by Maia Dylan
“What happens when you claim your mate, Ryan, huh?” Ariana yelled back, the wind picking up intensity.
“I bite you and the claiming bite tells the whole damn world that you fucking belong to me!” Ryan stepped forward. They were standing almost toe-to-toe, yelling at each other.
“What the hell are you two doing out here? The wind is—”
Casey’s voice came from behind her and Ariana threw her hand out, blasting just enough air to slam the front door and push her sister back into the house, and never taking her gaze from Ryan’s.
“And what does that do to the two people, Ryan? Come on, smart ass, think!” Ariana knew she was being a sarcastic bitch, but she was beyond caring.
“Our lives become entwined in each other and we live happily ever after! And at the end of our days, when one of us dies, the other would pass on, too, never wanting to be without the other, following them into whatever lies beyond this world!” Ryan roared at her.
And there it was. The reason why she could never allow Ryan to claim her. Ariana felt all her anger just melt away, to be replaced by a sadness that had her pressing the heel of her hand to her chest in a vain attempt to stop the ache. The wind dropped away just as quickly as it had risen.
Ariana remained looking into Ryan’s eyes, hoping he would understand without her having to voice the words. She watched as the emotions flickered across his face. Confusion replaced the anger first. Then he looked to the side as he thought through the problem, obviously trying to connect the dots and try to understand. Then a shocked jolt rocked through his body as his horrified gaze flew to hers, and she smiled sadly. He got it.
“Ariana,” Ryan’s voice was more of an agonized moan. Finally he understood.
She reached up her hand to his face with her eyes filled with tears, placed her palm against his cheek, and nodded. “And what would happen,” she whispered, “if one half of the claimed pair was to die well before her time?” Ryan stood, eyes damp, shaking his head in denial. “Then their mate would die too damn young, and I am not prepared to do that to you. Ryan,” Ariana bit back her sob, trying desperately to make her point and not simply collapse against him and sob, even though she wanted to scream to the fates that this was unfair. “I would love nothing more than to get to know you, be claimed by you and to be your mate in every sense of the word, but that is just not my destiny.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, filled with longing and loss, and no small amount of affection.
“My part in fulfilling this prophecy involves my death, and there is nothing we can do to change that.” She stepped back and dropped her arm. She looked into his pain-ravaged face. Oh, God, it hurt to know she was the one that had caused it. Ryan suddenly threw his head back and roared a sound so filled with pain and sadness that Ariana shivered and had to stifle a sob. Then he shimmered where he stood and shifted into his wolf, his clothes shredding and dropping away until he stood before her as a huge, black wolf.
Then he spun around, leapt off the porch and moved so fast he was a blur into the forest. She sobbed, then turned and walked into the arms of her mother, who stood crying silently in the doorway behind her. She collapsed against her mother, then felt the arms of her father and her sister wrap around her, holding her strong, and she would need their strength over the coming days. She could do what she needed to do and not risk anyone else.
The piercing howl of a wolf, filled with rage, sorrow and pain, erupted into the night, and at the sound, Ariana felt her heart shatter into a million tiny little pieces.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maia Dylan lives, loves, and works in beautiful New Zealand. She married her best friend and they have two adorable but stubborn children who obviously take after their father.
Maia’s career has featured a lot of travel, and she has filled her time at airports and in the air with books, books, and more books. Her love of erotic paranormal romance has seen her amass a huge library. She has been an avid reader and lover of ménage romances since she read her first book in this genre about three years ago.
In January of 2015, Maia submitted her first-ever manuscript to Siren Publishing. She wasn't at all confident that it would be accepted, and in fact, she was expecting a nicely worded e-mail with a resounding no! Much to her surprise, less than two weeks later she had an acceptance and a signed contract in hand, and since then, she hasn't looked back.
Outside of writing, Maia loves to eat, so she loves to cook! Her herb garden is legendary, but she still has issues getting tomatoes to grow. She’s been a performer for years, and has even sung on international stages. She would love to own a classic Ford Mustang one day and of course have the opportunity to race it on a race track without fear of a speeding ticket.
Although ultimately her dream is to be able to write full-time on a sandy beach with a Mai Tai in hand, she is quite happy to fit her writing in when she can. As long as someone reads her books, gets a laugh, and maybe comes to love her characters as much as she does, then she feels that she is living her dream no matter what!
For all titles by Maia Dylan, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/maia-dylan
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com