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  Shifting Forms For Clumsy Felines

  Obscure Academy #1

  Laura Greenwood

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  Also by Laura Greenwood

  About the Author

  © 2022 Laura Greenwood

  * * *

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at "Attention: Permissions Coordinator," at the email address; [email protected].

  Visit Laura Greenwood's website at:

  www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

  Cover by Ravenborn Covers

  Shifting Forms For Clumsy Felines is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  If you find an error, you can report it via my website. Please note that my books are written in British English: https://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/report-error.html

  To keep up to date with new releases, sales, and other updates, you can join my mailing list via my website or The Paranormal Council Reader Group on Facebook.

  Blurb

  When she arrived at Obscure Academy, Krissi promised herself she'd focus on her studies and cheer practice. She wasn't going to worry about boys or the fact she's less than graceful in her leopard form.

  * * *

  Everything changes when she shares an accidental kiss with her flatmate, and despite every attempt to stay away from Jeremy, she keeps finding herself drawn back to the tiger shifter.

  * * *

  Can Jeremy convince her to give their relationship a chance?

  -

  Shifting Forms For Clumsy Felines is a light-hearted shifter academy m/f romance set at Obscure Academy. It is Krissi and Jeremy's complete story.

  1

  Krissi

  * * *

  The welcome fair is buzzing with activity and various students calling for the freshers to join one society or another. I pay them no attention. I know exactly where I'm going and what I want to sign up for. All I need to do is find where they are. My ears prick as a whistle sounds and my whole body stands to attention as I wait for the cheer captain to call out what formation she wants us in. Until I realise I'm not a cheerleader at Obscure Academy.

  At least, I'm not yet. Once I sign up and get through tryouts, that will change. And I've no doubt I'll manage. I may not be particularly graceful in my shifted form, but my human one can out-cartwheel anyone.

  Even over the din of hundreds of students chatting and laughing, I can hear the cheers calling out to the part of me that lives to compete.

  Now all I need to do is get to them so I can sign up.

  "Hey." A tall guy with auburn hair waves at me. "It's Krystal, right?"

  Eurgh, why does someone here already know my full name?

  "I prefer Krissi," I correct him. "But yes. I'm sorry, I don't know your name." I can already feel my cheeks flaring with embarrassment.

  "That's okay. I'm Jeremy. We live in the same flat."

  "We do?" Oops. Maybe not the best thing to say. I always get like this around people I think are attractive, and there's no denying Jeremy is that.

  And ripped. He's wearing a shirt, but I know athletes when I see them, and he definitely is one. Maybe I'll end up cheering for him at some point.

  He smiles reassuringly at me. "We do. I saw your picture on the fridge."

  "Ah." Which now seems like both a good idea, and a little bit of a creepy one. Only one of the others had put their photo up when I placed mine in the spot with my name. It's supposed to help us all recognise each other out and about, but I don't think it's working very well. "Are you a fresher too?"

  He shakes his head. "I'm a second year."

  "Doesn't it bother you that you've ended up sharing a flat with a group of freshers?" I barely want to share with first years, and I am one.

  He shrugs. "Not really. Things don't get too serious until third year here."

  "I'll take your word for it," I mumble.

  "Have you signed up for anything yet?"

  "I was looking for the cheer squad," I admit.

  "I can take you over and introduce you to Zara if you want?" he offers.

  For a moment, I think about saying no, but why should I? He seems nice, and we're going to be living together anyway. Besides, it's always good to be introduced to the captain by someone she knows.

  "That sounds good. Are you sure you can leave?" I gesture to the stall he seems to be manning, only just realising it says Obscure Academy Rugby Team on the banner.

  I guess I know what kind of athlete he is now. He certainly looks broad enough to be a rugby player.

  "It's not a problem," he assures me. "Charlie, Steve, I'm just going to take Krissi over to see Zara."

  One of the guys he calls to waves at him, acknowledging his words.

  "They're going to let you just abandon your booth like that?" I ask.

  He shrugs. "It's one of the advantages of being part of a team, there's always enough people."

  "Unless you all come down with a mysterious illness," I retort. "It happened several times to our school's team."

  Jeremy chuckles. "Let's guess, it always happened after a house party?"

  "According to the rumours, it was after a lot of questionable behaviour. What always struck me as odd is that the humans and supernaturals all came down with the same thing at the same time."

  "You don't have to worry about that here," he says.

  "There might be a human among you. They're not banned from the academy."

  "True. Though I'd like to think I'd notice. Humans smell different."

  I raise an eyebrow, half wishing it wasn't considered rude to ask someone what kind of supernatural they are.

  He guides me through the assembled students and towards a group of cheerleaders wearing a dark blue uniform with OA on the front of it. Even without talking to them, I know this is exactly what I'm looking for.

  Jeremy waves at the redhead in front of everyone, and she saunters over, a sway in her hips that says she knows everyone is watching and she loves it.

  "What's up, J?" she asks, not as flirtatiously as I expect given the way she's acting.

  He clears his throat uncomfortably. "Hey, Zara. This is Krissi, one of my new flatmates. She wants to sign up for tryouts."

  Zara's gaze rakes up and down me as she tries to make an assessment based on what she can see. I stand up straighter and hope it's enough for me to make a good impression. I don't want her to decide I'm not even worth giving a tryout to.

  "Do you have any experience?" she asks.

  I nod. "I've been training since I was seven, and was part of the team at King Edward's up until I came here."

  She raises a
n eyebrow. "They're cup winners."

  "Yes." I try to avoid sounding too prideful, but it's difficult. The team worked hard to win the championships several years in a row. I may not have been the captain of the team, but I still get to call myself a champion.

  She clicks for one of the guys to come over with a clipboard and takes it from him. "Fill this out and we'll see you for tryouts at the end of the week."

  Before I can ask her where I need to go for them, she turns and walks off, leaving me alone with Jeremy and the clipboard.

  "That went well," he says cheerily.

  "It did?" I'm not sure what he was witness to, but I don't think anyone can say that went particularly well.

  "She didn't scream at anyone, and you got what you wanted. For Zara, that's a good interaction."

  "You're not filling me with confidence about working with her," I mutter.

  "I suppose it depends how much you want to be a cheerleader."

  I sigh. "It's been part of me for so long that I can't imagine not being one," I admit. "Is that weird?"

  "Not at all."

  "Some of the girls on my own squad said they thought it was. They used to say that being a leopard shifter should be more important than being a cheerleader." The words are out before I can think about whether it's a good idea to say them to a stranger.

  "You're a leopard?" he asks.

  "I guess. But that doesn't really feel like me. If that makes any sense."

  "It does," he assures me. "I'm a tiger shifter, but it's not how I'd describe myself first and foremost."

  I raise an eyebrow. "It's not?" I think he's the first fellow shifter I've met who feels the same way I do. Or he's the first to admit it out loud.

  "No. I had a run-in with the former Shifter Queen that just cemented how I feel about it all. I don't want to be a shifter above everything else. I want to be me."

  "You had a run-in with the Shifter Queen?" My mouth falls open and I stare at him, both amazed and confused at the same time.

  "Not the current one," he says quickly. "I get on well with Kayra."

  I stare at him, unable to formulate any of the questions racing around my head. "You know the current Shifter Queen too?"

  "Yes. It was her mother that was the problem."

  "Wasn't she deposed by Queen Kayra?"

  "She was," he responds. "It's a long story. And not one for here." He glances around, reminding me that we're in the middle of the Freshers Fair. It's probably not the best place to be talking about the biggest political scandal to rock the shifter world since the 1800s.

  "It sounds intriguing," I admit.

  "Then I'll be glad to tell you it another time. But why don't we focus on the fair instead? You've signed up for cheer squad, what else do you want to be part of while you're here? There's ShiftSoc if you want to spend more time with shifters."

  "What does a shifter social club even do? Shift and hang out in a room?"

  "I think it's just an excuse to drink and party, like most of the societies." Laughter lingers in his voice. "But it's never a bad thing to be part of something like that."

  "All right, then. Why don't you lead the way." I'm not sure whether I want to be part of it, but I promised my parents I'd make the most of my academy experience. Getting a social life is part of that, even if it's less important to me than my studies or cheer practice.

  Despite my reservations, Obscure Academy is an experience I can only have once, and I don't want to miss anything while I'm here. Luckily for me, I seem to have found a guide who is determined to help me.

  2

  Krissi

  * * *

  "Take a break," Zara instructs, waving us all away.

  I relax and let my arms fall to my sides. The fringe of my pom-poms tickles my thigh even through the workout leggings I'm wearing. I dread to think what they'll be like when I'm in uniform. It surprises me the academy isn't able to provide us with some that are better quality.

  I head over to the benches to grab a drink. I'm not new to cheering. I know that if I want to stay on top form, then I need to stay hydrated.

  "Hey," a girl I recognise from tryouts says as she grabs her water bottle.

  "Hi." I wave at her, causing a rustle from my pom-pom.

  "You're new too, right?"

  I nod and drop my pom-poms on the bench so I can take a drink from my own. "I'm Krissi," I say, holding out my hand.

  "Grace." She gives my hand a shake, then drops it quickly, probably because we're both sweaty from our workout. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I offered mine to her.

  "What do you make of the Captain?" she asks.

  I shrug. "She's tough, but she has to be."

  "And how many cheer captains do you know who aren't?" Grace quips. "I've had my share of taskmasters."

  "Same. I don't think you can get anywhere near competitive cheering without encountering a few."

  "So true." She sighs. "I love it anyway."

  "Me too. It's the perfect combination of gymnastics and…"

  "Dance," she finishes for me. "I know what you mean. Mum pushed me towards ballet for the longest time, but it wasn't the right fit for me."

  "Mine tried to get me to focus on gymnastics." I'd been terrible at it though. I know lots of people who are great at all the tumbling and tricks they need, but for me it wasn't quite right. When I got a chance to try out for my first cheer squad, everything fell into place.

  "How are you finding the academy?" she asks.

  "A little overwhelming," I admit. "What about you?" I take a long drink, enjoying the cold trickle of the water down my throat.

  "Same. I'm looking forward to going out to Mixer with my flatmates on Friday night."

  "Oh, we're going there too," I say. "Maybe I'll run into you."

  "Probably when we've both had too much to drink and are in the middle of becoming best friends with a stranger in the toilets," Grace jokes.

  A small snort escapes me. "It does seem to be a standard part of any night out."

  She grins.

  "Krissi!" someone calls before she's able to say anything else.

  I turn to see Jeremy jogging towards me in his practice gear.

  "Hey, I didn't realise you were practising now," I say.

  "Every Monday evening so we're as ready as we can be for Wednesday's game. I see you're doing the same."

  "Yes, though I think we're cheering for the basketball team this week." I glance at Grace, but she just nods.

  "Ah, that's a shame. I know I'll play better with you cheering from the sidelines." He grins, lighting up his face and giving him a boyish glow.

  "I bet you say that to all the cheerleaders," I quip.

  "Not so far," he counters. "But your squad is good, so I won't say it's a lie."

  I let out a small laugh, surprisingly at ease with him. Maybe it's because I've seen him searching through the fridge for the milk first thing in the morning. I wouldn't have thought it was difficult to find, but he doesn't seem to be an early bird.

  "Hopefully we're not going to disappoint," I mumble. "I'm not sure Zara is too impressed with us so far."

  "Don't worry about Zara," he says quickly. "She just likes to put on a tough front."

  Grace snorts. "That's one way of putting it."

  "Jeremy!" One of the other rugby team members gestures at him from the other side of the field.

  "I guess that's me," he says. "I'll catch you later?"

  "Mmhmm. Have a good practice."

  "You too." He gives me a small wave goodbye and hurries over to where the others are already warming up.

  "So, who was that?" Grace asks when I turn back to her.

  "Oh, he's Jeremy. He's a second year who lives in my flat."

  "Does he have a girlfriend?" she asks, a knowing smile on her face.

  "I don't think so, but it hasn't really come up."

  Grace raises an eyebrow. "Really? Because I'd have thought with all the flirting going on that it would have been the fi
rst thing you'd have talked about."

  "There wasn't any flirting," I deny quickly.

  "Of course there wasn't." She all but winks at me.

  I glance over my shoulder to where the rugby guys are hopping over small jumps one after the other. My gaze slips over them until I find Jeremy near the end. He's completely focused on his task and not even thinking about me anymore.

  "We're flatmates," I assure her. "Nothing more."

  "Yet," Grace teases.

  "I'm not looking for anything serious." I want to focus on my classes and on cheering, I don't need the distraction a relationship will bring.

  "Who said anything about serious? Just because you don't want to keep the car, it doesn't mean you can't take it for a test drive."

  "I can't do that." My voice goes up an octave at the end.

  "Why not? I don't think he's going to complain if you do," Grace responds. "And if you don't, then someone else is going to."

  I flash one more look in Jeremy's direction and then shake my head.

  "And you don't have to decide now," she points out. "You can keep harmlessly flirting for a while first. But be careful, or it'll lead to a drunken kiss and the next thing you know, you're waking up in his bed and discovering how badly he snores."

  "Speaking from experience?" I ask.

  Grace chuckles. "A bit."

  "All right, break's over," Zara calls.

  Grace sighs. "I guess it's time to make my muscles hate me tomorrow."

  I let out a soft snort. "How about we make it up to them by going for a milkshake after practice?"

  "I'll never say no to that."