“If you haven’t gone running with another leopard, you don’t know what you’re missing,” Joel said firmly. “Zach and I used to do it all the time, before...” He trailed off.
“Before what?” Nina wasn’t going to let Joel get away with keeping himself hidden. She felt like he’d stripped away half her secrets already, so turnabout was fair play.
“Before he met his mate,” Joel said. “Teri. She’s great and all, but being in love takes up a lot of his time.” He cleared his throat. “It’s not a big deal, though—like I said, I’m usually happier being a loner.”
He was lying, Nina realized, unquestionably lying. The way he looked away from her, the way his stance shifted a little bit: he hated that his brother didn’t have time for him anymore.
Nina felt a rush of fierce protectiveness. Who did that guy Zach think he was, abandoning his brother for his mate? Nina would’ve given everything she had to have a sibling along with her, one who shared all of her problems, who wanted her to be safe, who stayed with her through the hard times.
Wait.
She had no reason to be protective of Joel. They’d just met. His problems were his problems, and they weren’t any of her business.
“All right,” she said, to distract herself from worrying about a total stranger’s family issues. “Let’s go for a run.”
He smiled, looking truly happy for the first time since she’d met him. It lit up his whole face, made him look so much younger. Nina suddenly wasn’t sure whether he was older than she was or not.
"Come on, then.” He set off at a jog towards the woods, which came right up to the edge of town. They were only a half-mile or so away from where the town began to melt into forest.
Nina followed him, not quite believing what was happening. She'd never—she didn't know how—
Even when she’d been trying to be a part of those other packs, she’d never done anything like this. Played around in the woods, run around with other shifters.
But now Joel was headed into the trees, Nina on his heels, and she only felt excitement.
He stopped when they were far enough into the woods that no one would see them from the streets or houses, and turned to look at her. His face was still lit up with that youthful excitement, and he grinned. "Ready?"
Nina nodded, her voice disappearing. Her throat felt tight. What was wrong with her?
Joel held her eyes as he changed. She watched him blur and shift, his skin becoming fur, his claws extending from his hands—paws—everything turning paler in the dim moonlight. In less than a minute, a snow leopard stood before her on all fours. His eyes were exactly the same, that silvery color that she found so oddly compelling.
Joel padded forward and nudged his head against her thigh. Nina jumped. He looked up at her, and she could feel how insistent he was: Your turn.
She touched the top of his head, the briefest reassurance, and was startled at how soft and warm his fur was. She'd never touched another shifted person, certainly not while she was in human form. She wanted to run her hand down his back, pet him like he was a cat.
She restrained herself. He’d asked to run with her, not curl up and purr at her feet. She shouldn’t take liberties she didn't have permission for.
Instead, she took a step back, closed her eyes, and shifted.
As always, it felt like the leopard inside her simply stepped forward to take control. No matter which way she was shifting, to human or to leopard, the physical changes always felt like a relief more than anything, like her true form was coming out. Paws, tail, fur. Claws and teeth. She opened her eyes to see the world in flatter colors, sharper details. It immediately seemed less dark.
Joel was right next to her. And he smelled like—like—Nina didn't know how to classify it. Other shifters had always smelled strange, foreign. Danger, her nose had told her, when she scented them. Unknown. Watch out.
Joel didn't smell like danger. Maybe that was the reason she hadn't been afraid last night. He smelled...safe.
She'd stepped in close to reassure herself about his scent, and while she was distracted, Joel leaned in and touched his nose to hers. Nina jerked back. He twitched his ears at her playfully, and she lashed her tail back.
You want to surprise me? I'll surprise you.
Nina leapt into motion without warning, running full-out into the woods. Behind her, she could sense Joel's split-second of startlement, before he launched himself into the chase.
She didn't have a good head start tonight like she had last night, and Joel, as a male, was bigger than she was, with longer legs. But she put every ounce of strength and ingenuity into staying ahead, and she kept the lead for long minutes.
It was a losing battle, though, and eventually he caught up. But he didn't pounce, or try to get ahead of her and trip her up, or any kind of play-hunting. Instead, he just came abreast of her and kept running.
Nina snuck a glance at him, a white-and-gray blur of powerful motion. Were they racing?
She tried slowing down. He looked over at her and slowed down, too. Apparently deciding that they were playing a new game now, he slowed even further and fell into a low, crouching stance. Stalking her. Now this was play-hunting.