«I'm glad you think so.» He'd undoubtedly read the thought in her mind before she had a chance to speak.
«I know we're sharing a brain and all, but would you at least let me get a word out from time to time?» She shook her head in mock indignation as he tucked his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close as they walked along.
«I'm sorry, my love. I'll endeavor to do better from now on.»
«You're not sorry at all. This mind reading thing goes both ways, you know.»
Sebastian stopped and pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss. «You can read my mind anytime.»
«Honestly.» She sighed. «What I was going to ask, was if you knew how to shapeshift.»
Sebastian let go of her arms and faced her. «It's something most of our kind take centuries to master. I became proficient early on, but only truly mastered the technique in the last century or so. Atticus and the others are older than me though, and have been shifting form for a long time.»
«Really?» She grew excited by the idea. She'd seen Matt shift a few times and each time, she wondered what it would be like to walk on four paws instead of two feet. «What form can you take?»
Sebastian leaned against a tree, watching her with amusement clear on his handsome face. «I prefer the form of a wolf, but I can shift into almost anything. I can even be fog.»
«Fog? Really?» The very thought of it amazed her. «I didn't know anyone could do that. So, it took you a while to learn, huh?»
«Actually, it wasn't the learning that took time, so much as the building of power. It takes a great deal of a certain kind of magic to be able to shift form. The were are born with it, but our kind must earn it and learn it over the centuries. Each new form takes a while to learn.»
«Do you think I'll ever be able to do it?» She hated to get her hopes up, but it was something she'd thought about more and more since her conversion.
Sebastian straightened and put his hands on her shoulders, his expression quite serious. «I think you could probably do it right now, my love. It's one of the reasons I asked Matt to feed you in those first days. I was able to shift much sooner than most newly turned because my own first meal was from a wolf shifter. I knew feeding from Matt would give you the same advantage.»
«Is that why you prefer the wolf form? Because your first meal was from a werewolf?»
«You know, I never quite thought of it that way, but perhaps you're right. I like the speed, agility and cunning of the wolf, not to mention the strength and deadly acuity. But my first blood might've had something to do with that preference, now you mention it.»
«How do you do it? How do you shift?»
«You want to try?»
Her heart leapt with excitement. «Oh, yes. But what will I turn into?»
«It's very important to have a clear idea of what you'll become. You must hold the image of your new form in your mind's eye while you release the magic to change shape. Since you've seen Matt change and have a taste of his magic, why don't you try for a cat this first time?»
«All right.» She closed her eyes picturing the form as clearly as she could in her mind.
Sebastian talked her through the process, coaching her to keep the image of the cat foremost in her mind as she gathered and released the energy that would cause the change.
He felt her focusing her will and was awed by the strength she already had for one so young. She shimmered and her form shifted, a moment later he was looking at a small, fluffy, white cat, no bigger than the common house cat.
Sebastian burst out laughing.
«What is it?»
«Oh, my love,» he couldn't contain the laughter, «I was expecting a cougar and you give me a kitten. Only you.»
She stumbled on her uncoordinated paws. Sebastian chuckled as he bent to pick her up and stroked her soft fur.
«Of course,» he mused aloud as she scratched her head along his sleeve, «it is rather a propos. You being a pussy cat, I mean.» He chuckled as he walked back to the house, greeting the cougar that waited for them like a carved statue on the steps to the small stone terrace.
«Who's your little friend?» Matt asked in the back of their minds.
«Meet your creation.» He dumped the fluffy white kitty onto the stone patio. She teetered to one side, unused to having four legs under her as the cougar bent down to sniff at her. «I give you, Lady Christina, the pussy cat.»
«You've got to be kidding.» Matt's reply was both shocked and amused. «She's not much more than a mouthful, is she?»
«Back off, big guy.» Christy groused as she tried to steady herself on dainty paws.
Matt sat back, just looking at her. «You're a vampire, sweetheart. You can take almost any form you want, and you choose this?» The cougar shook his head from side to side, making a coughing noise that sounded a bit like rough laughter.
«He said to try for a cat. I'm a cat, aren't I?» She jerked her furry little head in Sebastian's direction. He couldn't help his amusement at her feline indignation.
«Well, you're cute, I'll give you that.» Matt bent his head and touched her with one massive paw. «But not very functional, are you? And not well camouflaged for night work either.»
«He's got a point. Can you change color, my love?» Sebastian thought it would be a good exercise of her new powers to try.
«How?» A plaintive meow accompanied her question.
«You must've had the image of this white puss in your mind when you shifted, right? Now imagine a black cat instead. Same cat, just color her black in your mind. It should only take a touch of magic this time. Not as much as you needed to shift fully, just a little zap to change color. Can you manage it?» He bent to stroke her soft fur, offering comfort as he monitored the struggle to control this intricate little detail in her mind.
As his hand brushed down her flank, the soft fur beneath his palm turned from snow white to purest black. Her glistening green eyes stared up at him with triumph. «Did it work? It feels like it did.»
Sebastian scooped her into his arms. «It worked my love. My talented little mate. You're a natural.» He held her close in his embrace, petting her silky coat.
«That is so cool.» Matt sounded impressed. «Wish I could do that.»
«You can't?» The black cat held out a little paw toward the cougar, her tail swishing lazily back and forth.
«No, sweetheart. That takes a different kind of magic than what I've got. What you see is what you get.»
The black cat yawned, showing off her tiny, sharp teeth. Sebastian petted her, enjoying the slight purr of satisfaction under his fingers.
«I know you're tired. Shifting can be draining when you're new to it. What say you shift back and we'll rest up a bit?»
«Only a few hours to dawn, my friends,» Matt observed as he stood and loped down the steps leading to the woods beyond the terrace. «My advice to you…make the most of it.»
«Oh, we plan to.» Sebastian didn't bother watching the big cat go, already heading indoors with the purring black pussy cat in his arms.
«If she needs any help shifting back, call me. I coached my little sister through it her first time.»
«Thanks, Matt.» Christy spoke in all their minds. «You're a good friend.»
«I'll call if we need any help,» Sebastian added with a chuckle, heading for their private getaway beneath the house.
Seeing the world through cat's eyes was a new and disorienting experience for Christy, but even stranger was the sensation of walking on four paws. She loved the way Sebastian's big hands could wrap completely around her furry body and each stroke of his fingers down her length sent shivers of delight through her from head to toe.
Having a tail was different too, and Christy knew she'd need to practice a bit in this form if she wanted to be able to walk straight. It made her think about other forms she could take. She honestly hadn't thought of herself as a cougar, but realized now it probably would have been a better alternative. Still, when Sebastian had talked about imagining a cat, she hadn't thought of Matt's beautiful, fierce and very masculine cougar. No, she'd thought of her neighbor's housecat. Silly her.