Page 86 of Father of the Wolf

Such courage in one so young. Pain shot through his chest, but not from the knife wound. The girl reminded him of Cairistione in so many ways. He closed his eyes briefly to control the emotions welling up within him. “I can lift him.”

She steadied the pony as Sgrios shoved Bequlf up and over the saddle, and then used his bolas to tie him securely in place.

“So, he’s not dead?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

“What will happen to him?” the girl asked as she turned Thunder and started back down the trail. “Do the police have a division for your kind?”

“We police our own.”

“Oh. So, you’re like a cop?”

Yeah right. He was the long arm of the law. The kid had a sense of humor. He smiled. Well, he sort of smiled, but he didn’t answer her question.

* * *

Hope drove the car dangerously fast all the way to the park and right into the picnic area. Never mind the car or the act of driving. Forget the storm. She had to get to Athair. Nothing else mattered.

When she saw him fighting hand to hand with one of Bequlf’s men, she aimed the car in his direction.

“Athair, watch out!” She called to him as she sped directly at the enormous man who fought her lover.

Although her plan, if it could be called that, had been to run the man down or at least force him away from Athair, Athair used the distraction to jump the villain. He pulled the man off balance and wrapped his forearm around the man’s throat. She slid the car to a stop but didn’t see what Athair did to cause the man to fall unconscious.

Hope ran to Athair’s side and hugged him tight. She had been so afraid he would be killed before she could get back to him. Before she could tell him how much he meant to her.

There were still several people fighting, and a couple had shifted into wolf form. But mostly the battle had turned in their favor.

Granny climbed from the car and hurried to where Hope saw Dàn and Rath standing up. Dàn took the staff from Granny and listened to something she said. Then he walked into the center of the picnic area. Whatever he was doing seemed to flood the clearing with energy. But the energy seemed to affect each person or wolf in a different way. Hope felt it flow through her body like a caress, but one of Bequlf’s men fell to the ground and covered his head, screaming in pain. In only a few moments, all of Bequlf’s supporters were either asleep or unconscious.

The battle was over, at least for now.

There might still be plenty of details to sort out, but she wasn’t going to wait even a moment longer to claim what she wanted. She reached up sinking both hands into Athair’s soft hair and pulling him down to meet her kiss.

For the space of one heartbeat, he felt as if he might object to her timing and then he relaxed in her arms. And when he turned his focus fully on her she could picture just what kind of life they could have together. One full of love and laughter, passion and commitment. The beauty of that dream was painfully wonderful.

Athair pulled back. “Hope?” He brushed aside her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Are you okay?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She laughed. “I know you do. I mean, I really know everything you feel for me. Every time we touch your feelings come through as clear as a love letter. And I love that about you.”

He pulled her into another kiss, this one shorter and quite a bit hotter. “Hope, I want to spend my whole life with you. Will you accept me?”

“Silly question. You are already my wolf. And I’m never letting you go.”

Epilogue

Settled Thoughts

Calm Waters

Dàn watched as the groom kissed the bride. He envied the loving devotion he could easily feel rolling off of Athair and Hope. The connection they shared was almost visible to his sensitive eyes.

A vision of their future flashed before him, showing the two playing with their toddler daughter in the backyard. The child would be named Faith, and she would grow into powers that no Keeper of the past had ever known. But she would also have a decision to make about those powers.

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