Tasha followed him into the room and hurried to the bedside. Anya lay where he had left her, still unconscious, but tremors ran through her body.
Guilt rose bitter and dark. “I should have asked her.”
Then he shook his head. He knew why he hadn’t asked her. He’d feared she would say no. That deep down, she saw him as some sort of monster just as his wife had done. And what difference would it have made? It would have come to this anyway. He could not have stood by and let her leave him without trying this last resort.
He had to do this now, before the last of her strength drained away. It might already be too late, only the strongest survived.
He turned to Tasha. “You need to leave.”
She nodded mutely then leaned down and kissed Anya’s pale cheek. “Be strong,” she whispered.
When the door closed behind her, Sebastian sank down on the edge of the bed. He cupped Anya’s cheek then pulled her into his arms. The fever had left her, and shivers racked her slender frame. For a moment, she snuggled against him, seeking his warmth, and a flicker of hope rose inside him. But she didn’t awaken, and Sebastian laid her gently back on the mattress.
Rising to his feet, he stepped back, stripped off his pants, and called to his wolf. Wolf had been waiting, and the change came over him swiftly, the power and strength flowing through him. He stood for a moment scenting the air, sensing the wrongness.
He padded to the bed and leapt lightly up, sinking down on his belly beside the unconscious woman.
He licked her face then nuzzled her neck, the tender spot where her throat met her collarbone. His lips drew back, and he sank his fangs into the soft flesh.
Epilogue
They left the pack far behind, her pads making no sound as she raced through the shadowy forest under a yellow full moon. Effortlessly, she weaved through the ghostly pines, reveling in the stretch of muscle and sinew.
All the fears and betrayals of the past fell from her as she ran, replaced by a wild exhilaration, until she was aware of nothing but the wind flowing past, and the huge silver wolf that kept pace by her side.
It was her first time, and she knew he watched her, worried about her.
Anya woke, back in her own body, wolf only a lingering memory. Dawn hovered to the east, tinting the sky orange and crimson. She lay on a bed of leaves on the soft forest floor, curled around Sebastian’s naked body. She didn’t want to move. She could stay here forever, in this moment.
Sebastian stirred, his eyes opening. He rolled onto his back and stretched his long body. Her breath lodged in her throat at the sight of him as it always did. He caught her staring and smiled sleepily, his eyes darkening with passion. Reaching out, he stroked her cheek, and she turned her head to kiss his fingertips.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. More than all right and there was something she needed to tell him. It was safe to say the words now. “I love you.”
“I know. “ And he dragged her into his arms and kissed her.
The End
Preview Book 3
Sisters of the Moon Series
(Book Three)
Bound to Secrets
by
Nina Croft
Chapter 1
It was a bloody good place to die.
The thought flickered across his mind as Dr. Connor McNair stared out across the bleak landscape of Rannoch Moor. Somehow, he doubted that had been the reaction Sebastian had hoped for when he’d ordered Connor to come here.
“You’re half Scottish aren’t you?” Sebastian had said. “You should be right at home. Get the hell over there and find out whether there’s any truth in the rumors. If there’s a tie in to the Agency, we want to know.”
It hadn’t been a request, but an order. For a brief moment, Connor had considered ignoring it, bringing this farce to a head. The problem was he no longer knew what Sebastian’s reaction would be. Once he would have been certain; Sebastian didn’t allow any dissent from his people and would strike down anyone who disobeyed.
Now, Connor wasn’t sure. He hated to admit it, but Sebastian was a good leader. He’d seen that Connor teetered on the edge and he’d sent him here in the hope of distracting him. But Jesus, this place was enough to turn anyone suicidal.
Thick mist wreathed a flat heather strewn landscape, dotted with grey lakes and bisected by the distant line of the railway.
The air felt damp against his skin, and even this early in the year, a swarm of midges hovered around his face. He batted them away with one hand while he scanned the horizon. Apart from the flies, nothing moved. He was pretty sure anything capable of moving would have packed up and left this godforsaken place long ago.
Bound To Moonlight (Sisters Of The Moon #2)
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