said, “I’m not.” She looked at him, trying to hide the sorrow inside her.
Oh, yes. There was no way she could allow her emotions free rein around Dr. Simon Parran. He apparently disliked the military, which was now an important part of her life. Patrick Worley would probably attempt to recruit Simon—which would likely be impossible.
“Now it’s your turn,” she continued. “I know you can do whatever you want, including wait till those circumstances I’ve mentioned come to fruition, but I’d love to hear how you’re able to shift without a full moon.”
“That was my goal way back when, Grace, one reason I went to medical school.” He stood and approached her, edging around Tilly.
Grace stood, too, waiting for him to draw closer. “Then you figured out a way to control your shifts?”
“Still working on it. I use the downstairs Charles Carder lab facilities now—that’s one reason I’m on staff at a military hospital. To the powers-that-be, I’m working on some homeopathic remedies to help infectious-disease patients regain strength. But though I’m far from being finished, I’ve developed a formula that lets me shift when the moon isn’t full—and, on a limited basis, lets me keep my human form during a full moon.”
“Really?” Her excitement at what he said caused Grace to blurt out her surprise. She knew her reaction told him something about her abilities, or lack thereof—and therefore the abilities of the military group to which she belonged.
But this was huge. Alpha Force’s elixir did not allow control during a full moon, except to help enhance a shifter’s human awareness.
Grace felt excitement build within her. She knew that Drew and the other Alpha Force researchers wanted to expand their abilities, and this was one aspect of what they were working on.
They would absolutely want to recruit Simon—or to otherwise obtain access to his research and formula. Would he consider selling it? Working together with Alpha Force without being part of it?
“It’s true,” he said. “I gather that the stuff you take doesn’t do that.”
“I wish I could tell you more,” she responded dejectedly. “But I can’t. Not now, at least.”
Not until she got the go-ahead from Drew, who might give Patrick the okay once he’d been here and spoken with Simon.
Things would be so much better if Simon changed his mind. Became part of the wonderful, dedicated military unit to which she belonged.
But she had already experienced Simon’s stubbornness once he made up his mind about something. Like refusing to admit his true nature years ago, despite how close they’d gotten. Maybe because of it. He’d stayed secretive then. If she learned more about it now, would she get him to change his mind?
“That’s one good reason not to join the military.” Simon regarded her as if he could read the frustration circling her mind. “Too much secrecy.” He sat down again.
That was ironic, coming from him. “And that from the man who wouldn’t admit he was a shifter way back when. But why wouldn’t you? Every once in a while, you indicated there was something wrong with your family that kept you from talking to anyone, but wouldn’t say what it was, let alone the truth about who you are.”
He leaned forward in the chair. “If I tell you about my family, will you be honest with me about your military unit and your shifting abilities?”
“You know that what I can say is limited.”
“I figured, but I thought I’d ask. Anyway, there’s no reason now not to tell you what happened to my family. Ugly stuff. There were some people who came around. They were from out of town—we never did find out exactly where. They claimed also to be shapeshifters, but they only wanted us to admit that we were. They prided themselves on being hunters of the supposedly supernatural. Some of my relatives were deceived into thinking they were really good guys, shifters like us, and admitted they were shifters, too. Once the creeps were sure, they murdered my aunt and cousin. Of course, thanks to my uncle, they didn’t live long enough to gloat about it.”
“But the damage was done,” Grace said softly. “In so many ways. I’m really sorry, Simon.” Even talking about it a lot of years later was clearly painful to him. “It explains so much. The admission of being shifters was what cost your family members their lives. It’s totally understandable now why you wouldn’t talk about it with someone else—especially someone like me, who tried so hard to get