NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

42. Excerpt from ENTANGLED

As promised, I'm working on finishing ENTANGLED first.  Subject to editing, etc.

Sasha's spent enough time in Seth's house that she knows it almost as well as she knows her own. Becky's made a few changes during her pregnancy to make things easier for herself, but otherwise Sasha could probably walk around the place blindfolded. Now that she, Becky, and Seth are about to welcome four of their closest friends and co-workers and reveal their secret, however, Seth's home isn't feeling like quite the haven it usually does. "Maybe we should go out instead," she suggests as she braids Becky's hair. "Like for a picnic or something. The fresh air would be good for the baby and then we could find a safe spot to shift and show everyone...."

"Are you going to find me a bunch of spots to pee too?" Becky asks, squirming in her chair. The baby's gained a little more weight now and apparently his his favourite pillow—or alternately, punching bag—is Becky's bladder. She was already spending most of her time at Seth's, but now even getting her to her doctor's appointments without having to make a few bathroom stops along the way is rare.

"Stop worrying, Sasha. Everything will be fine." Seth may sound confident, but Sasha feels the stiffness in his muscles when he leans down to kiss her. "I've got the gaming room downstairs all cleared out, so I won't break anything when I shift—"

"But what if you freak out?" Sasha sets Becky's half-finished braid down before turning to meet Seth's gaze. "What if one of them freaks out? You'll feel penned in and—" She starts to take a deep breath just as Seth kisses her again, and between that and Becky's hand squeezing hers, Sasha feels some of her tension ease. "I know we need to show them. Otherwise it'll all sound like a big prank or something. But I'm just worried that something's going to go wrong, and...."

Becky presses her forehead to Sasha's hand, and it makes Sasha miss Becky's wolf form that much more. "And you're worried because obviously I'm in no condition to help," Becky adds, twisting around enough in her seat to show her bulging bump, "which means you're the only other wolf left able to shift, right?"

Sasha nods. "I know I could shift instead, but then that just puts those worries on Seth. Plus he's better at the quick wolf-and-back shifts than I am." They all possess the ability to shift at will and then return to human form quickly, but it's exceptionally draining and they don't want to leave Becky unprotected in case any of their friends react badly.