A Hippogriff for Christmas - Zoe Chant Page 0,34

no need for the tree,” Beau said, passing Annie the bag with the soup and baked goods before reaching down to undo his bootlaces one-handed.

Annie couldn’t help but stare. Okay, he’s good-looking, strong, apparently amazing with his fingers –

She turned away quickly before she could complete that thought, heading over to her kitchen bench and putting the bags down with a loud plonk, before putting the pie safely in the fridge.

Get your head together! she told herself, taking a deep breath. You invited him here to answer some questions, not to – to –

Jump his bones? some evil inner voice supplied, and Annie swallowed heavily.

Yes, exactly – not to jump his bones, she told it, before turning to see Beau stepping up from her entryway and into her living room.

It was a sight Annie was pretty sure she could get used to.

“Uh, maybe just put the tree down in the bucket by the door for the moment,” she blurted. “Um, can I get you a cup of tea? Or should I just start heating the soup? Are you hungry? Sorry, I don’t really have a table, I usually just eat on the sofa –”

“Anything’s fine, Annie,” Beau said, his voice low and warm. She could see him looking around, and she wondered if she’d see judgment in his eyes at the tiny size of her home, or how sparsely it was furnished. But he just seemed interested. Curious.

Annie took another deep breath, trying to calm herself before she blurted out anything else.

And really, maybe we should just get the elephant in the room out of the way first.

“I’m not really sure where I should start,” she said after a moment. “What do people, uh, usually ask you when they find out that you’re – uh, that you’re a –”

“A shifter,” Beau said. “It’s the word for people like me. And to be honest, you’re the first person I’ve ever really had to explain it to, Annie. Either I’m talking to another shifter, or a human who already knows about us, or a human who doesn’t need to know. So this is all new for me too.”

“Oh. Right.” Annie looked down at her hands where she was twisting them in front of her, willing herself to relax.

“But if there’s anything you want to ask, just ask it,” Beau said. “I said I’d answer – there’s nothing you can ask that I’d think was inappropriate or rude. You have a right to know, after all.”

What does he mean by that? Annie wondered.

“Okay. Well. Why don’t we sit down?” she said, before remembering the only place she had to sit down was on her old sofa. She didn’t often have guests.

Well, it’s too late, I’ve said it now, she thought as she sat on the sofa’s edge. Beau was so big he almost took up the whole thing himself, but still, somehow, it felt like there was more than enough space for her.

“Were you born as a – a shifter?” she asked. It felt forward to ask, but Beau had said he wouldn’t consider any question rude.

Beau nodded. “Yes. It runs in the family – it always does. Everyone in my family is the same as me: my parents, my grandparents, my sisters, my nieces and nephews. We’ve always been this way as far back as anyone remembers.”

“So, in the photo, that was –”

“My nephew, Jesse.” Beau smiled. “He’s just at that age when hippogriffs start learning how to shift. I guess my sister Courtney couldn’t wait to show me. It’s a big step in a shifter’s life.”

“Oh. I guess I can see why that might be the case,” Annie said, thinking of a baby’s first steps. “So… there’s more of you out there? Or are hippogriffs the only kind of shifters there are?”

“No, there’s plenty of others,” Beau said. “Hippogriffs are just one of many. And it’s not all mythical creatures either. Bears, wolves, birds, even dogs and cats – if there’s an animal, you can bet there’s a shifter who shifts into it.”

Right, well, that’s the last time I get changed in front of the window, thinking only the rats and alley cats can see in, Annie decided.

There were so many other things she’d wanted to ask, but she had to admit that she was having trouble remembering any of them now.

Her head felt cloudy, her heart thudding in her chest, her cheeks warm.

It was then that she realized just how close she and Beau were sitting on the couch –