I wanted to be cured. That was the only thought I could hold onto as I stood there, watching Professor Gibson's naked tail feathers sway in the fluorescent light.

Whatever it costs, I told myself. And if standing naked with a naked professor is the cost, then fine. I'll pay it.

My hands shook as I reached for the buttons on my blouse. I fumbled with the first one, then the second, until I just gave up and pulled it over my head in one motion. I tossed it onto the sofa she'd pointed at, and it landed in a sad little heap.

The loose jeans came next. I'd worn them because they were the only thing that fit over my tail without pressing on it. I shimmied them down my hips, careful not to snag the feathers, and stepped out of them. Rose's sneakers had already come off at the door.

And then I was standing there. Naked. In a lab. With my professor, who was also naked.

My tail fanned out behind me as soon as the jeans cleared it, the white feathers rustling as they settled into place. I felt the weight of them, the way they lifted slightly when I shifted my weight. It was getting harder to control.

Professor Gibson's eyes ran over me, and I braced myself for whatever critique or clinical observation was coming.

"Your tail looks nice," she said.

I felt my face go rigid. "What?"

"Your tail feathers." She gestured vaguely in my direction. "They're well-formed. White, which makes sense given your hair color. They're... pretty."

"Pretty." The word came out flat. "You're telling me my chicken ass looks pretty."

"I'm just saying—"

"You just said my animal transformation looks nice." I stared at her. "In what world is that a normal thing to say?"

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I'm trying to find something positive in this mess. Is that so wrong?"

I turned away from her, looking for somewhere to sit. There was a stool near the lab bench with a pillow on it.

I stopped. The pillow had a wet spot. A big one. Right in the middle, where someone's hips had been grinding into it.

I really, really didn't want to think about what that wet spot was.

But there was nowhere else to sit, sofa was occupied by …