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Acknowledgments

A huge debt of thanks is owed to ent, Helen Heller, and my editors--Anne Groell at Bantason at Ti and fussing on this one They were as patient and supportive as any writer could wantthough I wouldn't blame them if, at times, they wanted to throw me in a dimensional portal

Thanks to affes, and saving"how come?" questions from confused readers

Finally, this tiive a shout-out to Xaviere Daumarie, the cover artist for all my online novellas and stories In 2005, I did a short story a inal cover art for eacheven when all she had to ith some months was "I haven't written the story yet, but I think it'll be so about"

Changes

CLAYTON DOESN'T DO "UNOBTRUSIVE" WELL NOT EVEN when he tries, and that afternoon, he was trying his damnedest He was doind of me, at least two hundred feet away, so I couldn't smell him, see him or hear him But I kneas there

As I stood under the oaks, I couldn't suppress a twinge of resentut-twisting situation Yes, I'd been the one to suggest the run, leaping up fro I was ready He'd asked if he should stay inside--possibly the first ti to give ed hi here Not fair But better than to admit that what I felt was not resent I would disappoint him

I took a deep breath and filledfro tentatively, as if still uncertain Uncertaingood word That hat I felt: uncertainty

Uncertainty? Try abject, pant-pissing, sto terror--

I took another deep breath The scent of the forest filled --

Don't think of him Just relax

I followed the sound of a rabbit thu nearby, upwind and oblivious of me As IWell, there was the first problee if I was still on two legs?

As I started to crouch, a pang ran through the left side ofIt was probably a randoestive complaint And yet

My fingers rubbed the hard swell of my belly There was definitely a swell there, however staunchly Jeremy swore otherwise I could feel it withwaistband of my jeans Clay tried to avoid the question--smartalready Showing, when I was no nant That shouldn't be Yet onelist of worries

At the top of the list was this: the regular transformation froe, but ould it do to my baby?

My fear over losing my child came as a revelation to ht of having a baby, I'd considered the possibility that the choice wouldn't be ht mean I wouldn't be able to conceive or carry a child to ternancy ended, I'd know that I couldn't have a child That would be that

Now that I was actually pregnant I couldn't believe I'd been so cavalier This wasin ht I'd lost when I becaiven up when I decided to stay with Clay

But I had to Change Already I'd waited too long, and I could feel the need in every rowls and snaps whenever someone spoke to me Twice I'd come out here with Clay, and twice I'd been unable--or refused--to Change Make it a third, and Clay and Jeree That was a safety precaution--being Change-deprived iven my surly behavior this past week, I wouldn't blae

Just Change, goddaht? Now put your hands on the groundThere Now concentrate--