EverChange

chapter 32

I did a bang up job pretending to be Donovan, while Donovan played Heath. They were after my head, not his. Plain site was like, either going to be an absolute failure or glittering gold star stickers. I had lunch with my siblings, and they brought me up to speed on gossip and what they'd learned as normal people.
I had asked Ro to rely some questions to Gidget and see what she could dig up for me. Relations of packs relied on me, knowing who was who and what knights they would give me for my chess set.
"Did you know your man has like, a handful of illegitimate kids?" Roanne had her elbow on the table, a crinklecut fry pointing at me. "I thought he was a player, or that whole Alpha blood spreading across the countries--"
Her nose crinkled when she bit into the fry. "There was some talk, that Sandexon has their claws in alot of things," she said evenly, "And Your friend Gidget was so sure they openly steal genetic material and use it for cloning. Now that we know magic exists-exists, it's not that far a stretch that hey, 'lemme make an army of perfect beings'."
"Which is so goddamn cliche," Linden had his elbows on the table, palms holding his chin. He was looking across the cafeteria. And at first, I thought he was being a vigilant shifter in a new environment.
"Stop making yourself obvious," Roanne licked ranch off her thumb and pushed the foil away from her. She'd finished her meal and her full attention was aimed at me, while she spoke with Linden. "You keep making googly eyes and not introducing yourself."
I had worn one of Donovan's maroon button ups that had the some lacy detailing on the collar and cuffs, over some dark colored shirt and denim pants. "Is someone going to fight me, because I wasn't really... I haven't figured out what to do if they use magic."
"Doesn't matter. I'm just talking about the dude Linden thinks is hot and has been playing footsy with for the past several weeks you've been under house arrest." Roanne's brow was creased with a frown while she forced a tight smile.
"We haven't been playing footsy." Linden growled, stripes and scales rippled across his knuckles. "I'm gauging if he's open to my advance or if he's one of them super macho types. He's been hovering the door of the dance studio, but that could very well be for any of the women I teach."
Our brother's gaze turned from looking over my shoulder to looking at my face, "That girl from the other day came to the class." He moved to lean back and steeple his fingers.
With the wider hips and shoulders the booth was like a whole different monster for me to stretch out in. I had my arm across the back of the seats, fiddling with the petunias and ferns they had in the planters that lead to a wall garden setup.
The seating was a halfbooth shaped in an L, with a table that could fit three chairs. Part of the back was cut to view the cafeteria, while the smaller segment of the L was against a wall, decorated with a trellis of hanging flowers and vines with a marble waterfall behind it. Too far away to get splashed or bother, but close enough for a rather secluded type of ambiance.
"Would it be too forward to ask if anyone has made any headway on the reason I'm on house arrest?" I rested my cheek against my knuckles, elbow on the table top.
"Gidget says it's Sandexon, considering we have all their head doctors." Roanne said, "And Linden and you were like..." Ro made a face and did some wiggles with her fingers. I did held out my hand to her to just spit it out, "Would this be too traumatic to rehash Hyacinth?"
"Speaking of which, did you say anything to hubby about it?" Linden leaned forward, eyebrows up and arched.
"We've chitchatted about it." I reached out and held Roanne's drink around the rim to sip from the straw between my fingers. Flavors that were not familiar, yet were assaulted my mouth. A nearly spat it out on the table, it burned the back of my nose. "The fuck is this."
"Rootbeer and orange." she shrugged. "With a lemon wedge."
"Why." I put the cup down next to her finished fry boat. "Anyways, we've poached the subject. He's read the files."
"Wait, I thought it was just an operation gone sideways?" Roanne took a tentative sip of her concoction. She grimaced and opted to take the lemon wedge for consumption.
Linden snapped his fingers at us to get our attention. "Anyways." He did a flourishing hand motion to me, I shrugged.
"I really think it's one of Renee's kids." I said bluntly.
"The blonde lady?"
"The very one." I didn't like how the table had cups and snacks spread across it because we each had a high caloric need. Shifting and changing the molecules of light took a lot of food. What I hated the most was how none of the soft-drinks were normal because they had one of those machines you could mix your own pop in. I chose a bright pink thing with a bendy straw and looked at her. "She has like, a daughter-Esme-- who's doing mission work overseas--"
"Gross."
"Eck."
I shrugged, "There's a middle child, Noor. Good Kid, does not mingle with Sandex." I sipped the drink, this one was overwhelming artificial strawberry and... cotton candy? "This one is thick. Why is this a cough syrup punching me in the throat."
"I needed to see how strawberry, strawberry was." Roanne took the cup from me, and held out a juice box. This was normal, something for kids. "Then there's the last kid, who's about Linden's age--"
She said his name and the straw I was about to used to open the box, impaled the cardboard and grape juice spilled everywhere. "Fuck."
"Yeah, told you." Roanne cast a look at Linden. Our brother grimaced, his mouth pulled in a thin line. "My money is him."
"How would that dude even know where we are." I grabbed and wadded up tissues to clean up the issue.
Despite the five year gap between me and each of my siblings, Ro was the one out of the three of us I saw going far.
"I'm having Gidget dig around." Roanne looked at me, "Linden tells me vague stories about Hyacinth, and I feel like it's not my place to ask more because it's traumatic for you both."
I shrugged, hands shaking a bit. "You'll need to do some more digging and have it forwarded directly to... Alister. Because oh, hey, I saw Emilia Verona a few months back."
Linden perked a brow. "Emilia?"
"Yeah," I shrugged. I tried to think of how to better explain my connection to this woman without mentioning that bastard's name. "The one who's power was basically manipulation via physical contact? She was always touching up on like... DeMarco and Anthony back when we all hung out. She thought it was hilarious to make boys chase after her."
"Ah. Her." Linden's eyes became lidded and her gave a rather sarcastic look. His eyes were the same shade of black-brown as me, and in a moment they shifted to another color. A deep ocean color that went to royal before slipping back to brown. "She got Christoph and Allan to fist fight over her."
I snapped both my fingers, and pointed finger guns at Linden. "Bingo. The very one." I turned to Roanne and she already had a notepad out. "Anyways, give me some other names I can run by Gidget and forward to your other husband."
I bit the tip of my tongue and swore I tasted blood. "my what?"
"The other tall dude." Roanne motioned above her head, "White dude. Brownish copper hair, Adonis face, has lashes like a damn secretary bird?"
"Alister?" And both of them looked at me with a smirk, "He's my brother-in-law not... husband."
"I heard dragons have nest mates like snakes." Roanne tapped her pen on her little notepad.
"Welp, that's a shame because that's not us." I stuck my tongue out and sure enough I had bit my tongue and was bleeding. Roanne handed me a napkin. "If you want, ask for a printed copy of Hyacinth. Linden can fill in the blanks."
"We're allowed that?" Linden perked a brow.
"Yeah," I shrugged. "I'm going to go see Alister and the girls for some stuff, then later I have to prep to see this girl that Heath and Linden apparently both vouch for."
"Meela?" Roanne was writing in the notepad again. "Did you want me to grab whatever was on her as well? Because she has a line around the block."
I vividly remember those golden kitty cat eyes and those lips that had a soft cupid's bow. Even resting her lips formed the cutest pucker. "What do you know about her?"
"She's got no fam." Roanne stuck out a finger, "Whoever bit her, she's not on good terms with." Roanne drew in a breath and let out an almost dreamy sigh, "She's strong as hell."
"Single and strong. Alright." I leaned back and stared up at the flowers that were higher up on the garden wall than my reach allowed. Was that all that Alphas needed to pick people? Strong and no ties? Her being pretty just compounded things. "Ask Gidget to print me her files as well so I can do some homework before my thing...interview?"
"Dinner." Linden corrected. I nodded.
"I'll get what I can with the clearance I'm allowed." Roanne said, rolling her eyes. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the wallet Donovan had left in his pants. Some cash, a few cards (they were heavy and thick, damn he had good credit), and those punch cards to various coffee joints on and off campus.
"How much do you want for this?"
She grabbed a punch card from me and read the address. "I'm expecting some mail. I need it delivered to you because Mom keeps opening my packages." she said with a huff. "This will be forwarded to you?"
"Have them put my name at the top so it will be." I nodded, and she handed the card back to me. "Don't snatch."
Roanne nodded, "I'm actually all set and got paid with an allowance." She pointed at Linden, "Him too."
"And mom? What? She's gets a... reverse Dowry?"
"Something like that. Won't touch it though." Roanne pushed her chair back and stood up. "She thinks it's dirty money or something."
I shrugged, "She can do whatever."
"She's inviting you and your man to dinner,"my sister replied, "The whole... betrothal or engagement thing."
I did not want to talk to her just yet. She had screamed at me when Linden was MIA and it still stung. Linden reached over, cupping his hand over mine to give it a squeeze. He offered a soft smile, then stood up to exit with Ro. She cleared the table, and I stood up as she tossed everything in the trash.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Alister was not pleased to see me. And unlike the masses of other people (and very much like my own brother) made me in a second. He slung his arm over my shoulders and got entirely too close. He smelled like a musky, piney smell, almost the thickness of a good gin.
"You, are not supposed to be walkin' round like you own the place," he said, his voice tickling some part of my ear that sent a shiver down into my belly.
"Assassination attempts on my life ain't nothin' new." I hissed back at him. "Hiding in plain sight to people who are most likely human is not that hard. They want the shifter under house arrest, not Big Daddy."
"Pfft. You call him Daddy?" Alister reached out and pinched my cheek. "D'awwww! Honeybun's got a fetish."
"That's not what I-- shut your whore mouth." I slapped his hand away. Alister grasped my wrist, pressing two finger tips upward to open my palm. When my fingers were unfurled, he slipped two thick bands on my middle and index finger.
"Proposing?" I sneered, drawing my arm down to inspect them.
"I would give you rubies if I was." he growled back, "If you want to masquerade as him, you'll need some muscle and magic."
He rubbed his thumb and index finger around the rings, the metal felt cool as it did a rotation. "Fire, strength, speed." he named off.
"And you had these ready?" I held my hand up to the light. They looked like a set of mood rings. There was metal around the edges while the band between shifted shades of red and green.
"If it wasn't you running around in my brother's facade, your own brother would. And I can't have my own kin have his name besmirched because you lack the strength to fight another Alpha." Alister nodded, then nudged my arm to lead the way. "We should probably head to healing. Stock up on some medical stuff for the clans. Also."
Alister stood up straight and cradled his chin in his hand, fingers curled and resting around his mouth. "The girls."
"The girls?" My mind reeled to any of the drakes who were openly flirting with him when we passed. A pretty red head with sapphire eyes wiggled her fingers at Alister, he ignored her.
"They missed you, and would like a sleep over at some point." His eyes caught the light, looking rather luminous. "If it is not too much of a hassle."
"Oh! The girls!" Fafnir and Illiad, Simmy and Randy. Ugh. Even missed Julie, Rey and Mia--I missed all the little munchkins. "I'll run it by security. We're supposed to be on lock down you know."
"Says the scamp that's facading," Alister dropped his hand and yawned.
"You look like shit," I said bluntly.
He gave a snort of a laugh. "We're going up on our end about how our security got infiltrated." We had been walking for a bit and from the main building, we got to healing. Hospital smells of antiseptic, lemon cleaner and if we passed a laundry hamper things to be washed. He spoke with a few healers, they ran through a schedule and spoke about solvents or potions to be sent to the Buchanon accounts. They asked me if anything should be sent to Malinda, and I declined on the spot.
"My wife and the others would probably need to look over this." I said, flipping through the pages. It was quite a packet of ingredients and things I only had an inkling of an idea on how to use them. There was an array of holistic items, and traditional medical. When I looked up the healer was giving me a look. "Y-yes?"
A petite woman with reddish brown hair and olive skin that spoke of sunkissed. Hair done up in a neat bun with wisps at her temples, that were accented by a decorative beaded chain on her glasses. Offwhite blouse, an ankle length skirt with some sort floral print.
"You love her so much." she sighed wistfully, "Most Alphas just sign their name and leave the work for their mates to go through... I compiled that list you asked for as well. A lot of graduates this season to choose from."
She handed me two binders, each at least an inch thick. One said summer catalogue, the other said autumn catalogue. They had people's skill sets, types of magics, family trees, and what other healers they were related to. It was detailed, extensive and alot of the people looked very high end...
"How do you vet someone?" I asked, flipping between the plastic sheet covers.
"Usually documentation and on referral." Alister nodded.
"...Ma'am?" I looked up from the binder. "Do you have a listing for the unranked?"
She perked a brow, her mouth twisting into a frown. "These are some of the best of the best Healers, Mortias and Alchemists." she walked around the desk to turn the page and look at what I was inspecting. "Maybe if you tell me exactly what you're looking for, we can compile a list?"
"My fiancee... She's a little peculiar. A few self made students in this field, without rank or social pressures from a family to make good graces with us." I shrugged, "If it's not too much trouble."
She turned up her nose a bit. She hummed and went behind her desk, pulling a binder that was loads thicker than the two I already held. She dropped it in my hands on top of the other two. "These are also good students. No one asks for them though because without a rank, what good are they. Thetas or omegas, they get swept under the rug. We keep their certificates encase they want to transfer to another country."
Yes. This was exactly what I wanted. "I'll return this to you when--"
She waved her hand at me dismissively. "We have duplicates." She adjusted her glasses, the little chain on her glasses chimed. The decorative glass beads sounded so charming.
We thanked her and I began flipping through the pages. The binders with the unranked weren't divided by clan, they were alphabetical by Surnames, with whoever didn't have one were in a section in the back by their forename. I flipped to A, and M, and she was not in either section. Alister peaked over my flipping as we walked.
"I met someone the other day, reports said she was an alchemist?" I turned the binder for Alister to see.
"Amana?" He asked, eyebrow perked.
"What do you know about her?" I slammed the binder closed and tucked the stack under my left arm. Donovan would need to browse these over and we'd make the judgements together.
"She's cute." he shrugged. "Did you want to meet her? I have some stuff to in the labs."
"We have an appointment." I said lightly, "I'd just like to know more about her so I don't go in blind or insult her."
"Well, for one, don't compliment her physical appearance."
"That's kind of a given." I clucked my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
"Does your mate not complement the strong women in his clan?" Alister shot back at me.
"Yeah, by saying 'whata hunt!' or 'your fangs are sharp as blades!' not, hey baby, you fill out that dress real nice." I felt the words leave my mouth and even then they felt vile.
"I called her cute, and Cosma punched me." Alister let out an irritated huff. "And if you'd seen her, you'd agree, she is quite cute."
I pictured her again, in her blouse and long skirt. Delicately plucking her heels off her feet to use Linden as a stand while she did it. She had big golden eyes, that reminded me of Miss Jass--
"Send an invite to the kids. Hale or Jazmyn should be able to escort them through." My thoughts were muddled. All I had done was clan work and hunt. Socializing was everyone's fangs in the same carcass. "...My court case is currently in limbo and I think Donovan would love to see his god kids."
Alister nodded, slipping out his phone to text. "Did you think about it?"
"What?" We had been walking for a bit and I still needed to swing back to the cabin and shower before dinner. If it even mattered, lately we'd just been running around the hills in Smilodon forms.
"Heirs."
The binders flew out my hands and papers went everywhere. I held the bridge of my nose, counting to ten and trying not to bring attention to being a complete ditz in front of Alister and whoever else was in the hall. "Excuse me?"
"The other Alphas are whispering about you and yours." Alister knelt and began picking up the papers. "There are rumors that you're barren, why else would there be no pregnancy announcements. If you're really his mate because other wise you would be popping out eggs like a pez dispenser."
I nearly lost it. I knelt down and picked up the plastic sleeve pages of the binders and tried to snap them back into place. "Throw out some weird rumors I'm incubating buns."
"There's also talk that you're shuffling around a harem of shifters because they fit better with your appetite." Alister said in a singsong manner. I laughed at that.
"Yesterday, we found some wild mustard, and I chomped down on it as a wolf-- I inhaled that shit and sneezed so hard I looked like a snot monster. And from there, I can assure you, no one finds me appealing in any sense." I restacked the books.
Alister grimaced and stuck out the tip of his tongue in disgust, "Yuck. You're just a brand new breed. How'd you snag my brother?"
I stood up, offering him a sort of salute, "Fell and cracked my head on concrete like an egg." I walked backwards to head down my own route, "The nail in the coffin was you eviscerating and leaving me for dead in a playground."
"I said I was sorry for that."
"Apologize properly with a dessert. I really like flan." I waved, and continued walking to make my exit.
When I came back to the cabin, I shifted back to Ryonne and shimmied out of Donovan's pants. His thighs and waist were narrower than mine, and the denim was stiffer. I could totally do the boyfriend jean thing, if I didn't have such a fat ass.
I hefted the binders and used my hip to bump open the door. The place smelled like coriander, black pepper and curry. I placed the load on the coffee table, humming as I made a b-line to the kitchen area.
The stove was on, and three pots were bubbling away. I found the curry with the heat on high, the edges of the sauce boiling over and black where it was exposed to the fire. I turned off the burners and checked if anything was ruined.
"Donovan! Heath! Whatever the hell your name is for the day!" I yelled, tilting my head to listen for a response. I get you're a dragon and maybe you like heat, but it would really suck if you burned down the safe house." I found the rice cooker, that part of the meal finished and beautiful.
I loaded a bowl with rice, topped with curry that had large chunks of meat, then whatever else was in the other two pots in a separate bowl. Vegetables, and blue crabs cracked in half cooked in coconut milk.
"Donovan!" I called his name again, grabbing two other bowls and doing the same for him. When everything was loaded up, I used a tray to move it to the table. I saw movement from the corner of my eye and he was standing in the doorway.
I set the table, and had been babbling about seeing my siblings, sending them out on a mission, and then running into Alister and how I was going to pick some ladies in waiting for myself.
When I stood up and turned to look at him fully, his eyes looked hollow and his mouth slack. He held up a manilla envelope, and a packet of papers. "Are you... are you serious about us?"
"Hey, that's my line." I took him in. His shoulders were tight, and his brow twitched. I pat the stack of books I had brought in. "How many unranked people do we have in the pack?"
"Why does that matter?" Donovan sighed, folding the papers and tucking them back into their envelope. It was a crisp, white envelope, no postage, but it did have a wax seel and an emblem that was for the medical wing. Cadeus with two snakes, more monstrous then the mundane blue I was used to.

Two serpents wrapped around Hermes' wand, the wings looking more like they came out the snakes than off the crest of the wand. Wyverns of the Gods.

I grinned, his eyes were on me, but they weren't really looking at me. He grimaced, then reached out to me. He held my face, fingers as gentle as ever. His eyes shifted between gold, brown, and the blueish grey that was his shift. How much longer could we keep this up. How much longer would I have to hide and how much longer would it stress him out?

 "Whatever game you're playing Jessamine, please be aware of the consequences." he said, his voice sounding strained.

I hugged him around his waist. Beneath the sweater he wore, he felt tense and smelled like a campfire. "I know how to play hardball with folks." I pressed my chin on his breast bone. "Dinner smells great... It's been a hot minute since we sat at the table to dine." He wasn't looking at me. "We can go roll in the grass afterwards if this is too civilized for you, Sir Dragon."
The veneer shell he wore cracked a bit, eyes having a bit of shine. "...We need to talk about... This." He held up the envelope for me to see.
I nodded. "Later. Cmon. Dinner. Tell me about your day." I rubbed my face against his shirt. The tiger shift under my skin was still heavy in my mind. I pressed my ear to his chest. A steady thrum told me the contact excited him a bit.