Rude awakening

Unsurprisingly, I had another strange dream that night. I was lurking in a dark alleyway, hidden from views and preying on a woman who decided to use it as a shortcut. She looked awfully similar to the newscaster I saw on TV during the day. I slowly crept up on her, not making any noise, like a predator approaching an unsuspecting prey.

Before she could even notice anything, I had my spines piercing her neck and my other hand covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Her soul filled me with warmth as I hungrily tore open her back and started to wear her as soon as she fully deflated. I noticed as I did so that I didn't have a skin anymore, my own body was fully similar to that of Dahlia's original self, a sort of red skeleton encased in a blue jelly-like substance. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to wear this woman so much. That, and these repressed desires that my skinwalker side loved to use to taunt me with all the time.

I quickly wore the woman, imagining these intense sensations that I vividly remembered from when I wore Laura, and completed my look by wearing her clothes. After dusting them off a bit, I was now indistinguishable from her, and left the alleyway with a spring in my steps and a confident smile, feeling so much better now that I was comfortably and safely burrowed inside this hot woman's skin.

The sound of an alarm ringing in the distance woke me up, and I slowly opened my eyes...

"Damn it... Forgot to turn it off..." I heard Dahlia grumble from her bedroom.

I stood up, still with some difficulties but more easily than yesterday. I saw her walk into the living room, yawning and wearing a very girly pajamas consisting of a pink shirt with a rainbow on it, a matching pair of shorts, and white socks also with a rainbow motif on them. Her hair was dishevelled since she just woke up as well, but she still looked very pretty.

She gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, Ed. That's my usual alarm for when I go to class, but I planned to skip college today to take care of you."

"It's okay, I slept enough anyway." I replied as she sat next to me, observing me.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit better physically, and about the same as yesterday mentally. Got another weird dream, but that's about it."

"Hmm, you should be careful and pay attention in case your symptoms worsen. I believe that your strong physiology should make the curse progress more slowly, but it's still progressing nonetheless."

I sighed. "How much time do you think I have?"

She looked away. "You'll... probably be able to last a bit longer than I did... You might be able to keep it like this for another two or three weeks before even harsher symptoms start to appear... and maybe about three months if you have the willpower to resist until the breaking point..."

She grit her teeth, and I could see her shivering slightly. "But I... I really recommend you to avoid reaching that state..." She paused for a brief instant to take a deep breath. "If you really want to keep your life for longer, you should still wear a skin soon to satiate these urges before it gets even worse... Wear someone for a a full day every month as soon as the cravings start to show up and you might be able to gain one or two years before the inevitable happens..."

"I see... A man... would work, right?" I asked, still doing my best to avoid thinking about wearing a woman.

Dahlia nodded. "Yes, the gender doesn't matter. But until you finally accept your repressed desires, it probably won't be that nice to wear a man..."

I stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "When you saved me... You said that you hated wearing men... Is it similar?"

She sighed. "No. For most skinwalkers, even if they have preferences, gender doesn't matter that much. Even for you, once you come to terms with your desires, I'm sure you'll have an easier time wearing men... I'm just... different, in that regard..."

She stood up and stretched, trying to smile. "Anyway, I'll go make breakfast, and then we'll talk about your training. If you want, I can help you take a shower before we start, too."

I blushed and shook my head. "I-I think I'm fine enough to shower by myself."

I would be far too embarrassed to get naked in front of her.

She smiled as she leaned closer. "Relax, Ed. I may not like wearing men and prefer sleeping with women, but I still saw my fair share of naked guys during my time as a skinwalker. I want to be there in case anything happens, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Fine..."

Dahlia went to the kitchen while I watched some TV. She came back a few minutes later with a tray transporting some pancakes, syrup, and two cups of coffee. Her pancakes were really good.

As we ate, she spoke. "What kind of dream did you have?"

"A dream where I preyed on a woman and skinned her... And where I looked like a red skeleton..."

Dahlia grimaced slightly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's terrifying, huh? I may have joked about it when we met, but I hate our real appearance... At least, you know what is going to happen, and you have people to support you... I didn't have that chance..."

She seemed really depressed as she said that last part. Whatever happened shortly after she became a skinwalker must have been a traumatic experience.

"You know... When I first became a skinwalker... I loathed it. I hated these disgusting and horrifying abilities that were seemingly completely opposed to my values... But I learnt how to appreciate them with time, and to have fun with them. In the end, we're the ones deciding if we use them for evil reasons or not. And I believe that having fun with your abilities isn't incompatible with your morals and your main goal, Ed..."

I sighed. "Maybe... I'm just... afraid..."

"Of becoming corrupted? You're strong, I don't think your core self would ever change. Trust me, I don't believe for a second that you could ever end up like the skinwalker bastards I've met in the past." She put her hand on mine. "Claire wouldn't let it happen. I wouldn't let it happen."

I closed my eyes and sighed. She made some compelling arguments, but I was still scared of the idea of wearing a woman again...

We finished eating and Dahlia left for a moment to go to her bedroom. She returned wearing a white one-piece swimsuit. She was very sexy in it.

She flashed me a teasing smile. "If you had hoped to see me nude, I'm sorry to disappoint. I only let other women see me naked."

I blushed and looked away. "I-I didn't think that..."

She giggled. "Heh, I know. Now, let me help you."

She lifted me up and helped me walk to the bathroom. She seemed to struggle a bit with my weight and size, but was stronger than I gave her credit for. She helped me undress, me avoiding looking at her out of embarrassment, and turned on the shower.

The hot water felt good, even if it couldn't wash away that permanent cold I suffered from. Dahlia started to wash my hair, applying one of her shampoos, and let it rest while cleaning the rest of my body, starting with my back. Feeling her delicate fingers on my bare skin was a very sensual sensation, and, even if I knew that it was nothing sexual, I was still starting to feel aroused.

Dahlia noticed it and chuckled. "Good to see that you still find me attractive, Ed~"

She leaned closer and whispered in my ear in a sexy tone. "Would you like if I helped you with that~?" Before giggling playfully as she saw my blush intensifying. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist teasing you. Even if I don't really like men, I like knowing that I can have that effect on some."

After that, she resumed her cleaning, but I washed my intimate parts myself. Once done, she helped me dry my hair and body, applied more balm on my bruises, and dressed me in new clothes that Claire brought yesterday. I was still feeling aroused, but I did my best to ignore it.

Finally, she led me back to the living room, and, after a quick call to Laura to make her know that she wouldn't be there today, we could finally start talking about that training.

"Alright, our goal is to make you more resistant to ****, something that might take a long time even with your new skinwalker physiology. To start with, we'll go with the most commonly used '****' ****, as they are the most dangerous ones, in my opinion."

I nodded. Even if I didn't see the effects first-hand, I heard of them. I did have to deal with a guy who tried to **** a woman while I was working at the bar. That woman even became my girlfriend afterwards.

"We can't get ill so we shouldn't have to worry about aftereffects. Now, I'll be leaving for a bit to gather some ingredients, are you truly ready to start? Last chance to back out."

"I am ready." I said as I stared determined at her.

She smiled. "Good. Remember that skinwalker evolutions come from your deep desires, so keep that determination and maybe magic will happen."

After changing into more normal clothes, she then left the flat, leaving me alone with the TV, waiting excitedly and nervously for our training to start. I really hoped that it would work.