A bevy of emotions crossed her face. Horror. Sadness. Everything but acceptance. Sam stood over her. "I know this is hard for you to comprehend, to believe, but—"
"No," she interrupted, looking down at her folded hands. "Surprisingly, it isn't hard for me to believe. If somewhere in my subconscious I've held on to all the things that frightened me as a child, it must mean that deep inside, I believe in the existence of witches and talking bears and monkeys that fly." She lifted her eyes to him again. "So, you're cursed."
Sam shrugged.
"And marrying me was supposed to free you but it didn't? Is that the only reason you married me? Because in order to break your curse you thought you had to get married?"
The pain in her eyes cut Sam to the quick. He bent before her. "I married you because I love you, Laura. Love sets the curse into motion. The minute I came face-to-face with you, it came upon me. I knew you were the one."
Laura shook her head. A tear rolled down her pale cheek. "But I must not be the one. You said it wasn't broken. Maybe there's another woman out there somewhere who can help you."
Wiping away her tears, Sam assured her, "I don't want another woman, Laura. I only want you. If you still want me, I don't care if I'm cursed for the rest of my life. If you can live with me the way I am, I can live with myself."
As he'd done a moment earlier, Laura now brushed away Sam's tears. "In two days I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned I can survive in the woods if I use my head. I've learned I can stand up to what frightens me. I suppose I can live without you, Sam. But I don't want to. I love you. For better or for worse, remember?"
Her words were sweeter to him than the vows they'd spoken only two days ago. Sam was humbled by his wife's unconditional love. By her acceptance and her courage. He should have told Laura from the start. He should have trusted her and trusted in himself to have chosen exactly the right woman. But there were still things he hadn't told his wife.
"Our sons might also carry the curse, Laura. It rarely surfaces these days, but I'm proof that it can still happen."
She frowned. "Will we know?"
He nodded. "My parents knew from the time I was a toddler. They helped prepare me."
Laura took his hand and pulled Sam up on the bed beside her. "Now I understand the look of hope in their eyes at our wedding. It was so intense. They were hoping for more than a happy future for us. They were hoping I could set you free of the curse I brought down upon you. And I've failed them. Failed you."
His wife wasn't to blame. Sam wouldn't allow her to feel guilt. "I can live with the curse. It's really not so bad. I love the freedom, but I would sacrifice that for you. I would sacrifice anything for you."
More tears fell down her cheeks, but she smiled at him through them. "We'll be all right, won't we, Sam?"
Taking her in his arms, Sam answered, "We'll be fine. I'll make sure of that."
He bent to kiss her but was suddenly knocked backward on the bed. His mouth flew open. A bright blue light spilled out. An apparition poured from him, stealing his breath. Above him, the form took shape. The shape of a glowing wolf.
Laura's shrill scream split the silence. The wolf shadow flinched. She kept screaming until the spirit leapt at her. Mouth open wide, the wolf lost shape and poured into her mouth. Sam could barely breathe, but he lunged for the spirit. He was too late.
It disappeared down Laura's throat. She swallowed with a loud gulp.
"Oh no!" Sam shook her. "No!"
A soft belch left her lips. Her eyes still wide, she asked, "What the hell just happened to me?"
Sam pulled her close. "The wolf spirit left me. The curse is broken, but now it's inside you."
She pushed him back, eyes still huge. "Is that supposed to happen? I mean, have you ever heard of it doing that?"
He shook his head. "I've never read anything about it, but wait, I do recall reading something about the spirit entering other bodies."
Her bottom lip trembled. "Are you telling me now I'm a werewolf?"
Sam didn't know what to tell her. He'd never read much about the spirit possessing someone besides a male Wulf. There was a reference to it in some old writings. He'd have to find the reference again and study it. There had to be a way to call the spirit from an unwilling host. Like an exorcism. "It's only temporary," he assured her. "I'll figure out how to get rid of it."
She threw her hands up. "Great. I'm a woman. One curse a month and now I have another. I don't even like the woods, but I'll have to go running around in them during a full moon."
Having never considered the curse to be much of a curse, but sometimes a gift, Sam wasn't certain how to comfort her. He pulled his wife back into his arms. "At least now you know the scariest thing in the woods will be you."
Her eyes brimming with tears, she hiccupped. "I suppose you're right about that. I'll be like the queen of the woods until we figure out how to get rid of this spirit inside me, right?"
Sam had to give her some assurances. He was surprised she handled the situation as well as she had. "Other animals and even people won't mess with a wolf."
Laura pulled away, walked to the window and glanced outside. "We'll have to still come up here every month, but now for me instead of you."
"I'll take care of you, Laura," Sam promised. "It isn't so much of a curse as an inconvenience at times. It's a good way for you to learn to like the great outdoors. I already know the ropes, so I can prepare you for the change. And someday, we may both need to prepare our children."
Her voice shook when she asked, "Is it going to happen tonight, Sam?"
He walked up behind her. "No. It won't happen until the next full moon. The rest of the honeymoon is just for us. For talking and laughing and loving."
"That, I can handle," she said. "We can handle anything, right, as long as we're together?"
His heart came close to bursting with joy. He had chosen the right woman. He loved Laura, but he'd misjudged her. He should have trusted her to be strong enough to handle the truth. "As long as we're together," he agreed, turning her to face him so he could kiss her.
Laura stopped him. "You said earlier that you would do anything for me." She nodded at the windows over the bed. "Those drapes have to go. And I want the floors redone and the bathroom made larger. If we're spending a few days a month here, we're going to make it a real luxury hideaway."
Her request was a simple one, all things considered. "Whatever you want, baby."
Pulling his face close to hers, she said, "What I want at the moment is for my husband to make love to me. Then I want you to tell me everything you know about this curse you've passed to me. What happens, how you feel when it happens, how I'm going to feel, and as soon as we get home, we're digging for answers on how to exorcise the thing."
Sam felt certain there was a way. He planned to talk Laura into experiencing at least once, the freedom of being a wolf. It should do wonders for her confidence in dealing with the great outdoors. Simply because he was no longer forced to spend time at the cabin, didn't mean Sam didn't want to continue to visit their little hideaway. It was a place they would someday bring their children. It was part of their future. And now more than ever, he knew they would be together always, regardless of what life threw in their paths.
"Anything for you, Laura," Sam said before claiming her lips.
* * *
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bestselling author Ronda Thompson is best known for her popular Wild Wulfs of London series. Her most recent release is
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