In human form, Henry was a big man with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, but he didn’t feel human. At least, not when she’d first met him. Now? Was it just that she’d gotten used to him, or had he lost some of the wildness in these past few months?

“That depends on who you ask,” he replied.

“The terra indigene who no one talks about. The really dangerous ones. Well, you’re dangerous too, but...” She stopped, afraid she’d insulted him. Then she pressed on, because she had to know. “Simon has brought more humans to the Courtyard. It’s Lieutenant Montgomery’s family, so it’s a kind thing to do, but will they think he’s becoming too human because he’s spending so much time with humans? Are you at risk? Did I cause this?”

Henry leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. His expression went from puzzlement to amusement as he slowly shook his head. “Have you been saving up these questions, Meg?”

“You think it’s funny?”

“Funny? No. Amusing?” He tipped a hand back and forth. “There is always a danger of taking too much from a form, but I imagine that’s been true since the first terra indigene took the form of another predator in order to study its way of hunting and become an even better hunter than the original animal. But humans are an odd kind of predator, and most of what they fight over among themselves...” He shrugged. “Yes, we’ve become more entangled with humans, and not just in Lakeside. Yes, there’s a risk that we’ll become too involved in their concerns and forget who we are and what our own kind need. But I don’t think Simon will become too human, not in any bad way. You know why?”

Meg shook her head.

Henry smiled. “Because you won’t let him.”

She sat back and sighed. “Tess is kind of cranky.”

“Tess is Tess.”

“Do you think the Courtyard will still be able to buy those apartment buildings across the street?”

“We have bought them. The humans have to do their paperwork, but that’s a formality and should be completed anytime now.”

“Until then, where do we put everyone?” In the compound where she had been raised, every girl had her own cell. She didn’t have a training image that would help her visualize many people crammed into a room to sleep, even temporarily.

“Meg? You take your quiet time whenever you need it. You’re not responsible for Lieutenant Montgomery’s pack; he is.”

“Well, I’m not going to make the mistake of showing them the ponies!”

Henry’s booming laugh rang out. “As if Jester would let you near the Pony Barn with small humans after the last time.”