The Shepard's Agony (28 page)

He was smirking and Gwen knew he would love it if she gave that away to him. Of course she was worried!

David ran his fingers through her hair, or at least he tried
to
, it was so
tangled
. To Gwen’s
horror
, she finally realized how horrible she must look.

“Ugh, don’t look at me until I can get some eyeliner.” She hid her face in her hands.

David laughed harder and pried her hands away to kiss her lips. “I think you’re sexy.”

“I look like a frog.”

“A very attractive frog.”

She couldn’t keep herself from smiling at his antics despite the truth. It didn’t matter how much he might love her, anyone could see that she was a
mess
. At least he was capable of looking beneath that.

Then
, she became serious. “What happened with your family?”

The humor on his face evaporated and he took a seat next to her, scratching his newly shaved chin.

“
Well, Evey wa
s going to take Jacob to Griffon City to have him face a trial, but your father said not to bother.”

“
Really?” Gwen couldn’t believe
it
.
But
, at the same
time
, she could. Larry always pulled through, and now that Bill was gone, he would be the one making the decisions for the pack. “That’s great news, and at least Evey’s alright,” she said, remembering how she’d been bitten while trying to hide the moon behind the clouds.

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“What is it?”

He took a breath. “Jimmy and Andrew already faced a trial.”

Gwen gasped.
Her heart might've even stopped.

“
That was my
reaction
, too,” David said.

“
Underworld trials are fast
, but not that fast,” she said.

He shrugged. “Your father decided that there w
as too much evidence and too
many
witnesses to just let us go.”

Gwen felt a chill run up her spine. “Us?”

“Yeah, I stood beside them at the trial.”

“But, you’re still here, they didn’t,” she gulped, “kill you.”

He shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “
No, your dad is too nice
of
a pack Master. I told him that, when we were alone.”

“You were alone with him?”

David scratched the back of his head and Gwen swore she could see a hint of red creeping up his neck. “Yeah, he wanted to ask me what happened between us when we were alone in the motel
. I had the privilege of trying to explain to the man that I wasn’t touching his only daughter.”

Gwen smiled gleefully. “Even though you did?”

“Don’t tell him that.”

“Twice.”

“He will kill me if you tell him that.”

Gwen didn’t say anything
, deciding it was the best choice. She also didn’t say that she wouldn’t mind if he did it again, he had some pretty good ideas while she’d been tied up.

“So
, what’s going to happen to you?” It couldn’t be so bad if he was still alive, but a part of her still dreaded the answer.

David crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Eventually
, when Evey and Jacob leave for Griffon
City
, Jimmy’s going to go with them. Your father said that part of his punishment would be working with the creatures he’s hunted, so, I don’t
know
. I guess he’ll be a bodyguard or something for whomever he works for. The cops in that town are going to take care of it.”

Gwen nodded, deciding to ignore for the moment that he hadn’t answered her question. “He has skills for that
, but I don't think they'd let him be a police officer, even in a city that's not supposed to exist.”

“
Yeah, and because the full moon was only three days
ago
, they decided to turn
Andrew
. Part of his punishment
is
living as a Were and finding the differences between Weres and humans.”

Gwen saw him flex his hands and clench them. The last time she saw
him
, he seemed to be getting slightly smaller and
weaker
. Now, with his first change safely behind him, he was in perfect physical health.

“
Have you found any differences?”
she asked.

David paused and shook his head, knowing what differences she was talking about. “No, it’s strange what I feel. I feel stronger, but not like a different person.”

Gwen glowed. That was the best thing she’d heard in a
while
; he understood that Weres were just
people
, like he used to be.

“
What about you?”
she asked again. “What happens to you?”

David sighed and
cleared his throat. “They actually offered to let me keep my dad'
s
sword. I told them they could have
it
; melt it down, sell it, do whatever. He's done too many bad things with it that I felt weird just holding it. I don't want it and I don't think Andrew or Jimmy should have it either. When Jacob and Evey take Andrew and Jimmy to Griffon City, I’m going to go with them.”

Gwen
immediately shook her head. “No,”

David grabbed her hands and held on tight. “You know I have to be punished for what I did. Stop shaking your head like that, it won’t be so bad, it’s only ten months.”

“
Ten months?
”

He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and
, despite the
situation
, Gwen found comfort from the touch and leaned into it.

“
I don’t know how I’m going to handle ten months away from you, but I know it could have been worse. When he said he was banishing me I thought he was going to give me a few years at the least
, maybe a decade or two, not a few months. I think Elaine, my mother, might've helped out with that decision.”

“Ten months is your idea of a few?” Gwen asked, bitterness in her voice even though she tried to hide it. Maybe she could convince Larry into letting him come back early.

“
I could
go with you,” she said.

David shook his head.
“Leaving your pack to start another one? I don’t think that’s a future you’d be happy with.”

He was right, but she would still do it, and the fact that he wouldn’t let her was disheartening.

“
Hey,” David lifted her chin and Gwen found herself unexpectedly kissed. She barely had time to react before he pulled away and grinned at her. “I
will
be back. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He got up, lifting her to her feet with him before wrapping his arms around her waist and taking her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Dance with me.”

“
What?” Before she could answer
him
, he already had her swaying with him. Gwen turned her head to see if anyone was watching
them
. No one was, they were all preoccupied with their own daily business, so she relaxed.

She relaxed enough to snicker a little. "This is incredibly corny. You know that, right?"

“
I'm trying to be romantic here. It's not my strong suit," David said, and then he got a look in his eyes. "You look so beautiful right now.”

Gwen inhaled a shaky breath at the compliment and pressed herself closer.
She wanted to feel the warmth of his body and memorize it. "There's something I should tell you."

"That we're mated?"

She looked up at him.

He shrugged, cheeks darkening just a little. "Elaine told me when I asked why I couldn't hear anyone else's thoughts. That was kind of embarrassing."

"Sorry," she said. "You don't mind, do you?"

He kissed her. His lips were soft, the prickle of his
growing
whiskers scratching and tickling her in a way she liked. "Because it's with you? No," he said, and they kept right on moving.

“
W
hen do you have to go?” she asked as he twirled her and brought her back to his chest.

“
Today, your dad decided to le
t me stay until you woke up.”

Gwen clutched his hand and hid her face in his shoulder. She didn’t want him to go, but she plastered on a smile and faced him again.

She could tell his smile was just as forced, but it was better to leave without tears.

“
When I’m gone, I’m going to study. Take a class in school or something, you know, learn about farms and land and ranches.”

This time Gwen’s smile was real. “So
you can have a farm?”

“
Yeah,
or work on one. Something with mountains in the background and fields of wheat and tall grass. I always liked the idea of that.”

Gwen was lost in the image of it. “That sounds nice. Maybe we could have Moon Night there?
I mean, you’re a part of this pack now.”

He nodded. “If I want mountains
, it
will
probably be difficult to get everyone there every three months though.”

“
A lot of packs host it annually, and not everyone celebrates it anyway.
”

"Which would change if the story of Luna and the original werewolf are true."

"Oh, right,"

“
That’s
still do-able, though,” he said. “When I’m
gone
, I’m going to
save
, too. Not just for the farm, but so I can buy you a great big diamond ring. Make this mating thing more official.”

Gwen stopped dancing. “You mean—”

He kissed
her, stopping whatever awkward thing
that
was about to spew from her mouth. “Don’t say anything yet, wait ‘til I come back so I can do it right.”

Gwen tried not to cry
, she really did, but her eyes were burning. “Okay.”

It was hard watching him go, but she knew he’d come back.

And no one said she couldn't go to Griffon City and surprise visit him.

Gwen imagined how fun it would be to call him, pretending to be still with the pack while getting ready to knock on the door of whatever place he would be staying at wearing a trench coat, high heels, and a whole lot of nothing else. She smiled.

The End

Thank you for reading The Shepard's Agony!

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Discover more books by Mandy Rosko at her website:

Rizzorosko.com

Other Paranormal Romances by Mandy Rosko

Things in the Night Series:

The Vampire's Curse
Book 1

The Legend of the Werewolf
Book 2

The Dragon and the Wolf
M/M Novella

The Shepard's Agony
Book 3

Others:

The Princess' Dragon Lord

Just One Touch

My Angel Lover, Have Mercy on Me M/M

Mate of the Wolf

Night and Day Book M/M
Book 1

The Calm Before the Storm M/M
Book 2

All Hell Breaking Loose M/M
Book 3

Medieval Romances by Rizzo Rosko:

Lady Thief
Book 1

Lady Deception
Book 2

Connect with me online:

Rizzorosko.com

Twitter: @Rizzorosko

About the Author

Mandy Rosko lives as a hermit with her scared of everything dog, and she works in Ottawa, Ontario. Every once in a while she peels herself away from writing and Internet surfing to socialize with real people

Copyright © 2014 by Mandy Rosko

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