Page 26 of Monster's Pet

I drew back, hurt. “I would work around the limitations, maybe take magic from an amulet or something. There are ways, you know.”

“Sorry,” he replied, sheepishly running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m a little on edge.”

“And feeling inadequate,” I added. “You’re not, you know. You’re allowed to ask for help when you need it. You’re also allowed to hate that you need it,” I continued, cutting off his retort. “But maybe don’t make everyone around you feel like shit for trying to help.”

“You’re right.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I should try to control my shift. Can you help me?”

“Always. What do you need?”

“We should probably go to my special room, just in case things get out of hand.”

“Ohhhh,” I drew out the sound. “Thatkind of help.” I couldn’t help the teasing smile that curled my lips.

Aiden chuckled. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

I was more than a little disappointed, but rallied myself. “Whatever you need,” I reaffirmed, taking his hand. “Did you want to go over simple underwater breathing spells while you work on your shifting?”

“Maybe once I can shift without exploding.”

I bit back a quip about the double-entendre in his words. “Great.”

We made our way to his secret room near the gym in the basement. I liked coming here; it made me think of our first time when he was shifted and how intensely he had pleasured me.

I took a seat on the workout bench, while Aiden sat cross-legged on the mat in the middle of the room.

He rested his wrists loosely on his knees and took a series of even breaths, centering himself.

I wasn’t sure how I could help him at this point. I didn’t want to interrupt his meditation, but he hadn’t told me how I could be useful to him. It seemed like such a personal journey.

His horns materialized, growing slowly from his forehead, but his fire remained hidden within. I wondered if it was more difficult for him to shift at different times, or if this was another problem that we’d have to address.

“I can hear you thinking,” Aiden said, his eyes still closed. “What’s your question?”

“Is your fire okay?” I blurted out. “Or did you shift only your horns on purpose?”

“This is on purpose. I’m controlling my shift, only letting part of my aspect through at one time,” Aiden said. His tongue flicked out, human shifting into the forked, lengthy demonic tongue that brought me pleasure. “The fire is the hardest part to contain.”

“You’re doing very well so far,” I said. “What’s next?”

“A distraction. See if I can keep just these two parts shifted.”

“Is now the time for us to discuss simple breathing spells?”

Aiden chuckled. “Sure. A light distraction at first would be a good idea.”

“You don’t want me to give you the answer. Let’s get your mind working on the problem.” I thought for a moment on how to phrase my question. “What is a simple spell?”

“One with only one component,” he answered promptly. “A repetitive spell that I’m familiar with, that requires no concentration to upkeep.”

“Can you think of a spell that involves breathing?”

Aiden thought for a moment. “Perhaps a potion? I could make it in advance and get it checked before using it?”

“Sure, but that isn’t a spell, which is the requirement,” I reminded him.

“Right.” Aiden’s tongue flicked the air for a moment. “All right, what about a transfiguration spell? Once one of those is cast, concentration isn’t required to keep it going.”

“That has potential,” I said. “What transfiguration spell are you familiar with that would help you breathe underwater?”

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