''Miranda.'' Andy uttered out, grabbing at a chintz dish towel to cover herself up with.
Shaking her head like Patricia when she was having her ears cleaned to get the haziness of pet valium out of her system.
''Andrea! What are you doing in my house?'' Miranda swallowed at her naked state standing in front of her, ivory fingers still holding the tennis racquet out at her.
Miranda's blue eyes were huge on Andrea, many thoughts running through her mind at a naked Andrea standing here in her home.
Was Andrea high? Did she keep a key and decide to just come around and home invade her townhouse at 1 in the morning and do it stark naked for some reason? Was she a sleepwalker?
Doubting Andrea all the way from downtown to her neighborhood and brought her key she should have returned to Emily, Miranda mused.
Trying not to look at her like this, her blue eyes flickered away but saw something on Andrea's bare exposed skin that the dishtowel wasn't covering up, seeing the bandage under Andy's last rib to her hip bone, like the same bandage she put on the injured dog.
''My bandage.''
Andy's breath hitched at Miranda's fingers tracing her bare damp skin. Swallowing hard and dryly, feeling how Miranda's fingers were so soft.
Saw the necklace the dog wore. Blue eyes realizing the dog was Andrea. That was not possible, dropping her hand as if burnt, Andy approached her as she stepped back from her.
''That was you.'' Miranda asked waspishly. Andrea was just from Ohio. She ate onion bagels. She wasn't some type of creature from myth. She was just Andrea. Always happy and eager to run errands. Loyal. Fetching. Miranda ignored the dog like qualities forming in her head.
Andy slowly nodded 'Yes' saw she still had dried gore on herself, wiping at it, this dish towel wasn't covering much of her up, reaching down for the blanket to wrap around herself, at least she wasn't covered in blood like the morning after she transformed, Andy had to streak through Central Park with park rangers after her.
''This isn't possible. '' Miranda shook her head. Andrea was the dog. How was that even possible?
Andy reached out for her hand, brushing Miranda's fingers.
''Oh it's possible. Watch. Just don't scream. Okay.''
Andy let the blanket fall to her ankles, crouching into one version of herself. The other form during a full moon wasn't safe to be around, Andy had some control over it, her unmuzzled wild lycanthrope side.
Miranda didn't scream as her eyes widened at watching it happen right in front of her, Andrea transforming into the dog that rolled over onto its back, tail wagging and playful at her. Patricia sniffed at Andy.
Arching herself back up to her human form. ''See.'' Getting up from crouching in front of her on all fours.
Miranda's asked. ''Were you always like this Andrea?''
Andy shook her head. ''I wasn't born this way. Miranda. I was made into this.''
''Andrea. What made you into this?'' Miranda wanted to know.
''That's a long story Miranda.'' None of which she really wanted to share with her. How was she supposed to tell Miranda all about a one night stand with a 2,000 year old werebitch named Gisla?
Who shifted to look like someone she wanted to have sex with. Her.
Gisla even made herself have her eyes. All Andy saw was Miranda's bluest eyes pleasured by her. That night Andy had never wanted someone so bad thinking it was Miranda flirting with her, wanting to come home with her.
Letting Andy have sex with her that night.
Andy still felt like an idiot she hadn't noticed her fake Miranda's eyes glow strangely as she was kissed. Then Gisla bit her as she came atop her in a slow quivering cry. Woke up to an empty bed and a ravenous appetite for breakfast that was insatiable for spareribs and steak at 6am.
Andy pressed her lips together in a line. She'd skim out all the naughty parts not ever sharing any of it with Miranda, when she thought it was her and Miranda having sex. Being with Gisla had been purely primal, a heady blur of just sex.
''Try to share with me.'' Miranda prompted icily.
''Her name was Gisla.'' Miranda rolled her eyes, Andrea like Scandinavians, just like her first husband.
''We had a few drinks.'' Miranda stared at Andy hard, making Andy blurt out nervously. ''Three okay five drinks at this bar called Dullahan's. I paid. Gisla and I became friendly.
''Define how friendly.'' Miranda crossing her arms rigidly.
Andy blushed at Miranda, lasery blue piercing her. ''Friendlier. We had sex.''
Gisla's bite marks took weeks to fade.
Miranda's mouth thinned. ''At this bar?''
''In my bed.'' Andy confessed by Miranda's cold look to her.
Andy left out the part when she was in agony the next day after her supernatural one night stand. Growling at work, Emily thought it was her time of the month. PMS.
That morning, Andy could smell everything around her, sirens made her want to chase vehicles. Nigel even thought Andy was snappy and not herself that work day.
A clacker scurried from Andy over a courier delivering a package, claiming her eyes went scary at her.
Mainly Andy was put out by Miranda that morning, she said nothing, hurt at first how Miranda didn't look at her or say anything about it, realizing Miranda was not who she shared a night with.
How did she realize this? Miranda's smell. She smelled of Stephen. Stephen sent a bouquet to her that afternoon.
The full moon happened that night, the night Gisla explained her gift and curse, finding her in her apartment. Taken to an open space to run wild during the moon calling her.
Telling Andy how she was her only one she made like her, a dark creature. A wolf walker. Had no pack.
Andy was told cryptically how Gisla had been waiting for her, for centuries.
''When was this encounter with Gisla?'' Miranda wasn't jealous. No never. Not Gisla, the slut who slept with Andrea who sounded like an incredibly sexy leggy blonde with an accent that made men and clearly Andrea drool.
Was she a model? If she was, Miranda would ensure she'd be modelling for Kmart. Tasting the name Gisla in her mouth. A bimbo.
She probably played volleyball and skied and never had a pimple in her life and if she burped men thought it was downright adorable even Andrea.
Probably wore fleece and braids and yodeled.
''Gisla and I happened only once, when Stephen first started sending you roses that week.'' Andy shared with Miranda.
Miranda blinked at that. Three months ago, thinking about it to herself. ''Then?''
That was when Miranda had realized how she was attracted to Andrea. Very attracted to the smiling brunette.
Andrea had touched her arm accidently and Miranda shivered both walking into the study one night.
Felt Andrea's fingers branded on her still that evening in bed alone. Tossing and trying and not succeeding in sleeping, Miranda had strange dreams that night, of Andrea's mouth all over her, stroked and caressed almost felt open mouth kisses to her inner thighs, Andrea's long lanky frame fused to her.
Strange words whispered in her ear.
Blushing at that morning, Stephen had found no reason to call her a frigid R2D2 under the sheets. Her ivory face flushing at Andrea's eyes on her right now, that morning it was Andrea who she imagined, wrapping her legs around. Imagining her mouth on hers, slickened and moist with smooth sun kissed skin meeting hers.
Clearing her throat, Andy's eyes glinted, smelling it. Great Miranda was aroused by Stephen?
Andy's nostrils flared, she almost growled out lowly, thinking about him in bed with her true mate, her fangs growing in her mouth about Miranda's douche bag husband.
''What is it?'' Miranda wondered, Andrea looked very perturbed by her all of a sudden. She hadn't said anything yet to upset her.
''Your scent.'' Andy confessed.
Miranda looked very offended. '' My scent? What is wrong with my scent.'' Her perfume was made for her especially in Grasse.
''Nothing. Miranda it's just you usually smell like orange blossoms most times and also minty like a Polo, which I like. I just don't care for how you smell right now.'' Wrinkling her nose up at Miranda's scent more. All for him.
Miranda tilted her snowy head making Andy wilt inside.
Wincing at Miranda's look, great she compared Miranda to a lifesaver candy and insulted her immaculate boss's scent.
Miranda icily stared at Andrea trying not to stare strangely at Andrea, almost quirking her mouth into a small smile, at her liking how she smells like a Polo. A polo. It was incredibly cute how Andrea stammered around her.
Andrea's sense of smell must be incredible.
Did Gisla's smell please Andrea? Gisla probably made Andrea sniff her collarbone and pulse points. Probably smelled like something plebian and common like vanillay perfume.
Frowning at thinking of Gisla. Miranda stated to Andy in her grey bathrobe. 'I'm sorry you find me so discomforting.''
Miranda also wondered if Andrea thought she was old-older. With no make up on or couture, just in fluffy socks and the robe Stephen called her frumpy in.
''Miranda I don't find you at all …'' Andy grabbed her arm, holding it, pulled to her, Andy needed to make Miranda know how she felt about her, how she liked her, really liked her and she really loved her but that was rushing this.
She also needed to find some clothes and not be standing here naked, near Miranda who was only in a robe with her eyes bright on her. Mad at her.
''Wolf walker don't move.'' Andy turned to angry blue eyes identical to Miranda's with a silver stake pointed right at her.
Omri Princhek, a wolf slayer was someone Andy Sachs didn't need tonight.
''Omri!'' Miranda saw her older brother with a sharp knife pointed at Andy.
''Miriam step away carefully from it. Slowly.'' Omri's deep calm voice urged his younger sister to listen to him.
This was a wolf walker. Dangerous and untrustworthy and bloodthirsty. Not recognizing from what pack she was from. He'd know when he saw her pelt.
Omri had been hunting her kind for years along with other dark creatures, It was an irony tonight, here he was on holiday to visit Miranda and the car she'd sent to JFK, which picked him up late tonight, the driver named Roy gave Omri his little sister's townhouse key.
Jetlagged, he thought because of the late hour he'd quietly let himself in and surprise his baby sister with breakfast this morning. He planned to make her favorite. He'd missed her.
With almost being killed by a werewolf in Italy last month, made him want to be around Miri and family more.
Excited at seeing his beautiful nieces Cassidy and Caroline again, his travels with slaying had taken him away from Miri and her daughters for too long. He had just got her letter about how Stephen was treating her.
Andy gulped as he held the stake up in aim at her.
Not knowing that this silver stake with a filigree pattern along it, had been in Omri's and Miranda's family for hundreds of years. Passed down from slayer to slayer.
The Princhek's were known and feared amongst wolves and other creatures.
''Let's just calm down Opie. I'm not going to hurt anybody.'' Andy assured him, holding her hands up.
''Silence Wolf.''
Andy's dark brows knitted together, that was just rude. ''Hey my name is Andy. Not wolf.''
''I don't care what your name is. I slay your kind not befriend.''
Miranda stared at her brother, threatening Andrea.
Omri was only a dusty first edition book dealer and restorer specializing in ancient Latin, who lived in Fulham, he lived alone, and he had no girlfriend or wife, always travelling for clients delivering priceless first editions.
She saw he was serious about threatening Andrea and holding a knife like an icepick at her, stepping in front of Andrea protectively.
''Omri put that down. Andrea here use to work in my office, fetching coffee for me. Please Omri lower that.''
Omri still held it in his clasped hand, but lowered it. Spying her medallion, since she was taller than his little sister. ''Who bit you?'' Lifting the necklace with his sharp silver pointy thing. Blue eyes scanning the medallion curiously.
Andy was still shielded by Miranda in front of her, answered with Miranda at the same time. ''Gisla.''
For the first time in his slaying life, Omri dropped his stake in shock, unarmed in front of a wolf walker.
Pushing Miranda aside gently from helping the wolf, Omri grabbed Andy's hand out to splay in front of him and cut her palm with the stake without warning.
''Oww.'' Andy whined, that really hurt.
Saw now Andy's fangs bared. ''Gisla made only you.''
Andy held her bleeding palm to herself. ''Yeah. That's what she told me.''
Omri's next words made Andy's face blush. ''You and Gisla mated. Did she appear differently? Look like someone else to you? Did she bite you when you both climaxed.''
Omri saw the hesitation in Andy's dark eyes at sharing the details of a one night stand.
''Gisla is a unique wolf walker. She is over 2,000 years old or older. She shared with you her powers which is quite unique, you Andy are now a hybrid lycanthrope from an ancient Marmaritae, Chananean Cynocephali Cynocephalus Bizuneh Fennoscandian line.
'' A margarita what line?'' Andy asked, feeling her sharp teeth hit against her mouth, her eyes glittering from him cutting her hand with silver sharp thing that freaking hurt.
Her night with Gisla was private. Andy didn't want Miranda to know about it, and also Gisla didn't look or feel like an ancient senior citizen in bed that night.
''Yes. Gisla did look like someone I want. I thought I was with her.''
Omri's silvery brows came together at Andy. ''Who is that?''
Andy gave him a dirty look. '' I can't say.'' Retracting her fangs to not scare Miranda away.
''Her name.'' Omri demanded of her. Because Miranda was right here, he wouldn't decapitate Andy in her house or cut out her heart.
Miranda heard that. Andrea was tricked into bed with Gisla.
Omri unrolled out of his long coat pocket, something he needed against her that would make her say. Grasping three small satchels of mistletoe and rye grains and mountain ash leaves which he opened each up.
''You will tell me Andy who.'' Flicked it at the were.
Andy refused but suddenly felt really sick, like sick eating at a condemned by the health department eatery, saw what he was waving around. Was that mistletoe? Holding her stomach in sheer pain, almost collapsing to the floor.
Assault by a Christmas tradition.
Miranda stepped in, knocking it all from his hand. ''Omri you're hurting her. Stop threatening Andrea with plants.''
''Andrea.'' Given a whine to her in reply. Miranda saw that Andrea was back to her dog form. Pushing back her ears as Andy had glassy pained eyes, gasping but licking her ivory hand gently.
''Miranda don't touch it. If she bites or scratches you.'' Omri warned his sister seriously.
''Mom what's going on?'' Cassidy and Caroline asked in the doorway of the kitchen.
''Uncle Omri!'' Caroline ran up and greeted him as Cassidy saw it on the floor with Mom fussing with it. Was the dog that fought off that thing tonight, dying?
''Omri you will help me, carry her to my bedroom. When Andy's back to normal you will apologize to her.'' Miranda's eyes and tone were cold and dead serious on him.
Cassidy blinked at it. That was Andy. Andy as in Mom's last assistant. How was the dog Andy?
