Page 42 of Plus-Size Mate

But then, he surprised her when he darted forward and gripped hold of her cheeks, kissing her so passionately that she felt as if her lips might bruise.

That's when it happened.

It started as a spark between their lips, thrilling out through Winter's body. And by the gasp from Eddie's lips, she guessed he felt it too.

When she heard the exclamations from those around them, she knew it hadn't ended there. And as she opened her eyes, she was just in time to see the spell she had cast taking effect. It shot out from their circle like a giant ball of light, growing and doming as it started to surround the entire town. It spread far and wide, lighting up the sky, settling into place at the boundaries of Nightstar.

“What the hell was that?” one wolf whispered.

“Is it over?” another asked.

“Are we protected?” a third questioned.

Their questions told Winter one thing—they couldn't see the dome anymore. And if she tried not to look, she couldn't, either. But when she looked close enough, using her witch's senses, she could see the faintest glimmer of the spell still set at the boundaries.

“It is complete,” Winter said, looking to Jack, but deep down she knew it wasn't entirely. There was still technically one final step left, but she wasn't about to tell every wolf in the pack that she and Eddie needed to consummate things for the spell to be set in stone.

Jack threw his arms wide and declared, “Then it is time to celebrate!”

As if given some unspoken order, all the wolves around Winter began to strip off their clothes. The howling began moments later, and she watched in awkward fascination as they all began to shift, racing off into the woods with cries of elation.

It was only when Eddie spoke that she realized he was still crouched right where he had been before. “Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn't I be?” Winter asked, more than a little defensively.

“You're shaking.”

Winter looked down at her hands in her lap. She was, indeed, shaking.

“I’m fine.”

She tightened her hands into fists in an attempt to hide it.

“Shouldn't you be going with them?” she asked, gesturing towards the final wolves disappearing into the woods.

Eddie shrugged. “I'd rather not.”

Winter was about to ask him why when he rose to his feet and said, “Come on. Let me take you home.”

He held out his hand, looking down at her expectantly.

“I can make my own way.”

“I know you can, but what kind of man would I be if I let you walk home alone after all we've been through tonight?” Eddie asked, cocking his head. Before she could say another word, he reached down and plucked her up, placing her on her feet.

“Let me look at that,” he insisted, gripping hold of the wrist of the hand she had cut so that he could examine her palm.

Winter gasped in shock at almost the same moment as Eddie when they both saw that though there was blood smeared on her palm, her skin was unbroken.

“How?” Eddie asked, looking her in the eye.

Winter shrugged. “It must be part of the spell. Yours has healed.”

“I'm a werewolf,” Eddie pointed out, “and you didn't cut that deep.”

Bile rose in the back of Winter's throat. She wasn't about to tell Eddie that she was in fact half werewolf. Especially as she wasn't sure, that was the reason she had healed so quickly. It had to be the spell.

“I'm not going to knock it,” Winter said, slipping her hand from his. “That damn wound would have sucked for days.”

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