“He’s here, honey. He’s the one who drove you to the Emergency Room. He wouldn’t leave your side but we insisted he go get some rest and something to eat. I don’t think the poor guy’s eaten anything for forty-eight hours.”
“I also suggested he take a shower because he smelled like a wet dog,” added her father, putting down the magazine he’d been reading.
“So he’s the new man in your life?” asked her mother.
Amber nodded.
“Very handsome, dark haired, tall, too, just what you’ve always liked.”
When people asked her if she was seeing someone or why she wasn’t married, her response was always “because I’m holding out for a tall, dark, handsome stranger.” It took Sadie Sutton to find him for her.
“He’s been pacing up and down, almost holding vigil and holding your hand, so I’m thinking it might be serious between the two of you. I suppose a mother can only hope.”
“Sheila, let her rest now,” said her dad.
Amber smiled. She was certain her mother already had her mother-of-the-bride outfit chosen and that it was hanging in the closet. Gabriel had told Amber that he loved her, but no marriage proposal just yet.
“Will Gabriel be back soon?” asked Amber.
“I would think any time now,” said her dad.
“So I’m okay and can go home?”
“You broke your wrist and your blood sugar was dangerously low, so the doctor said you have to stay here for at least a couple of days, and after that you’ll need more rest at home.”
“But the end of school...”
“The kids will be perfectly okay with a substitute teacher for the last week,” said her mom.
The door opened and in walked Gabriel. He had showered, shaved, and was now wearing jeans and a dark blue T-shirt. He’d slicked his hair back and looked more handsome than when she’d first set eyes on him, if that was possible.
“Why don’t we leave you two to visit and we’ll be back later.” Amber almost laughed when she saw her mother nudging her dad in the ribs when he continued to sit by the bed.
“Sure, honey, you visit with Gabriel and we’ll see you this afternoon. Thank you again for saving our girl here,” he said to Gabriel before they left.
Gabriel pulled up the chair and held her hand, rubbing the back of it, making her feel instantly better and more at ease.
“This is all my fault,” he said.
Amber shook her head. “I was stupid to go wandering around places I didn’t know. I guess I’m not much of an outdoor person.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Where did you go? Your cell phone was broken and I was so worried.”
He held his head down, almost like he was afraid to look her in the eye now. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, telling her he’d taken some deep swallows.
“Sadie didn’t want me telling you about this because we thought we could get the problem sorted out, but it seems it’s gotten worse.”
“Problem?” asked Amber.
She’d believed he was too good to be true. Please don’t let him be married and waiting for a divorce his wife won’t give him, or something like that.
“A witch put a curse on me.”
Amber guessed that maybe the meds they’d given her were starting to play games with her mind.
“Witches and Harry Potter,” she said, on the verge of laughing.
“Amber, listen to me. I didn’t believe it at first, but I made a deal with a witch so that my baby brother could come home safe to his new son. The deal was that if it happened, then she could turn me into a wolf shifter.”
They’d gone from Harry Potter to Twilight. Definitely the meds.
“Gabriel, just let me wake up because I’m having the strangest conversation with you.”
“I only wish you were dreaming. I’m a wolf shifter. I’m the one you saw trying to get into the tent that night.”
She looked at him. The eyes. It was true the wolf had his beautiful eyes. Everything made sense. Him disappearing like he had, then being locked together after they’d made love.
“Sadie thought she could get the witch to remove the curse but somehow it’s gotten worse. She’s re-cursed me?”
“Re-cursed you?”
“I’ll become all wolf within a month if I should ever…” He hung his head down.
“Should you ever what?”
“Tell a woman that I love her.”
It was Amber’s turn to swallow hard, and twice in quick succession.
“Take it back. Can’t you take it back and say that you didn’t mean to tell me you loved me.”
“I couldn’t do it, not even to save myself—because it’s true. I love you.”
Chapter Twelve
“Is something wrong, Sadie?”
Sadie looked up at Lucy. All her couples probably knew her well enough by now to know when she wasn’t her usual perky self.
“I’m a little tired today,” said Sadie.
“It’s just that you have slice of my chocolate peanut butter pie sitting in front of you and you haven’t touched even the smallest piece of it.”
Sadie smiled and looked at her plate, not realizing she hadn’t eaten any of her favorite pie in the mortal world.
“Something is wrong,” said Lucy, putting her hand on top of Sadie’s.
“Work-related problem,” said Sadie.
“You want to tell me about it? Maybe I can help. You help us so much that I’d like to return the favor. So come on, spill.”
Presley chose that moment to walk out onto the patio with one of her dolls and slide onto Lucy’s lap.
“Is it something Presley can help you with?” asked Lucy.
“No, no, much too powerful for her. This isn’t something I want Presley getting mixed up in.”
“Can I have Sadie’s piece of pie?” asked Presley, pointing to the plate.
“Sure, sweetie,” said Sadie.
Before she could push it over to her, Presley had lifted her finger and it slid over the table to the little girl.
“Honey, no,” said Lucy sliding it back to Sadie.
Presley crossed her arms and pouted. “She said I could have it.”
“You know that’s wrong,” said Sadie. “I’ve told you magic can’t make you lazy.”
Sadie felt more depressed. Maybe she was hurting these mortals more than helping them. The mess with Presley and taking her to the Other Realm, and its foolish consequences. Gabriel and the mess she made of handling Mavis.
Lucy slid the plate back and then Sadie handed it to Presley. “That’s the way we do things, and no other way,” she said.
“Something is wrong, let us help you,” said Lucy.
“I have to deal with an evil, evil witch.”
“Then maybe Brad can arrest her.”
“In the world of witchcraft things aren’t as easy as that,” said Sadie.
If only it were. Poor Gabriel, how could she ever live with herself after the mess she’d made for him? Maybe she should resign from Perfect Pairing and hand the business over to someone else.
****
“Will you marry me?” asked Amber.
“Under any other circumstances, I would have said yes, but I know why you’re doing this and I can’t let you.”
Gabriel was the one who told Amber to think positively about the future and what it held. She was just following his advice, so why was he suddenly being so damn stubborn. Wolves were stubborn creatures, right? Maybe that’s where he was getting the sudden attitude.
“What sort of life would it be for you, married to a man who was a wolf? he asked her.
“I’d always know you were inside the beautiful creature.”
“But what about sex and children, do you really want a marriage and future without either of those things? You deserve a lot better than that.”
“It doesn’t matter to me as long as you’re in my life in some shape or form.”
He held her hands and sandwiched them together wi
th his own. “You’re going to need someone, a human to look after you when…”
“When I can’t see so well anymore. When I’m most likely blind.”
He nodded his head.
“I’ll have a service dog…wait a minute, Katey could train you. Who says you can’t have a guide wolf.”
His lips turned up and she was hoping that last comment would make him laugh.
“So are you going to marry me or what?”
“Amber, I won’t let you throw your life away.”
“Then it’s over. Either you marry me or you never see me again.”
“Amber…”
“That’s a yes. We can go get a license today and just have a small ceremony, a few friends along with our families.”
“And what are they going to say when in a month’s time I’m not around anymore, that I ran out on you? That should break your parent’s heart.”
“We’ll break the news to them gently, but the bottom line is this is about us. We’ve both finally found someone we want to be with forever.” She held up her hand, obviously sensing his objection. “Not matter what form it’s in,” she continued.
“You’re not going to let this rest so I suppose I have to give in.”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him. “The honeymoon is going to blow your socks off,” she said.
****
Sadie always cried at weddings, but this time around she cried for a different reason. Could she call this her first Perfect Pairing disaster? Not really, because they’d fallen in love and right this minute were exchanging vows. That was the aim of the Perfect Pairing service.
“And do you, Amber, take Gabriel to be your lawfully wedded husband?” asked the judge.
“I do,” said Amber.
“I now pronounce that you be husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Sadie wiped a tear away as the two of them wrapped their arms around one another and kissed for what seemed like forever.
“May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Miller.”
Amber winked at Sadie as they walked by, hand in hand. She had to do something. She couldn’t let this poor girl lose her groom in less than a month’s time. By hook or by crook, she’d defeat Maris White once and for all. The first step would be finding her again. And this time she’d probably be on her guard.
Chapter Thirteen
“I guess coming to a beautiful spot like Glacier National Park for your honeymoon is sort of stupid,” said Gabriel. “We’re going to stay in our room and have nonstop sex, aren’t we?”
Amber slid down his body and unzipped his pants. “What, you’d rather go out and look at the view?”
“The one in here is all I need.”
She pulled out his cock and rubbed her hand up and down, each pass making him harder.
He closed his eyes, feeling her lips around its tip. He was going to enjoy this and not think about what it would be like to never make love with her again.
Amber took more of his dick into her mouth, flicking her tongue up and down its side.
God, that felt so good. He gripped the quilt he was lying on and gathered it up in his hands. She was going to make him come very soon and it was going to be wonderful.
He raised his hips off the bed and her teeth grazed his shaft, causing him to see fireworks and allowing him to find instant release. He felt dizzy as if he was going to shift. What if this was it? What if this was the last time? What if Mavis White hadn’t even given him a month?
What was it going to be like when he shifted for the very last time? Should he be looking at Amber, or would that be too painful?
Gabriel felt his blood pounding through him, felt his cock growing hard again, and smelled Amber’s arousal. He wanted to fuck her, mate with her, and there was no stopping him because the wolf inside him wanted to be free. But he wasn’t going to let him, just in case this was in fact the grand finale.
“Sorry, baby, but I’m going to be rough.”
He pulled her panties down, ran his hand over her mound, and quickly skimmed his fingers through her folds before plunging two fingers inside her. She was wet, which was lucky for her, because he was going to plunge inside her within seconds. Gabriel got up, tore off her panties from her ankles, and then parted her legs.
The smell of her arousal made him harder, his cock pulsated, and pre-cum bubbled from him, almost dripping onto her body. He grabbed her thighs, pulled her toward him, and speared her pussy until he was deep inside. Poor Amber, she didn’t deserve this, but it was the only way he could keep the wolf at bay.
He howled and almost screamed as he plunged deeper and harder. One, two, three, and that’s all it took until he climaxed. He was going to shift, and he couldn’t be locked inside her when he did. He pried himself loose and ran toward the bathroom before the wolf sprang free.
****
Amber stayed on the bed. Gabriel had probably thought that was awful to be taken so quickly and roughly, but it had actually turned her on and she’d climaxed, too. Not the best one of her life, but a woman never said no to any orgasm.
Gabriel hadn’t worn a condom and she hadn’t used any protection. What if she was conceiving right now? She tried to count how many days since she’d had a period. Her friend who’d had trouble conceiving told her she and her husband were told to make love midpoint between her last and next period for the best results.
Amber’s last period had been about two weeks ago. That was about as midpoint as you could possibly get. Not that she wouldn’t want Gabriel’s baby, but she’d be giving birth all by herself and raising a child as a single mom.
Think positive—that’s what Gabriel had taught her. Sadie had assured them she was going to deal with Mavis White and that there was no way she’d let Gabriel turn into a wolf on a permanent basis. She’d save the day, and Amber believed her.
Amber sat up and looked at the bathroom door. She knew why Gabriel had fled so quickly. She’d seen his eyes changing as they made love. What if this was it, his final shift?
She got off the bed and headed to the bathroom door. She knocked.“Gabriel, you okay in there?”
No response, but what sounded like a paw tapping against the door.
“I’m coming in, and don’t try and stop me.”
She opened the door where Gabriel in wolf form near the shower stall.
He was so beautiful. She reached out and touched him, stroking his head and back. This was her husband, and she’d love him no matter what he was or what he looked like. She rested her head on the top of his.
“I have a feeling that everything’s going to be okay. And even if it’s not, we’re going to buy some land and turn it into a wolf sanctuary so you’ll be safe there, and so will other wolves. Maybe there will even be other shifters out there who need our help.”
She couldn’t believe she’d just said that. Not the part about buying land, but the part about shifters. Until a week ago, she never knew such things existed, let alone believed in them, but here she was thinking about being a shifter’s advocate.
Gabriel put his paw on her lap. She placed her hand on top of it. Yeah, everything was going to be just fine.
Chapter Fourteen
“I think it’s going to be perfect for us.”
Gabriel loved the enthusiasm in Amber’s voice as she spoke to the realtor who was showing them the land.
It was beautiful, mountains to the right, and a stream by the edge of the property. There was even a house that was move-in ready.
“We’re anxious to close on the property and get moved in within the next couple of weeks,” continued Amber.
Nine days, eleven hours, three minutes, and forty seconds. He knew exactly how long they had.
The house was beautiful. How happy they would have been living in it and raising kids. If she ever decided not to do this and wanted to take a lover, another husband even, he was going to let her. It would break his heart, but love was all about not being selfish.
“So what
do you think?” She turned to him. He nodded, too choked up to speak.
“I guess that means we’d like to make an offer. Now, it’s zoned for keeping wildlife, right?”
“There won’t be any problem with that,” said the realtor. “I’ll get all the paperwork drawn up and we’ll present your offer, and I’ll mention that you’d like a speedy closing.”
He walked back to his car and Amber grabbed Gabriel’s hand.
“It’s perfect for us,” she said.
“Amber, if at any time this gets too much for you, you’ll walk away. Promise me you will?”
She shook her head. “I took the vow for better or worse.”
“Yeah, but the worse is on your end, not mine.”
She shook her head. “You have to be my guide-wolf. I think you’re getting the bad deal.”
That’s why he’d fallen in love with her so quickly. Besides being the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes on, she was a good person inside.
“Come on, let’s go look at the house again,” she said tugging on his arm.
****
“Sadie, we’ve told you more than once that the Board is unable to intervene in this matter.”
Sadie almost stood up and announced she was quitting the witch business. She’d come to the Board as a last-ditch effort for them to do something about Mavis, and about Gabriel’s predicament.
“We told you that you had to deal with it. It is your punishment for bringing the human child to the Other Realm. That’s why it’s called punishment. If it was easy, you wouldn’t learn your lesson.”
“I know but Mavis upped the curse. I’ve stuck to my end of the deal, I’ve found him true love, but he’s going to be a wolf in a week’s time. That doesn’t sound like much of a happy ending to me.”
“I know this is an awful situation but…”
Oh, what the hell. I’m going to stand up and challenge them, let them throw me out. “But my ass! I quit as a witch, I quit the Department of Love, and I quit Perfect Pairing, too.”
She gathered her bag and papers.
“Now, just a minute, you cannot simply quit, and don’t you dare try any tricks that might compromise us in any way.”
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