Page 70 of Escape from the Green

"Like needing to sneeze, but not being able to?" she suggested, making a smile pull at my lips at the innocence of that. The closest I could come to explaining it was definitely more explicit than that.

"Something like that," I agreed. "And I think all these years... it has made me associate the Change with violence. I think it is going to be a bit nerve-racking at first."

"Is it a private thing?" she asked as her fingers slipped just slightly under the collar of my shirt, the tips tracing over a scar near the base of my throat. "Changing," she specified. "Is it something that is done in private? I mean, you lose your, ah, clothes, and..."

"I can't say how it is for all fae who Change, seeing as many live among others who don't Change themselves. But because we are a community in which all adults do Change, it is something considered normal and natural. And nudity is a part of that. But a part you are used to before you even truly understand the difference between male and female bodies, let alone why the bodies are different."

"That's, um, that is going to take some getting used to," she told me, and I would put money on her face being pink at the very idea. "I don't think I have ever seen anyone's body but my own," she admitted, surprising me. "Not even a woman," she clarified. "Is that weird?"

"With your family? No. Not really."

"Do people Change all the time?"

I fought the smile, knowing she would feel it, not wanting her to think I was laughing at her. But her worry about such a little thing - in my culture, at least - was endearing.

"No. You can go days or weeks without seeing someone Change. Especially in the colder months. For obvious reasons. But groups usually do get together every so often to go fly, stretch their wings, get rid of stress."

"Everyone together? Men and women?"

"It goes more by friends, I guess."

"And couples?" she asked, voice quieter than a pixie's.

I was pretty sure I knew what she was getting at, couldn't help but wonder what her possible motivations were for wanting to know.

"Draca can mate in both forms," I told her, easing into it. "Most, I would say, have a preference for this form for that particular act. I'm sure some enjoy it in Draca form as well. But you won't see that unless you are purposely trying to invade on someone's privacy."

"You're all, ah, pureblood?" she asked, and I was pretty sure it wasn't a stretch to think that maybe, possibly she was curious for personal reasons.

"For a long time, yes. We simply haven't had outsiders in our world for many generations. But before we needed to put up our own veil, Draca courted and mated with all kinds of fae. There is no such thing as pure blood in our world. Our genes are dominant. No matter the other type of fae a Draca might have offspring with, they will be Draca. They may have additional skills, but they will be able to Change."

"I don't have any skills," Amy murmured, voice so small I almost hadn't heard her.

"You don't know that for sure yet," I assured her, arms squeezing a bit for emphasis. "I think your parents putting you in and out of the human realm may have screwed with your personal timeline. Had you grown up completely in The Green, you wouldn't have seen your powers for a decade. In our time. You weren't given that time. You were given human time. I think you may develop skills as you get older."

"Wouldn't that be funny?"

"How so?"

"For my mother's selfish scheming to be the very thing that prevented me from being truly valuable to her."

"Someday - if you want to - you can show her. Show her what you were capable of, that she couldn't use you."

"I know it is petty, but I think I would like that."

"Then we will make it happen," I assured her.

"If we're still... friends." She phrased that very carefully. Tellingly carefully.

"We'll always be friends, honey. You have my word on that."

"Maybe someday, I can see you in Draca form," she murmured, sounding half asleep.

"If you want that, you can have that too."

"Okay," she said, nuzzling in. "Sounds good," she added, taking a slow, deep breath, body relaxing further into me.

It was just a few minutes before her body went completely lax with sleep.