He stared at her. “But it doesn’t look like a penis.”

“Because its final transformation only comes once you’ve had intercourse with your life mate for the first time. Within hours after that, it’ll turn into a fully functioning penis—hard-on and all.”

Gabriel took a step back. He’d had sex with Maya only a little over an hour ago. Could it be that something was already happening to him?

“What?” the witch asked.

“Maya and I, we—” Gabriel stopped himself. He couldn’t tell her. This was too personal to reveal. But it appeared he didn’t have to say another word.

“Ah, I see. Well, then it’s just a matter of time.”

“Excuse me for a second,” Gabriel told her and turned around. He unbuttoned his jeans and eased his zipper open, then pulled his boxers away from his body and stared at his groin. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. “Fuck!”

Francine shuffled behind him. “Can I see?”

He held out his arm to the side to prevent her from coming around him. “No!” His eyes glanced back at the place where his deformity had lived for the last nearly two centuries.

It was gone. In its stead was a beautifully formed and perfect cock, slightly shorter and slimmer than his other one, but nevertheless as perfect. He pulled back the skin and revealed the purple head, the tiny hole in its tip indicating that it would be a fully functioning organ.

He quickly arranged the boxer shorts and closed his zipper before he turned to the witch and smiled for the first time since he’d entered her office. “Just like you said.”

She frowned a little. “You could have let me look at it. I’ve never seen a real satyr before.”

“As much as I appreciate your help, the answer is no.” The only person who would get to see him like that from now on would be Maya. And he sure as hell hoped she liked what she saw.

“There’s something else you should know.”

“What is it?”

“Satyrs only take other Satyrs as lifemates. Maya must be a satyr too, given that you and she had sex and it resulted in your second penis developing. I think it’s proof enough. It would explain an awful lot.”

Gabriel remembered Maya’s medical file. “She has two extra pairs of chromosomes.”

“Just like you. And her going into heat could have been a reaction to you. While a satyr female goes into heat several times a year, she does so more intensely and more often when she’s around a satyr male. And then of course there’s the fact that she drinks your blood.”

He felt overwhelmed with the knowledge that Francine imparted on him. “What of it?”

“Well, normally satyrs don’t drink blood, but since you and Maya are also part vampire, that’s natural. But what I’m thinking is that because you gave her your blood to complete the turning, her latent Satyr genes awoke and they instantly honed in on you as a source to sustain her.”

“Does that mean she’s dependent on me and that’s why she won’t drink human blood?”

Francine shook her head. “She could easily drink human blood and be sustained on it, but her satyr genes are influencing her taste buds. That’s why she rejects it. Her satyr genes like your blood because you are similar to her. Does that bother you?”

“What bothers me is thinking that the only reason Maya wants me is because we are both satyrs and I fed her my blood.” He still wanted her more than any other woman in the world, but did she have any choice?

“Even satyrs have free will. Yes, they are more sexual than other creatures, and are driven more by their carnal needs, but their hearts still tell them who’s right for them. Don’t worry about it. If you love her, it’s not because you’re drawn to her because of her satyr genes, but because of who she is in her heart. And the same goes for her.”

Gabriel released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Now all he had to do was talk to Maya and tell her everything and hope she loved him the way he loved her.

He took Francine’s hand into his big palms and squeezed it. “Thank you so much.”

When he stepped back to turn, she stopped him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He stared at her. What was she talking about? She couldn’t possibly want a hug? When he stepped closer and moved in for a friendly embrace, she shook her head. “Your gift. You were going to let me use it.”

Gabriel jolted back and let out a nervous laugh. He’d completely forgotten about it. “Of course. Sure.” He paused and looked around. “Where do we find the person you want me to do this on?” He glanced at his watch. “I have less than three hours till sunrise.”