Page 1 of My Date is a Polymorph (Blind Date Corporation #20)

C loud smiled as the underwater shuttle to Hyreno hummed through beautiful waterscape and wild ocean. “It would have been nice to grow up here.”

Yahtana shrugged. “It wasn’t that great. Lots of judgment. Lots of constriction. Lots of concern for my increasing weight.”

“They knew that you were a metabolic.”

“Yes, but they didn’t know what it meant. I was the first metabolic in Hyreno.” Yahtana smiled. “They still don’t know what I can do.”

Cloud chuckled. “But we know.”

“We know. So, you are sure on the iconography?”

“Yes. It will be difficult to get into the pressure tube with this belly, but I will manage.”

“Good. I have asked for the council, but if we can just get King Juro and Renz, this can be done easily.”

“Your grandparents?”

“My mother’s parents. They don’t like him, so we are good there. They are going to give us space to stay overnight.”

“Excellent.”

“I have the meeting with Juro lined up, so you should have your appointment later. You are good to do this without Keera?”

“Yes. She’s been through enough. Plus, I am afforded protection that she isn’t.” She patted her pregnant belly.

“True. You have gotten a lot of admiring looks. I am guessing some of the guys are trying to figure out if you are taken.”

Cloud shivered at the thought of how many times she had been taken, but she sighed. “Right. I can deter them if they get persistent.”

“I know you can. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware that they can see you, and they are trying to work out positions.” Yahtana smiled.

They watched the great city approaching, and Cloud smiled. Years of fury had led to this moment, now that the rage was ashes but strewn everywhere in her mind. Her child would be born into a world with her fury dissipated and its grandmother avenged.

When they docked, Yahtana got their bags and made a show of helping her up. Cloud walked slowly toward the customs office, and she and her naturally born Hyreno assistant came through easily. What harm could one little pregnant woman be?

Yahtana led her out to the reception area, where her grandparents were waiting. Tanso and Yavatic looked excited. The hugging was tremendous, and her grandparents’ love showed in their smiles. “Oh, darling girl. We are so happy you have come for a visit. Is it only going to be two days?”

Yahtana smiled. “Yes. My boss’s business should be concluded by then. Afterward, you might have to come out to me.”

Her grandmother sighed. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing that the walrus can’t pull off.”

“Yahta!”

Cloud sighed. “Nickname?”

“You could say that. It’s why I left.”

“When was that?”

“Oh, eight years or so. I was seventeen. Grandma and Grandpa set me up with a trust and a house, so that is where I went to college.”

Yahtana’s grandfather was rich blue, and her grandmother was dark purple.

Yahtana was a pastel mix between the two, with a lot of her mother’s pale skin in the mix.

She was gorgeous, funny, bright, and could turn into nearly any animal she could think of.

She was also psychic resistant. How anyone could have been mean to her boggled Cloud’s mind.

They got onto a moving sidewalk, and the grandparents turned their attention to her. “Miss Cloud? When are you due?” Tanso asked. His smile was politely curious.

Cloud smiled. “I just finished my second trimester. Twelve weeks to go.”

“Is the father excited?”

“Wherever he is, I imagine he is working through some things.”

Yahtana snorted. “He was delighted by the child and frustrated by Cloud. She told him to go home.”

Cloud smiled and leaned against Yahtana. “He was happy with the child, but I sent him back to the fiancée I didn’t find out about until I was already pregnant.”

The grandparents were outraged on her behalf. They talked about legal measures she could take against him, and Cloud let it wash over her. It was nice to be cared for by strangers in this way.

Their animated gathering got a bit of attention as they cruised past on the sidewalk. Dinner was already underway, and Cloud was invited to nap while Yahtana ran the errands to get everything in place.

Cloud shifted in the guestroom and got herself ready for whatever was happening next.

A soft knock sounded.

“Come in.”

Yavatic smiled and brought in some tea. “I remember how tiring it can be to try and live your life while someone is developing. This should brighten you up.”

Cloud took the cup. “Thank you. I feel like I am one step behind myself most days.”

“Most women do. Are you prepared to raise this child by yourself?”

“I am. I have help. Friends.”

“No family?”

“A sister, but she is reuniting with her love after a traumatic separation. Our mother is dead, and our father still has to pay for his crime.”

Yavatic paused. “He sounds like a monster.”

“Oh, he is. Not for much longer, though. I am here to request a punishment for him.”

“Who is he?”

“When we are done meeting with the council, the whole of the city will know.”

“Ah. You are afraid he is a minder.”

“Well, I am, so there is a possibility that he is. I wish to confront him and call him to be judged in front of the council.”

She finished the tea.

“Ah, you poor little thing. Men can be treacherous.”

“Yes, but some have grown up and act like men and not little boys breaking their toys.”

They walked together, and Yahtana came back in. “We have the eight in the morning slot.”

“Excellent. I get to eat, answer some mail, and get back to bed. I need to be in top form tomorrow.”

Yahtana chuckled. “Aw, grands, don’t worry, I will share some of the gossip from my part-time evening job.”

Cloud laughed and helped move food from the counter to the table. The family felt warm around her, and Cloud had only felt that way before with Yahtana and Keera. They were separated by skill set but united in their joy at finding their siblings.

This felt a bit like that.

They talked about the city, about Blind Date, and the number of dates Yahtana had. Her grandparents sighed and shook their heads, and Yahtana said, “What? I either have sex or transform. I have to pick one or the other. I prefer to get paid for it.”

Cloud grinned. “She makes quite a bit.”

Yavatic looked at Cloud. “Are you an escort as well?”

“Nope. I was studying abroad.” She patted her belly. “Obviously.”

Tanso grinned. “Do you know the sex?”

“Little boy. He had better stay little if he knows what is good for him. His father was... largish.”

Yavatic nodded. “I will focus healing energy on you.”

Cloud smiled. “Thank you. I am looking forward to tomorrow finally being over.”

Yahtana smiled and said, “We will get through this.”

Cloud smiled back, Tanso looked between them, and shock reverberated in his features.

Cloud pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. It’s a surprise.”

Cloud looked at her reflection and smiled. She looked soft, feminine, adorable, and very obviously pregnant.

She stepped out of her guestroom with her small bag, and Yahtana took it on reflex.

Yavatic looked at her, and her gaze got deeply maternal. “Oh, little girl, you look so sweet.”

Yahtana got them breakfast. “Don’t be fooled, Grandma. I have seen her pin aggressive alphas to the wall, and then she lectures them on manners as they scream. She’s fun at parties or dark alleys. She looks like a kitten and moves like a barracuda.”

Cloud took her tea, and breakfast was underway.

“Where’s Tanso?”

“He’s off getting us a flying platform. You don’t move well in the morning.”

“Well, he sinks a little. Gets into the nooks and crannies.” She sighed.

Tanso returned and said, “I have the platform and will take you two to the council hall. If you allow me, I will be in there with you.”

“You may learn disturbing information.”

“I have suspected it for years.” Tanso sighed.

Yavatic looked at him. “What?”

“I will explain it when we are back. We need to leave now if you are to arrive for your allotted time.”

Cloud ate the biscuit and drank her tea. “Ready.”

Yahtana got their bags. “Ready.”

Yavatic hugged them all and sent them off.

The ride took a half-hour walk into a three-minute commute.

There were three figures waiting for them outside the large doors of the temple-like structure in the centre of the city. The platform landed, and they disembarked, walking toward the king, his psychic, and the queen.

Cloud smiled. “Good morning, Your Majesties, and Lord Renz.”

Juro’s colours were fluctuating. “We found them. One had passed. The survivors are all willing to testify.”

“Good. Well, shall we?”

Juro nodded, and they all walked into the council hall, and Cloud faced the faces of the room at large. “Come to order.”

The room quieted.

“Today, we have a special request from a citizen of Aksalla. I have heard her reasoning, and I agree. I yield the floor to Dr. Cloud.”

She stepped up to the podium at the ideal acoustic spot and lifted her head. “Without any diversion from the topic, I was born in the oxygen caverns.”

There was a gasp and a dark murmur.

She rapped her knuckles against the podium and continued.

“My genetic sire took a young woman, seduced her, got her pregnant, and then he took her to the oxygen caverns and left her there with rations and supplies. She bore her first child to him in that prison but told him it was dead. So, he waited until his rut struck again, and then he swam to her and got her pregnant... again. This time, he didn’t return.

He left her there because he had gotten married, and his wife here in Hyreno was pregnant. ”

She let the mist billow out, and Keera, as a small child, was running around and keeping things warm and clean. “Her first daughter had survived and was a polymorph. She fished and hunted but could do nothing about her mother’s atmosphere, so she remained in the water to save the air.”

There was a wave of unease that went through the gathering.