Cursed [Book 1] ✔

Chapter 24.3: What to do When Your Husband's Possessed

Author's Note: You've come a long way, reader. Down to the last chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride. A sequel is stewin' in my brain, and I'll be posting the first chapter sooner than you know. 

His entire upper body was the same. Human head, neck, shoulders, torso...but that was where things got complicated. Further along his muscled stomach, brown fur curled, thickened and led to his animal half. His body was fused with the lower half of a horse.

I took in the gleaming brown coat, the four huge hooves outlined in white hair, and the tail I had to strain to get a glimpse of. Overall, I thought him to be majestic in size and in beauty.

What to say to someone who could have their own "Anamorph" series?

"Um, so you're a centaur?"

"Humph." What came out of Rafe was more of a horse-like snort than an intelligible scoff.

"Centaurs are dirty creatures with little regard for others. They're known for their tempers and have always been jealous of Ipotanes."

"Why should they be, if you're both pretty much the same?"

"We are not 'pretty much the same.'" Somehow, Rafe appeared dainty in his disdain. "Centaurs are trapped, forced to straddle the world between human and animal. They're jealous because Ipotanes can come and go between either world, through the help of meditation."

"Right."

I had gotten used to the world of Djinn and Lillin. Knowing there were other creatures in the world like Ipotanes and centaurs made me wonder what other fairytale creatures and monsters existed.

"Can all members of the Morcoso tribe turn into Ipotane's?"

"Not all. Only a few can, with the— "

"Help of meditation. I get it."

"I'd say that's enough about me. Let's answer the question you asked of me earlier."

"To see if I'm pregnant? All right, what are you going to do?"

"It's a complex ritual involving your stomach and my eyeballs. In layman's terms, it's called staring." To make his sarcasm stick, Rafe stared hard at my belly. In no time at all, he looked up and said, "Nothing there."

"What? That was a total of three seconds of your 'staring' ritual. Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"How?"

"Because, as soon as I transformed into Ipotane form, I would've seen what I saw before."

By "before," Rafe meant: "When I was pregnant before?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you saw something? So many times, I thought I was crazy, and you knew...."

"I only found out on the last night that we were ourselves."

Ourselves.

When Rafe had just been Rafe, free of demon possession. And when I had been a normal human woman, free from fire lore, and enhanced senses. Sure, I'd been as pregnant as a house, but I had been the original owner of my body. Recently, there had been times when I had looked in the mirror or woken up feeling completely disoriented, forgetting who or where I was. How I longed to be myself again.

Rafe continued. "When I got home from work, you weren't there, so I went to look for you at your mother's house. When I got there, I heard glass breaking from the attic window. I looked up and there you were, falling. Instantly, I transformed. I knew I wouldn't be able to catch you with my human body. Never before had I turned without meditation, and I didn't even think it was possible, but your safety was a great motivator for haste. I caught you."