A werewolf? Phineas lay back, trying to wrap his fuddled mind around it. That was why he was at Phil’s cabin. In case he shifted into an animal.
A while later, Brynley was back and spooning something hot down his throat.
“It’s soup,” she said. “I thought we should start with something simple.”
He ate it. Then threw it up.
“What do we do?” Brynley cried. “He’s rejecting both vampire and human food.”
“The two parts are fighting each other,” Roman said. “I’ll put an IV in him. We have to keep him alive until the battle inside him gets sorted out.”
A battle? No wonder he was on fire. Everything went black.
He woke again. The fire was out. He felt good, as if his body was at peace. Good God, was he dead? The spurt of panic quickly faded away as he smoothed his hands over his bare chest. His body was solid. His heart was beating. His vision clear. He was alive.
Power surged through him, and he took a deep breath. Damn. He felt more than good. His vision cut through the dark room, sharper than ever. His muscles flexed with increased strength.
He sat up. Phil was on the floor, sound asleep on a sleeping bag. A bottle of blood sat on the bedside table. He picked it up and drank it down.
No reaction. Apparently, the battle was over, and the Vamp side had won. He looked around, but couldn’t spot Brynley. She must be upstairs.
He pulled the IV from his arm and stood. No dizziness. He smiled to himself. He actually felt stronger than ever. He teleported to the floor above to give Brynley a surprise.
The surprise was on him. He materialized in the bathroom with one foot in the toilet.
“What the hell?” He lifted his bare foot out and shook it off. This wasn’t where he’d intended to go.
He opened the bathroom door and froze.
Daylight.
His heart lurched, and he shut the door. What the hell? He couldn’t be awake in daylight.
“Who’s there?” Brynley demanded.
He cracked open the door and peered out.
She gasped.
He opened the door wider. The room was full of sunshine. He sank back into the shadow, afraid he would burst into flames if the sunlight touched him.
Go into the light, a voice inside him urged. It can’t hurt us. Trust the wolf.
Wolf? He stiffened. There was a wolf inside him?
The wolf knows best. The light cannot harm us.
“Phineas?” Brynley approached him, watching him carefully.
He slowly reached out a hand, then extended his index finger so the tip barely touched the light.
Nothing happened.
He opened his hand, turning it palm up in the sunlight. A gentle warmth caressed his skin.
Enjoy the light, the wolf whispered to him. It is my gift to you.
“Phineas.” Brynley took his hands and led him slowly into the sun-filled cabin.
Our mate. He smiled at her, then looked out the window. Blue sky. “I see blue.”
“You must be a werewolf now,” she whispered.
“But I drank blood and teleported.” He glanced down at his wet foot. “Not very well though. Maybe I’m a little of both.”
“That would be . . . interesting.”
He winced at a sudden thought. “What if I’m lousy at both?”
She shook her head. “You won’t be. Look at you. You’re awake during the day. Do you know any other Vamp who can manage that?”
“I don’t know what will happen to me.”
She touched his cheek. “Whatever happens, I’ll be with you.”
“I love you, Snout-Face.”
She smiled. “I may be calling you that on the next full moon.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Snout-Face.” He pulled her into his arms. “I like it.”
Epilogue
Three months later . . .
“Good evening, dear viewers! This is Maggie O’Brian O’Callahan reporting for Real Housewives of the Vampire World. Tonight we have a very special guest, the newest wife of a Vamp, Brynley McKinney!”
“Hi!” Brynley smiled at the camera. “Thank you for coming.”
“Oh, it’s quite an honor,” Maggie assured her. “I understand you’re the only female Alpha werewolf in the world?”
She shrugged. “We believe so.”
“And your husband is that famous celebrity that all the women swoon over, the Blardonnay Guy!”
Brynley laughed. “I love his commercials, too. And I love his voice.” She motioned for Phineas to join her. “Come on, say it,” she whispered.
He nodded at the camera. “Hello, ladies.”
Brynley squeezed his arm. “I love it!”
He winked at her.
Maggie grinned at them. “It’s obvious you two are newlyweds. I’ve never seen a couple so in love. Now tell me, are the rumors true? Has our beloved Dr. Phang become part werewolf?”
Brynley nodded. “He’s been shifting every month on the full moon.”
“Amazing!” Maggie looked at Phineas. “And yet you’re still a vampire, too?”
“A little of both,” he answered. “We’re still figuring it all out.”
“And how do you like being a werewolf?” Maggie asked.
He grinned. “I like chasing my wife through the woods.”
Brynley shook her head, blushing.
“Even more, I like catching her.”
She swatted at his shoulder. “Hush.”
He assumed an injured look. “But of course, she’s the Alpha, so she thinks she can boss me around.”
“I do not.” Brynley nudged him with her elbow.
Maggie laughed. “And you’re living here in Wyoming?”
“We go back and forth from here to New York,” Phineas said. “I still work for MacKay S and I.”
“But he’s learning how to be a rancher,” Brynley added.
“I can see that.” Maggie pointed behind them. “That must be one of your horses?”
Brynley glanced back and smiled. “That’s the wild white stallion. He doesn’t belong to anyone. But he comes by to see us often.”
Phineas strolled over to the horse and patted it. The horse nudged him in the shoulder.
“He doesn’t look very wild to me,” Maggie observed.
“He likes Phineas,” Brynley said, still smiling.
Phineas swung onto the horse’s bare back. “Hello, ladies. Now I’m on a horse.”
Brynley snorted.
“And this is your home?” Maggie gestured to the side, and the camera shifted.
“Yes,” Brynley answered. “It was the old Haggerty ranch. My father bought it for us as a wedding present.”
“Really? That was very generous of him.”
“Yes.” Brynley nodded. At first, she hadn’t been sure they should accept her father’s gift. She suspected he was keeping them close, hoping he could use them someday. After all, she was the only female Alpha, and Phineas was also unique, possessing powers that no other werewolf had.
She smiled for the camera. “I love being here. This area is home to me, and my sister is close by, so I can see her often. And we have a really good friend just down the road, Nate Carson. He’s great guy and a vampire. And single.”
“Oh, did you hear that, viewers?” Maggie looked at the camera. “Now, what can you tell me about your house?”
Brynley grinned when Phineas rode by the house on the wild white stallion. “Well, frankly, it was a bit of a mess when we moved in. But we’ve been working hard to make it our own.”
“It was a fixer-upper?” Maggie asked.
“Yes. But once we moved all the dead werewolves out, and cleaned up the bloodstains, we slapped on few coats of paint, and it was as good as new.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “I see.”
“And we’re remodeling the bathrooms and kitchen,” Brynley added. “Putting in our own furniture.”
Maggie smiled. “I hear you’ve been working on one room in part
icular?”
Brynley blushed. “Yes. It appears the Lycan virus reactivated parts of my vampire husband. It caught us by surprise, but we’re very excited about it. I’m expecting twins.”
“We’re delighted for you!” Maggie hugged her, then turned to the camera. “Be sure to keep watching Real Housewives of the Vampire World. We’ll keep you updated on the McKinney family and all the Vamps you love to visit.”
“That’s a wrap!” Darcy lowered her video camera and turned it off.
“You’re done?” Phineas walked toward them.
“Congratulations, you two.” Darcy hugged them both.
“I’ll see you at DVN tomorrow night to shoot another Blardonnay commercial,” Maggie told Phineas.
She teleported away with Darcy.
“Another Blardonnay commercial?” Brynley asked.
Phineas smiled and gathered her in his arms. “We gotta pay for all this remodeling.”
She gave him a wry look. “So many names. The Blardonnay Guy, Dr. Phang, the Love Doctor. But do you know my favorite name for you?”
“Snout-Face?”
She laughed. “No. Husband.”
He kissed her nose. “That’s my favorite, too. For now.”
“You’re going to change your mind?”
“Maybe. I’m going to really like being Daddy.”
She hugged him tight. “I’m going to like that, too.”
Acknowledgments
Doesn’t this book have a beautiful cover? If you agree, you can join me in thanking Tom Egner and the art department at Avon Books/HarperCollins. I also want to thank Erika Tsang and Amanda Bergeron and the editorial department; Pam and Jessie and the publicity department; and all the others at HarperCollins who work tirelessly to make each book a success. My thanks also to my agent, Michelle Grajkowski.
Here on the home front, I have another support team I wish to thank: my critique group/best friends, MJ, Sandy, and Vicky, who miraculously never get tired of patting me on the back or kicking me in the rear; my children, who miraculously think I’m cool; and my husband, who miraculously believed in me from the beginning.
And then there are you, all of you readers who have embraced the Love at Stake series and kept it going for twelve books now. I thank you for keeping me happily employed. My characters thank you for keeping them alive. May they continue to bring you hope and joy.
About the Author
KERRELYN SPARKS is the New York Times bestselling author of a series that mimics its sexy heroes by refusing to die. Now up to book twelve, the Love at Stake series spreads laughter worldwide in thirteen different languages. In spite of a tendency to nibble on necks or howl at the moon, Kerrelyn’s vampire and shapeshifter heroes are still wonderfully romantic.
Please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com, where you can read excerpts, play vampire games, or join the forum. Kerrelyn loves hearing from readers, even those who howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
By Kerrelyn Sparks
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