Sexual Shift

Dedication

Readers, thanks for loving my Magical Sisters trilogy.

Chapter One

“Emma Grace, don’t get too far from Mommy.” Allie Halloran hurried after her daughter with her sister Hilly keeping pace beside her. “Why is she running toward the parking lot? Emma Grace, come back here!”

“She’s only five. She’s supposed to run wild in a park.” Hilly caught Allie seconds after she tripped over a large rock. She helped her regain her balance, then turned the frazzled mom loose to continue the chase.

“I know, I know. But I’m worn out. First, she’s up all night, wanting drink after drink, and now she’s off and tearing around the park. She’s okay with a couple hours of sleep, but I’m not.”

Emma Grace changed direction and scurried up the rungs of the playground slide, waved at her mother, then slid down the slide and squealed with laughter. Relieved to have the child where they could watch her, Hilly helped Allie find refuge on one of the benches surrounding the sandy area of the playground.

“If memory serves me, Allie, you were the same way at her age. Must be the succubus in her that keeps her little body going.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. Tom’s already worrying about when she comes of age and starts getting her powers.”

“He should be.” Hilly made a funny face at Emma Grace, who giggled, then hurried up the steps of the slide again. “We were lucky you found Tom so early in the process. I shudder to think what would’ve happened if we hadn’t.” She frowned and glanced sideways at Allie. “Or worse. If you hadn’t survived the transition from succubus to human.”

“But I did, so there’s no point dwelling on the past, and I’m too busy to worry about the future. I can only handle one day at a time.” Allie reached into her large all-purpose satchel and pulled out a zippered bag of nuts to offer her sister.

Hilly shook her head, content to watch her niece at play. “I know. I’m just happy both you and Meg have found someone and have settled down.”

Allie chuckled. “Settled down is right. Tom and I are talking about how many children we want, and Chance and Meg’s fifth anniversary is this year. They’re even considering going back to Vegas to renew their vows.”

“I wish they hadn’t eloped in the first place, but I know Chance couldn’t wait to get Meg to tie the knot.” Hilly sighed, her attention refocusing on Emma Grace. “Do you think Chance and Meg will start a family soon?”

“I hope so. I’d love to have our kids grow up together.” Allie’s bright blue eyes sparkled, betraying her exhaustion. “But who knows? You know Meg.”

“Yes, I know Meg, all right. She’s unpredictable, impulsive and too wild for words. Thank goodness she married Chance. I’m so happy she’s over her wild days and spends more time with us in the bakery. I think she’s ready for the next step—parenthood.”

Hilly slumped against the wooden bench and watched Emma Grace wag her finger at an older boy who’d dared to jump ahead of her in line for the swings.

“We know you, too, you know.”

Hilly tore her gaze away from the playground. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Simply this. Meg and I were talking the other day—”

“Oh, my word.”

“—and we decided it’s time for you to start thinking about yourself.”

“I do think about me.”

Allie rolled her eyes. “Really? Since when? You think about me, Tom and my little girl, you think about Meg and Chance, and you think about the bakery. You don’t ever think about yourself and what you want out of life.”

Hilly didn’t like where their conversation was headed, but she couldn’t see a way out of it. Yet. “But all of that
is
me. Those things and my family are what make me happy. What else do I need?” She cringed, knowing her mistake the instant the words left her mouth.

“You need a man, that’s what you need.”

“Do we have to go there again?”

“You bet we do.”

“I’ve had plenty of men.”

Allie popped another handful of nuts into her mouth. “I’m not talking about casual flings, and besides, the last one of those happened a long, long time ago.”

“It’s not like I’m a hermit or something. I’ve just been busy.”

“Yeah. Busy taking care of Meg and me after Mom and Dad died. Hell, Hilly, you were too young to take on such a big responsibility.”

“Maybe, but what else was I supposed to do? Split up our family? Not a chance.” She brushed a hair away from Allie’s face just as she’d done thousands of times before.

“And we love you for it. But now it’s your time. Right?”

Hilly avoided her sister’s intense scrutiny. Not only because she didn’t want to have the same discussion she and her sisters had already had several times, but because she didn’t want her thoughts showing on her face. She tuned out Allie’s voice.

She used to think she had everything she needed out of life. She bit her lip, remembering the loneliness that invaded her every night as she wandered around her empty apartment. Her sisters were right. She should at least try. But would she be able to find love, too?

“Hilly? Are you listening to me?”

Hilly blinked, twisting toward her sister. “Of course I am.”

Allie twitched her eyebrow upward.

“All right. No, I didn’t hear what you said.” Not that she’d needed to.

Allie heaved a sigh and began again. “I said—”

“You said I have every right to be as happy as you and Meg. You said I’d better find a man before I get too old and lose my looks.” At Allie’s protest, Hilly raised a hand to quiet her. “You said everything I’ve already heard a million times before. You think I’m too stuck in my ways, too much of a good girl to have any fun, and that you—and especially Meg—think I need to lighten up and let my hair down. Have a little fun. Go crazy. Then, hopefully, find a man just like you two did.”

Her sister smiled knowingly and rubbed her arm as though she were an old crone with most of her senses lost to senility. “Good. Now, are you going to listen to us and try to find someone?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Hilly, don’t just think about it. Do something about it. Maybe you should try signing up for an online matching service.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Seriously, Hilly.”

If she admitted she’d changed her mind, would her sisters back off? Or would they get even worse? Wanting to end the conversation, Hilly stood up and tossed her purse to her sister. “Until I’ve made up my mind, I’m going to give you a much-needed break and play with my niece. Sit here and update your Facebook page or something, okay?”

Hilly checked the area around them, then hurried toward the bushes that surrounded most of the park. Using the less dense top portion of the shrubs to find an entry point, she pushed through the prickly barrier. Hiding, she moved into the trees, getting far enough away to stay out of sight of the other parents and children. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let her mind’s eye conjure an image of Emma Grace.

Shape-shifting was easier when she could copy the body of someone she knew or had seen. Especially when someone was memorable, and as far as she was concerned, her small niece was memorable for being the cutest child in the world. What better example for her to emulate?

Hilly could see the young girl as clearly as when she’d watched the youngster from the bench. Emma Grace’s golden hair, so much like her mother’s, flowed past her shoulders, the locks long enough to slightly hide the intelligent cerulean eyes until she brushed the bangs out of the way. Her round face with rosy cheeks led to a chin that was often thrust out in an exact imitation of her mother’s habit. The chubby arms and legs that would grow to rival Allie’s strong, shapely limbs completed the picture. Remembering a favorite outfit of her niece’s, Hilly smiled and let the transformation flow over her.

Changing didn’t take long. Within seconds, Hilly morphed, dissolving from her voluptuous five-foot-one-inch frame into Emma Grace’s three-foot-five-inch body. She gritted her teeth against the ache always accompanying a change, knowing it would pass soon enough, and allowed her bones to shorten and re-form. Her clothing changed, too, as did anything touching her body at the time of the transformation.

Hilly opened her eyes and looked straight into the thickest part of the bush. Her gaze lifted, noting how far above her head the less dense branches were now. She ducked lower and pushed through the small break between the bottoms of two bushes and stumbled onto the grassy edge in front of the benches.

“Hilly?” Allie gawked at her. “Wow. Talk about a spitting image. Your transformations never fail to amaze me.”

Hilly grinned, then gave a little wave. “It’s me.” Although she’d changed into a child many times before, the higher pitch of her new voice still startled her. She giggled, sounding like her niece, then dashed toward the playground.

Hilly slid into line behind Emma Grace and tapped her on the shoulder. Emma Grace pivoted to face her body double. Her mouth fell open, her big eyes grew even bigger, and her perfect pink lips rounded into an
O
.

Hilly leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Don’t be afraid, Princess. It’s Auntie Hilly.”

Using her pet name for her niece brought out a quick smile. Emma Grace took her hand and together they waited for their turn at the slide. Following her niece up the ladder, Hilly sat down on the platform, then squirmed behind the small girl. She wrapped her arms around Emma Grace’s waist and hugged tight.

“Okay, Princess. Get ready.” Hilly pushed off, using the heels of her sneakers to grip the surface of the slide. Both girls laughed out loud as they flew down the slick surface, leaning first one way, then the next with the snaking twists of the slide.

“Ow!” Hilly’s bottom hit the sand a second after Emma Grace landed. Without a moment to recover, Emma Grace broke free of her aunt and dashed toward the jungle gym at the other side of the park.

Hilly scrambled to her feet and rubbed her bottom. She glanced at Allie who was still sitting on the bench, her attention focused on her iPad, then noticed the large lead Emma Grace had on her. Mumbling under her breath so the other children wouldn’t notice her colorful language, Hilly dashed after her niece. “Hey, wait up!”

Emma Grace slammed to a stop in front of a large group of bushes outlining the edge of the park. Hilly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to catch up with the young girl before she disappeared behind the shrubs. She hated to think what might have happened if the little girl had made it through the bushes, then through the trees to the busy street beyond.

Panting—
why don’t I get the stamina of a five-year-old along with the body?
—Hilly drew next to Emma Grace and took her hand. “Princess, you shouldn’t run away from your auntie. Remember, I may look your age, but I’m really very old.” At that moment, she felt a lot older than her real age.

“Ooh, Tanner, baby. Don’t you want this?”

Another woman’s voice, her tone as lust-filled as the first woman’s, added to the mix of sounds emanating from behind the bushes. “Me, too. I want you so much. Don’t you want to nail this? Come on. Ah, yeah. Oooooh.”

Hilly froze, and along with Emma Grace, stared into the bushes. Was what she thought was happening
really
happening?

“Does someone have an owie, Auntie Hilly?”

“Uh, no. I don’t think so.”

More sounds, confirming her suspicion, seeped through the wall of branches. “Slap me, Vicky, and make it sting. Hit me hard. See, Tanner? We’ll do anything you want.”

Hilly gasped at the sound of flesh striking flesh.
Oh, my word. Someone’s getting busy in the bushes.

Emma Grace placed her palm on her cheek as her sweet face scrunched up in concern. “I don’t like this. Mommy says people shouldn’t hit.”

Her concern morphed into a determination, reminding Hilly of Meg. Before Hilly could grab her arm, the child dashed toward the bushes, her tiny hands parting the branches. In another second, she’d stick her head through the foliage and get a good look.

“No, Emma Grace!” Hilly shifted slightly, extending her arm a full five feet to snag her niece’s shoulder and yank her backward. Emma Grace fell on her butt with a grunt. She gaped at her aunt who stared back at her, waiting and praying the child wouldn’t break into tears. Instead, Emma Grace’s features scrunched into a fierce mask of anger.