"Are you nervous?" Aiden whispered, his voice as soft as velvet against her ear.
"Yes," Vivian whispered back, enjoying the feel of his hand slowly brushing up and down her thigh.
"Me too," he admitted, "but I promise I'll be gentle. If it hurts, I'll stop. You'll tell me if it hurts, won't you?"
"Of course," she laughed quietly. "But that's not why I'm nervous. I'm actually not worried about that at all."
"Then what is it?" He peered up at her through his long luxurious lashes, his eyes like melting chocolate in the candlelight. "You can tell me anything, Vivie."
"Can I really? Are you sure?"
It was his turn to chuckle. "Of course you can. Of course I am. What kind of silly question is that? You know me, Viv. My ears are always open." He snuggled closer to her, nuzzling her neck. "Now what is it?"
"Well…" She paused, trying to think of the best way to put it. "It's hard to explain, but I'm afraid to show you."
"Why?" he asked. "Do you have some kind of birth mark or scar you don't want me to see? 'Cos if that's the case, I don't care. It'll give your body an extra little bit of character."
"No, it's nothing like that," she answered.
"You forgot to shave?" he guessed again. "I don't mind that either. As long as I can find what I'm looking for, no problem."
She giggled and swatted him lightly. "No, I didn't forget to shave."
"Then what is it? You're being ridiculous."
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just thinking of the easiest way to say it."
"Just say it, babe. You have nothing to worry about with me. I won't laugh or judge, I promise."
Vivian was silent for a moment, then she asked, "Do you remember when we were down by the river that night after the fireworks?"
"Mmhmm," Aiden murmured, resting his head against her breast. "What about it?"
"That night," she continued carefully, "you said to me that you wished something magical would happen. Real magic. Do you remember that?"
He nodded.
"Well… I want to show you what real magic is."
He lifted his head to give her a dreamy smile, and his fingers began to inch the hem of her dress up her legs. "That's what I was hoping you'd be doing here tonight."
She laid her hand over his wrist to pause him. "No, not that. I'm talking about something very ancient and secret."
He gazed at her with eyes that gleamed like embers with curiosity, and the fragrance of desire that already drenched his body intensified. "What, were you some sort of priestess in a former life who initiated young men into the mysteries of sex?"
"This has nothing to do with sex," she said. "It has to do with the supernatural, the world of mythology and legend." She turned onto her side, and propped herself up on one elbow, staring him straight in the face. "Think back to what I said to you on the phone earlier. What if I could change into something else? What if I could change into a wolf?"
"I told you," he replied, looking confused. "You'd be a very beautiful wolf."
"I'm not playing, Aiden," she told him in a low but urgent tone. "I know you think I am, but I'm not. I'm dead serious. I can change into a wolf. Well, close enough."
He gazed at her for a long moment without moving or speaking. Vivian could tell he was mulling over her words, trying to decide whether or not to go along with her insanity. Finally, he commanded boldly, "Show me."
Vivian hesitated a moment, chewing worriedly on her lower lip. "I don't know if I really should," she mumbled.
"Come on, Viv," Aiden urged. "I mean, you can't just make crazy claims like this and not expect me to want you to prove them. If it's true, I want to see. If not… Well…" His fingertips caressed her waist.
"I don't want to scare you," she protested.
He moved close to her, gently capturing her mouth with his. "Please?" he breathed, snaking his tongue along her jaw line. "I promise I won't freak out."
Oh, sweet Moon, she thought, ripples of pleasure rushing down her spine as his hands moved lightly over her breasts. Evidently she wasn't the only one in this relationship who knew how to get what they wanted. "Okay," she agreed breathily, "I'll show you."
Aiden shifted his position in the bed, allowing Vivian to carefully climb across him and slip to the floor. She stepped to the center of the room, then bent to lift her dress up over her head. As the garment dropped by her feet, she glanced over at Aiden, smiling to see the enraptured expression on his face. Yes, darling, she thought wickedly, unclasping her bra, we won't make love just yet, but there's no reason why I can't tease you a bit now. She slithered free of her pink satin panties, and stretched her arms toward the ceiling, going up on tiptoe to let him see every glorious inch of her.
"Oh, man," Aiden moaned. "Maybe you should wait and show me after…"
. "Too late, babe," she laughed, watching him smooth his hands across his lap in an attempt to suppress his excitement. "You get what you ask for with me. Sometimes even more than that."
She walked to the window, and drew back the curtain so that she could see the sky. The moon was waning, so the change would not come as easily. She stared intently at it, letting the wonder of its silvery beauty fill her mind, and drawing its energy to transform into her heart. She forced her lustful thoughts to be silent, and muted her senses, until nothing but the crescent moon existed.
Then a bolt of pain shot through her abdomen. She clenched her jaw against the intense cramping, and concentrated on willing the change to come. She touched her head, finding her ears to be furry and pointed beneath her fingers. A tingle rolled down her back, and her spine crunched, forcing her to drop to her knees.
"Vivian?" Aiden called from the bed, sounding concerned.
"I'm okay," she panted, giving him a reassuring smile. "Everything is okay. Don't be frightened."
A moment passed, and the joints in her legs popped, twisting them into a new shape. Her face prickled. She knew her mouth was changing, her teeth lengthening and sharpening. A few seconds later, her tailbone squirmed and extended, being quickly covered with flesh and fur. Then a delicious warmth ran over her entire body as her pelt materialized, and she was suddenly loup-garoux.
Slowly, so as not to knock into anything, Vivian made a careful ninety degree turn in the room that was now too small for the shape she had assumed. She sat back on her haunches, wagging her long fluffy tail in a puppy-like manner, and tried to let as much tenderness show in her dark eyes as possible. She was certainly a beautiful creature, strong and graceful, but she was also a predator, designed to be powerful and vicious. She needed Aiden to see that she meant him no harm, regardless of her size and the sharpness of her claws.
Aiden was sitting motionless on the bed, staring at her with his mouth hanging partway open. His eyes were like those of an anime character, much too large for his face. It seemed as if he were hardly breathing. His pulse throbbed with excitement in his neck.
"Holy shit," he finally whispered. "Holy fucking shit, this isn't real. This can't actually be happening."
Vivian rose up on her hind legs, bracing herself against the mattress with her front paws, and licked him affectionately on the cheek. Then she pressed her muzzle against his shoulder, and toppled him onto his side, which made him laugh.
"Okay, holy shit, it is real," he conceded. "But … how? I mean … what is this? Who are you?"
She dropped back onto all fours, and willed the change to return her to her human form.
"I am Vivian Gandillon," she said a moment later, straightening up, every inch of naked skin glowing in the light of the candles. "My people are the loups-garoux. We are the Lady Moon's beloved ones. She gave us the gift to be more than human many hundreds of years ago." She bent forward and cupped his chin in her hands, gazing intently into his eyes, then captured his mouth in a passionate kiss. "This is magic, my love."
"Jesus…" he murmured in awe. "You're… You're… You weren't kidding when you drew that pentagram in my palm at school the first time we met."
"Except you're not my victim, you're my soul mate."
He blushed, and started to protest, but she laid her fingers lightly over his lips to quiet him.
"Shhh… I'm not making fun of what you said before, Aiden. I really do believe we're soul mates. I wouldn't have revealed my secret to you unless I did. You … are the only human who knows."
"So the rest of your family are werewolves too?" Aiden asked. "Your mom, your uncle, your cousins, and that huge biker guy?"
Vivian grimaced at the mention of Gabriel, but pushed her disgust aside for another time. "Yes," she said, sitting down on the mattress next to him. "There are actually several of us here in town. We're not all blood relatives, but we are a family nonetheless."
"A pack?" he offered.
She nodded. "Exactly. We came from West Virginia a little over a year ago. The Five—those punk ass cousins of mine—and another boy our age got us all into hot water, and we had to flee. Some humans came from the town where us kids went to school, and burned our property to the ground. My father, the pack leader, was killed in the fire, along with a handful of others."
"So are you here in Maryland to stay?" Aiden's eyes were fascinated and worried at the same time.
Vivian shook her head. "No. We have a new leader now, and he's probably going to move us out of state soon. This place is too crowded for us. Our kind have to have room to run free without fear of being seen."
"I don't want you to go," Aiden said softly. His beautiful dark eyes were sad now. "It's not fair. I can't find my soul mate at sixteen, then be torn away from her."
Vivian slid closer to him, pulling him into a consoling embrace. "Don't worry, love," she breathed, kissing his neck. "We'll figure something out. One way or another, there has to be something we can do."
He sighed deeply and reached for her, drawing her into his lap. She pressed hard into his chest until he lay back, then took his hands and placed them on her sides. He slowly caressed her, trailing kisses over the streaks of sweat his fingers left on her skin.
"I love you," Vivian gasped as he touched her between her thighs. It was the first time she had ever said it to anyone outside of the pack.
He bent to brush his lips gently across her cheek, like the flutter of butterfly wings. "I love you too."
She grabbed him by the hips and pulled him on top of her, guiding him firmly inside her. The pain was even sweeter than the change.