Page 33 of Zodiac Beasts

“How can we tell?” She met my sightline again, holding me in her eyes in a way that demanded I continue. She remained compliant as I slid the sleeves of her blouse down her arms, and she didn’t so much as flinch as I unclasped her bra.

“Your body will tell you everything you need to know.” I was struggling to keep my eyes on hers, knowing she was now exposed in front of me. But I wouldn’t be the first to break in this flirtatious contest. “Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what someone is just by looking at them. Certain characteristics are much easier to detect by touch.” I moved her hair over her shoulder, exposing her back. Then I slid my fingertips down her spine uninterrupted, feeling the scales that I knew would be there. “For example…” I stopped my descent at the waistband of her leggings, then climbed back up her back, searching for the edge of her scaled exoskeleton. “You have scales on your back, Baby Doll.” I whispered, struggling to focus on what I was doing when she was so enticing and accessible and mine.

“I have what?” She attempted to look over her shoulder, but she’d never be able to see them like that.

“Right here.” I followed the trail with my fingertips, showing her the shape of her armor through touch. The scales protected her vital organs and followed the contours of the muscles beneath the softness in her back. It was clearly and purposefully placed. Without further explanation, I hooked a thumb under the snug waistband of her leggings on each side of her waist. I rolled down the band slowly, then slid the stretchy material down her hips. “But how far down does it go, I wonder?”

She reached behind her back, best she could, so she could feel the small, smooth plates for herself.

“I really do have scales.” She repeated in quiet disbelief.

“Mmmmhmmm.” It was hard to focus as I inched the spandex down to her knees. She stepped out of her leggings in compliance, and I decided I’d remove her underwear next, whether it was necessary or not. I was pleased to see she’d stopped wearing all her snug, surely torturous shapewear since I’d taken it off of her in the school hallway. Her body was so exquisite all its own, I never understood why she’d thought she needed to hide every soft and perfect handful. Whoever had told her she needed to change and hide her form had clearly never had the joy of indulging in it.

A magic that repulsed humans, I considered the concept again. How much had her confidence and self-esteem been leveled by a natural born curse? How much was damaged by inferior creatures who didn’t appreciate the body of a woman in all of its shapes and forms?

I tossed aside the unwanted clothing, then I placed my palms on her ankles, and I massaged my way up her calves, her outer thighs, then her thick ass.

Scales, the whole way up. How the fuck had I never noticed? She was always completely smooth shaven, so the total absence of body hair never stood out.

Hmmm.

“Some sort of reptile, perhaps?” I suggested, while shamelessly exploring every inch of her naked body under the moonlight. Her perfect cunt was right in front of my nose, while I focused on the feel of her skin in my hands.

Maddening.

I could take her inside now that she was shifted. As a Beta, she wouldn’t shift back until dawn, and it would assure I couldn’t do something to accidentally trigger my shift. We both knew that.

And we were both making the choice to pretend we didn’t.

“Is it possible that I can shift more than this? Even though it’s a full moon?”

“I don’t know.” I admitted. “I can ordinarily shift partially or fully into my Leo form, but during the full moon, it’s all sort of a mess. If I didn’t lose my mind every time I shifted, I probably wouldn’t even know how to control my varying powers.” I rose to my feet, and I let my hands move up to her breasts. Those weren’t covered in scales. Though I’d explored them thoroughly enough that I probably would have noticed if they had been. “Not knowing what you are, it’s hard to say what a full or partial natural shift is for you, and it’s even harder to know how it changes when it’s combined with your Virgo. Adrian, for example, only has parts of his Incubus form that integrate into his Astrological forms. His natural incubus is different from his full moon incubus. Me being a vampire, my Astrological forms tend to maintain a slightly more human appearance, while outside of the moon, I can take on the full form of a lion. But since my Leo is my Astrology Shifter half of my bloodline, it’s overridden under an Aries or Aquarius moon.” I softly brushed the backs of my nails down the centerline of her body, but stopped before I dipped too low. “Your Virgo is likely the prominent monster right now. Whatever else is in your blood is only partially represented.”

“I see.” She said, while her gaze dipped to watch me draw small, teasing circles just above her pussy. “So I could be a snake or a lizard person or a dragon, maybe?”

“It’s possible. Though you could also be a fish.” I laughed to her flattened expression. “I’m kidding. Considering you don’t know how to swim, it’s safe to assume you’re not half mermaid. But you might be something…” I removed her glasses, and she immediately recoiled. “… with bad eyesight, and naturally threatening towards humans.” And naturally enticing to a fellow beast. I tucked strands of hair behind her ear.

Ceto might be able to guess what she was if he had all of those puzzle pieces to put together, but I wasn’t certain. Perhaps that was how she ended up working with him. He must have figured it out already. Though it was safe to say he’d never seen her shift, considering I knew where she’d spent every full moon since she lost her virginity. “The way you bit me to mark me, I wonder if you have some sort of vampire in your bloodline.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a little vampire inside me.” She barely got out the line before she started laughing at herself. I blinked several times as I processed her joke.

This situation wasn’t supposed to be funny—there was nothing cute and innocent about having her naked and shifted, while feeling her up in a public courtyard—and yet, my whole face was smiling on accident. My mate was the kind of girl who was barely post virgin and already using terrible pick-up lines, and why did I love everything about that?

“With that kind of game, you’re definitely not a siren.” I was still chuckling when I grabbed her by the chin. I stared into her upturned eyes, enjoying that look of joy that filled her whole expression while I was holding her.

I pressed my lips to hers. The small shakes of laughter stilled.

A soft nudge, then a tentative taste. The small touches of our lips grew hungrier, harder, and more desperate, until our tongues were tangled, and I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.

I’d spent way too much time caring about Adrian and our sordid relationship, when I could be enjoying a good one right here. In hindsight, it was ridiculous that I’d wasted so much energy trying to force him to give a fuck about me. Why couldn’t I have just sought someone who actually did? Why give attention to people who made you earn their affection when there were those who gave it freely?

I did enjoy being a petty asshole, but I could just make that a small part of my personality instead of my primary focus. Tonight, I wanted Lila more than I wanted to ruin his life. If I could just want that every night, maybe I’d finally fix something in myself.

I could do that. She was mine now.

Lila, my mate.

Just saying it sent a sense of contentment through me. To say she’d picked me was still a bit of a misnomer, but she hadn’t rejected me, and that meant something. It would be nice if I could convince her to reject everyone else, but I didn’t mind this arrangement for now. So long as I was the first to claim her, I would be able to build the strongest bond with her. Her ability to take on multiple marks meant I shouldn’t expect monogamy, but I didn’t need it if I meant this much to her.