“Don’t ever leave me, Joelle,” he whispered, tasting the tears on her cheeks.
“Never.” They held each other as the sun began to lower, touching the mountains with a brilliant edge of gold. Joey shivered once, and Luke set her back to search her eyes.
“Are you cold?” He raised his head to scent the air. “It’s late. We should be going back home.” For an instant he closed his eyes. Home. For once in his life he understood what it meant.
Joey’s touch made him open his eyes again. “Ordinarily, I’d like to stay here all night,” she said softly. There was an odd little smile on her face. “After all, the night is our time.” Luke grabbed her hand and kissed the palm. “But I’m going to be a little more cautious from now on. I’ll even have to force myself to be practical.”
There was an odd little lurch in the connection between them, and Luke held himself very still. His breath caught in his throat “Joey!” he snapped. “What’s wrong? You’re not sick, or—”
Her laugh cut him short. “Oh, no. Nothing like that, Luke.” Suddenly she was leaning against him, flinging her arms around his neck. ‘But it does look as if all your hard work and enthusiasm have paid off at last.”
“Joey…”
She pulled away and took his hand in hers. “There are some kinds of blindness even a nice mental bond won’t cure.” With a firm motion she placed his hand on her belly. “Can’t you feel it?”
Luke listened. And then he did feel it, as if the ground had opened up under his feet. He stared at Joey in astonishment until she laughed and kissed the astonishment away.
A lone howl rose up into the twilight, first one cry and then another, until there was a chorus of joy that filled all the world.
About the Author
Susan Krinard graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts with a B.F.A., and worked as an artist and freelance illustrator before turning to writing. An admirer of both romance and fantasy, Susan enjoys combining these elements in her books. She also loves to get out into nature as frequently as possible. A native Californian, Susan lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her French-Canadian husband, Serge, a dog, and a cat.
Susan loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at:
P.O. Box 272545
Concord, CA 94527
A self-addressed stamped envelope is much appreciated.
Susan’s e-mail address is:
s.krinard1genie.com
“Susan Krinard has set the standard for today’s fantasy romance.”
—Affaire de Coeur
No one could tame him.
Except a woman in love.
Don’t miss this breathtaking romance in the electrifying tradition of Prince of Wolves…
PRINCE OF SHADOWS
by
Susan Krinard
Scarred by a tragic accident, Alexandra Warrington has come back to the Minnesota woods looking for refuge and a chance to carry on her passionate study of wolves. But her peace is shattered when she awakes one morning to find a total stranger in her bed. Magnificently muscled and perfectly naked, he exudes a wildness that frightens her and a haunting fear that touches her. Yet Alex doesn’t realize that this handsome savage is a creature out of myth, a wolf transformed into a man. And when the town condemns him for a terrible crime, all she knows is that she is dangerously close to loving him, and perilously committed to saving him, no matter what the cost.
Alexandra stretched her legs and tested her snowshoes one final time. Her gear was packed and the fire banked in the stove, awaiting her return. She knew how to get to Howie’s farm cross-country; she could make it there and back in a few hours if she moved quickly. Waiting until tomorrow wasn’t an option.
There wasn’t even time to write an entry in her journal. Alex hitched her pack over her shoulders and started away from the cabin at a brisk pace.
She had Just passed the driveway when she saw the wolf tracks. She stopped and crouched in the snow. One glance confirmed that they were the same ones she’d found before, closer to her cabin than they’d ever been: the huge prints of the black wolf she’d briefly glimpsed several times over the past two weeks.