Chapter 1
One
Miles
I stopped short with my hand on the doorknob as a loud squawk reached my ears, and let my eyes fall shut. If our new pet was what it sounded like it was, I only had myself to blame. I'd told Mateo he could pick, and I should've expected he would pick something... unusual.
Bracing myself, I pushed the door open and stepped in, closing it behind myself as I eased my shoes and jacket off before padding deeper into the house.
Mateo and I shared a modest house with an open-plan kitchen and living room, and two bedrooms upstairs.
While we both had jobs, our dads had bought the house for us because Cassian Romanov—Dad—was the last of the Romanovs, a powerful fire mage family.
Unlike his predecessors, Dad had no interest in hoarding his wealth, and Papa—Gustave Baudelaire, a vampire who'd rejoined society after being trapped in an eternal sleep—loved spending their money on us.
"Mateo?" I called out when I found the living room empty.
"In the bathroom!" he called from the downstairs bathroom, and I headed over, peeking in to find him sitting cross-legged on the white tiled floor, the sleeves of his sweatshirt pulled up to his elbows, and his blond hair in even more disarray than usual.
While Mateo and I were identical twins, it wasn't hard to tell us apart. I preferred to dress in button-downs or turtlenecks, keep my hair styled, and wear sensible shoes, while Mateo didn't know how to use a comb, and preferred sweatshirts or hoodies, and thick boots that clunked when he walked.
But Mateo's hair was the least of my concerns at the moment, because beside him, floating in the porcelain tub, was a duck.
I did a double-take. The duck was a shifter. Why the hell had Mateo brought home a shifter?
Before I could ask Mat that very question, something else about the duck settled into my mind. They were so much more than that. Oh fuck.
"Mateo..." I murmured, and he glanced up at me with wide brown eyes that mirrored my shock.
"Right? He was at Rebba's, and he doesn't want to shift back. Believe me, I know," he said, showing off his arms that were covered in almost-healed scratches.
"I just... how? How did you know?" I asked, walking deeper into the room as the duck shifter eyed me with distrust. I sank down beside Mateo, keeping my distance from the uneasy shifter.
"Know what? That he's a shifter? It's pretty easy to tell, don't you think?"
"No, not that," I murmured, turning to look at him. "The fact that he's my mate."
Mateo opened his mouth, then closed it, then repeated the whole motion again.
"What is it?" I asked, nudging his side.
He licked his lips, then glanced from the shifter to me. "Well, I didn't know that. I brought him home because, well, because he's my mate too."
I blinked, then blinked some more, too stunned to formulate words. I'd always worried about how the other would handle it when one of us found our mate. It was why we'd made a pact as kids that no matter who found his mate first, we'd always stick close.
Until we were ten, we'd only ever had each other to depend on, to love, and we'd sworn that we would stay each other's number one. Always.
"It's not weird. Right? I'm platonic all the way, so... it's not weird. Right?"
Catching the hint of panic in Mateo's voice, I grabbed his hand, knocking my head against his.
"No, Mat. It's not weird."
I turned to look at the shifter, who'd been taking in our exchange, and wondered what he was thinking. Why did he refuse to shift? How long had it been since he'd last shifted?
"You know, if he doesn't want to shift to his human form..." I trailed off, raising a brow at Mateo, and he grinned.
"That's a good idea!"
Mateo sprang into action, shedding his clothes right there before he shifted. Neither of us were shy—shifters rarely were—and I rushed to follow suit.
Mateo and I were both barn owl shifters, and the only difference in our appearance was our beaks. While my beak was black, Mateo's was brown.
The duck shifter squawked, startled, his wings snapping up like he planned to take off, and I hopped back, giving him some space.
Hey, I tried to say into his mind, and he jumped again, telling me he could hear me.
Not all shifters could talk to each other like this.
The alpha of a pack could communicate to members of her pack when they were both in their animal forms, but mates could communicate even when one of them was in their human form.
It was especially useful when only one of the mates was a shifter.
Mateo and I had always been able to communicate in our shifted forms, and until now, I'd assumed it was because we were twins. Could it be that we were mates as well? I knew siblings or family members could be platonic mates, so maybe we were and we'd never realized.
I'm sorry I brought you home without your permission, Mateo said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I forgot I could communicate with you this way. Would you like to go back there? We could come visit you instead if you feel more comfortable at the shelter.
Fondness rushed through me at Mateo's thoughtfulness, and he shot me a look, his feathers fluffing up with pride.
The shifter was quiet for a long moment, and I wondered if he even spoke English.
What do you want from me? he asked, his voice devoid of inflection or tone. I wondered if that was because we hadn't heard his actual voice yet.
Mateo and I shared a glance, and he nodded once, telling me I should reply.
Nothing. We don't want anything from you. We want to help you. Is something stopping you from shifting? I asked, remembering how Ollie—a cat shifter in our pack—had been cursed by a warlock to be trapped in his cat form.
I don't want to, he replied after a long moment, and I blinked. Was he planning to live like a duck for the rest of his life?
That's okay, Mateo said before I could say anything, and the shifter relaxed a little. You don't have to shift. Can you tell us your name?
The shifter was silent for so long I was sure he wasn't going to answer. After what felt like ages, he said, Duckie.
I shared a glance with Mateo, wondering if that was his real name or if he didn't want to tell us.
This wasn't quite how I'd imagined meeting my mate, but it was par for the course for this town. At least I wouldn't have to figure this out on my own. As always, Mateo would be right there with me.
Duckie
It had been a long time since I came across other shifters, and yet I'd met quite a few of them in the past week.
For most of my life, I'd been a free bird, but an accident when I'd been flying too low had landed me in a bird sanctuary, and then I'd somehow found myself in a pet shelter run by a wolf shifter.
She'd figured out I wasn't just a duck, and she'd kept bringing by supes to see me.
I hadn't understood why she was doing that, but I got it now as I stared at the two shifters perched in front of me.
They were brothers, and my mates. Both of them.
My parents had been fated mates, so I knew how all-consuming and good a mate bond could be. Somehow, I'd lucked into having not one, but two of them.
Judging by what the one called Mateo had said, our bond wouldn't be romantic. But the other one? Yeah, he was different.
I didn't know what to think of any of it, but I knew I didn't want to shift back.
A small part of me felt silly for still being unwilling.
It'd been years since that night. I wasn't a scared little kid anymore.
And yet even the thought of taking my human form scared the crap out of me, so maybe I was.
Life as a duck was so much easier. I didn't have to think as hard, and I didn't have to be afraid.
My name is Miles, the other owl said in my mind, pulling me back to the present.
I tilted my head, taking in the owls. They weren't very big compared to me, and looked like balls of fluff with eyes and beaks more than anything.
They were the least scary thing I'd ever seen, and it made me feel a little less afraid.
I don't want to go back, I said, replying to the question Mateo had asked me before, and he hopped in place. I could feel his satisfaction, and it made my chest lift in a strange sort of joy.
The one downside to spending all my life in this form was that I'd never had a friend, not since I was eight at least. I missed it, missed talking to people, missed spending time with someone, missed the intimacy that came with having someone you could rely on.
Maybe, if these two were okay with me not shifting, we would be friends? I didn't think I could be more than that to Miles, not unless I got over my fear of shifting, but if he didn't mind being friends...
Okay, I'm getting hungry. Duckie, what would you like to eat for dinner? Mateo asked, and I blinked.
I can pick?
Of course. If it's not something I can make at home, we can order in.
I thought about it for a few short seconds before the answer spilled from my lips. It was only after I'd said it that I realized how childish it sounded.
Mac and cheese?
Oooh, I make a mean mac and cheese! Miles, keep Duckie company, and I'll go make us some dinner, okay?
Miles made a hooting sound of agreement, and Mateo shifted back, and took his time as he got dressed, not at all ashamed of his nakedness. I supposed most shifters lost their shyness when they grew up shifting between forms.
I wondered what I looked like now. Were my curls as wild as they'd been when I was a kid?
Was I skin and bones, or did I have some muscles?
I'd eaten well since I arrived at the pet shelter, but before that, all I'd had for a few weeks was duck feed.
When I'd been free, I'd eaten fish, and any human food I could get access to.
It hadn't been bad, but I'd never, ever chanced upon a bowl of mac and cheese.
Do you know where we are? I don't know how much Rebba told you, Miles said, bringing my attention back to him. He'd hopped a little closer to the tub I was in.
She said the town is called Mistvale, but that's about all I know.
Mistvale is a little tourist town, and we have a very high supe population because the town is guarded by a dragon, and that attracts supes from all over.
His name is Raiden, and he makes sure all the residents of this town are protected.
We also have mages, vampires, shifters, more dragons, a griffin, an incubus, a gargoyle, elves, a forest spirit, a unicorn, and basilisks.
And those are just the people in our clan.
There are other supes too, and some humans who are mated to them.
I blinked as I processed that information. I'd never seen a dragon, or a unicorn. Hell, I'd never even come across a vampire. I didn't know much about any of the beings he'd mentioned, and to think they were all around me...
Somehow, though, I didn't feel afraid. Or at least, not as terrified as I'd thought I would be. Something about this town made me feel like everything would work out, and I didn't know what to do with that.
That sounds... overwhelming, I settled on saying, and a burst of amusement passed through our bond.
Trust me, I know. I was ten when I got here, and yeah, it was overwhelming as fuck. But in a good way. In the best way.
Ten? Had his family moved here from somewhere else?
Before I could ask, he started telling me more about the town, about the ongoing renovations that would make the town more tourist-friendly while also discouraging humans from settling here so Mistvale could be a safe town for supes.
It sounded genius, to be honest, and I wanted to go out and see the town for myself.
Dinner's ready! Mateo announced in my mind, and I hopped out of the tub, shaking my feathers on the bathmat so I wouldn't trail water all over their house.
You should shift back, I said as Miles glanced between me and the pile of his clothes, and he nodded before doing just that.
While I hadn't paid it much mind when Mateo had shifted, for some reason my eyes lingered on Miles as he put his clothes on, and I jerked my gaze away when he found me watching, hurrying out of the bathroom and toward the scent of warm cheese.
I didn't know how long I could make this work without these two wanting me to shift, but I hoped I got to spend a few good weeks with them before they got tired of waiting.