We move together vigorously; passionately. Sharing moans and kisses as if it were oxygen: vital to our survival. I caress her beautiful skin. It's white in the glow of the night like porcelain, yet smooth and warm like silk. She runs her fingers through my hair as I explore her body, whispering my name. I whisper her's back between our fervent actions. Her legs wrap around my hips, tender yet resilient; the balls of her feet at the small of my back, not allowing me to leave her even if I chose. Her hands roam between the sheets and my body. I reach my own up to fondle her breasts and tease her areolas. I lick and bite at her neck and breasts, grinding the soft flesh between my teeth to draw whimpers from her. I do so harshly, roughly, almost greedily. I did that the same way that I pressed myself into her. I do it because she likes it. She likes me to be forceful, commanding; an animal. And as she experiences her release, and I approach my own, I find myself liking it too.

She tightens her grip on me with every portion of her body. Scratching and clawing at my thighs as she seeks an anchor against the savage waves of pleasure threatening to wash her away. I grab her wrists and pin them above her head against the wooden headboard, driving myself into her still. Her breathing stabs at the air before she cries out. Her scream of ecstasy and her crushing grip on me force me to reach my own climax. I grit my teeth, and my lips pull back. I dig my own hands into her sweet thighs as the fiery pleasure burns me from below. My neck twitches and convulses as the feeling fills me up, searching for a way out like a steam vent wracking the pipes for an escape. It solidifies and escapes as a primordial howl from deep within me. The sounds of our breathing, the feel of our bodies together, the smell of her body, the taste of her lips, and the sight of her shivering form overpower my senses. My head goes light and hazy, and I collapse on top of her.

I feel her chest rising and falling against my own as she tries to regain control of her breathing. I can hear her heartbeat thumping against her chest. I manage to lift myself forward again to kiss her, and sample her lips once again. Beautiful. Delicate. Delicious. I roll over to lay beside her on the bed, disconnecting us for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. It's a strange feeling; being one person again after being part of a whole. She turned on her side to caress and kiss me. I returned the gestures in-kind. She was the woman I loved. I wanted to hold her tightly to me and never let go. I wanted to meld with her like the two sides of Yin and Yang, and be one with her through to the end of existence. We laid there for a moment, just holding each other and breathing, trying to control ourselves. I looked into her golden-hazel eyes that had captivated me for so long. She looked back. And in her eyes I could practically see a mirror; all my feelings for her were the same unto me. She smiled weakly, and I smiled back.

I leaned forward to kiss her again, when I suddenly felt my heartbeat. It wasn't normal. It was beating faster; harder against the inside of my chest. Shadows, shapes, and colors shifted before my eyes. And in that shift I saw it. The light I had admired her body against throughout this bout of passion and love. The pale, silver light that now covered only her outline. The chilly light against my back. I finished the kiss and turned my back to her, looking toward the bay window of our bedroom. The shutters were thrown open. And there, in the sky, glaring down on me, was the moon. My passion and love dulled and congealed; became primitive. The pain from the scratches she had left on my body seemed to spread and rip through me, traveling down my legs, over my chest, up my back, and down my arms. I felt my very bones shift beneath my skin. Painfully, unnaturally.

My slamming heartbeat caused my breathing to become more labored also. I felt the pain all over as it tried, almost literally, to burst through me and escape. I resisted the overpowering urge to scratch and tear away my own flesh, if only to let it out and relieve the pain. I felt the pushing behind my fingers and toes, and around my teeth. I tasted bile at the horrible pain, mixed with the coppery warmth of blood as my own teeth lengthened, cutting into me. I couldn't think. I could only hear sounds inside my head. Horrible sounds. Those of the beast mixed with my own. And all the while, as my vision changed from colors and shapes to monochrome blurs, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. The Moon. My goddess. My queen. My love.

It was then that I felt her arm slide over me. That lovely silken arm. She entwined her fingers with mine and, after a moment, I did the same. It was like drowning, and she was my safety line. The pain and the sounds, the urge to run and hunt, were threatening to consume me. But through the haze of my thoughts I focused on her. The feel of her arm across my slowly-furring chest, and her fingers in mine was like a lightning rod for me to direct clear thoughts toward. I didn't love the moon. I loved her! I should be hunting. But I don't want to! I wanted to growl and roar like the beast. But I am not the beast. I'm a man!

Next I felt her cuddle up against me; her naked body pressing to my back. Her breasts soft cushions on my shoulders. I felt her other hand slide around to cup my forehead. I was afraid I would bite her at first, but she spoke. “No, stay. Stay with me.” Her velveteen voice whispered into my ear and began clearing the haze like a fine breeze. The urge to run, jump, and hunt began to fade at last. She squeezed my hand tighter and pressed herself closer to me. I could feel my eyes burning and finally closed them, shutting away the moon's pull on me. I focused everything of myself on her. My lover. My wife. Her soft, yet firm grip on me. Her sweet scent. The sound of her breath. The remnants of her lips on mine. I imagined her in my mind's eye and focused. And after what had felt like hours, the pain receded. The pressure from inside me disappeared back into the depths, and the beast was silent again.

She moved her hand from my forehead down to my cheek, turning my head. “Open your eyes” she said. I did not. I was still afraid I would see the moonlight, and the curse would pull me back again. Again she said “Open your eyes,” more forcefully this time. “Trust me” she added, planting a soft kiss on my lips. I knew, after the long years that she had supported me like this, that I did indeed trust her. More than anyone or anything else in this world. I opened my eyes and saw her. The moon's glow was gone; the curtains shut. I knew she must have closed them before helping me. I reached forward and kissed her again, sampling her sweet saliva before turning back toward her. My body ached, but I could move well enough. I wrapped my arms around her; one at her hips and one below her arm to stroke her back. She does the same, laying her head against my shoulder and sliding one of her ivory legs along mine to hook over my hip. I squeezed her tighter to me. The words could not convey the meaning, the power of the feelings that I felt for her. She knew, and squeezed me back. “I love you” I said, in attempt regardless. “I love you” she replied. We stayed there in our bed, twined in a lover's embrace, all night. Until the end of existence. Beauty and a Beast.