From behind us I heard a dull thudding sound, and at first could not guess what it might be. Then it resolved itself into the rhythm of a horse being ridden at a hard gallop, and Brahn cried out, “Someone is coming!” He dug his heels into his horse’s sides, spurring her to a gallop, and after a brief hesitation, during which I finally understood that anyone coming toward us in such a fashion most likely meant no good, I did the same.
We had barely picked up speed, however, before I heard a familiar voice call out, “Merys!”
I yanked on the reins, so abruptly that my mount half-reared. Somehow I managed to cling to the saddle and then wheel the horse around, so that I faced Lord Shaine.
His own stallion breathed hard, flanks shining with sweat. They must have ridden the whole way at a gallop.
Uncertainly, I said, “My lord?”
By that point Brahn had stopped as well and had begun to turn his horse toward us. He was still almost a furlong away, however.
Blue eyes met mine, and held. Shaine opened his mouth, paused, shook his head, and then spurred his horse closer. “Call me a fool, Merys.”
“I would never do that, my lord.” Somehow I kept my voice steady, but an unreasoning joy had begun to blossom in my heart. Surely there must be only one reason why he had ridden after us.
“If you will not, then I must.” His gaze did not waver. “I have been a fool all these weeks, and all because I did not want to accept what fate had sent my way. I have wronged you, and I will understand if you cannot forgive me. But when I watched you ride off, it was as if the truth of my heart was finally revealed, and I knew I could not live without you. Don’t leave me, Merys. Tell me you’ll stay.”
Somehow words seemed inadequate. Instead, I leapt down from my horse and ran toward him, even as he dismounted as well. And then I was in his arms, feeling them around me in an embrace I thought I would never know, as his mouth rained down kisses on my hair, my cheeks, my brow. And his mouth was on mine, and my body pressed against his, as an astonished Brahn paused a few feet away and stared at us in bemusement.
At last I regained my breath and pulled away—just a little—so I could meet his eyes as I gave him my answer. What would come next I did not know, but one thing was truer than all the rest, and it was that I loved him, and he, by some miracle, had realized he loved me in return. As the goddess told me once, love must be the guide.
“Yes, Shaine of Donnishold,” I said. “Oh, yes, I will stay with you.”
The End
Other Books by Christine Pope Available at Barnes & Noble
(in reverse order of publication)
BLOOD WILL TELL
Science fiction romance (Book 2 of the Gaian Consortium Series)
Welcome to Iradia, where the Gaian Consortium looks the other way if enough money changes hands, and the best way to ensure a long life is to secure passage off-world…
When Miala Fels’ father is murdered by a vicious crime lord, she decides the best way to get her revenge is to hack the accounts of the man responsible and bleed his hoard of ill-gotten loot dry. Her plans go awry when Mast is killed by a rival, and she ends up nursing one of his men, the notorious mercenary Eryk Thorn, back to health. Her only thought is to have Thorn help her get off-world in exchange for half of Mast’s treasure. The last thing she expects is to lose her heart to him…or to have the consequences of that love change her life forever.
HEART OF GOLD
Steampunk romance
The proper Miss Lavinia Greene believes nothing will upset her carefully ordered existence…although she rather wishes it would. But when she receives a letter from her uncle, the eccentric inventor Malcolm Greene, she finds herself drawn into mayhem and murder as foreign agents attempt to seize his latest invention. Whether in the wilds of Romania or the elegant ballrooms of a London just slightly different from our own, Lavinia must find her way through a shifting web of loyalties and deceit, where nothing is quite as it seems and danger…and love…hides where she least expects it.
NO RETURN
Romantic suspense
Born to power and wealth, Erik Deitrich has everything a man could hope for — except a face he can show to the world. He becomes obsessed with finding the one woman who can fulfill his desire of possessing a modern-day Christine Daaé to his deformed Phantom…and opera student Christine Daly seems to be the woman he has sought for so many years. Once Erik Deitrich learns of Christine Daly's existence, he stops at nothing to claim her. And when he does have her, he uses every means at his disposal to ensure that she will fall in love with him...without stopping to think what might happen if he fell in love with her. The classic story of the Phantom of the Opera comes alive once again in this contemporary retelling by romance author Christine Pope.
BAD VIBRATIONS
Romantic/paranormal suspense (Book 1 of the Sedona Trilogy)
When a troubled client visits psychic Persephone O’Brien, the last thing she thinks is that she’s about to be drawn into a far-reaching conspiracy that will change her life forever. Accompanied by a distractingly attractive ufologist—and with a little help from an unlikely group of UFO enthusiasts—she races to stop the alien plot before it’s too late. Moving from the bright lights of Los Angeles to the red rocks of Sedona, Bad Vibrations takes the reader on a wild ride that never lets up until its unforgettable climax.
BREATH OF LIFE
Science fiction romance (set in the Gaian Consortium universe)
Anika Jespers, a homesteader’s daughter on a Gaian colony, thinks she’s destined for a dull existence on her family’s farm. But when her father makes an impossible bargain with their neighbor, one of the alien Zhore, she faces a future different from anything she could have possibly imagined. The familiar story of Beauty and the Beast takes on new life in this inventive SF romance novella, with the Beauty a homesteader's daughter and the Beast an alien on a faraway colony world.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
Paranormal romance
You know what they say about deals with the Devil… This time the deal the Devil makes is with God, who offers him a chance at redemption if he can experience human love. Easy enough, according to the Devil, who thinks that making the woman God has chosen fall in love with him will be a simple task. Unfortunately, Lucifer didn’t count on interfering demons, blundering boyfriends, and a young woman who has more questions than he’s willing to answer.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Paranormal romance
Samael calls the City of Angels home, but he’s far from angelic. His assignment: Bringing the souls of L.A.’s unquiet dead to the underworld. His duties don’t preclude more earthly entanglements, as long he keeps things purely physical. When he meets Felicia McGovern, he soon realizes his attraction to her goes far beyond her admittedly enchanting flesh. Her unexpected discovery of his true nature separates the lovers, but when her life is in danger, Samael risks everything to keep her safe. He faces certain punishment…or possibly a redemption he never imagined could be his.
FRINGE BENEFITS
Contemporary romance
Mick Jagger was right. You can’t always get what you want. Katherine Wheeler is finding that out the hard way, after spending six months in Los Angeles with little to show for her efforts besides a rapidly dwindling bank account. So when an online ad offers the sort of position she can only dream of, she answers it at once. Alarm bells go off when she realizes her new boss is dangerously attractive, but Katherine figures she can handle the situation. After all, Pieter Van Rijn seems to be a consummate professional. What could possibly go wrong? After dealing with the love-struck son of a movie producer, a threatened lawsuit, and an earthquake, Katherine thinks she may have to re-evaluate her situation. But all those complications are nothing compared to wanting a man who doesn’t seem to want her back…
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