Author's Note: You've come a long way, reader. Down to the last chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride. A sequel is stewin' in my brain, and I'll be posting the first chapter sooner than you know. 

His entire upper body was the same. Human head, neck, shoulders, torso...but that was where things got complicated. Further along his muscled stomach, brown fur curled, thickened and led to his animal half. His body was fused with the lower half of a horse.

I took in the gleaming brown coat, the four huge hooves outlined in white hair, and the tail I had to strain to get a glimpse of. Overall, I thought him to be majestic in size and in beauty.

What to say to someone who could have their own "Anamorph" series?

"Um, so you're a centaur?"

"Humph." What came out of Rafe was more of a horse-like snort than an intelligible scoff.

"Centaurs are dirty creatures with little regard for others. They're known for their tempers and have always been jealous of Ipotanes."

"Why should they be, if you're both pretty much the same?"

"We are not 'pretty much the same.'" Somehow, Rafe appeared dainty in his disdain. "Centaurs are trapped, forced to straddle the world between human and animal. They're jealous because Ipotanes can come and go between either world, through the help of meditation."

"Right."

I had gotten used to the world of Djinn and Lillin. Knowing there were other creatures in the world like Ipotanes and centaurs made me wonder what other fairytale creatures and monsters existed.

"Can all members of the Morcoso tribe turn into Ipotane's?"

"Not all. Only a few can, with the— "

"Help of meditation. I get it."

"I'd say that's enough about me. Let's answer the question you asked of me earlier."

"To see if I'm pregnant? All right, what are you going to do?"

"It's a complex ritual involving your stomach and my eyeballs. In layman's terms, it's called staring." To make his sarcasm stick, Rafe stared hard at my belly. In no time at all, he looked up and said, "Nothing there."

"What? That was a total of three seconds of your 'staring' ritual. Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"How?"

"Because, as soon as I transformed into Ipotane form, I would've seen what I saw before."

By "before," Rafe meant: "When I was pregnant before?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you saw something? So many times, I thought I was crazy, and you knew...."

"I only found out on the last night that we were ourselves."

Ourselves.

When Rafe had just been Rafe, free of demon possession. And when I had been a normal human woman, free from fire lore, and enhanced senses. Sure, I'd been as pregnant as a house, but I had been the original owner of my body. Recently, there had been times when I had looked in the mirror or woken up feeling completely disoriented, forgetting who or where I was. How I longed to be myself again.

Rafe continued. "When I got home from work, you weren't there, so I went to look for you at your mother's house. When I got there, I heard glass breaking from the attic window. I looked up and there you were, falling. Instantly, I transformed. I knew I wouldn't be able to catch you with my human body. Never before had I turned without meditation, and I didn't even think it was possible, but your safety was a great motivator for haste. I caught you."

"I knew I didn't hallucinate that," I said.

"It was like I was seeing you for the first time, because I could see what you carried inside of you and what it was doing to your body." His tail began to swath back and forth anxiously, and I wanted to laugh, but I felt it would be rude. "Inside your belly, a red serpent coiled in sleep. Its venom had permeated your bloodstream, making a black river of all of your veins. The worst part was your heart. It was blackened by the venom, and the snake had a hold of it anyway. I knew you were dying. That it was taking over and using you up." He paused and looked down. "So you see, I'm sure now because that wasn't something I could have forgotten."

Relief, sure and swift hit me. The feeling was so encompassing that I had to sit down.

"I'm...fine? There's nothing wrong with me?"

"Except for your chewy fiery center? Not really. Oh, speaking of which, you have to explain that to me sometime soon."

Of this, I heard nothing. I was back in the land of guilt, with a side-stop in self-loathing territory. My tears of relief had turned into a bitter sob fest.

"Why are you even still here? How can you even stand to look at me?"

In order to address the crisis with more credibility, Rafe made the decision to return to his human body. After a short burst of light, he was himself. And naked. How much of a serious conversation there was to be had without a stitch on was something Rafe was about to discover for himself.

I was so immersed in my own misery I hadn't noticed his change. Rafe placed a comforting hand on my back, and I jumped. I took note of his human form, and then resumed staring off into the night.

"Sorry," Rafe said.

"I'm the one's that's," hiccup, "sorry."

Rafe smiled. "I won't lie; when you first told me that you'd been with another...man, I was angry. Then, I remembered the most important thing, and it let me forgive you in the same moment."

My tear-stained face peered up at him. "What thing?"

"That I love you, unconditionally. If I didn't know that when I married you, I certainly learned it through hard patience while being trapped for two years within my own body. Life's too short to hold on to anger." For a moment, Rafe's mouth formed a thin hard line. "Does that mean that I want you to sleep with other men or that I won't be affected if it happens again in the future? No. For now, I can be a happy man as long as you're with me, and love me like I love you."

More tears shone in my eyes, but they did not fall. "When you touched me a minute ago, I saw your future...."

The liquid film of tears made my eyes larger, more beautiful.

"Were you in it?" he asked.

Nod.

"Were we happy?"

Emphatic nod.

"That is all I need to know then. " One outstretched hand symbolized Rafe's love and his willingness to so easily forgive me of her mistakes. Knowing and appreciating that, I took his hand.

I used Rafe for balance to stand up. Slowly, the night wind rustled by my ear, and it spoke to me.

"You've found your partner. One that's worthy, not a distraction. You don't need me anymore, and you won't see me again until the day. That day won't come for many, many years, but it will come. Until then, fulfill your duties, love your husband, and live your life."

What about Jules and Mom?

The wind answered, "We'll all be together someday, but don't worry, before your time is through, you'll see Mom again."

A deep peace settled in my chest. "Thank you."

Assuming that I was talking to him, Rafe told me, "You're welcome, my love."

I rewarded him with a brief and sweet kiss. I welcomed the flood of images that came with the kiss; seeing Rafe's future again was comforting. In time, I knew my mother would appear in it. The chance at seeing my mother again weighed heavily with the knowledge that I would have hours of explaining and possibly screaming to overcome first. Mainly, the thought made me tired...and hungry.

"You know, we should get something to eat," Rafe said.

I stared at him. "Can you—" There I paused and touched my forehead.

"No, I can't read your mind. But, I did hear your stomach growl quite loudly not two seconds ago."

Déjà vu. Rosalind had said almost the same thing to me months before. I thought either I must have an abnormally loud stomach, or this was a sign of good things to come.

"What do you want to get to eat?"

Rafe was unsure as to why I asked the question as though it were a test question, but he answered with the first thing that came to mind, "Pancakes."

And Rafe had passed a sort of test in my mind, at least. Or the circumstance had passed the test. Could the universe be speaking to me and telling me everything was going to be all right? Was it possible there were no coincidences? Were damn pancakes the avenue of communication for higher entities?

I wasn't sure, but pancakes did sound like an amazing idea.

"What are you smiling about?" Rafe asked.

"Life. Pancakes. Nudity." I then gave a pointed stare at Rafe's pelvic region.

"Oh yeah. Clothes might help in our journey to find pancakes."

I laughed some more while Rafe slipped away to the alcove to retrieve his pile of clothes. "Journey to find pancakes. I like that."

From the alcove, rustles of clothing could be heard, along with, "And tomorrow we can make a new journey. One to find French toast, waffles, or hey, if you wanna get crazy, an omelet!"

"Tomorrow" stuck with me. "Tomorrow" was filled with romantic possibilities, but also responsibilities. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Lillin and Djinn were still active. I could feel their faint threads, trails ready for the trackin'. The chase would span more states, countries, and continents. It would take a lifetime or two to get them all. For one person, the prospect could be dizzying. Luckily, Rafe made the ground seem closer and a great deal steadier. I was no longer alone. With Rafe, my life and mission would be more meaningful.

Rafe appeared from the alcove dressed in the former demon's despicable choice in attire. His smile was unsure, and he ran his hands over himself self-consciously.

"The clothes aren't that bad," I lied.

"I can pull this look off for now, but tomorrow, our journey will have to take us by a thrift store."

In perfect synchronicity, we took each other's hand. We walked with confidence and trust that only mutual love can bring.

"Tomorrow," I agreed.

It was one word, but it was all that needed to be said for the moment.