TAMED | FREENBECKY

13

When Freen's phone rang at five thirty on a Thursday evening just a little over halfway through the lunar cycle, she knew immediately that she was in trouble. It was Becca, and these phone calls had become a daily ritual. Freen's stomach flip-flopped happily that Becca was finished at work and they would be together soon. But worry niggled at the back of her mind, the Ever-present awareness that soon a night would come they couldn't spend together—up to three nights, if Freen really wanted to play it safe. Even if she wasn't forced to shift the day before and after the full moon, its pull usually affected her for a solid seventy-two hours. Becca would surely notice that she was hornier than usual.

Coming up with an excuse to be away from Becca for even one night would be hard enough. Especially when being with Becca had become the best part of her life. Freen simply didn't want to be apart.

Picking up the phone, she said, "Hey, sweetheart."

"I've been thinking about you all day."

Freen warmed at the happiness that shone through in Becca's voice. "I've been thinking about you, too. Only every second."

"Good answer." From the slight hiss of background noise, Freen could tell that Becca was calling from her car. "Want to hang out with me tonight?"

"We should just agree that we don't need to pretend I might say no." Heart soaring at the thought of being together again, Freen took a steadying breath to tamp down her excitement. Becca made it very hard to play cool. "Of course, I want to hang out. Always. This minute."

Becca laughed. "Have you ever been to the Theater? They play older movies."

"No." Freen couldn't remember the last time she'd gone to a movie theater. She'd been a teenager, certainly, before her first forced transformation. Once she'd gone into hiding, being in a crowded room surrounded by other people didn't appeal to her. But now that she was with Becca, doing something as painfully normal as going to the movies intoxicated her. "What's playing?"

"Ladyhawke. Have you seen it?"

"I haven't."

"It's one of my favorites. It has everything...fantasy, romance, humor. The tragedy of star-crossed lovers, kept apart by a curse."

Becca's excitement made Freen's decision for her. "Sounds great."

"Yeah?"

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

Chuckling, Becca said, "I guess this is like a date, huh? Our first real one."

"You mean where we go out and do something fun first, then come home and have sex?" Freen was confident where their evening would end—in bed. "I'm up for it if you are."

"I'll even buy you dinner."

Freen snorted. "Well, then I guess I'll have to put out."

"Damn right," Becca said. "Listen, I'm about five minutes from your place. If you can get ready quickly, we could grab something to eat right now. That should give us just enough time to make the movie."

Unable to believe this was her life now, Freen shook her head as she struggled against face-splitting joy. "That sounds perfect. I'll just throw on my shoes and meet you outside."

"Awesome." She could hear Becca's anticipation in her voice. "See you soon."

"Bye." Freen hung up and sighed deeply. Things were going so well with Becca that she hated to rock the boat. With a week and a half left until the next full moon, she had to figure out how to juggle a girlfriend and her transition for the first time. It definitely put a damper on the thrill of dating, but Freen wouldn't let it bring her down tonight.

Not when she was about to go out and have fun like a normal person.

"A movie," Freen murmured. "Look at me."

*

Spilling out of the theater onto the crowded sidewalk hours later, Freen could hardly believe what she'd just watched. Leave it to Becca to pick a movie that so closely hinted at Freen's dual nature. As it turned out, Ladyhawke was a fantasy movie about a pair of lovers who were kept apart because of a curse—by day she was transformed into a hawk, and by night he shifted into a wolf. Consequently they could never be together as human beings—at least not until the end of the film.

"Are you okay?" Becca asked as they walked down the street toward the car.

Freen choked out an embarrassed laugh. Not one to get emotional over films easily, she had tears pouring down her face by the time the lovers got to be together. The idea that happy endings might be possible even in the most impossible of circumstances definitely stirred her and made her own situation that much more painful.

Because real life wasn't a movie. And though the thought of a fictional character who turned into a hawk or a wolf enchanted Becca, Freen doubted she would be so understanding about her own girlfriend being able to shift into either at will. Even less so about the fact that once a month Freen turned into a monster who couldn't remember her nocturnal activities the next day.

"It must be that time of the month," Freen lied. "I'm just a little emotional."

"I think it's sweet." Becca clasped Freen's hand, tangling their fingers together as they strolled down the sidewalk. "It's a beautiful story, isn't it?"

"Yes." Hesitating, Freen tried to decide if she wanted to offer an explanation as to why the movie had touched her so much. Becca seemed content to chalk it up to hormones and good storytelling, and that was probably best. But despite her need to maintain secrecy, Freen craved a deeper connection with Becca. She wanted Becca to understand her as much as possible, even if Freen could never tell her a lot. "It's just so sad. Not having any control over your life and your body, to the point that you can't enjoy the love you've managed to find with another person..." Aware that she was on the verge of tearing up again, Freen forced a sheepish chuckle. "I'm just glad they were able to be together in the end."

"Me, too."

Exhaling shakily, Freen swiped at her eyes with her free hand. "I'm not usually this sappy." She gave Becca a sidelong glance. "Must be a consequence of all these new feelings you've inspired."

Becca blushed, stopping them in front of her car. "I like it."

"That's a relief." Freen wrapped her arms around Becca and held her tight. After enduring two hours of tortured longing and shape-shifting that cut too close to reality, she was ready to take Becca home and lose herself in physical pleasure. "What do you say we go back to my place and you cheer me up?"

Drawing away, Becca dropped a light kiss on the tip of Freen's nose. "I could definitely do that."

"I know you can." It had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the way Becca made Freen feel. Like she was worth loving. Like they could somehow be normal together, Even if Freen couldn't quite figure out how she might make that work.

Soon Freen would need to find an excuse to keep Becca away during her next transformation. And the one after that. And the one after that. It wouldn't be easy, but she needed to do it.

Real life wasn't a movie, and Freen had no idea whether a happy ending was even possible for her relationship with Becca. But she had to try to make one happen.