The bed moved violently. A loud gasping breath startled me awake. I woke disoriented, forgetting where I was and whose bed I was in. I looked at Lauren. She was still on her back, like she hadn't moved. Her eyes flew open and met mine. The look in them made my pulse leap into my throat.

 "Lauren?" I asked softly, afraid to speak any louder. Her movements were slow as she started leaning toward me. Her green eyes dropped from my face and to the pulse in my neck. "Oh, shit." I scrambled off the side of the bed, trying to keep my eyes on her. "This wasn't worth mentioning?" It was more to myself than the vampire.

 I was trapped between the bed and the wall. Smooth move, I thought. Lauren was slowly creeping onto her hands and knees, like a cat about to pounce. My lips drew back in a snarl, a warning. Lauren hissed at me and the expression turned her beautiful face into something terrifying. I snatched one of the pillows from the bed and held it like a shield. Her body met mine and I shoved that soft shield into her, trying to use my own strength to hold her at bay. 

When I realized that she was too strong and it wasn't working, I slipped out from behind the pillow and ran into the open area of the room. The last place you want to be in the middle of a fight of any kind is trapped. She started crawling across the bed, painstakingly slowly, as if she was in no hurry to get to me. The weight of Lauren's personality wasn't there in her eyes. In- stead some predatory beast looked out at me. I knew that look—it was the look of a hunter stalking its prey. Only this time, I was the prey. 

Unexpectedly, she came for me. I jumped over the armchair, landing on my feet, but Lauren was too fast, a blur of motion in my vision. The only thing I could do was try and use her own momentum against her. The sound of my elbows hitting her chest echoed through both of our bodies. I grabbed her shoulders, thrust my arms above my head, and sent her over me. I turned in time to see her catch herself, but her shoulder caught the painting on the wall. It fell with a loud clash. The glass shattered into a multitude of sharp fragments.

 I heard the bedroom door open before Dinah said, "Camila!" 

"A little help!" I yelled. A blur of dark silk and I braced for the impact. Nothing happened. Dinah was there, holding her wrist in front of the vampire's face. Lauren followed with that predatory look still in her eyes. Dinah used herself as a distraction, taunting the vampire with the promise of blood.

 Lauren's lips parted. "No!" I yelled, but it was too late. The sound of skin tearing made me cringe in pain. Lauren tore the artery in Dinah's wrist in a spray of bright blood. Dinah had jerked her wrist back, and that had earned her worse injuries. Her eyes closed as she forced herself not to protect herself, and when she didn't fight, when she made her body go completely still, Lauren used the grip she had on Dinah's wrist to pull her in against her body.

 She brought the werewolf's wrist up to her mouth and sealed her lips over the wound. Dinah whimpered and Lauren held her trapped against her tall body. She drank, but this was not a gentle embrace. She was hunger-ridden, and any wound that spurted blood would suffice. 

The vampire opened her mouth wide and drove her fangs in again, as if trying to make a bigger wound for more blood. Dinah's pain-filled eyes pleaded with me. I couldn't just stand there. I walked back to the bed and grabbed the pillow. It was the only object in the room that I could think of using without causing any permanent damage. 

I didn't want to kill Lauren—I just wanted her to fucking snap out of it. Vampires, like werewolves, have only a few weaknesses. If it had been any other vampire I would've gone for  my gun.

 But Lauren wasn't just any vampire. Cautiously, I stepped up a few feet behind Lauren. Dinah's eyelashes fluttered, not in pleasure, but more like she was about to pass out. She saw me and tried to shake her head, tried to put her other arm out, as if to stop me. The vampire who had been holding her so tightly dropped her.

 A look of pure bliss crossed Lauren's profile. Blood dripped in a steady flow down her chin. I reared the pillow back and threw my whole body into it, hitting the vampire with a force that made her stumble. The anger fueled me, pumping through my veins, and this time, I full out charged.

 The wall shook when we slammed into it. I grabbed a handful of those beautiful dark locks and turned her to face me. I shoved my forearm against her throat. The anger had awakened my beast. "Camila." Lauren tried to talk over the pressure in her throat.

 I growled. The wolf threatened to spill out of my skin as my body shook with rage. The vampire had hurt another wolf, a wolf we had grown to know, a wolf we had been with, and that was unacceptable. "Camila," she said again, but this time she didn't wait for my response. She spun, and my arm was pulled up behind my back at a painful angle. My cheek met the wall.

 I tried to push off, to rebound off it, but Lauren was tall enough that she used the line of her body to pin me. "Camila!" Her words cracked like a whip. "Get a hold of yourself!" Again, I tried to push off the wall, tried to throw the vampire off me. The wolf didn't like being trapped. Panic made my pulse race, made me fight against her hold. 

Lauren's fangs sank into the back of my neck. The pain arched my spine, caused my hands to spasm against the wall. She growled over the mouthful of skin at the back of my neck. It wasn't the growl of the wolf, but it was a gesture that we understood.

 The sensation made my body go slack. The wolf rode me, arching my ass into the woman behind me. A whimper escaped my mouth when her jaws tightened, fangs sinking deeper into my flesh. The blood tickled as it dripped onto the collar of my shirt. I was suddenly left shuddering and panting. 

I slid down the wall when she took her mouth from me. "Why did you stop?" I went to all fours, looking up at Lauren, who stood a few feet away. "It felt so good." My voice sounded strange. It was too purring, too sexy. I moved and felt every muscle gliding beneath my skin. Stretching, I watched as Lauren's gaze followed the arch of my body. "So good," I whispered. "Camila," she spoke slowly, "that is your wolf talking, not you."  

"When the wolf speaks, is it not with my voice?" My fingers stretched into claws, ripping loudly through the carpet. I leaned forward, out of the stretch. "She is riding you," Lauren said. A throaty laugh that held the edge of a growl came from my mouth. "There's one thing I want riding me, Vampire, and I'm looking at it."

 "Dinah." Her eyes shuddered closed. "Get out." The other wolf caught my attention, her scent filling my nostrils like fresh pine. A whimper fell from my lips. Why was she leaving? She liked playing with me too. "Oh no, wolf." Lauren knelt in front of me. Her arm reached out, grabbing a fistful of my hair. "If it is I you want, that is what you are going to get." My tongue flicked hungrily across my lips. Oh yes, that's what we wanted.

 Dinah left the room with a single worried glance over her shoulder. I turned my attention back to Lauren and growled when she closed the distance between us. Using the grip on my hair, Lauren pulled me forcefully to her mouth. I moaned as her hungry lips met mine. Magic spilled out of our skin, washing over us like we were two tiny pebbles on the beach. Blood like delicious ice cream welled between our locked mouths, and I no longer cared whose fangs drew the sweet metallic rush.

 Lauren used her mouth to lure me onto the bed. The shorts I wore tore from my body with a violent jerk. I kissed her neck. I drew that soft flesh into my mouth, drew it in until the tips of my canines drew blood. My tongue curled around the wound as I licked the blood from her skin. I caught two handfuls of her gown. The silk tore in a hiss of fabric. Lauren moaned, hands cradling my hips, sweeping upward to caress the skin just below my breasts. 

"Please," I whispered, arching into her. Her tongue drew a wet line across my stomach. "Is this what you want?"

 "Yes." Her hands brushed across my breasts, causing my nipples to harden, summoning a flood of desire from between my legs. Her hand caught the back of my neck, still slick with my blood. She used that hold to guide me to my knees. "Look at me." She caught my jaw between her thumb and index finger, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Is this what you want?" she asked. I inclined, trying to catch her mouth with mine. She held me back with that harsh grip. I whimpered. "Camila." 

"What?" I growled and then whimpered again. "I don't want to talk. I want you to fuck me."

"No." Her tone was harsh. "You know you want to," I said in a breathy voice, inclining while she held me at bay. "I can smell your desire, Vampire. You've wanted to fuck me since you had my body pressed up against the wall." Her grip tightened hard enough that it felt like she was threatening to crush me. She whispered against my lips. "Cage your beast, little wolf, and I will fuck you to your heart's content." The wolf's growl trickled from my lips. "You have better control than this," she said, voice firm. "You shatter my control," I growled, "and my patience!"

 Lauren's hand moved to my throat. Her fingernails dug into my skin. I fell back onto the bed when she pushed me away from her. I blinked up at the empty air. "I will not take you like this." Lauren's voice came from the corner of the room. A scream tore from me, rage filled, pained, and empty. 

The bones in my body began sliding, trying to shift. I fought against them. No, the beast would not have me. She would not take me unless I allowed her to come out. I felt her inside me like she was slamming her furred body against my ribs, to tear her way out. A wave of heat flushed my skin as I felt dizzy and light-headed. 

"Lauren." Her name came out strained between my gritted teeth. "Camila?" It was a question. "What's..." My spine twisted as the wolf clawed through me. I screamed, digging my clawed hands into the mattress. The fabric tore and springs creaked.

 "Camila, you have to fight her, or she will dominate you." I tried to shield against her, to quiet my mind, but the wolf howled through me. I did the only thing I could think of...I said a prayer to the Morrigan. I didn't pray for control, I fucking begged for it. Darkness took my vision. Light like a candle flame sprang to life behind my eyes. I'd felt my prayers answered before, but nothing like this, never like this. The fear sped my pulse. Then suddenly, the candle was no longer a flickering light but a flame raging through me.

 Wordless screams fell from my mouth. Magic poured over my skin like melted wax, suffocating, consuming, paralyzing. The wolf looked into that burning flame and cowered. I had a moment to be grateful before the fire intensified, eating me alive. 

I opened my eyes to find the shadows swirling around me. The shadow swelled and stretched before swallowing me whole. I no longer had a body. If I had once had a body, it had been torn apart, atom by atom, cell by cell, and bit by bit. The flame had lifted me up, carrying my essence through a spiral of energy.

 Everything changed. I was flying through the night air, scanning the blades of grass below like they were beautiful textures on a quilt. Distantly, I heard voices. I went to them, gliding on currents of air with out- stretched arms. "Dinah! Do not touch her!" The voice sounded familiar, so I went to it. Something trapped me, pulled me down like a magnet. I tried to break away from it, but it was too strong. My body pulled at me, sucked me in like some great vortex. 

I gasped. I couldn't breathe. There wasn't enough air. The blood pounded in my ears. "What the...?" Dinah spoke from the other side of the bed. I opened my eyes and her face loomed in my vision. Strange, I thought, that I could see Lauren on the other side of the room at the same time. I blinked hard. They were both looming in my vision, too close to the bed. "Move back," I said, but what came out of my mouth sounded strange, wrong somehow. 

I went to touch my mouth with my fingertips. A black wing hovered in my vision. I tried to sit up, but ended up teetering uncertainly. Lauren's green eyes swam in my vision. My heart rate increased. "Camila." Her tone was soothing, tender even. "Calm down. Do you understand me?" I nodded, closing my eyes tightly.

 I wouldn't panic. Nope. Not going to panic. One...two... "What did you do to her that turned her into a bird?" Dinah asked acerbically. My eyes flew open. Surely, I was hearing things? "Bird!?" I screeched. "What the hell are you talking about?"

 My eyes went even wider. "I am not a fucking bird! I'm a lycanthrope. How can I be a bird?"

 "I think she's stuck," Dinah said. Her hand reached out toward me. It seemed bigger than it should've been. I tried to slap it away and failed. She scooped me up in both of her hands and held me in front of her face. "Camila, stop flapping around like a madwoman." She scolded me as I tried to get away from her. 

"Well!" I cawed. "Put me down and I wouldn't be flapping!" The rest came out as short little raspy clicks. Dinah grabbed my beak between two of her fingers. "You have got to calm down or you're going to give yourself a heart attack," she said. I blinked. "You don't believe us?" she asked.

 I tried to shrug, and knew it looked weird. Was I dreaming? "Was that a shrug?" she asked. I nodded. Dinah walked out into the open area of the bedroom and the next thing I knew, I was airborne. My arms flailed, and for the first time I felt the air catch beneath my wings. I moved them, up and down, rapidly. I flew. Holy Morrigan. I was flying. 

Spotting the back of the armchair I landed, albeit, a little awkwardly. It took a few hops to catch my balance. Lauren came to me, trailing her fingers down my feathered back. It felt weird. I felt weird, like something light and unreal. "Now do you believe us?"

 "No," I clicked.

"How does she change back?" Dinah asked. Lauren shrugged. "I've only heard tales about someone receiving a gift from the Goddess," she said. "I have never actually witnessed such. That is something that Camila is going to have to figure out."

 I closed my eyes. Forever stuck in the form of a bird did not sound like a well- lived life. Maybe it was similar to shifting. I took deep meditative breaths, and instead of a wolf being pushed back in its cage, I imagined a nice little nest on top of a tree. Visualization is everything, sometimes, and surely birds liked nests? I tried to familiarize myself with the energy. Fire.

 The wolf was more earthy, like rainwater and soil. The bird, or whatever it was, had heat to it. I pushed that energy into the metaphysical nest I imagined. It wasn't working. Damn it. I wanted my arms and legs back!

 At least when I was a wolf I felt at home, comfortable in my own skin. This shape was alien to me. I thought about my human body and how much I wanted it back. A shadowy mist rose around me. Lauren stepped away from me. "Fuck," I said and touched my lips. My voice came out in human words and it made me want to cry. A second later and the back of the chair tipped with me on it. I hit the wall and slid down in a clumsy heap to the floor. 

Dinah laughed. "Well, looks like she figured it out."

 "You think?" I said, standing on wobbly legs, bracing my hands on the back of the chair. "It is good to see you are back to your normal self," Lauren said, sounding surprisingly calm. "And naked," Dinah added. I looked down. Sure enough, she was right. I put myself behind the chair, using it as cover. Lauren went to the closet by the smashed painting. She took something out and then offered me a dark red robe. I took it, gladly.

 "Tell me this isn't really happening," I said. "Tell me that one of you just slipped me a roofie."

 "A roofie?" Lauren asked. Dinah said, "It's a date rape drug." 

"I cannot," Lauren said thoughtfully, "unless you wish that I lie to you."

 "What the hell just happened?" I asked no one in particular. "I came running when Lauren called." Dinah put her hands on her hips. "You were surrounded by all of this shadowy stuff. Definitely magic."

 "What were you thinking when you were about to shift?" Lauren asked, her expression still thoughtful. I ran my fingers through my hair, pushing the tangled tresses out of my face. "I don't know. I didn't want to shift. I prayed to the Morrigan for control," I said, then thought about it and finally admitted, "Well, begged, but the wolf is never like that. She's pushy, but not that pushy." 

Dinah said, "You went into a type of metaphysical heat when Lauren bit you." I gave her a disbelieving look. Lauren said, "Dinah speaks truth."

 "For werewolves," Dinah continued, "biting the back of the neck is a sign of courtship. When Lauren bit you, your wolf saw it as a proposal and offered herself." She frowned when she said that last bit. "Why are you frowning?" I asked. She actually sighed.

 "Because the fact that your wolf offered herself to Lauren means that she thinks she's a fitting mate." I looked at Lauren. "But you're not a werewolf."

 "No," Dianh said, frowning, "but she's powerful enough to dominate your wolf."

 "What does that mean?" I asked, eyeing her warily. 

She shrugged. "A dominant female wolf always goes for a stronger mate. At least, she'll go for a mate that matches her in strength. Lauren proved that she could match you, if not best you, in that area."

 "Great," I said. "So, you called upon your Goddess's aid." Lauren swiftly changed the subject, for which I was grateful. "An Irish Triple Goddess who happens to preside over ravens and crows?" I drew in a deep breath.

 "Yes." I let the breath out, seeing where she was going. Was that even possible? A headache was beginning to start between my eyes. If it was the Morrigan's energy that had poured through me, if she had given me this gift...Why? Why give me the power to shift into not one, but two animals? And why in the moment when I was trying to cage the wolf did I turn into a bird instead of back into my human form? There was too much to think about. Suddenly all I wanted to do was to sit down, drink a cup of coffee, and pretend I lived a normal life. Any crisis I'd ever met always went better with coffee.

 And the fact that animals don't drink coffee made me feel a bit more human sitting with a coffee mug in hand. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," I said. "I'm getting a headache. I still don't feel real and I could really go for some coffee."

Lauren offered a graceful nod of her head but didn't say anything. She wasn't looking at me, and I found that more disturbing than the way she usually stared at me. Talk about mixed signals. Dinah laughed. "I'll go make coffee, then." I followed Lauren as she began walking toward the door, busying myself by making sure the robe was tied securely.

 Lauren wore a black dressing gown that buttoned up the front. I couldn't remember seeing her change, let alone put clothes on. Sparing a glance at the bed, I spotted the remains of my shorts. The mattress had stuffing sticking out where my claws had torn it. There were black feathers all over the black sheets. "Sorry about the mess." Lauren looked at me with an expression of soft amusement. 

"Do not trouble yourself with it. It wasn't entirely your fault, after all." Dinah fell in quietly behind us as we walked down the hallway. I sighed, tired to the bone. My voice was more of a whisper this time. "By the way, thank you."

 "For what?"

 "You didn't take advantage of me," I told her. "Though I probably would've enjoyed it." 

  The corner of her mouth lifted in a half-smile. "Did I just hear you admit that you would enjoy sleeping with me?"

 "We slept together already," I said. "Remember?"

 "I remember well what we started," she said in a breathy whisper, "and what we have to finish."

 "Finish?" I retorted. "I bunked with you this morning. You got what you wanted." 

"Mmm, can you truly say that you have gotten what you wanted?" she asked. I gave her a look. "You remember what you said, don't you?" she persisted. "The wolf said a lot of things." She whispered against the fall of my hair. "You are the wolf, and she is you. There are desires the wolf will bring to light that you are afraid of." My stomach did a little flip-flop, and I tried to ignore it.

 Had I agreed with the wolf? Had the wolf only spoken my desires out loud? 

...Maybe.