Page 37 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

"All right." The Anikitos said. "I'm confused. Non-shifters don't shift. That's why they're called non-shifters."

"That was true, until now." Alexis said.

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Have you heard Nickie's story? That she's only recently discovered she's a Kitsune and about our world?" Alexis seemed to change the subject.

"She said she only recently found out she's a shifter, and she's still learning the culture, was she a non-shifter?" He looked confused.

"No," Alexis shook her head, "but she has a unique set of talents."

"Oh?" He seemed intrigued.

"Nickie has the ability to call animal forms." Alexis started.

"That's uncommon but not rare, we have three in our pack." The Anikitos said.

"Counting Nickie, we have two and I'm the other but that's not what makes her unique. It's that ability, in combination with her ability to sense power."

"Sense power?" He asked. "I've never heard of that."

"Apparently, it's pretty uncommon or those who have it don't know what it is." Alexis explained. "Nickie figured it out, because my mate has the same ability and has figured out some of it. Until Nickie, he'd never encountered anyone else with the same talent."

"So how does this make her able to shift a non-shifter?"

"Because with her ability to sense power, she's able to feel their wolves before they've shifted.

" She took a breath and let it out letting him process the information.

"But that's only part of it. She can call the animal form, because she can sense it, although the one we've done so far had something else, some kind of block keeping him from shifting.

That's where I came in, I'm a healer, I was able to fix the block, so that she could call the animal form. "

"So you've only ever done this once?" He looked back and forth between Alexis and me. I nodded and he continued. "How did the person shifted, handle it?"

"Quite well, actually. You see, Nickie won't even try if the non-shifter doesn't want to, and we don't allow them to be pressured into it."

The Anikitos nodded. "The one you've shifted, how are they doing now?"

"He's doing well, much of his life is still the same. He has the same job, lives in the same place."

"What about the pack? How did they take it?"

"They've taken it pretty well, it probably helped that he'd grown up in the area, but being male, he could have just moved to the area. He's only been able to shift for a couple of months, and he's already managed to qualify as an enforcer."

The Anikitos eyebrows shot up at this, clearly surprised.

"Bill trusts him that much?"

"He does." Alexis said, "Plus the new shifter had another reason for qualifying."

"What was that?"

"He wasn't willing to let another male travel with his unsealed mate and we have no female enforcers right now." Alexis said bluntly.

"Why did she have to travel?"

"To come check out your non-shifter." I met his eyes when I spoke, trying to gauge his reaction.

"You're the mate?" He asked, his eyes leaping from me to Devon who still stood behind us. "You're the new shifter?"

Devon nodded. "I am."

Mr. Ridges looked at the two of us with a new appreciation. "You said you're new to the culture." He said to me. "How new?"

"I shifted in early June."

He turned to Devon. "And you?"

"Early to mid-July." He said simply.

He was silent for just a second, before he turned to me. "So let me make sure I have this straight. You shifted, discovered the Kitsune, that you are one and all that entails, learned to control your talents and shifted a non-shifter for the first time in what, six weeks’ time?"

"About that, yes." I said, "But when you say it like that, it sounds more impressive than it really was."

"It's not impressive?"

I shook my head. "Not to me. It's just life. I was out on a hike with my best friend and was bitten by a rattlesnake. I panicked and shifted."

"In front of someone?" He sounded alarmed.

I nodded and continued. "What I didn't know was that my best friend was Kitsune.

He'd been my best friend since kindergarten.

When he first shifted, he scented the Kitsune in my blood and went to our Anikitos who had him keep an eye on me for signs of shifting.

" I told the entire story, how he'd kept me calm and talked me though shifting again before taking me to our Anikitos.

"It wasn't until we pulled into the yard that I realized he was taking me to Bill. "

"So you knew Bill too?"

"All my life. He's my dad's best friend. He's been a second father to me, all my life."

"So he helped you to adjust?"

I nodded. "He worked with me to help me learn to control my telepathy and Karen taught me to shield. When we learned by accident that I could restrict animal forms, he set it up so I could train with Alexis," I nodded to where she was sitting. "He's done everything he could to help me."

"What made you think you could shift a non-shifter?"

"I was learning to call animal forms, working with Alexis in our clinic, on my days off. Then I ran in to Devon. I hadn't seen him in years-"

"You knew him?"

"I've known Devon since I was a kid,. He was in my older sister's class."

He scowled and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Somehow, you seem to know everyone."

"We live in a small community, if you don't know everyone you know someone they know. It's nothing remarkable where we're from."

Ridges nodded, seeming to accept the explanation, I continued.

"Obviously, I couldn't have known when we were kids that he was Kitsune, but when I ran into him again, I scented it.

I asked him about it. He explained that he was a non-shifter, and life went on.

As I had more lessons with Alexis, I realized that I could sense Devon's wolf. "

"How?" Ridges asked. "We have few people who call animal forms, they tell us they can't call the animal form the first time, because they can't sense it until after someone's shifted."

"Well, that's a little more complicated." I hedged. "After a little bit I realized that I have another talent. I can sense power."

"Sense power? I'm still having a hard time with that one." He seemed baffled.

"From what I know, it's an unknown talent. But basically, I can sense how strong someone is and I can sense other powers in non-Kitsune."

His eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline, "You can sense powers in humans?"

I nodded. "I know a guy who's a seer. He has visions about people or things he comes in contact with.

The first time I saw him after I shifted he felt different, I sensed something in him I hadn't felt before.

It took me a while and talking with Alexis' mate, Hank, to figure out what it was.

" Ridges nodded. "Sensing powers is how I was able to feel Devon's wolf before he'd shifted, it felt the same to me as anyone else's animal form. "

"So you just shifted him?" Ridges asked.

I shook my head. "It wasn't that easy. I asked Bill about it and he did some research.

He couldn't find where it had ever been done, but he was willing to let me try if Devon agreed.

He let me make the offer to Devon, and we didn't tell anyone until after he'd made his decision.

There were very few present, in case it didn't work, but Alexis was one who was there. "

"And you just shifted him? That easily?"

"No, it wasn't that easy. There was a complication." I said and Alexis took over.

"I watched his system as she tried to shift him and I saw something catch, prevent him from shifting. It was a flaw in his system that kept him from shifting. I tweaked it and had her try again. On the second try he shifted like he had been shifting all along."

Ridges turned to Devon. "And how have you adjusted?"

"Well, sir." Devon said. "I had a few bumps along the way, but things have gone pretty well. I knew what to expect and I had more control over my body and emotions than the average newbie, and I think that helped."

"How is it that you managed to qualify as an enforcer within a couple of months of your first shift?"

"I had a lot of training during ten years with the Army. Both in hand-to-hand combat and tactics. Much of that translated well into the fight it took to qualify." Devon glanced at me. "Plus, I had one hell of an incentive."

Ridges chuckled. "I bet you did. So what exactly do you want from me?"

"Permission to offer the non-shifter in your territory the opportunity to shift." Alexis took the lead again. "And if he chooses to try, we're going to need a place to do it."

Ridges nodded slowly. "I can agree to that, with the stipulation that I be present for the event. I'd also like for one of my healers to be present as well."

Alexis looked at me for my opinion. I nodded, agreeing. "Not a problem." She said.

"Then go ahead and make the offer. See what he says before we make any further plans."

"Thank you, sir." I said.

We spent a few minutes saying our goodbyes and Alexis, Devon, and I left, meeting up with Caden in the waiting area before heading out to the car.

In the car, after leaving the Anikitos office, I dialed Reese Donovan's number and left a message asking him to call me, and that I'd like to set up an appointment to meet with him.

Alexis, Devon, Caden, and I found a restaurant on the edge of the water and ate lunch, and then we took a walk along Alaskan Way, enjoying the nice day and the breeze off the water.

We walked up the Pike Place Hill climb Walk to the Pike Place Market and had a good time taking in the sights at the Historic Pike Place Market.

We'd just arrived back at the hotel when my PCD rang, It was Reece Donovan calling me back.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Miss Daniels?" He said. "This is Reece Donovan, returning your call?"

"Yes, Mr. Donovan," I used a polite but businesslike tone. "I have some things I'd like to discuss with you, if we could schedule a time to get together?"

"Um." He seemed surprised.