by Susan Shay
The Tumuld Argamelino—the exact spell Granny used to kill her heart—had been beaten. Overcome.
I struggled to take a breath, and found it rife with his scent. With all my heart I wished I could capture and bottle it, because I didn’t know if he could love me forever, knowing what I was willing to do to stop my love for him.
Tears burned the back of my eyes as I envisioned the rest of my life, loving him but being unloved. Never experiencing again what we’d just had.
Unsure I’d be able to survive, I wondered if nuns accepted werewolf applicants.
“I-I have to tell you something.” I shuddered at the sound of my voice. It was just like a whipped puppy, all teary and high. That whiny-baby stuff made me want to scream.
If I had the strength, I’d morph again. I’d stand with my legs braced, my toes splayed, every muscle tensed and the hair on my nape rising.
I’d snarl the words and let the body parts land where they may.
But wolf mouths aren’t made to pronounce words and my mind, when I’d gone animal, didn’t pick up the normal thoughts and subtleties. I might be able to get a few basic words or thoughts, but I wouldn’t be able to make him understand.
“Let me tell you first.” We sat with me settled in the space between his legs so I could look into his face. “I love you, Jazzy Cannis. I want to marry you.”
Marry me? This man who wanted to wipe out the very gene that had made my life—and his—so wondrous wanted to be married to me?
Tears flooded, turning the world into a blurry place. “What about your Syzygia research?”
He lifted his brows in alarm. “No. When I truly thought about it, I knew I couldn’t do that—not to our children. I wanted them to experience the wonder, the joy of life that you have. Then I questioned if anyone would truly want to wipe out generations of inherited knowledge by getting rid of that gene, so I’ve given up my quest to wipe it out.”
I bit the inside of my lip hard to keep from sobbing out loud. Finally, he understood what I’d been trying to tell him.
“Now I want to find a way to wipe out the virus that creates neophytes, and to stabilize a serum for the infection until I do.” He caught my tears with the pads of his thumbs. “And that dream can only come true if you’re there by my side, helping me.”
“Even after what I’ve done?”
His frown made my belly tense, but we had to get it out. Now. “I did the Tumuld Argamelino to kill my love for you. I burned something you’d given me that you truly cared about.”
He waited, watching me, his eyes dark. I couldn’t tell if he knew what I was going to say or not. I blew out a breath and sucked in a quick one, but could barely manage a whisper. “I burned your granddad’s poster.”
He stared at me for a very long moment then nodded. Getting up, he retrieved my clothes and handed them to me.
That was it. My answer. He no longer wanted to be with me. His grandfather’s poster meant more to him than I did. Blinded by tears, I struggled to get dressed and gathered up the blankets.
He picked up my shoes and held them out to me, but I shook my head. I wanted to walk with the dirt and dried grass of the field beneath my feet. I wanted something beneath me that I knew wouldn’t change, no matter what stupid thing I’d done.
As we walked back to the house, I tried to swallow so I could find my voice, apologize to him before we parted, but I couldn’t.
Then a miracle happened. He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me against his side. We walked together as one person.
I swallowed. Twice. “You don’t hate me?”
His smile was soft, his gaze sparkling. “Never.”
We walked on until we came to the house. Going inside, we went to the living room, dropped the blankets in a heap and snuggled into them.
“How were we able to break that spell? I performed it exactly as Granny described in her diary, and she said it was permanent. Could never be undone.”
Doc drew me to him. My head went naturally to the hollow in his shoulder as I relaxed against him. “I think no matter how viable the spell or how fervent the wish, we’ve proven there’s nothing in this world stronger than a pair of werewolves in love.”
Wanting to tease him just a little, I straightened and met his gaze. “All right, Mr. Scientist. How did we prove that theory?”
The twinkle in his eyes as his lips quirked into a delicious grin sent a thrill through me. “You did, darlin’. You made me howl.”
A word from the author...
Unbridled imagination—gift or curse? For me, it’s been a little of both. Curse, when the ‘nation took over and I lost what the teacher was saying. Gift when nothing interesting is happening, which could be why I lost track of the teacher’s words.
Luckily several years ago, I harnessed my imagination and started writing.
When I’m not writing, I’m spending time with my family (both at work and at home), gardening, knitting, or reading.
When I am writing, I’m often on my blog, where I talk about my Small Town World.
http://susanshay.net
I like to hang out at Twitter
@shaywriter
and Facebook, too.
susanspessshay
I hope you’ll drop by and say hi!
Other Books You Might Like
Blind Sight by Susan Shay
http://amzn.com/B0029U2NYA
Apocalyptic Moon by Eva Gordon
http://amzn.com/B00B5O7HMY
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
For other wonderful stories of romance,
please visit our on-line bookstore at
www.thewildrosepress.com.
For questions or more information
contact us at
[email protected].
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
www.thewildrosepress.com
To visit with authors of
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
join our yahoo loop at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thewildrosepress/
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Other Books You Might Like
Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
