by Michele Hauf
He sought Blu’s eyes, and she knelt before him and stroked his cheek. What a wonder that he had become whole. She prayed he was as whole on the inside as he appeared outside.
“My werewolf princess,” he whispered.
“You did it. The blood in my ring revitalized your magic.”
“But how? I am shackled…”
“Abigail removed the spell. Just so you could heal. She’ll shackle you again, when you’ve regained your strength.”
He nodded. “You give me all the magic I require. Kiss me,” he murmured.
His lips trembled against hers, his sigh tickling her mouth. Then the sharpness of fang slid across her lip.
“Your fangs are down, vampire,” she said slyly. “You really have recovered.”
He smirked. “Again, it’s you. You do something to me, werewolf. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t need to know. The fighting. Has it…?”
“My pack has conceded,” she said, “and thanks to Alexandre the Nava lawyers are returning land to the wolves. Ridge killed Amandus.”
“To save me,” he managed. “The wolf stopped my torture.”
She’d always known Ridge was a good man.
“The peace pact has been signed, Creed. Because of your sacrifice. I love you for this.”
“I think I died in that compound, Blu. Died with every stroke of the wolves’ talons. But the one thing that kept me here was you. I wanted to hold you again, to breathe your life.”
She kissed him, giving him the breath he had survived for.
Epilogue
DEEP IN THE STORAGE ROOM, behind many steamer trunks and beneath the bored gaze of an Italian marble statue of a naked warrior, something moved.
Creed approached carefully. Without a sound he prowled over the tiled floor, avoiding boxes and the pulling snag of a wooden pallet.
A flash of green popped from behind an open steamer trunk. Gray eyes dazzled. Red lips pursed and blew him a kiss.
“Are you snooping?” he asked, pausing before a crate and crossing his arms over his chest.
A sexy werewolf princess dressed in a flouncing eighteenth-century-style Watteau dress skipped to him and, with a bobble of her bright wig, bowed grandly before him.
“I never snoop.” Her wink fluttered thick dark lashes. “Why do you have a woman’s dress packed away in your things?” She pressed her palms against the tight corset, pushing up her breasts saucily. “Was she a lover?”
“What if I told you that dress once belonged to Marie Antoinette?” Creed reached for a pink bow on the bodice and tugged her to him.
“You’re kidding me.”
How he loved the dazzle in her eyes. It had been six months since they’d wed. It had taken half as long to heal completely from the internal wounds the Northern pack had inflicted on him. Then to endure the shackle spell again had weakened him for a time. He couldn’t have survived without Blu to kiss him to health and be his reason for living.
And for that precious vial of witch’s blood.
Since they’d arrived at Creed’s Paris estate Blu had spent her days going through it, discovering the treasures he’d collected through the centuries.
“I am kidding,” he said. “It probably belonged to an acquaintance. I’m not sure where it came from, actually. I must say I’ve not before seen it accessorized with green hair.”
“I still like my wigs even though I don’t need them to hide behind anymore.”
“I like them, too. Wear them whenever you wish. You would have set the eighteenth-century salons on fire, Blu. Such a marvel you would have been. A rock star in the halls of Versailles.”
“You make me wish I had lived then.”
“I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Start with the clothes,” she cooed. A twist of her hips sashayed the wide skirts across Creed’s legs. “How did the men get these tight corsets off the women so easily?”
“Ah?” He crooked a finger for her to approach. “It’s not so much easy, as a long and lingering pursuit for pleasure.” He dipped his head to her breasts and tongued them. “Can I keep whatever I unwrap?”
“You don’t know? You’re stuck with me, vampire. For centuries.”
“I can live with that.”
“You will live with that.”
“Don’t tell me what I’ll live with or without,” he teased.
“I can if I want.”
“Spoiled brat.”
“Wicked vampire.”
He lashed his tongue over her nipple. “Tasty.”
“Hungry.”
He bit not too gently, drawing blood. “Only for you.”
Author’s Note
When writing I often play music in the background, and sometimes a theme song will grab me for each character, or a certain scene. By the time I’m finished with the story, I have a complete soundtrack. So for those curious, below is the list of songs associated with HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND.
“Big Love Adagio”—Bond—(Blu and Creed’s wedding march)
“Up All Night”—Slaughter—(Blu’s theme song)
“Meet Me In The Red Room”—Moulin Rouge Soundtrack—(Blu’s theme)
“So Alive”—Love and Rockets—(Creed’s theme song)
“Send Me An Angel”—Deadstar Assembly—(playing in club Violet)
Blu and Creed falling-in-love songs:
“Wake Me Up Inside”—Evanescence
“New Thing”—Enuff Z’nuff
“She’s Tight”—Cheap Trick
“Topless”—Breaking Benjamin
“Raspberry Beret”—Prince
“Breathe A Sigh”—Def Leppard
“How Soon Is Now?”—Love Spit Love (The Craft Soundtrack)
“Wicked Game”—H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty)
“Mad About You”—Slaughter
Werewolf/Vampire mood stuff:
“Twist”—Korn
“7”—Prince
“The Wild Life”—Slaughter
“Psycho”—Puddle of Mudd
“Ardera Sempre”—Miranda Sex Garden
“Bodies”—Drowning Pool
“The Unforgiven III”—Metallica
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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First published in Great Britain 2010
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
Her Vampire Husband © Michele Hauf 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4089-2852-3
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