lightly out of the car and turned her face to the moon.
“It’s so beautiful.”
It was. So was she. Andros was shocked to find the feeling he felt was...gratitude. He was grateful that she was going to show him her true self. He was grateful that he’d get to discover his.
“So how do we go about this?” he asked her. In the movies that he watched, the changes occurred without a man being aware of it. One minute he was walking along and the next he was growing bigger, larger, stronger. So now that Andros knew he was a wolf, how would it be different?
Serena’s smile held mysteries. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he said honestly.
She stepped closer and pulled his arms around her. “Don’t be. It’s a natural thing. You’ll know exactly what to do.”
Her kiss tasted like the sky. She stepped back and let her dress fall to the ground. Her body shone in the moonlight and Andros knew exactly who she was.
“Tennyo,” he whispered.
“Hmm?”
She was a daughter of the moon, a daughter of the sky. She flew on feathered wings. There were tales about her kind in all of the old stories. The beautiful girl who turns into a swan. The woman who falls from the sky until her clothes are stolen from her. But there was more than that, wasn’t there? It ran deeper. It was under her skin, under the flesh.
“You drink the stars,” he murmured.
“You say pretty things.”
He couldn’t stop himself. “How is it going to be? Will I feel my skin tear? Will it hurt? Is it just this amazing feeling of coming together, of being who I really am?” He looked at her intensely. “Will you still care for me afterward? Will you be frightened?”
She pulled off his shirt, ran her open mouth down his throat. “Andros, you’re so funny. Why would I be frightened?” She pressed closer.
“Maybe I’ll be a monster. You’ll be beautiful and I’ll be hideous. Maybe I won’t be able to control myself and I’ll hurt you.”
“You worry too much, darling.”
It was time. He slid his hands down her smooth, bare back. Her skin reflected the moon’s light like a star. He was dying to find out what was underneath it. He wanted to see—
“—who you truly are,” he said.
“What?” she asked, and then she was screaming.
The knife was out of his back pocket and sliding down that beautiful spine of hers. It cut through easily, creating a seam in her suit of skin. She pulled away but he was stronger.
“I’m almost through, Serena. Your beauty is legendary. If you look like this in your human form, than how...”
He didn’t finish. Serena was screaming, kicking and struggling. He knocked her down to the ground and pinned her with his long legs.
“Why are you fighting? I don’t understand!”
She was saying things that didn’t make sense. Andros thought maybe she was asking him why. He thought she was cursing him and begging for her father. He started cutting down the front, working the smooth, starry skin off in patches.
“Why don’t you make this easier?” he asked her. He was starting to panic. Why was there so much blood? Why didn’t her body slip off like silk and show him the wonders underneath? This never happened in the movies! Sometimes the skin needed a gentle tug from a loving suitor’s hand, but never more than that.
“I can’t be wrong. You showed all the signs!” He shook her, but she wasn’t responding anymore. She was still breathing, but her eyes had gone someplace far away, farther away than the stars from which she...from which he thought she had come.
He looked at his hands. He looked at her body. She was red and raw, missing a breast. Blood and other fluids leaked from under her skin. He wanted to piece her back together, but the idea of pulling and tugging her shredded flesh into place made him sick. He turned his head to the side and vomited.
“Serena?” he whispered. There was no movement except for her shallow breathing. He called her name again and nervously wiped
“It’s so beautiful.”
It was. So was she. Andros was shocked to find the feeling he felt was...gratitude. He was grateful that she was going to show him her true self. He was grateful that he’d get to discover his.
“So how do we go about this?” he asked her. In the movies that he watched, the changes occurred without a man being aware of it. One minute he was walking along and the next he was growing bigger, larger, stronger. So now that Andros knew he was a wolf, how would it be different?
Serena’s smile held mysteries. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he said honestly.
She stepped closer and pulled his arms around her. “Don’t be. It’s a natural thing. You’ll know exactly what to do.”
Her kiss tasted like the sky. She stepped back and let her dress fall to the ground. Her body shone in the moonlight and Andros knew exactly who she was.
“Tennyo,” he whispered.
“Hmm?”
She was a daughter of the moon, a daughter of the sky. She flew on feathered wings. There were tales about her kind in all of the old stories. The beautiful girl who turns into a swan. The woman who falls from the sky until her clothes are stolen from her. But there was more than that, wasn’t there? It ran deeper. It was under her skin, under the flesh.
“You drink the stars,” he murmured.
“You say pretty things.”
He couldn’t stop himself. “How is it going to be? Will I feel my skin tear? Will it hurt? Is it just this amazing feeling of coming together, of being who I really am?” He looked at her intensely. “Will you still care for me afterward? Will you be frightened?”
She pulled off his shirt, ran her open mouth down his throat. “Andros, you’re so funny. Why would I be frightened?” She pressed closer.
“Maybe I’ll be a monster. You’ll be beautiful and I’ll be hideous. Maybe I won’t be able to control myself and I’ll hurt you.”
“You worry too much, darling.”
It was time. He slid his hands down her smooth, bare back. Her skin reflected the moon’s light like a star. He was dying to find out what was underneath it. He wanted to see—
“—who you truly are,” he said.
“What?” she asked, and then she was screaming.
The knife was out of his back pocket and sliding down that beautiful spine of hers. It cut through easily, creating a seam in her suit of skin. She pulled away but he was stronger.
“I’m almost through, Serena. Your beauty is legendary. If you look like this in your human form, than how...”
He didn’t finish. Serena was screaming, kicking and struggling. He knocked her down to the ground and pinned her with his long legs.
“Why are you fighting? I don’t understand!”
She was saying things that didn’t make sense. Andros thought maybe she was asking him why. He thought she was cursing him and begging for her father. He started cutting down the front, working the smooth, starry skin off in patches.
“Why don’t you make this easier?” he asked her. He was starting to panic. Why was there so much blood? Why didn’t her body slip off like silk and show him the wonders underneath? This never happened in the movies! Sometimes the skin needed a gentle tug from a loving suitor’s hand, but never more than that.
“I can’t be wrong. You showed all the signs!” He shook her, but she wasn’t responding anymore. She was still breathing, but her eyes had gone someplace far away, farther away than the stars from which she...from which he thought she had come.
He looked at his hands. He looked at her body. She was red and raw, missing a breast. Blood and other fluids leaked from under her skin. He wanted to piece her back together, but the idea of pulling and tugging her shredded flesh into place made him sick. He turned his head to the side and vomited.
“Serena?” he whispered. There was no movement except for her shallow breathing. He called her name again and nervously wiped
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