The Wolf in the Woods
Page 5
“And the other man is a werewolf as well?”
“Yes. He won’t come back though. Rutgar took care of him.” She looked over at Rutgar who gave her a nod.
Her grandmother searched her face. “And you’re fine with Rutgar being what he is?”
Red sent Rutgar a smile that showed all the love she had for him before she looked back at her grandmother. “Yes. I’ll admit I never thought I would ever fall for a werewolf, but I have. I love him, Grandma.”
“Well, I can’t say I can accept the whole werewolf thing, but I’ll try for your sake. I can see you two love each other. As they say, love does conquer all.”
Red kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would, especially after what happened.”
“I guess I take after my granddaughter that way.” Her grandmother squeezed Red’s hand then stood up. “I think I’ll leave the two of you alone. After all the excitement this morning, I need some time to myself.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Grandma?”
“Yes, but I think the camping trip is over.”
“No, Grandma. You can’t leave yet. Canada Day isn’t for another two days. You yourself told me that the highlight of this camping trip was watching the fireworks on Canada Day. Don’t let Alex spoil it for you, especially since you have watched the fireworks here for years.”
Her grandmother gave her a small smile. “I did promise you the Canada Day fireworks, didn’t I?”
“Yes, and I’m not letting you out of that promise.”
“All right, but if another bad thing happens, I’m holding you responsible. I don’t think I can take any more shocks.”
Red watched her grandmother go inside the tent camper. She couldn’t blame her grandmother for at first wanting to leave. Red figured she would give her the time alone that she wanted then tell her about her decision to live with Rutgar. Her grandmother didn’t need any more bombs dropped on her at the moment.
Allowing Rutgar to pull her to his side, Red knew she’d found the one man meant for her. It didn’t matter that he was a werewolf. All that mattered was she had found her soul mate, her other half. Resting her head against his broad shoulder, Red didn’t think her life could get much better than that.
Epilogue
Red watched as her grandmother and Rutgar cleaned up the remains of their Canada Day barbeque they’d had. Her grandmother had barbequed burgers over her charcoal hibachi while Red had cooked the hot dogs over the fire in the pit. Much to her and her grandmother’s wonder, Rutgar had eaten more food than they had both thought possible. He’d also eaten his burgers practically raw, which had been a bit of a stomach turner at first.
Red explained she and Rutgar were mates and they planned to live together in his home. Her grandmother had taken it all rather well. She had even thought it was awfully romantic that Rutgar had been able to tell Red was the one for him, for life, the instant they had met. The only thing her grandmother had seemingly wanted to avoid was the part about him being a werewolf and his great age. If denial helped her grandmother to better accept who and what Rutgar was, then Red had no complaints.
Red’s gaze followed Rutgar around the campsite as he set about extinguishing the camp fire. It would be dusk soon, and they had decided to head out to the Algonquin Lakeside Inn, near Oxtongue Lake where they traditionally held a community fireworks display every Canada Day. Knowing there would be a fair-sized crowd to watch them, they had decided to leave before it got dark so they could pick out a good spot to sit. The fireworks would be set off on the opposite beach across from the inn at the neighboring Blue Spruce Resort. Her grandmother and Rutgar had assured her the fireworks would be a spectacular display.
As her grandmother and Rutgar flitted about the campsite, Red went into the tent camper to grab a sweater and slap on some mosquito repellent. The little buggers loved her blood for some reason and usually attacked her in droves. Lucky Rutgar didn’t have to worry about being bitten. Apparently mosquitoes disliked werewolf blood.
She came back out of the tent camper to find her grandmother and Rutgar waiting. Rutgar held out his hand, then led her over to his copper Mitsubishi Eclipse. Red offered to let her grandmother sit in the front with Rutgar, but she refused and got into the backseat before Red could argue about it.
Once they reached the inn, Red helped Rutgar take out the three lawn chairs he had put inside his trunk. They made their way over to the beach and found a not-too-crowded spot to set up their chairs.
Rutgar sat beside Red and threaded his fingers through hers. She gave him a small smile. He leaned over and said quietly, “You’ve been awfully quiet lately. I hope you aren’t having second thoughts about us.”
It wasn’t second thoughts that bothered Red. She shook her head, then looked over at her grandmother. “Grandma, Rutgar and I are going to go for a little walk before the fireworks start.”
“Go ahead, but don’t be too long. It’s getting darker.”
With Rutgar’s hand in hers, Red led him away to a secluded spot away from the other people who had come to watch the fireworks display. She turned to face him. “I’m not having second thoughts. I’m happy I’m your mate. I love you.”
“But?”
“I’m mortal.”
“So?”
“I’m going to get old, Rutgar. Old and wrinkly while you stay as you are now. I’m afraid you won’t want me then.”
He cupped her face in his hands and bent down so he could look her in the eyes. “I’ll want you then just as much as I want you now. That will never change. I didn’t just fall in love with the person you are on the outside. I fell in love with the whole package.”
Red closed her eyes briefly as she took a deep breath. “And when I eventually die? What then?”
Rutgar pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. “That isn’t for a long way away.”
“No, it isn’t. Not for you. You’re going to outlive me by a couple thousand years. I know it’s stupid, but the idea of you finding another mate after I’m gone really pisses me off.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “There will only be one mate for me. Where you go, I follow.”
Red lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“It means I’ll choose to follow you even in death, and not two thousand years after I lost you.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed Rutgar until they both started to breathe heavier. Rutgar pulled away first. “Now enough of this morbid talk. Your grandmother is waiting for us, and the fireworks are about to begin.”
While they had talked, darkness had fallen. The first of the fireworks went off, filling the night sky with bright colors just as they rejoined her grandmother. With her lawn chair pulled close so she could snuggle against Rutgar’s side, Red lifted her face and oohed and ahed like everyone else as the fireworks lit the night sky. She knew this would be one Canada Day she would never forget.
The End
About the Author:
Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.
After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now also writes paranormals.
Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children. Check out Marisa's website at www.marisachenery.com—she would love to hear from you, so drop her an email while you're there.
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