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 Roseanne. 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.

"Roseanne?" I asked softly, afraid to speak any louder. Her movements were slow as she started leaning toward me. Her honey 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. Roseanne was slowly creeping onto her hands and knees, like a cat about to pounce. My lips drew back in a snarl, a warning. Roseanne 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 Roseanne's personality wasn't there in her eyes. Instead 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 Roseanne 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 Sana said, "Lisa!"

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

Roseanne's lips parted. "No!" I yelled, but it was too late. The sound of skin tearing made me cringe in pain. Roseanne tore the artery in Sana's wrist in a spray of bright blood. Sana 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, Roseanne used the grip she had on Sana'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. Sana whimpered and Roseanne 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. Sana'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 Roseanne—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 Roseanne wasn't just any vampire. Cautiously, I stepped up a few feet behind Roseanne. Sana'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 Roseanne'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 locks and turned her to face me. I shoved my forearm against her throat. The anger had awakened my beast. "Lisa." Roseanne 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. "Lisa," 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 Roseanne was tall enough that she used the line of her body to pin me. "Lisa!" 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.

Roseanne's fangs sank into the back of my neck. The pain arched my spine, causing 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 Roseanne, 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 Roseanne's gaze followed the arch of my body. "So good," I whispered. "Lisa," 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," Roseanne 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."

"Sana." 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." Roseanne 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.

Sana left the room with a single worried glance over her shoulder. I turned my attention back to Roseanne and growled when she closed the distance between us. Using the grip on my hair, Roseanne 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.

Roseanne 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. Roseanne 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. "Lisa."

"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!"

Roseanne'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." Roseanne'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.

"Roseanne." Her name came out strained between my gritted teeth. "Lisa?" 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.

"Lisa, 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. "Sana! 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...?" Sana 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 Roseanne 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. Roseanne's honey eyes swam in my vision. My heart rate increased. "Lisa." 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?" Sana 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," Sana 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. "Lisa, 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. Sana 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. Sana 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. Roseanne 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?" Sana asked. Roseanne 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 Lisa 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. Roseanne 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.

Sana 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," Roseanne said, sounding surprisingly calm. "And naked," Sana added. I looked down. Sure enough, she was right. I put myself behind the chair, using it as cover. Roseanne 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?" Roseanne asked. Sana said, "It's a date rape drug."

"I cannot," Roseanne 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 Roseanne called." Sana 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?" Roseanne 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."

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

"For werewolves," Sana continued, "biting the back of the neck is a sign of courtship. When Roseanne 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 Roseanne means that she thinks she's a fitting mate." I looked at Roseanne. "But you're not a werewolf."

"No," Sana 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. Roseanne proved that she could match you, if not best you, in that area."

"Great," I said. "So, you called upon your Goddess's aid." Roseanne Kimly changed the subject, for which I was grateful. "An Thai 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."

Roseanne 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. Sana laughed. "I'll go make coffee, then." I followed Roseanne as she began walking toward the door, busying myself by making sure the robe was tied securely.

Roseanne 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." Roseanne looked at me with an expression of soft amusement.

"Do not trouble yourself with it. It wasn't entirely your fault, after all." Sana 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.  

----------------------

The dining room was just off the kitchen on the ground floor. The table was large enough to easily seat ten people around it. I sat at one end of the table, huddled over the steaming mug of coffee that Sana had poured for me. Even though it had already begun to heal, she had bandaged her wrist with gauze.

Roseanne sat next to me, but on the opposite side of the table where the entire kitchen was visible. Sana took a seat, placing the mug of tea she carried on the tabletop in front of her. "Why does this part of the house feel strange?" I mumbled into my coffee. "Strange?" Sana asked as she took a sip.

I nodded. "I felt it last night. The energy in this area of the house just feels... different than the rest." Sana shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"How does it feel different?" Roseanne asked. I tried to find the words that would describe it. If I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling, it seemed tight, warm, like I had just walked into a room where a circle of protection had been cast.  

"Magic," I said. "I can't really describe it. It's like the change in the air before it rains." Sana's chocolate eyes met mine and it was obvious she wasn't quite following my line of thought. "When the house was built a protection spell was cast around the grounds and within its walls," Roseanne said. That explained the tight and warm feeling in the air.

If what Roseanne was saying was true, then the protection was stronger on this level, because it was on the same level as the grounds around it that had been protected as well. A cell phone rang. I knew it wasn't mine, because mine was still downstairs in the front pocket of my backpack. Sana stood from the table, fishing the phone from the front pocket of her jeans. She answered the phone as she walked out into the living room.

I did my best not to eavesdrop on the conversation. "The wolves are meeting tonight," said Roseanne. I turned and looked at her. "Has Sana talked to the head honcho?"

"If by head honcho you mean alpha werewolf, then yes. She has spoken with Hyuna."

"What's the verdict?" I asked. "Sana is taking you with her. I want you to keep your eyes out for anything unusual."

"Roseanne, there's a problem with that," I said. "Hmm?" She looked at me quizzically. I met that look and found it difficult not to remember the hunger I'd seen in her eyes earlier. With her hunger riding her she would've drunk my blood, whether I consented to it or not. The thought didn't settle well with me.

Although it didn't settle well, I understood the darker aspect of both of our natures. In the end, I'd lost myself to the deeper cravings just as she had. The memory of her fangs sinking into the skin at the back of my neck clung to me, as if I could still feel the languor infusing my limbs. I ignored the goose bumps that broke out over my arms and asked, "How am I supposed to know what unusual is, when I don't even know what the usual is?" Her shoulders rose and fell. "Follow your intuition." I took a sip of my coffee.

"Oh, that'll never lead me astray," I said sarcastically. Sana returned. "That was Paula," she said, not bothering to take her seat again. "My brother's girlfriend."

"I know," I said, remembering. "Is she available this evening?" Sana took a sip of her tea. "Yeah, we can meet with her at her house before the meeting."

"We?" I questioned. "You need to know how to get to her house, don't you?"

"I'm sure I could figure it out." I said. "It saves time," she said and I didn't disagree with her. "Fine." Sana said, "I don't mean to trouble you...I know you're busy working on the case the police hired you on..." I leaned back in my seat, eyeing her thoughtfully. "Sana..." I was suddenly struck by an idea. "Do you think anyone in the pack would've taken him to get to you? Say, Jungkook. He's gamma wolf," I added.

Sana shrugged. "I don't know him that well," she said. "He's never acted like it, that I know of."

"It's a thought to keep in mind," I told her. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably to the mug of coffee on the table. "I'm sure your brother is still alive," I offered. "I hope so," she said. "He isn't the greatest guy in the world, but he's my brother. You know?" I placed my hand on top of hers where it rested on the table. "I'll find your brother," I said, "somehow. First, I'm going home to take a shower. If you want to go with me later, I'll come back and get you."

Roseanne moved from her seat and came around the table to stand in front of me. She reached out her hand. I closed my eyes as her fingers swept a strand of hair out of my face. She tucked that tendril of hair behind my ear, brushing the curve of my earlobe in a gesture that nearly buckled my knees. Or would have, if I had been standing.

"You are upset," she said, but it sounded more like an observation than a question. She cupped the side of my face in her hand and I let her, feeling her cool tapered fingers stroking my cheek. "Confused is more like it."

"I would not have damaged you beyond repair," she said. I laughed. She gave me a look that wasn't a look of anger. It was a look that told me she didn't understand what I was laughing about. "Damage beyond repair?" I tilted my head to the side, looking up into her striking gaze. "Is that your way of saying you wouldn't have drained me dry?"

"I cannot drink you dry."

"What is that supposed to mean, exactly?" The words came out a little heated. "It means that she can't kill us by drinking our blood," Sana said. "We're not human. She can drain a human dry, but our bodies pump out blood faster than she can drink it."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "It looked an awful lot like you were about to pass out when she was feeding on you. If that was the case," I noted, "I don't think you would've been on the verge of losing consciousness." Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I stand corrected," she said. "I could've passed out. Blood loss is still blood loss. What I mean is that our bodies would heal that kind of damage." I gave her a knowing smile and said, "I have hunted and executed a lycanthrope before, Sana. I know."

I looked at Roseanne. "What am I supposed to do when you feel the sudden urge to rip my throat out?" She'd stopped touching my cheek and reached out again to catch the ends of my hair between her thumb and index finger. "For one," she said, "I do not suggest running." The look in her eyes darkened.

It wasn't that the color itself darkened, but the look in them was suddenly filled with something dark and sensual. "And for two?" I asked, barely able to speak through the desire coursing through me. She bent at the waist, leaning toward me as if she meant to kiss me. "For two," she whispered against my mouth, "I advise staying calm."

"So not running and staying calm will keep you from ripping my throat out?"

"In the heat of bloodlust, you know as well as I that fear can be quite the aphrodisiac." The scent of cinnamon toothpaste was warm against my lips. If she hadn't been so close I would've nodded. At the nearness of her body, at the line of her heat so close to mine, my pulse sped.

"And aggression," I said, trying to ignore my rampant heartbeat. "And aggression," she mumbled and brought our faces together. Her lips brushed mine in a feather-soft caress. She drew back, her eyes serious and intense. "Be careful, Lisa." I resisted the urge to bury my hands in her hair, to pull her mouth back down to mine. "I will be." I heard the dishwasher in the kitchen open.

Sana was no longer in the room. I'd been paying too much attention to the vampire in front of me to notice when she'd left.

I let out a shuddering breath and went to get my things.