Moonlight and Diamonds & The Vampire's Fall (22 page)

He'd made plenty of friends and gained family here in Paris. But he missed his brothers and sister and his home.

Blyss sensed his heavy heart, and now as she wandered through her apartment, crossing the clean white marble floor and landing in the living room beneath the skylights, she sighed.

Was this her home? Or was it a stage she'd created to suit her desire to live a life as completely opposite of that which her wolf demanded?

Werewolves lived in the city. It wasn't an odd thing. They could even own galleries and host elaborate parties and socialize and own closets full of expensive shoes. She knew that because she'd been doing it for a month.

The wax-sealed vial sat in the medicine cabinet, waiting her complete abandonment of this new lifestyle. Yet it wasn't so different. She'd gained control of her wolf after a weekend at the cabin. It was as though her wild side had jumped forth after being suppressed for all those years. It wanted out and needed to run free. So she had let it out and had spent more time in wolf and werewolf form than in
were
shape.

She and Stryke had been cautious not to bond as werewolves, though. He said it was something sacred, something he would only do if and when they decided that they were the only one for the other. He'd not used the word
marriage
, but Blyss understood. He was old-fashioned that way.

When two werewolves mated, they bonded for life. It was a serious deal. And yet she entertained doing just that with Stryke. She loved him. She wanted to be with him forever.

But his forever tugged him away from Paris. Could she leave the city in which she'd grown up? The city that was as much a part of her soul as her breath?

She'd already made the decision to travel to the States for a few weeks with him over the winter holidays to meet his family. But once there, would he want to stay? Could they manage a life together yet perhaps live in both places? What about a long-distance relationship?

When she'd only recently thought her biggest challenge was accepting her wolf, now she was surprised by the difficulty she faced in merely leaving a city. Her home.

“Come here, glamour girl.”

She settled onto the sofa on her lover's lap. His hair had grown since he'd been here and tufted over his ears.

“You have a fancy shindig tonight?”

The gallery, which she was considering selling, was showing a series of Mucha lithographs this evening. Her presence was required, though she trusted her new assistant—Lisa, a human girl from New York City just out of college. She had been vetted by Stryke as human, when she'd introduced the two and he'd surreptitiously sniffed her out. Lisa could handle it. But Blyss did still enjoy the socializing.

“You want to come along?” she asked.

She didn't miss his wince. “How about I head out to the cabin and wait for you? Full moon tomorrow night.”

“Sounds like a plan. I'll even pack proper country clothing this time.”

* * *

He'd spent hours browsing the jewelry shops, looking over every diamond ring, nodding as the salespeople wanted to show him yet another stone in a different cut, or clarity. Or how about a few more carats for the lucky girl?

After two days of shopping for a ring with which he could propose to Blyss, Stryke had given up. Because he realized no diamond could ever satisfy her. Sure, she was all diamonds and moonlight now. He loved his glamour girl when she followed him out to the forest, dropping her pretty silk dress without a care and leaving the diamond on top of that. And then her wild overtook and the moonlight reigned.

No precious stone could ever show her exactly how much he adored her. How much he admired her for bravely accepting her wolf. Or how much he loved being with her.

So when he paused before a shop that sold funky yet modern clothing and jewelry, his eyes landed on a simple ring in the window display. He pressed his palms to the window.

“Perfect.”

Chapter 25

S
tryke navigated the long country road that wound two miles through a thick forest of pine trees and bare-branched elms to his parents' property. The whole family would be waiting, and he was nervous for Blyss.

Sure, she'd met his brothers and sister briefly at the wedding last summer, but that had been different. Now he was presenting his bondmate to his family. The woman with whom he intended to spend the rest of his life. The woman who wore a wooden engagement ring on her finger because she loved him and wanted to be with him forever.

Okay, so he was nervous, too. He wanted his family to like her. He'd explained everything to his mother over the phone about how Blyss had denied her werewolf for years, and how she only recently embraced her heritage. Surely that news had circulated among his siblings.

It was Malakai Saint-Pierre, his father, from whom he most worried about getting the seal of approval. If his father didn't like Blyss, then she was out, plain and simple. And while he loved Blyss, he respected his father and would likely have a tough decision to make should the pack principal give the thumbs-down. But he couldn't imagine anyone saying nay to Blyss.

As well, when the New Year turned, Kai intended Stryke should make his new pack official by choosing a scion. Trouble wasn't at all bummed that the family pack was being dissolved; he intended to start a pack on his own. But not until he'd thoroughly sown his wild oats. And that guy had a lot of them.

Blade had said
no, thank you
to scion. Kelyn would make an excellent right-hand man but Stryke would give it more consideration. With luck, Blade would change his mind.

He stroked Blyss's cheek now and she smiled at him.

“Pull over,” she said and turned on the seat to sit up on her knees.

“We're almost there, glamour wolf. Half a mile—”

“Please?”

She must be as nervous as he was. A few minutes to take a deep breath and chill was a good idea. He shifted into Park and they sat in the Ford truck, the engine idling, the radio quietly broadcasting a country tune.

“They will all love you,” he reassured her. “But never so much as I do.”

“I'm not worried.” She crawled over and straddled him in the tight confines of the cab. “Are
you
worried?”

“My dad's the tough one,” he said. “But I know he'll love you.”

“It was a good idea to come here for Christmas. I'm already in love with your state after seeing all this snow.”

“You may be the only one who has ever made such a confession.”

“Well, I don't have to shovel it. And so you know, I will never shovel snow or do the manual labor in this partnership.”

“Wouldn't dream of letting you lift a pretty little finger to do anything but this.” He took her hand and kissed her fingertips, one by one. “Sure you don't want a diamond engagement ring?”

“Never. This one is perfect. It's you, wrapped around my finger. I adore it.” She leaned in and whispered aside his ear. “I want to give you your Christmas present now.”

“Really? You got me something? Blyss, you shouldn't have. Us together is all I want for Christmas.”

“Then you don't want this?” She took his hand and placed it over her stomach, which was softly swollen beneath the thick sweater she'd bought yesterday in town at the local thrift store.

“What, sweetie?”

She tilted her head at him and told him to close his eyes. “Now,” she said, “concentrate on what you feel. Can you feel it?”

Stryke slid his hand across the soft pink sweater. He could feel her warmth radiate out and into his skin. And beyond the subtle hum of her sensual being, he picked up...

He flashed his eyes open to meet her expectant gaze. “Really? I think I feel a tiny heartbeat.”

She nodded. “Our family is already growing.”

“Blyss, this is amazing. Really? I'm going to be a daddy?”

“And a very fine dad you will be. We'll raise our family here, in the place that makes you most happy, sending them off to school in the fall and winter, and then in the summer we'll vacation in Paris. Can the pack handle that?”

“They'll handle whatever their leader says they can. You've got great plans. You really think you could live in Minnesota?”

“So long as the summers are in Paris and my shoe closet can be shipped back and forth.”

“Why not keep a shoe closet here and one in Paris?”

“I adore you,
mon amour
.”

He bent and hugged his cheek against her tummy and tried to listen for the tiny heartbeat. Detecting it, Stryke smiled. “This little one is going to love his werewolf mommy.”

* * * * *

Read on for a sneak preview of
GODDESS OF FATE
by Alexandra Sokoloff

and

POSSESSED BY THE FALLEN
by Sharon Ashwood.

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ISBN-13: 9781460379707

Moonlight and Diamonds

Copyright © 2015 by Michele Hauf

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