Shy sun rays peaked around the sheer curtains. Reeking of sex and gutted candles, the bedroom was early morning quiet. Lucy, making a sleep moan, stirred in beneath the sheets. Dark cherry curls, her hair fanned against Danny’s arm. Danny gazed on his secret crush’s face and repressed the overwhelming desire to give himself a high five.

I slept with Lucy, Danny thought, me I slept with Lucy. He laughed that weird too high laugh he did when he was nervous or happy. Danny clapped his hand over his mouth. Restless, Lucy flung off the sheet. Danny watched her loveliness. Smooth freckled skin, an intricate tattoo sleeve, ripe breasts, Lucy’s body surpassed his dreams. And he had dreamt of Lucy a whole lot.

Danny had bounced at Alchemy for six years, a part time gig during school that turned into a rut. He’d seen his share of hot chick bartenders at the bar. Danny knew that hot chick bartenders were the bar’s late night bread and butter, but Lucy was something else. She had only been working at Alchemy a couple of weeks. Pouring shots and professional flirting, Lucy became his obsession at first sight. Danny couldn’t stop watching her.

Customers and staff alike, everyone hit on Lucy. Sassy behind the bar, Lucy was a cold fish off the clock. Even Pedro couldn’t get her digits. Yet last night after closing Lucy sat next to him as the bartenders, barbacks, and bouncers drank vodka and vaped on Alchemy’s patio. Lucy rested her hand on his knee and traced the seams of his jeans. Flinging her arm over his chest, Lucy stirred again. He traced her tattoos with an adorning finger. There was a sliver of moon and a trio of black wolves with golden eyes. In the weak light of her bedroom window, the tattoos looked different, very different. Instead of three wolves inked on her arm there were five no thirteen wolves tangled under a nearly full moon.

Danny scratched his head. They’d had a lot to drink. What is important is Lucy wants me, Danny thought. Lightning fast, Lucy sat up full awake.

“Yes I do want you,” Lucy said.

She looked fierce and then laughed. Instead of one sleeve Lucy now had two sleeves of tattoos, packs of wolves. Screaming Danny tried to squirm away. Catlike, Lucy pounced on Danny’s arms and legs.

“Relax Danno don’t be afraid.”

She laughed. Danny felt an uneasy laugh pulled from him. On Lucy’s arms there were now too many wolves to count. Her lovely freckled skin was a rustling moonlit forest hundreds of eyes. Glowing yellow eyes of wolves stared at Danny from Lucy’s torso. They blinked. Danny thrashed. The headboard bashed the plaster. Lucy held his six foot muscled frame fast.

“Is this a trick, Lucy? Like a magic trick. Please.”

The wolf tattoos moved up Lucy’s neck. One of the tattoos bared its fangs. A wolf’s howl filled the bedroom. Lucy laughed. Danny laughed and cried. Slender claws stretched from her fingers and toes pinning Danny to the bed.

“Are you a werewolf?” He blubbered.

“No, werewolves are males. Silly creatures, weak. I’m something else.”