Claiming Ana (10 page)
Howl heard Van’s inhuman screams of agony, but didn’t care. Each sound became nirvana to the wolf. Van rolled across the floor with Howl, through the door and into the back yard. Van shuddered and lay still. Overhead the ringed full moon shone a bloody red.
Ana!
The sound he made was gut wrenching grief, in any language, human or animal. Howl left his bloody victim lying in the back yard and padded to his mate. The wolf licked blood from her cheek, mourned as he laid his head in her lap. Ana could not die. He howled at the blood red moon. To save her he must change her. He had hoped to spare her this life. There was no other choice left for them. Change his love into the thing he loathed most, or let her die and live with the knowledge they could have stayed together.
He pressed his ear to her chest.
Her heart beats. Maybe it’s not too late.
One sharp claw drew a path over her chest wound, which closed immediately. The shot had struck high on her shoulder, missing the vital organ by several inches. Howl placed his paws on the chair, licked her face.
Oh, my Ana, come back to me.
Pain wracked his body. His bones began breaking, reforming. Skin shifted, stretched. Paws became hands, feet. Black fur turned into hair and bare flesh. He transformed into man, under the full red moon at the feet of his love.
* * * *
Ana opened her eyes and looked down. Her chest was whole, unmarred. A human, naked Howl sat at her feet, head resting against her leg. He had found a way to break the curse on his own. She pulled him up off of the floor. “I thought you were gone forever. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I thought I’d lost you, Ana.”
“You had to break the curse yourself. When the blood moon rings three, and death is welcomed by she.” She stopped mid-sentence as the sound of a pistol being cocked erupted from behind him.
“This isn’t over.” A bloodied and torn Van stood on the back steps. His recovered pistol aimed at Howl’s back. His eyes glowed with feral light. Van was shifting, turning. “So you broke the curse. Doesn’t matter. I will still kill you for turning me.”
A shot rang out as he fired the gun. Howl shoved Ana to the floor out of the path. Van fell to his knees, blood blossoming across the front of his torn white shirt.
“What the hell is going on here?” Cade called out from the open kitchen doorway. Ana watched him walk over to Van’s body. He holstered his pistol, leaned down to check for a pulse. Apparently finding none, he raised up and pinned Howl with a lethal stare.
Ana watched Cade study them. Howl still lay on top of her, naked, her clothes disheveled and bloody. “You’ve got about three seconds to get the hell off her and explain.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Is he dead, Cade?” Ana asked.
“I don’t miss. Unless you want to take a ride to the station, Howl, go put some damn pants on and tell me what the hell is going on here.”
“Allow me.” Ana stroked a hand along Howl’s thigh. Suddenly he was clean and covered in black jeans.
Nice power.
“Thanks, sugar.”
Works in reverse too. I’ll show you later.
“You’re welcome, wolf boy.”
Mmm. I can’t wait, love.
Howl stood and pulled Ana to her feet. She looked down at Van’s body. As she watched, it shifted into the form of a wolf, fell still and then disintegrated into dust.
“What the hell?” Cade’s right hand returned to his holster as if he could shoot the dust. “I shot a man. Not a wolf. I don’t understand.”
“He was my cousin, Van Michaels. He has been hunting me for a while.” Howl tugged Ana close. “Technically, he was turning wolf when you shot him.”
“He tried to kill me, Cade. Howl saved my life.” Ana chimed in.
“Turning? You mean he was
turned
into a wolf? Like a werewolf, for crying out loud.”
“Exactly. Howl’s family line suffered from a blood curse.”
“When you say hunting, do you mean stalking?”
“No. He was hunting a wolf. I’ve been under a curse. He attacked me. I reacted. Unfortunately, just a scratch while wolf is all it takes to be turned. He deserved it, the bastard. So what now? Am I under arrest?”
“Ana, will you agree a wolf came through the doggy door and attacked you? I was dropping by to check on you for Granny, and shot the animal to keep him from killing you two.”
“If that’s how you want to write it up,” Howl said.
“No. It’s not how I want to handle things, but in the interest of the public, I can’t allow this kind of information to get out. People would be terrified to walk out of their houses. We’d have all kind of nutcases flocking here to see the
werewolves
. It’s best for everyone if they believe monsters only exist in fairy tales. Just so we’re clear. You expecting any more cousins?”
“No.”
“I never want to hear about this again. Keep your snout clean in my town,
wolf boy
.”
“Noted.”
* * * *
Two hours later, Ana lay in bed snuggled to Howl’s side. She wanted to feel bad about his cousin, but something in Van had been twisted and broken. Eventually, he would have killed Howl and her if not for Cade’s intervention.
“What are you thinking about?”
“You. Van. How you could both come from something so horrible.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Something in him was broken.”
“I know. It’s the reason I ran each time he found me. It didn’t seem right to fight him, but I had no choice this time. He could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t. I’m here. With you. Two days ago, I didn’t know you. Now it seems as if you were always here. How can that be?”
“Love is like a lightning strike. Quick, unpredictable and all consuming. Why question it? So I was thinking we could spend the next fifty or so years together.”
“Sure. We can spend it in bed, on the sofa, wherever and however you want.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan. So will you marry me, Ana?”
Sighing, Ana took Howl’s face in her hands and kissed him.
I thought you’d never ask.
Brynna Curry
If you wander south of the Mason-Dixon line, to the small town of Bear Creek, Alabama you’ll find the real life model for Shady Creek. When I set out to write this new series, I knew I had to share the lovely Southern charm of my hometown with you. You won’t find theaters or trendy shops here, but you’ll see more trees than you can count, lakes, and all kinds of wildlife. Be prepared to have long conversations about nothing at all with everyone you bump in to. On any given school day, the chief’s Charger is parked at the car wash across from the school, watching traffic. On Fridays, Coop’s serves the best smoked ribs and chicken around. Like the Murphys, our community is unashamedly country.
I hope you have enjoyed this little piece of my world. Just between you and me? Yes, sometimes I look towards the path behind my house that cuts through the woods and wonder what lurks in the dark. For more about the Triple Star Ranch series, visit my website.
Also by Brynna Curry
Triple Star Ranch Series
Claiming Ana
Elemental Magic Series
Earth Enchanted
To Take Up the Sword
Wait for the Wind
Sea's Sorceress
Fire's Ice
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 Brynna Curry
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: February 2014
ISBN-13: 9781616502874