LITMIR.BIZ

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were gentle, with high cheeks and a small nose with a slight curve at the tip, set above a perfectly bow‐shaped pair of lush, full lips. Her square chin jutted defiantly forward, despite the situation and the fear she couldn’t hide from his astute nose. With her exotic eyes and the wavy dark hair that bounced halfway down her back, she looked almost like a vampire herself.

      “William, we’re not alone in here,” Paoli’s voice intruded, pulling William’s attention to the werewolves pouring in from three doorways to partially surround them. Paoli pulled his blade, clearly prepared to fight their way out.

      William groaned inwardly. There was only one reason the wolves would have abandoned a hunt and returned together. The newly decapitated man must have been their alpha.

      Of course he was, he thought wryly.

      They were going to have a hard time explaining that one later. If—that was—they survived for there to be a later.

      “William!” Paoli barked sharply when William remained still.

      There was a small swishing sound as Paoli’s small sword found its mark on the first wolf to rush him.

      It was the slight edge in Paoli’s voice that finally snapped William back to himself.

      In one swift movement, William stepped protectively in front of Paoli and the girl. He swung first one blade, then the other with almost lightning speed and the deadly accuracy of centuries of experience. One werewolf fell at his feet, not yet dead, but mortally wounded from the gaping hole in his throat. The other took the bite of William’s blade and spun away, splashing both William and the wall with blood before he slid to the rickety wooden floor and was silent.

      Still more wolves kept coming, and William realized they were about to be too outnumbered to hold their ground.

      For just a second, he stood completely motionless in the chaos and closed his eyes to feel the energy of those in the room.

      Most of the wolves were new and weak, with a few dominants scattered in the mix. None anywhere near as dominant as he. Then again, he had yet to encounter one who was.

      “Paoli, bring the girl,” he commanded, his voice already low and rough with the stress of the coming change.

      Then he burst free of his human form. In a flash, he practically exploded. He went from being a man to a gray wolf about half the size of a small car. His massive form filled the room, and his sheer power sizzled like electricity, making the air feel heavy and charged.

      One by one, the werewolves backed up nervously. A few bowed their heads slightly in a classic submissive pose.

      William held his head low, long teeth bared. A deep, continuous growl rumbled from his chest.

      A warning.

      A challenge.

      He maintained eye contact with the other wolves in turn, forcing them to feel the power of his dominance. His sheer will, and his willingness to kill them all.

      “He’s a werewolf?” Emily gasped incredulously, staring at the biggest furred creature she’d ever seen.

      She wasn’t sure why it hit her with such shock, all things considered, but she hadn’t been prepared for that. Something in his eyes when he’d looked at her made her think he was the good guy. Not another monster. But she was seeing the truth for herself, and it made her feel almost . . . betrayed.

      “Nothing so simple,” the blond man said.

      He gave her a friendly smile and held his hand out in an old‐fashioned gesture, as though helping a lady of old into a carriage.

      “Shall we?”

      She hesitated, staring at his outstretched hand without making a move to take it. Her eyes darted back and forth between him, the giant wolf, and their surroundings.

      Monsters or not, these two were definitely a better gamble than her current circumstances.

      Still, she’d come here for a reason. She wasn’t about to leave without Amber now.

      “I can’t leave without my sister,” she said finally, the slightest crack in her voice.

      He stared at her blankly.

      “Excuse me?” he said in disbelief, as though he may have heard her wrong.

      “I’m not leaving this house without my sister,” she repeated with more force, squaring her shoulders.

      “This really isn’t a good time for negotiation.” He waved an arm pointedly to encompass the room and all its inhabitants.

      “I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

      She really was. But there was no way she could walk away and leave Amber to her fate.

      “I’m not trying to be difficult. But I can’t leave without her,” she said.

      She didn’t know what she’d do if he shrugged and wished her the best. But, if she left with them and didn’t take Amber, the guilt would eat her alive.

      After staring at her another minute, he finally closed his eyes and gave an exasperated groan.

      “Where is she?” he asked in a resigned tone, as though doing so caused him physical pain.

      Emily’s heart gave an excited leap at the surrender in his voice. She turned toward the room at her back.

      “In here,” she said, leading him through the doorway.

      He followed her closely but stopped short when they entered the room. It was small, lit only by the streaks of moonlight through the window, and was empty except for the narrow bed in the corner.

      Lying atop the blankets was Amber, flashing back and forth between human and wolf forms. For a split second, she was in human form and let out a soft cry, then the sound merged with an animal whine as she shifted to wolf. It was almost like she was short circuiting.

      The man watched in silence for a while, his expression horrified.

      “She’s condemned,” he said finally, his voice apologetic.

      “There must be a way to help her,” Emily said, her voice edged with desperation she couldn’t quite banish.

      “It doesn’t matter. She’s marked for execution,” he said.

      He produced a small dagger and stepped toward the bed. Moonlight spilled across the blade and made it clear what he planned.

      “No!” Emily cried, putting herself between him and Amber.

      Her heart was in her throat, and her gaze flicked back and forth between his face and the knife in his hand.

      He stopped and looked at her, a note of impatience in his eyes.

      “He can’t hold them forever,” he said, jerking his head toward the door, indicating the power play in the next room. “Time is of the essence.”

      Impotent tears sprang to Emily’s eyes, but she ignored them. She met his gaze unwaveringly.

      “I didn’t come here tonight to watch her die. I won’t let you hurt her,” she said.

      Even with the tears in her eyes, her voice was level and determined.

      “Please,” she added with a touch of desperation. “She’s my sister.”

      “An order was given against her life,” he pointed out reasonably. “Besides, look at her. She’s in pain.” His voice was gentle and persuasive.

      “I won’t accept her death. Not after . . .” Emily’s words trailed off and she took a deep, steadying breath.

      Not when she was this close to saving her, after so much time.

      “There has to be a way to fix it. Please help me get her out of here.” She paused, then added, “Alive.”

      The growl in the next

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