A strong current of heat raced through her, almost as if she"d exploded inside. She tried to rise, but felt merged with Rick"s body. She felt dizzy. A loud ringing noise started in her ears. She groaned... no, he groaned.
Stephanie"s head shot up. She glanced down at him. He gasped. His eyes fluttered open. They were blue. And they were not glowing.
"Stephanie?" he whispered. "What happened?"
"Rick," she sobbed his name. "You came back to me."
His brows furrowed, and then he tensed. "It didn"t work. Get away from me." He struggled, pushing her away from him. He reached for the rifle, but Stephanie grabbed it first.
"It"s all right, Rick. Look at me! Look at yourself!"
He stared at her, glanced down at the smooth skin on her hands, then lifted his own. There was no thick fur there. He rose, moving to the bedroom. Stephanie scrambled up and followed him. He stared into the mirror at his image.
"Is it really over?" he whispered. "Did you save me?"
Stephanie stepped up behind him. "I don"t think I saved you. I think you saved yourself. One selfless act of love made your heart pure again, made you reborn."
"The old woman." He turned to her. "She said saving you would save me."
"Y-you spoke to her?" Stephanie stammered.
He clasped her shoulders. "Don"t you understand now? It was me she warned you about. I thought she might know for certain how to break the curse, so I hunted her down."
"Then she never meant to hurt me," Stephanie said. "She only wanted to help."
He stared deep into her eyes. "People aren"t always what they appear to be on the surface. Surely you"ve learned that tonight."
She leaned forward and kissed him. "I learned something more important tonight. I learned the true meaning of sacrifice. You gave your life for me."
"I love you. I couldn"t let what happened to me happen to you."
"I love you, too," she whispered. "And I would have withstood anything to stay with you." Stephanie took his hand and led him through the house, outside where the moon hung full in the sky. As if awestruck, he stared up at the heavens.
"This is the first time in three years I"ve seen a full moon and known it was just a celestial body in the distance."
Since he looked as if he might fall, she made him sit on one of the porch steps, then sat beside him.
"What will you do now?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I"m not sure. I need to find my brother."
She turned to him, surprised. "I thought he was killed in a hunting accident."
"Attacked by a wolf," he explained. "The same one that bit me. He"s a werewolf, too. If I can find him, I can tell him how to break the curse. All he has to do is find true love."
Her heart melted. "Where is he?"
"Canada."
Smiling at him, she said, "Canada has great wildlife. Lots to film."
He took her hand in his. "Will you come with me?"
"Anywhere," she promised. "As long as we"re together."
His mouth moved toward hers; then he paused. "I just had an idea. We"ll take the old woman with us. She has the sight and can use her abilities to make finding Jason easier."
Stephanie wasn"t listening. She"d become lost in the depths of his eyes, in the wonderful sense that she"d finally come home again. She leaned closer to him. Their lips met in a promise neither time nor curses would ever threaten again. They were mates, would be for life, and they had work ahead of them. Wolves to save, and lost souls to rescue. And somewhere along the way, a life of their own to begin.