Skin Deep — Kendra Merritt

The only one who can free him is the girl he's hurt the most.

Cursed for a youthful accident which maimed a young woman, Léon Beauregard roams his mountain as a bear, clinging to the scraps of his humanity. Too bad it's not working. Every day he loses a little more of himself to the bear and his stupid fuzzy tail. But when Léon comes across Anwen, an enchanter scarred from an accident she doesn't remember, she promises to free him, because she believes no one deserves this sort of punishment, no matter their crime.

As the graceful enchanter tries to free him, Léon begins to realize Anwen is much more than just a passing enchanter. She's the one he's falling in love with. And she is the one whose life he ruined. He knows he must hide his part in Anwen's past if he wants to keep her, but when bodies show up mauled by a large animal, even she begins to doubt his ability to be redeemed. With his heart, soul, and humanity in the balance, Léon has more to hide and everything to lose if Anwen ever learns the truth about the monster inside him.

NOTE: The Mark of the Least is a series of related stories designed to be read in any order.