“Hannah, are you all right?” Isabella asked as she bustled about the room, collecting what we would need for the next leg of our journey.
“I do not know,” I mumbled, unable to pick up my feet. We had defeated our enemies, but for what? Either way, I could not be with the man I loved. What was the point in fighting? Suddenly, I was exhausted and could not bear the thought of going on alone.
“I think she is in shock,” Isabella whispered.
Energy swirled around me and I assumed Eli and Isabella were speaking telepathically. About me, I was sure. They probably thought I had lost my mind since I had suddenly gone mute. I did not care. My throat swelled with the need to release a flood of tears. But I would not allow myself to do that in front of Eli. He needed to be able to leave me free and clear with no regrets.
“I am replacing your sword,” Isabella said as the blade slid into the scabbard. “It has been a long day and you fought well. Eli and I will take care of everything from here.”
I nodded, my eyes blurring. I was about to lift my foot when I felt a slight tug on the strap of my quiver and heard a plunk as an arrow slid inside. The satchel at my shoulder jingled while Isabella checked the contents. Then she moved away, taking her sweet, woodsy scent with her. I stood there frozen as a breeze from the window moved a lock of my hair.
“Eli, wait,” Isabella said. “I prepared a bag earlier with supplies we might need.” Rope brushed my hair as she hung the bag around my neck.
“Under normal circumstances, I might commend you for your quick thinking,” he said. “But we must travel light.”
“A tin cup for water, some spices I talked the cook out of this morning and a thin blanket,” she explained as she looped yet another bag around my neck.
“Fine. We need to move.” Eli picked me up, jumped out the window and gingerly set my feet on the ground, his hands wrapped around my arm.
Isabella followed and sidled up to me, taking my other arm in her hands. The next instant, their hands became giant claws which dragged me into the air.
† † †
My eyelids fluttered open to see the sun glowing behind a puffy white cloud. Trees swayed around me and a soft wind whispered against my skin.
“Good morning.” Isabella leaned over me and brought a piece of dried meat to my mouth. “We were concerned about you.”
As I chewed, guilt washed over me for making them worry. Physically, nothing was wrong. Isabella was wasting her time trying to nurse me back to health — my problem was something else entirely.
Where was Eli? Any time now, we would say good-bye and he would be lost to me forever.
After I swallowed a few bites, she held a tin cup against my lips. I gulped until the cup was empty, then propped myself up on my elbows.
Isabella beamed. “You look much better.”
“It was not anything serious,” I replied. “Just exhausted.”
“You may rest as long as you wish.” She took the cup back and set it aside.
“How far did we fly?” I asked.
Soon after we had taken flight from the inn, I welcomed the oblivion of unconsciousness. All I had known at the time was that we were flying north since the guards would expect us to travel by ship — which were all traveling south. Eli and Isabella had stopped to rest, but I had fallen asleep again as soon as we were once again in the air.
“We passed Scotland and landed on one of the unpopulated islands. Even if by some miracle the guards figure out which direction we went, it could take weeks or months before they find this island. By then, we will have moved on.” Isabella held out another piece of dried meat. “We will be quite safe here for some time, I assure you.”
I took the meat and fell back against the makeshift pillow, relief flooding me. “When you leave, would you take me to Norway? I think I should like to go to Moscow by way of Finland.”
“That is a very long way to fly. We will have to make many stops.” She shook her head, and then a mischievous smile curved her lips. “How fortunate for you we are going there anyway.”
My stomach fluttered at the sound of shoes crunching against sand and rock. Not wanting Eli to catch me in bed, I threw off the thin blanket and rose.
I met Eli’s hard gaze and my chest squeezed. He must dislike me now for treating him so coldly. But it was just as well. Soon, werewolves all over would hear about our escape and the king would offer a reward. Any guards who spotted us — two shape-shifters with a werewolf — would immediately attempt to kill us and bring our heads to the king. The sooner we separated, the safer we would be.
Isabella cleared her throat. “I feel the need for a swim. I shall return in a while.” She backed away and disappeared into the trees.
I dropped my gaze to his feet. “How soon shall we leave?”
“Isabella and I must rest for the night. We can leave at first light.”
I nodded, angling myself away so I would not have to meet his gaze. “And once we arrive at our destination, it will no longer be necessary to travel together.”
~~~
Chapter FIFTEEN
“No. It was of great benefit to stay together and necessary in order to gain freedom these past few days.” Eli waited a beat and stepped closer.
I only had to reach out to touch him, press my mouth to his warm skin. “And now we no longer need each other,” I whispered.
He inched closer until I could feel his warm breath against my ear. “I may not need you to survive, but I want you.”
“You want me?” I blinked, shaking my head. Simply wanting was not enough. Even if Eli’s feelings were stronger, he could not know what he was saying. “With me comes danger. Apart, we will both live longer.”
“This is all true. And I must admit that your recent indifference toward me…” His breath whooshed out as he shook his head. “I felt betrayed. But on the way here to the island, I had little else to do but think.” He leaned in until his breath tickled my cheek. “You told me you loved me and I cannot believe deception is in your nature. Therefore, I must assume fear is driving you to say such things.”
Tears pooled in my eyes as I took a step back. “Being together and risking our lives will be the stupidest thing we could possibly do.”
His eyes lit up as if I had just confirmed his assumptions. “I would choose a shorter life with you than a long, miserable life without you.”
“You would risk your life to be with me, a werewolf, your natural enemy?”
“I would risk everything for the one I love.” He closed the distance and reached up to slide his fingers behind my neck, pressing his forehead to mine. “Fighting for our own happiness could never be wrong. If we do not stand up for what is right, I see no point in living. Is that not why you left the king?”
I sucked in a shaky breath. “We will always be looking over our shoulder.”
“We will be doing that regardless. By now, the king has sketches distributed and everyone is looking for a blond shifter and a raven-haired werewolf. They will always search for us whether we are together or not.” Eli’s lips curved up and he brushed them against my cheek. A tingle spread over my skin. “If I am destined to be hunted regardless, I must have you with me.”
My fist clamped onto the fabric of his shirt as I drank in his earthy sweet scent. Eli was right. Either way, we would spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders. If we were to separate, what would happen when the next four werewolves found us? Surely, we were safer together where we could protect each other. And if I died, I wanted Eli’s scent to be the last thing I breathed. I would rather have weeks with Eli than eternity without him.
“Then we will run together, because I cannot imagine my life without you.” I started to slide my hand around his neck when he grasped it.
He bent, pressed his lips to the back of my hand and met my gaze. “You will always be my queen, for as long as you will have me.”
That would be forever. And I did not care how many werewolves hunted us. I had n
o intention of being cheated out of even one second of my time with Eli. I smiled up at him. “Always.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and I held my breath as he slowly leaned in. His lips softly brushed against mine and I knew I would always yield, always do whatever I needed so we would survive.
This was the beginning of our forever together.
THE END
~~~
To read the epilogue, which takes place nearly seven hundred years after their escape, please visit VeronicaBlade.com and sign up for Veronica's newsletter. Once you’re subscribed, we will email you the exciting epilogue that launches the Shapes of Autumn series.
Thank you so much for reading and we hope you enjoyed Hannah and Eli’s story.
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If you enjoyed this book, please recommend it to friends, reader’s groups and discussion boards or tell others how much you enjoyed it by reviewing it on Amazon, GoodReads or your own site. Thank you and happy reading!
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Books in the Shapes of Autumn series:
Thrown to the Wolves: The Legend of Hannah & Eli
(Shapes of Autumn, book 0.2)
My Wolf’s Bane (Shapes of Autumn, book one)
Wolves at the Door (Shapes of Autumn, book two)
Look for more of Zack and Autumn in book three of the Shapes of Autumn series coming in late 2014.
In the meantime, turn the page for peeks of other books by Veronica Blade.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My hat goes off to anyone who writes historical. Folks, this was not easy! Thankfully, I had my very talented writer pals PR Mason, Laura Sheehan and Felice Fox to help. And special assistance from the amazing Robin Haseltine — love her! As always, big hugs to Susan Hatler for everything she does.
I’m also grateful to everyone who read the earlier versions of Thrown to the Wolves, like Megan Durrance and Shelby Ray — and the list goes on. Thank you all so much!!
A big, fat thanks to Sara E who is ALWAYS there for me and many others whose enthusiasm for my stories keeps me believing in my writing. And a very special hell-yeah to Rose Nomura for her gorgeous cover design!
Last, but not least, a big kiss to my wonderful hubs who puts up with being ignored for hours on end, so I can follow my dream. Baby, I’m so glad you’re mine!
~~~
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Please feel free to visit our website at www.CrushPublishing.com or author’s website at www.VeronicaBlade.com for updates on releases.
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AUTHOR BIO
Veronica Blade lives in Southern California with her husband and whichever of their kids — or someone else’s kid — decides to drop in. By day she runs the family business, but each night she slips away to spin her tales. She writes stories about young adults to relive her own childhood and to live vicariously through her characters. Except her heroes and heroines lead far more interesting lives — and they are always way hotter.
You can visit Veronica Blade on Facebook, check out her website or follow her on Twitter. You can even e-mail her at [email protected]. She loves hearing from readers!
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Summary
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
Acknowledgments
Other books by Veronica Blade
Thrown to the Wolves: The Legend of Hannah & Eli (Shapes of Autumn) Page 9