said as I became more comfortable focusing and shielding, it would be easier. I kicked off my sandals and folded my legs under me so my heels rested under my thighs. Settling in, I made myself comfortable before starting the focusing exercises we would start with. 

I’m not sure how long I’d been working when Karen came in, but I caught her scent before I heard her; the light scent that hinted of nutmeg was unique to Karen. 

“Sorry I’m late,” she came into the room. “Before we start today, do you have any questions? Not just about the shielding, but anything? What do you think of our Lysandros and Harmonia, and don’t be afraid to be honest, I’m asking for your feelings, your impressions?”

“I thought it went well. I really liked Alexis. I’m excited to learn whatever she can teach me. Hank… seemed okay, there’s something different about him, but I don’t know what.”

“He’s not from the area, Alexis met him while she was away at school. That might be part of what you’re sensing. He’s a bit more reserved than we’re used to.”

“Maybe. When I shook his hand I felt something, like a spark or a shock, if that makes sense.” 

She lifted her brows. “That’s interesting. I’ll have to see what I can find out. Are you ready for our lesson?”

“I think so.”

“Have you been practicing?”

“Yes, ma’am. At least twice a day. When I have a chance, I center myself. Then I picture my shields, I see them surrounding me like a giant bubble. I was doing it when you came in.”

“Good, continue with that, but let’s change it up a little today. I want you to center yourself and focus on your shields. I’ll give you a few minutes, then I’m going to test them. We’ll get an idea how strong you made them so far.”

“All right.” I settled in and focused on my shields, concentrating on making them impenetrable, thick and resilient. It seemed like ages before I felt the first blow. I was shaken as my shields rang and shook as if they were corporeal and someone had hit them with a hammer.  

“Wow,” Karen said. “That was… jarring.” 

“You’re telling me. That wasn’t good.” I shook my head and tried to get the ringing in my ears to stop. 

“Not good, but not bad either,” she said. “It’s a common error, almost everyone starts out forming their shields as solid. Though most people’s shatter when I hit them like that. Yours are strong.”

“If they’re not supposed to be solid, what are they supposed to be? How will they stop anything if they’re not solid?”

“Maybe solid isn’t the best word, think more…” she paused, searching for the right word, “inflexible. You’re picturing a bubble, which stands firm and deflects anything that collides with it, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought I was supposed to do.”

“It is, but compare an eggshell to a rubber ball, if something hits the eggshell hard enough, it shatters and lets the attacker in. A rubber ball, however, flexes. It absorbs some of the impact and pushes some of the impact back.”

“You’re saying my bubble needs to be strong but flexible, more rubbery than stiff.”

“Exactly. I’ll give you a bit to adjust while I get us something to drink. Then I’ll test them again.”

“All right.” Once again, I focused. This time making sure to picture my bubble thick but flexible. I constructed layer by layer of stone sandwiched in between layers of rubber to give it flexibility. I had several layers before I was satisfied and simply concentrated on holding the mental picture. 

I was so absorbed in my shields that I didn’t sense Karen enter the room. Her attack surprised me. It hit like a sharp jab, but the new shields bowed inward for an instant before bouncing back to their original shape, pushing the force of the attack back. Opening my eyes, I looked for Karen, expecting to find her sitting on the sofa. But the sofa was empty. I glanced around, wondering where she was, but I was alone. I started to stand and she walked in, carrying two glasses of ice tea. 

“Very nice!” She handed me a glass. 

“You weren’t in here?” I took a deep drink.

“Nope, I thought my coming in the room might distract you, so I decided to try in there. It also made a point. You don’t have to see someone for them to attack you. You did wonderfully. You’ve built strong but flexible shields. With practice, I think you’ll have good, strong shields that will withstand almost any attack.” 

“That’s good.” 

“Why don’t you continue practicing and I’ll get us something to eat,” she suggested. 

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m getting hungry.” 

“You want to be careful not to starve yourself. Your appetite is larger than you’re used to. Your metabolism runs a lot faster now. Don’t be surprised if you lose some weight, it’s pretty common with new shifters, at least until they figure out how much they need to eat. If you don’t eat enough long term, you’ll be weaker than you should be.”

“I’ll remember that, thanks.” 

“Alright, I’ll go fix some sandwiches while you practice, sound good?”

“Sounds great,” I said as she left me alone. 

A while later, I felt her pushing at my shields again and realized she was trying to tell me from the other room that lunch was ready. I stood and slipped on my sandals before going into the kitchen. After eating, Karen gave me the address for the clinic. I would be there the next day. I left after that. I had a few errands before Gabriel would be there to pick me up.

* * *

I was ready at seven when Gabriel knocked on my door. 

“Come on in. I’m ready, I just need to grab my purse.” I grabbed my purse and made sure my PCD was inside. “Are you ready?” 

“Any time you are.” He still stood at the door. 

“Then let’s go.” I stepped out onto landing, locked the door, and started down the stairs.

Gabriel took me to a small, local steakhouse where the food was both good and reasonably priced. We waited to be seated and were given a secluded table in the corner. At first, we talked about the menu, trying to decide what we wanted. Once the waitress brought our drinks and took our orders, our conversation turned. 

“I don’t remember having seen you growing up. Are you from around here?” I asked. 

“I’m a few years older, it’s possible you just don’t remember me.” A teasing smile played across his full lips. 

“Nah, I have older siblings about your age. You might not have remembered me, I definitely would have remembered you.” I flashed him a grin. 

“You got me,” he laughed. “I’m not from here, I grew up in Bisbee.”

“Yet you tried to convince me I didn’t remember you… For shame.” I shook my head, laughing softly. 

“It was more that I was fishing for information,” he said. “It worked, I found out you have older siblings.”

“Older and younger,” I said. “How about you?”

“An older brother and two older sisters, I’m the baby.”

“Oh, the baby of four. I bet you got away with all but murder.”

“Pretty much. How did you know?”

“I’m one of six. I was the fourth to join the family but I’m the fifth oldest.”

“You got away with a lot, too?”

“Some, not as much as you would think, girls just don’t get away with as much.”

Gabriel nodded. “That’s true.”

“Why’d you leave home?” I asked. “If it’s not too personal.”

“I don’t mind.” He smiled. “I wanted to be known for me, not tied to, or judged by, my family’s reputation. Not that it’s a bad reputation, just the opposite. Because of it, I couldn’t do anything without having our reputation thrown in my face. Sometimes it was like our reputation was the most important thing. You know how small towns are, I couldn’t sneeze without word getting back before I did.”

“I’ve had that happen a few times myself,” I said. 

“I had to get away, to be known for me and not for my family.”

“Is that uncommon?” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening, “Among the Kindred, I mean.” 

“Not really. A lot of people leave to go to school. Males may or may not return, but females generally do.”

“Why is that, do you think?”

“Females are more likely to return because they realize they want the support of the pack when they start families. Males are less likely because they marry, take positions in other packs, or live as lone wolves. It is common to join the female’s pack when you marry outside your own, but it’s not required.”

“Do women have to marry outside their pack or home towns?” 

“No. We’ve always intermarried with humans, it was easier to keep our secret when they were moved away from their families. Some marry within the pack or a local human, but that’s more complicated. When marrying Kindred, going outside the pack helps prevent inbreeding.” 

I wondered briefly how to know if I was related to someone, who I could or couldn’t marry without the risk of inbreeding.

“Tell me about your family, you said you’re the fifth of six in age, but the fourth to join the family? I know you’re adopted, does that mean you’re not the only one?” Gabriel interrupted my thoughts.

“Of six of us, four are adopted. Brittney is oldest, she’s about your age, the youngest is Shiloh, and she’s in her last year at NAU. I’ll be glad when she’s done and can come home. Hopefully, she doesn’t get a job elsewhere and not come home like Payson did. I miss having my family close.”

“What’s your family like?”

“We’re close. We always have been. Despite that, we still pick on each other. It’s hard not being able to share this with them. We’ve always shared everything. How about yours?”

“I get along with my family, but we aren’t tight. We’re friendly but we don’t talk often. I was grateful to get away when I went to college.”

“Where did you go to school?” 

“Denver. It was beautiful but I missed the desert,” he smiled ruefully.

We fell silent while the waitress brought our meals. 

“Thanks,” Gabriel said, as she gave us our plates. 

“I wasn’t willing to leave my family,” I said. “I couldn’t stand living that far away. By the time I’d done my two years at EA, Brittney and Cam were back, Pace had graduated and was working in Tucson, and Raine was already away at school. ‘Low was still in High School and I just couldn’t bear leave. I got my degree from NAU through satellite classes.” 

“You’ve never left town?”

“Of course I’ve been out of town. Day trips for shopping to both Phoenix and Tucson, vacations have even taken me out of state, but I’ve never wanted to live away from my family.”

“It must be nice to have family that means that much to you.”

“It is. What made you choose Safford as your new home?”

“I came here for several reasons. I like the geography. It’s like the Sierra Vista/Bisbee area where I grew up. After school, I didn’t want to be in a city, I looked for a smallish community. Somewhere I could get to know people, which was something I missed.

“I checked out all the Anikitos for enforcers in Arizona. Of all the packs I considered, Bill and Karen had the best reputation. Not just among the other packs, but with all Kindred. They care for their people, and aren’t overly domineering or violently aggressive.”

“I lucked into a good leader then.”

“Not just good, the best I’ve seen. The way he treats people engenders devotion. I don’t mean creepy cult leader kind of devotion, but ‘I’d lay my life down for him’ devotion. I moved around some before coming here. I got to know other Anikitos before I settled here. Bill is the first I’ve seen to rule with care instead of fear.

“Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t hesitate to order punishment when it’s called for. He’s not mean or cruel, and as often as not, his punishments aren’t physical.” 

“Most Anikitos use physical violence?” I was surprised.

“The ones I’ve encountered do, violence and fear. It’s how it’s been done for centuries, it’s the only way that some know or understand.” 

“I’m glad I’m not stuck with one of those. Leadership like that brings out the worst in me.”  

“You’re lucky to have a close relationship with the Anikitos. I’ll warn you though, there will be some who think you get special treatment because of that, whether it’s true or not. Overall, a good relationship with the pack leaders is important.”

“Bill already warned me about that. He said if it gets too bad to let him know and he’ll get involved, but unless it gets bad, it’s best just to ignore it. If he gets involved, it’s just reinforcing the idea that I’m getting special treatment.”

“Yeah, it does. If you want, you can come to me before him. I’ll see what I can do. It won’t go so badly, especially if we’re friends.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. What are friends for?”

We finished dinner and Gabriel took me home. I invited him up for dessert since he bought dinner, but he declined, saying he had to be on duty early. I thanked him again for the dinner and the nice evening before going up to my apartment.