Adrian was dreaming.

In the dream, he stood on top of a large, flat rock, surrounded by trees. Everything around him seemed so real, down to the buzz of a passing mosquito. But he knew he was dreaming, because he was a panther.

And Adrian hadn’t been a panther since he was a child.

He stood perfectly still, the stone cool beneath his sensitive paw pads. It was twilight, but his sensitive eyes gave him the ability to see the ferns dancing in the breeze, their lush green only slightly muted by the darkness.

Night birds called, and somewhere in the distance a bell sounded.

But he was so attuned to his olfactory sense, that the others were all but abandoned.

Something juicy moved closer through the trees, its heartbeat thrumming wetly. It smelled like a steak dinner.

His body flattened to the rock before he even realized he wanted to move. The smooth coolness felt good to his warm belly. He folded his ears down, readying himself to pounce.

It moved closer, with quick, tentative steps.

Adrian’s hind end lifted, muscles coiling.

Long minutes passed, but Adrian was unhurried. His mind made fresh calculations with each tiny movement of his prey, his muscles rippled to adjust to every clue.

At last, he was able to see the small furry thing with the long ears. It scampered almost directly below the rock.

But Adrian held off, still refining the angles, determining the speed and power he would expend. Time seemed to slow and he felt perfectly content to restrain himself until the precise instant when his muscles and prey were arranged perfectly.

The rabbit paused, swiveling an ear as if it knew something was amiss.

And just like that, everything aligned.

Adrian allowed his body to release its coiled energy and he landed with his jaws around the unfortunate creature’s neck. It was dead in less than a heartbeat.

The rich scent of blood filled the air, while the liquid itself ran down his parched throat.

As his powerful jaw tore the fresh meat, Adrian swore he was imbibing the creature’s timid soul as well as its savory form. He closed his eyes, tasted clover and felt the sunlight on those sensitive ears.

Then the breeze changed and he let the meat drop from his jaws, forgotten.

She was here.

He would know her scent anywhere.

There was a rustling in the ferns, and Lucy appeared before him.

Her dark curls tumbled down her back over the filmy white dress she wore. She walked slowly to the center of the clearing, like a virgin to the sacrifice.

It might have been an apt comparison. She stimulated his most primal appetites.

Panic engulfed him for a moment. He was a panther. He couldn’t claim her this way. But how could he go from this form to the other? The fur and fangs felt as permanent as his human skin always had. There was no road map telling him how to get to there from here.

Before he finished the thought, the world around him went dark, his sense of smell dwindled almost to nothing, and he was a man again.

He could just make out the silhouette of her against the moon.

“Lucy,” he breathed.

She turned to him and he remembered that he wasn’t wearing anything. She didn’t seem perturbed to find him there, naked in the moonlight, waiting for her with all his muscles coiled, as if he were still a panther.

He struggled to show restraint, but the patience belonged to the beast alone. Adrian moved to her, and she flowed into his arms as if she had always been there.

“Lucy,” he said again, overwhelmed at the joy of holding her. He tore the gown from her body with one hand, sliding the other hand up to cup her cheek.

Her eyes sought his, her expression so familiar, mimicking his own.

She looked hungry.

With a growl, he pulled her closer as he leaned in and claimed her mouth with his own, trying not to hurt her with the strength of his animal.

She relaxed against him, yielding to him, accepting his kiss.

His whole body pounded with satisfaction and he kissed her harder, lifting her up so that she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. She would drive him mad, wrenching emotions from him until he was tender and ferocious at once.

She whimpered, sending his blood boiling with lust.

He broke the kiss to carry her to the rock. He ached with the need to claim her, but first he would lay her down in the moonlight, pleasure her until she was blind with desire.

“Adrian,” she breathed.

“Lucy,” he growled back.