Changing shape was exactly that. His whole body changed, right down to the bones. Cleo's screams filled the entire house and if it weren't for our magick barriers, our neighbors would have surely called the cops by now. I may be part of the police force but I wasn't up to the challenge of explaining the details of ritual shape-shifting, after all, Cleo was not a lycanthrope.

Even sprawled on the bed semi-conscious I heard the bones pop and break. Without seeing it happen, I knew his flesh was tearing and muscles reforming. I wiped a hand over my face and pushed back my red-black hair. My vision was blurred but my senses were in tune enough to know what happened around me. Sprawled on the carpet next to the bed, Eli's breathing labored as he struggled to regain his composure. He seemed fine, nothing injured, or at least that was what my senses told me. Clambering up next to me, he watched in a mix of shock and minor horror as Cleo's form began to change. It probably wouldn't have been so bad had Cleo been in his panther form first. And he has the nerve to call me foolish.

Despite the horrific agony Cleo endured, the transformation was quick. Within a matter of seconds, he changed from house cat to panther to a tall, muscular man. Any physical change hurt, but it had been a long time since he was in the form of a man without the sithen's magick to ease the pain. He hunched over the dresser, fighting to get some balance now that his center of gravity changed. Large feathery black wings flared behind him and spread out to brush the wall. As if they never existed, they vanished back within him almost as quickly, waiting for a time he needed them, much as my own dragonfly wings did. It frightened me to watch such a large form move at the end of the bed. Once he straightened to his full height, I could not help but shy away a little. I had forgotten just how big he was, despite the few times he'd been in his natural form over the last few years.

"Whoa," I said, mesmerized by his size. "Cleo?"

At seven feet tall, Cleo was average sidhe height. I was only five foot six inches, average height for a human but more than six inches below the average of most female sidhe. Compared to my fellow fey I might look petite but I was a warrior through and through--at least until that moment. Suddenly, I felt small and unsure of myself as I stared up into that wall of darkness. Cleo was black, not black like a human from Africa or Jamaica I mean black as the night with no stars or moon to give a hint of blue. His hair, which was the same shade of black as his skin, cascaded down his back to his ankles in thick waves. Large corded arms sprouted from powerful shoulders to match huge muscular legs, like an ebony version of He-man. Despite the utter blackness of him, he was beautiful. He was naked!

Blinking in surprise, I stared at him. I had forgotten just how beautiful he was, too. The lighting in the sithen didn't do him justice last time he was in his true form. He was muscular without overly bulging muscles. His hair, although thick, felt like silk. I wanted it to cover my naked flesh. My heart raced as I took every inch of him in, from his narrow hips to his long legs to… Maybe I shouldn't look there. Goddess, what is wrong with me? Why does my mind spin toward sex? And with Cleo no less? Unfortunately, it seemed his mind had fallen to the same subject. His penis was long, just over twelve inches in length, and thick. It rose to attention and begged to be touched.

"How do you feel?" Eli asked, seemingly oblivious to Cleotro's physical state. He slipped off the bed to attend to him and almost fell on his face.

Cleo caught Eli before he could hurt himself and held him to his chest. A hungry look filled his eyes as he looked down at the mage. "Careful, Eli, you've exhausted yourself."

I had to agree to that whole heartily. "He's right, hon. We both need to sleep. You've got school in a few hours and I've got that seminar."

But that hungry look only grew. He ducked his head to catch Eli's lips in a passionate kiss. Eli's eyes widened and I inhaled sharply in surprise. However, rather than pull away, Eli seemed to melt against Cleo. His hands came up to brace himself against Cleo's wide chest as he returned the affection. I knew Eli was bi-sexual but I have never witnessed him kissing another man. My insides tightened in sudden lust. Good Goddess, they are gorgeous together. Cleo's large black form oddly complimented Eli's pale one as their black hair mixed as if one. To watch two such gorgeous men kiss and fondle one another was always a turn on for me, but this, this was something more. I reached for Eli as if in a trance as Cleo's large hand snaked up inside Eli's shirt. My own hand caressed his pale flesh, brushing against Cleo's hand.

He stared at me. His eyes glowed with desire and renewed power. I pulled back in shock. Fear suddenly filled me as I scrambled back on the bed. His power rode over me and I knew if he wanted me, there was nothing I could do to stop him and while it frightened me, it also turned me on. Sometimes I liked to be dominated but this was more than I was prepared for. He gave a bestial growl and kissed Eli one last time before he climbed onto the bed after me.

"I think it's time I finally got a little pussy, don't you?" he asked to no one in particular.

Eli should have objected, remind Cleo that I was his, but he did nothing but watch with amusement and curiosity. Silently, I cursed him as I clambered backward until my back pressed against the headboard and I had nowhere left to go.