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Was Zayn in partial control? Could the man watch through the snake’s eyes? I didn’t know.
Not wanting to hurt him, I cast a sleep spell, channeling my magic to calm and sedate the hissing beast. The coils around me relaxed and went limp, but I didn’t move lest I wake him before the spell had time to work fully through his system.
The monstrous snake head came to nudge my chest as its eyes started to close. Not worried anymore that he wanted to eat me, I did what felt natural and stroked his head, adding extra magic to the sleeping spell with each touch. Soon, I had a soundly sleeping serpent wrapped around me, its head cradled in my arms.
Now that the danger was over and he wasn’t trying to attack me, I finally had the chance to notice all the little details. His scales were iridescent silver, mesmerizingly beautiful. He had lost one of his scales to the writhing; it was on the carpet next to the coffee table, which had been shoved aside.
Scraps of his clothes clung to him, torn from his change.
The giant serpent turned in its sleep and shrank as it did so. Zayn shifted, his upper half first, making him a naga for a brief moment, man on the top and snake on the bottom. Then he changed completely into human form, a very naked human form. I knelt as he completed his shift, carefully lowering his head, still in my arms, to the ground.
I stepped around his body and picked up the iridescent silver scale. I had an idea. Scale in hand, I left him on the floor and went back to my unit, carefully shutting his door behind me so anyone else going down the hall wouldn’t be curious and look in. If they did, they’d probably call the cops. Zayn was unconscious on the floor, and his place was trashed.
“Which one was it…?” I murmured to myself as I perused my shelf full of books.
That one. I picked up a heavy tome from the bottom shelf, along with one of my floor cushions, and headed back over to Zayn’s apartment. Retrieving the abandoned shopping bag, I quickly put away his groceries. Then I checked his bedroom for any personal item I could use in the spell. I found a watch on top of his dresser.
He was still snoring softly when I returned, sprawled out awkwardly on the carpet. Using my magic so I didn’t wake him, I lifted him carefully from the floor to lie on the couch so he was more comfortable. Then, with my spell book open and my floor cushion in place, I knelt next to Zayn’s sleeping form and got to work.
Chapter 6
Zayn
Iblinkedafewtimes at the pot lights in my living room ceiling. I usually woke up from my shifts curled up in a ball somewhere dark. Last time, I’d woken up in my bathroom, though how my snake form managed to fit in the tiny space was beyond me.
This time, I was on my couch. Strange. I didn’t even know what a couch was for when I was a snake, let alone climb onto one to sleep. Not to mention, my serpent wouldn’t fit on it.
I sat up and looked around at my living room. Trashed, of course. My coffee table was, surprisingly, still upright, though it was halfway across the room. The cheap bookshelves were knocked over, and all my belongings were scattered around the room.
I closed my eyes and pressed down on my eyelids with the heels of my hands, trying to remember the last few seconds before my shift. That was it—I’d been coming in from a trip to the grocery store. Usually, I ordered everything I needed online to avoid going out in public, but I’d thought a quick trip wouldn’t hurt.
Now I remembered: I’d felt the need to change come over me when I was just feet from the building. I’d run for the door and hightailed it up the stairs, not even bothering to wait for the elevator since I was only on the third floor. I’d managed to fumble for the keys and get the door open mere seconds before my snake took over.
I looked at my door. It was closed, so I must have been able to close and lock it in time, though I didn’t remember that part. I scanned my floor again but didn’t see my groceries littered on it.
Strange. I definitely hadn’t had enough time to put away the shopping.
And what the hell was the oversized, purple velvet cushion doing sitting at the foot of my couch?
Then I sensed it. I opened my mouth and inhaled deeply, letting the chemicals in the air settle on my forked tongue. I could control a half-shift like this. Yes, there it was: the unmistakable taste of the tempting little witch next door.
Suddenly I was hungry, very hungry. And not for food.
I inhaled again. Tasting the air.
Mine!
No way. I pushed my snake back. It had done more than enough damage for one day. The little witchwasn’t“mine”. I couldn’t have anything nice. Not with this fucking curse.
My kettle started squealing in my kitchen.
What the fuck?
The whistling stopped and was replaced by the sound of pouring water. Then Sybil walked out of my kitchen with two steaming cups of Earl Grey tea.
“Morning, sleepyhead.”
It was afternoon, but whatever.
