https://youtu.be/RF19aKuF2qQ

Robert led me down a path until we came to an entrance that said, Sherwood Forest. Carmen had decided to stay behind with Nick, but Thomas and Vycandor followed close behind like I was a wayward toddler who would get lost in the forest. As usual, they weren't letting me out of their sight.

Two gigantic gold owls wearing what looked to be colorful turbans flanked the entrance. Row after row of tall and spindly pine trees were covered in lights from top to bottom. It was simply too breathtaking for words to be bathed in so many fluorescent colors at once.

Everywhere we walked there was something that caught my eye. Everything from a giant sculpture of an elephant brilliantly brought to life with lights,

to a sculpture of an octopus made entirely out of flowers.

  There were even tiny little fairy doors cleverly placed along the paths.

We stopped outside of a hut, hand crafted out of a geometric structure that looked like it was made out of lights. Robert stepped aside and allowed me to enter first. Once inside it was all so trippy and psychedelic, but there was also an overwhelming sense of peace.

"You two need to wait outside, if you don't mind," Robert cautioned. "I need to be alone with Chaos if I'm expected to do her any good. Besides, your vibe is throwing me off and I like my privacy. You can wait for us in the Sollen."

"The Sollen?" Vycandor repeated.

Robert nodded. "Yeah, it's cleverly disguised as an undercover speakeasy. You can go hang out with other angels, musicians, and creative types. Trust me, you'll fit right in."

Thomas folded large, muscular arms over his broad chest - the sleeves of his black leather jacket moaning in protest. "I'm staying right here where I can keep my eye on you."

"Fine, suit yourself. But whatever you do, do not interrupt me. The results could be catastrophic."

Catastrophic? Just what in the hell did he plan to do to me?

Vycandor waved him off. "I'll wait outside too. Just don't let anything happen to Chaos. And, Chaos, don't forget about Jade."

Well, ain't that sweet. At least he had his priorities in order.

I decided to use the phrase on Robert that Thomas had used on me when we'd first met. "You don't look dangerous."

That made him smile. "Who told you I'm dangerous?"

"Vycandor and the King."

He smiled again. "That sounds like a musical."

Closing the door, he locked it behind him. I wasn't worried. I could break out of a box. Even if it was made out of lights.

"Who's Jade?" Robert asked, picking up an acoustic guitar and strumming a few notes.

"She's Vycandor's spirit animal," I announced.

He raised an eyebrow at that. "You mean, she's a therianthrope."

"A therian-what?"

"A therianthrope," he repeated. "It basically means a person who identifies as both a human and a non-human animal on an integral, personal level."

I recalled the image of Jade jumping out to scare me after she'd shifted into a huge black panther. "I would say that about sums it up."

Robert sat down on a giant, lime green colored bean bag chair, guitar still in hand, and pointed to the fluorescent pink one beside him. I got the impression that he really, really liked to play the guitar. "Please, have a seat."

I wasn't crazy about the color but I plopped down anyway, folding my legs underneath me. The chairs reminded me of the bales of hay I liked to sit on in the barn. Only these were much more comfortable. Like, a lot.

My eyes lit up. "Man, I need to get me one of these. Plus they don't poke my butt."

He shook his head. "Do you have any filter at all?"

I grinned. "Thomas asked me that same thing. Or was it Vycandor? I forget."

"Well?" he pressed.

"Well, what?"

"Do you have a filter? If I'm going to help you, I need you to pay attention.

I gave a snort of disapproval. "If I did I had it removed. And paying attention is severely overrated." 

"Okay, so small talk is definitely out."

Robert sat quietly and studied me like a specimen underneath a microscope. I studied him right back. My stomach was tied in knots. Yes, I was hungry. Yes, I wanted his help. Needed his help, actually. But it wasn't in my DNA to make things easy. Just ask my mom. Especially not with a perfect stranger.  Although, somehow it felt like I'd known him my entire life. Which was probably a good thing considering the fact that I couldn't live without him. Live without his help, I mean. I didn't know if I even liked being around him. The longer I stared at him, the more I realized he had an odd, quiet confidence about him. I got the feeling that he preferred to hide in his own strange little world and not be seen. Unfortunately for him, he definitely stood out in a crowd with his inquisitive big brown eyes and boyish good looks. The way his eyes had a light grey circle surrounding the pupil only added to his mystique. He was definitely an enigma. Besides the faded denim jeans and graphic T-shirt, he was pale like me and his hair even had a hint of brownish red highlights. He wore it short on the sides and in back, but the top was left long and flopped down over his eyes so that he always seemed to be peeking out from behind a fringe of  heavy bangs. Also like me. I couldn't quite put a finger on it. Something was definitely off about him. Like he knew something you didn't off.  

"Why do they call you, Chaos?" he finally said, breaking his silence.

My breath huffed out in surprise. "Why do they call you, Captain Psycho?"

"It's Captncyco," he corrected.

I gave a shrug. "Same diff."

I think he decided to take a different approach. If he was trying to win me over, he was sorely mistaken. Pushing people away was just one of my many talents.

"So, Jade is a shifter?" He made it sound more like an answer than a question.

I nodded. "That's right."

"But she's not an angel, correct?"

That earned him a scowl. "No. She's not an angel. Duh."

"But she is linked spiritually, dare I say psychologically to what's his name."

This time I couldn't tell if he was asking me or telling me. "You mean, Vycandor?" He nodded. "And?"

"That's probably why he's so worried about her." Robert mused to himself. "They share a bond so their lives are permanently connected for all eternity."

I rolled my eyes. My two bonds of eternity were still holed up outside, probably hanging on our every word. Privacy, as they say, wasn't an option. "Ugh. Tell me about it."

"Vycandor is an angel too, is he not?"

I could tell he was trying hard to get me to play connect the dots. I decided to play along. After all, what did I have to lose? "Correct."

"And he's also a shifter, is he not?"

I wasn't quite sure where he was going with all this. "Yes."

"Then why is it so hard for you to believe that Jade is an angel?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because she's not."

"But you are," he probed.

He just lost me. "I'm what?"

"An angel."

"Oh. Correct."

"So, in your mind, angels cannot be shifters. Is that correct?"

"I guess so."

"What makes Vycandor so special that he can be both and no one else can?"

Truth be told, I'd never given it much thought. He just...was. I suddenly remembered what the King had said. "You're a shifter." It came out sounding more like an accusation than the truth.

It was Robert's turn to nod. "Correct."

"But you don't know what kind of animal you are because you've never shifted before."

He nodded again. "That is also correct."

"Then how, pray tell, does an angel become a shifter?"

He seemed genuinely surprised by the question. "Vycandor never told you?"

I gave him a serious eye roll. "I mean, he told me was a Drinker. After that he chose to become a Drainer. Then he went back to being a Drinker." I conveniently left out the part where I was to blame.

That made him laugh. "Couldn't make up his mind?"

"Something like that." My breath huffed out. "Look, I didn't come here to play twenty questions with you. If I did, I could've stayed home. I'm obviously missing something."

"Vycandor has told you about Lisette, has he not?" I nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Then, as the High Priestess, you also know she has the power to curse animals and turn them into humans." I nodded, swallowing hard. "But you don't know how she came to hold such power, do you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't. It never occurred to me to ask."

He looked skeptical, as if not sure how to continue. "Have you been told about the breeding program?"

"Come again?"

"The breeding program," he repeated, as if I didn't hear him the first time.

Something clicked in my brain. Thomas had explained it to me once. I snapped my fingers together with the memory. "That's the second group of angels who became trapped on the other side when God closed the Gates of Heaven, and they too were cast out when they rose up and rebelled."

His smile broadened. "Very good. See? You have paid attention."

I narrowed my eyes. "That still doesn't explain how an angel can become a shifter."

"Well," he said, putting down his guitar and leaning forward on his giant bean bag chair. "You already know how you were born. That your dad selected your mom because she had certain special abilities?"

"My dad loved my mom. Not just for her boinkability factor."  I couldn't believe I was defending him.

Robert put his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, you asked me. Remember?"

I heaved a sigh. "I know, I know. Continue."

"When the Dark Ones discovered that they could not control you, their very own offspring, they became desperate. You threatened their entire scheme to take over the world, so they approached Lisette and made a deal. In exchange for her power, she agreed to use it by specifically selecting the most powerful female animals on earth and cursing them to turn into humans so the Dark Ones could prey upon them."

My mouth formed an "O," but no words came out. So much so, in fact, that all I could do was hold three fingers sideways on my left hand, and hold three fingers up on my right while waiting for him to make the connection. When he didn't, I realized I had my hands backwards. Oops. I changed them very quickly to holding three fingers sideways with my right hand, while I held three fingers up with my left. Robert gave me a blank stare, so I shook my hands at him. "It means, EEEWWW ya moron!"