"W-what's going on, Rick? What's happening to me… to you?"
"I don't have time to explain," he said. "Just go. Get away as fast as you can. I promise, you'll be fine soon."
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Why do my teeth hurt? I feel strange. My skin itches."
"Go!" he shouted.
When she just stood there, staring at him, he swore. Rick lifted the rifle to his chest.
"Rick?" Her voice shook. "What are you doing?"
"I'm saving you. I love you, Stephanie."
She moved faster than any animal he'd ever seen—practically flew across the room. The slight force of her weight was enough to knock him off balance.
"No!" she screamed, wrestling the rifle from him with superhuman strength. "I won't let you do this! I love you, Rick."
"Then kill me," he ordered. "It's the only way to save yourself. Don't you see what I am?" He reached out, showing her the hair forming on his arms. "I'm a monster! I'm a werewolf!"
She backed away from him, still clutching the rifle. "T-there's no such thing as werewolves. You're just sick. I'm sick. We're hallucinating."
He opened his mouth, showing her his canine fangs. "Does this look like a dream? It's a nightmare, Stephanie. A living hell I have to save you from. I bit you, remember? That first night? It was me you saved. I'm the black wolf!"
She shook her head. "No. This can't be happening. It's not possible. People can't turn into wolves."
"Look at your hands!" he shouted.
Her gaze lowered to her hands, clutched around the rifle in a death grip. He saw the fur there, blond, but thick. Her gaze widened. A whimper of alarm escaped her throat.
"If you kill me, the hair will disappear, Stephanie. It's the only way to break the curse. The only way to spare yourself the hell I've gone through during the past three years."
She lifted her terrified gaze. But more than horror showed in her eyes. "But what will happen to you?"
Pain ripped through him, made him double over. "I can die in peace," he bit out. "Do it, Stephanie!"
"No!" She threw the rifle down. "I've lost everyone I ever loved. I don't want to lose you, too."
Even through the pain, her words settled over him like a healing balm. She loved him despite the monster he was—regardless that her own soul lay in jeopardy. Her heart was truly pure. She loved unconditionally. And so did he. With a growl of pain tinged with joy, he sprang on the rifle she'd dropped to the floor. Rick had the weapon in his hands, pointed at his heart before she could react. He squeezed the trigger, and the explosion echoed off the wall along with her scream.
Stephanie fell to the floor beside him. He lay very still, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. The glow began to fade from them.
"No!" she screamed. Grabbing his collar, she tried to make him sit up. He was a dead weight. A dead man. Before her eyes, the thick fur that covered her hands disappeared. She felt her teeth retract, become normal. But nothing could stop her heart from breaking.
She buried her face against his neck. "I would have loved you anyway," she whispered. "I would have become an animal if it meant staying by your side. I love you, Rick. Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone again."
Tears ran down her cheeks. She threw the rifle aside and snuggled her body on top of him, hoping her warmth would penetrate the coldness she felt creeping into his limbs. This man, monster or saint, had sacrificed himself for her. He'd done so to save her soul. To spare her the same pain he had endured. His love was true. The everlasting kind. The kind she'd been searching for all her life.
She held him tighter, wishing she felt the beat of his heart against her own, wishing for all the tomorrows they would never share together.
"Come back to me," she whispered. "Come back to me, Rick."
A strong current of heat raced through her, almost as if she'd exploded inside. She tried to rise, but felt merged with Rick's body. She felt dizzy. A loud ringing noise started in her ears. She groaned… no, he groaned.
Stephanie's head shot up. She glanced down at him. He gasped. His eyes fluttered open. They were blue. And they were not glowing.
"Stephanie?" he whispered. "What happened?"
"Rick," she sobbed his name. "You came back to me."
His brows furrowed, and then he tensed. "It didn't work. Get away from me." He struggled, pushing her away from him. He reached for the rifle, but Stephanie grabbed it first.
"It's all right, Rick. Look at me! Look at yourself!"
He stared at her, glanced down at the smooth skin on her hands, then lifted his own. There was no thick fur there. He rose, moving to the bedroom. Stephanie scrambled up and followed him. He stared into the mirror at his image.
"Is it really over?" he whispered. "Did you save me?"
Stephanie stepped up behind him. "I don't think I saved you. I think you saved yourself. One selfless act of love made your heart pure again, made you reborn."
"The old woman." He turned to her. "She said saving you would save me."
"Y-you spoke to her?" Stephanie stammered.
He clasped her shoulders. "Don't you understand now? It was me she warned you about. I thought she might know for certain how to break the curse, so I hunted her down."
"Then she never meant to hurt me," Stephanie said. "She only wanted to help."
He stared deep into her eyes. "People aren't always what they appear to be on the surface. Surely you've learned that tonight."
She leaned forward and kissed him. "I learned something more important tonight. I learned the true meaning of sacrifice. You gave your life for me."
"I love you. I couldn't let what happened to me happen to you."
"I love you, too," she whispered. "And I would have withstood anything to stay with you." Stephanie took his hand and led him through the house, outside where the moon hung full in the sky. As if awestruck, he stared up at the heavens.
"This is the first time in three years I've seen a full moon and known it was just a celestial body in the distance."
Since he looked as if he might fall, she made him sit on one of the porch steps, then sat beside him.
"What will you do now?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I need to find my brother."
She turned to him, surprised. "I thought he was killed in a hunting accident."
"Attacked by a wolf," he explained. "The same one that bit me. He's a werewolf, too. If I can find him, I can tell him how to break the curse. All he has to do is find true love."
Her heart melted. "Where is he?"
"Canada."
Smiling at him, she said, "Canada has great wildlife. Lots to film."
He took her hand in his. "Will you come with me?"
"Anywhere," she promised. "As long as we're together."
His mouth moved toward hers; then he paused. "I just had an idea. We'll take the old woman with us. She has the sight and can use her abilities to make finding Jason easier."
Stephanie wasn't listening. She'd become lost in the depths of his eyes, in the wonderful sense that she'd finally come home again. She leaned closer to him. Their lips met in a promise neither time nor curses would ever threaten again. They were mates, would be for life, and they had work ahead of them. Wolves to save, and lost souls to rescue. And somewhere along the way, a life of their own to begin.
After Twilight Page 30
