The beast’s growl is much louder now. I pivot, instinctively knowing I’ve run out of time to flee. This will be a fight to the death—most likely mine. Without a weapon, I have only my claws and fangs against hundreds of pounds of pure muscle and rows of sharp teeth.
I grab the branch that snapped off the tree and get into a defensive stance. But the monster pounces before it’s within reach of my makeshift weapon.
“Shit!” I bend my knees, ready to jump out of the way. My only chance is to climb on top of the beast and tear its head off.
A gray blur collides with the monster midair, knocking it off course. My heart recognizes him before my eyes can fully see him.Karl. Karl is here. He came for me! The snarling that follows is vicious. Karl and the monster are engaged in a feral battle, and I can’t do anything besides watch my mate fight against a monster twice his size.
But soon it becomes clear that it isn’t the size of the dog in a fight, it’s the fightinthe dog that matters—or in this case, the wolf. Karl might be smaller, but when he’s berserk, he’s lethal. He jumps on the monster’s back and tears through muscle and fur with a savagery that makes my blood sing. The monster howls as he bucks, trying to dislodge Karl, who clings on.
He won’t be able to do that for much longer. I already see his grip is slipping. I have to help him. I still have the broken branch in my hand, and one of the ends is pointy enough. With a battle cry, I run toward the fight and leap when I’m close. I bring my arm down, and the branch pierces the beast in its side, drawing an enraged roar from deep in its throat. It swats me with one massive paw and sends me flying backward. My forearm burns where the monster slashed me. At this rate, I’ll be in tatters before the day is over.
With a loud thud, the beast finally tumbles to the side, but I don’t see Karl anymore. A lump lodges in my throat. “Karl…,” I whimper.
Then he emerges from behind the fallen monster, his muzzle covered in blood. I sit up, cradling my arm, and he shifts back into the beautiful male I fell in love with centuries ago. Relief washes over me, and then comes the yearning, hitting me like a bulldozer. The feeling swirling in my chest hasn’t lessened. If anything, it has become stronger. My heart swells with emotion, and I get choked up.
I stand up and run straight into his arms, hiding my tear-streaked face against his warm chest. “You came for me.”
He hugs me back, careful not to crush any of my wounds, and replies, “You called.”
With a shudder, I lean back and look into his piercing green eyes. The truth I see in the depths of his gaze robs me of air. He still loves me after all this time, after everything I’ve done to make him hate me.
He touches my face tenderly, and something inside me breaks. I surrender to the bond, to the love I had to hide from the world. I don’t know who moves first, but he’s suddenly there, kissing me with the relentless passion only he can summon. I throw my arms around his neck, rising on my tiptoes to get even closer to him. He still tastes like fire and snow, but there’s a new wildness to him that I can’t help but want more of.
I try to surrender to the heady feeling, but something is nagging at me, a memory that’s trying to come to the forefront of my mind. It feels important—vital.
When I finally remember, my heart lurches painfully.
Manu, what are you doing? The curse!
I push Karl back. “No! What have I done?”
He looks so confused and hurt that it kills me. “You kissed me like you remembered who I was. Who wewere.”
I stare at him, waiting for him to drop dead. Each passing second is agonizing. I can’t speak, I can’t breathe, and the tightness in my stomach makes me sick. When nothing happens, I begin to fear my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe I imagined kissing him.
“I’ve never forgotten who you are or what you mean to me. But you… you’re fine. How is that possible?”
“I’mfine?” he snarls. “How dare you say I’m fine?”
I shake my head. “You don’t understand. You ought to be dead. She told me you would die if I…” I cover my mouth with my hands.Did that bitch lie?
“What are you talking about?”
Hugging my middle, I drop to my knees as the realization hits me. Queen Maewe lied. It’s the only explanation. I put Karl and myself through hell, denied the bond… for nothing. “She lied. How could I be such a fool?”
I sob, angry tears carving hot trails down my cheeks, and each ragged breath catching in my throat like broken glass. I don’t have the courage to look into the eyes of the male I destroyed and confess I made us suffer because I let a cunning Nightingale bitch trick me.
Karl drops into a crouch in front of me. “Talk to me, Manu. Who lied?”
I meet his stare. His anger is gone, but not his frustration. “Queen Maewe. On the evening she cursed me, she didn’t only alter my appearance. She took you away from me. She told me that I’d kill the male I loved with a kiss, and if anyone told you about the curse, you’d die just the same.”
He clenches his jaw so hard that I hear his teeth grinding together. The silence stretches for miles, until finally, he swallows hard. “So… your solution was to sleep with Ronan?”
I wince, then glance down as the shame consumes me. “I didn’t sleep with him. I asked Daveena to cast a spell and give you false memories of that. Ronan doesn’t know about it. No one does.”
“What about all the other lovers you had after that? The ones I don’t even know about. Were they false memories too?”
I shake my head, and a fat tear drops to my lap. “The need to consummate the bond was driving me insane to the point that I considered ending my life. But that would mean killing you as well, and I couldn’t do it. I procured another spell—a potion tobe exact.” I look up. “Every male I’ve had since we broke up had your face. Whenever I slept with anyone, the potion made me believe I was with you.”
