Instantly his muscles tensed and, rolling on his back, he massaged his aching wrists. "No!" he gasped helplessly. "Not again!"
He heard Catherine call his name close to his ear, but he was unable to respond. A wave of pain and nausea shook him and left him spent in its wake. "My hands," he managed weakly. "Look at my hands."
He didn't hear her reply for his ears were ringing with an eerie, high-pitched hum, but he felt her touch as she seized his hands and rubbed their backs with her thumbs. It was as if every single one of his nerve-endings came alive under her touch, and he was grateful that she was there to anchor him when the world suddenly spun out of place.
Something like a bolt of electricity raced through him and he arched his back reflexively, unable to control the shivers that shook him. There was a weight pressing him down onto the mattress, and when he reached up to push it away, he found it to be Catherine who lay atop him, struggling to calm him as he fought against the currents of magical energy coursing through his blood.
His own voice sounded bodiless and strange to him as he called out her name at last. Over and over he repeated it as if it were a mantra with the power to finally free him of the seizures of transformation.
Her hands seemed to be everywhere. One instant they were framing his face, the next he felt her rubbing his shoulders and neck. Her fingers trailed down across his chest, and a moment later he winced when her nails dug into his back as she clung to him with desperation.
Struggling for breath, he arched his back again and turned her upside down, pinning her to the mattress with his weight. She went utterly still beneath him, and he felt his muscles relax as the pain subsided. Slowly he lowered his head to her shoulder and buried his face in the curve of her neck. Her skin smelled of grass and leaves, and he inhaled deeply, releasing his breath on a sigh of momentary contentment. Gradually his body began to feel normal again, and he couldn't help but notice how good she felt against him. Her soft curves met the hard planes of his body as if they had been designed for one another. Quickly he shook off the thought and rolled away from her so that she wouldn't notice his hardening flesh.
He sat up, burying his face in his hands, but she was instantly at his side, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders.
"Is it gone?" she asked huskily.
"For now," he heard his own hoarse reply.
She tugged at his arm and coaxed him to lie down again. He hesitated but then complied without resistance while his mind reeled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He mustn't want it. His wish to be something other than what he was, had brought about this most recent seizure. He was certain of that. But how could he not wish to be...normal...for her? Even now as he lay beside her, exhausted and spent, his desire for her was a palpable thing between them.
"I must find a way to carry it through," he said, unaware that he'd spoken out loud.
Her face appeared above him as she leaned over him and looked down into his eyes. "No," she said gently. "This will pass if you let it."
He wondered fleetingly how she could possibly know, but the touch of her fingers as she traced his lips made it difficult for him to think.
"You told me that there were times when you were content with who you were," she said, "and that you became obsessed with the idea of changing your appearance when I came into your life."
"No, Catherine," he interrupted her. "It's not your fault."
"That's not what I was trying to say," she continued. "I only meant to point out that there is no need at all for you to change because of me."
He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain of longing that cut through his heart, and suddenly the incredible feel of her lips on his made him forget everything else as his universe narrowed down to that single sensation.
"I love you, Vincent," she whispered against his ear, and her breath caressed his cheek like a morning breeze. "I would still love you if you had to go through with that change after all, but I wish you wouldn't. You are you, and I believe that there is a reason why everyone is just the way they are. And you..." She seized his his left hand and brought it to her heart. "You belong to me, and no magic in the whole world can change that."
Her lips touched his again, and he marveled at their softness as he surrendered himself to her kiss. His body stirred and a jolt of intense desire undermined his ability to think clearly. Catherine pressed into him with slow, intoxicating movements and the heat of her body all but seared his skin. He became aware of the awkward position of his hands as he held them slightly away from her body, afraid to actually touch her now that his hunger for her had grown so overwhelming.
"Don't," she said, and the husky tone of her voice made him shiver. "Fighting it will only make things worse. Welcome it. Acknowledge your desire, and don't be afraid. I'm here and I want you every bit as much as you want me."
Her words poured into his soul like a gentle rain, and he pulled her on top of his body, cradling her head against his chest. His heart raced as if it was going to burst, and suddenly her lips were there, kissing him, nibbling his skin persistently. Finally she found his nipple and gave it a playful tug with her teeth. He hadn't known just how sensitive this part of his body was and he thought he would die from the sudden ache centering in his groin as his sex hardened and strained toward her. Just when he thought he couldn't bear it any longer, her hand was there, encircling him tenderly. To be touched like that was more than his mind could take, and he couldn't prevent a low growl from rumbling through his chest. It shamed him and he suppressed it as best he could.
She shifted her weight, and when he opened his eyes she was straddling his hips, guiding his painfully engorged penis toward the heat of her body.
He heard himself rasping her name, meaning to caution her, needing her to be sure that this was what she wanted, but it was too late to be sensible. She lowered herself to receive him and her inner muscles tightened around his sensitive flesh. Groaning, he arched his back to meet her downward movement with a desperate thrust. She threw back her head with abandon, and in the bluish light of the room he saw her body before him in all its beauty for the first time. For the flash of a moment her nakedness confused him. He'd been unaware of her undressing, but he quickly forgot to wonder about it, for she began to move above him, and he lost himself in a wave of passion so intense that it took his breath away. She leaned toward him to kiss him and, still anchored firmly inside her, he turned her onto her back, hungrily sucking her lips as he buried himself more deeply within her. The touch of her tongue against his took away the last shred of his control, and he thrust down forcefully one last time, shuddering against her as he released his seed into her body.
Her love wove around him like a cocoon, soft as moonlight on the water, and he reveled in her tenderness as she held him to her, rocking him gently. There was a warm glow of completeness around his heart and he wanted so badly to saturate her with it, to make her feel every bit as loved and cherished as she was making him.
"It's all right," she whispered. "I can feel it, too." With effort he lifted his head from her breasts to look into her face. She smiled, and he bent down to kiss away the tears that glittered in the corners of her eyes. She tasted of heaven and he was helpless to resist her beckoning lips. So soft, he thought yet again. So incredibly tender.
"You've cast a spell over me, Catherine," he confessed huskily between sensuous nibbles and kisses.
"That's what I was hoping," she mumbled against his mouth, and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes sent his heart racing. He rolled himself on his back, looking up into her face which had become serious again. Her palms felt warm against his skin as she stroked his face and hair. "A spell to protect you," she said, "to guard you against the darkness and guide you toward love."
"Your love," he murmured, deeply moved by her words.
"Our love," she replied. "We don't need any other magic."
That made him smile, and he reached up to weave his fingers through her hair. "Are you sure? There may still be a way for me to change, to become completely human."
She shook her head resolutely. "I don't think you will change as long as I'm close by. You said it yourself, I do hold some power over your sorcery."
He couldn't keep from smiling. She was so precious. "You certainly have power over me," he said, pointedly arching one brow.
Her eyes softened and she pressed a lingering kiss on his forehead. He cupped his large, furred hand around her pale, smooth cheek, sobering instantly as he became aware of the contrast yet again. Releasing her, he brought up his fists before her face. "I've worked so hard to get rid...of these," he said through clenched teeth.
Catherine leaned forward and kissed first one hand, then the other. "Vincent, you found incredible gifts along the way. It's those gifts you needed to find, not any kind of outward transformation."
He pondered her words carefully. "Maybe," he finally conceded. "And yet..."
She muffled his words by covering his mouth with hers, and as he lost himself in her kiss, he mused that no magic had ever been as convincing as hers. Gently he rolled her on her back and when she opened up to him and took him into herself, he knew that at last his transformation was complete.
The End