ran a hand through his hair, angry with her for intruding upon his territory, angry with himself for allowing even minimum contact with humans. Because of his own selfishness, he had not ruled out the possibility that he might bite someone.
"Rick?"
Stephanie's voice floated to him from behind the closed door. He walked over and eased it open. She'd slipped beneath the covers. The sight of her in his bed had the animal in him creeping to the surface. He fought it back and moved into the room.
"Do you need anything? A glass of water or?"
"No, I'm fine. I may borrow your shower again after I've rested, if that's all right."
He nodded, trying to ignore the steamy image of her naked and soapy. "Would you like me to wash your? clothes?"
She smiled. "Somehow, I never would have pictured you offering maid service. No." She glanced toward her clothing draped over the old rocker. "They were clean this morning."
"Fine." He needed to get away from her. That scent, the one that hovered just below the surface of her sweet natural fragrance, was about to drive him crazy. "I'll let you get some sleep then."
"Rick?" She stopped him, patting a place on the bed next to her. "Can we talk for a minute?"
He bit back a groan and walked to the bed. With more than a little trepidation, he sat beside her. "What's on your mind?"
She glanced up into his eyes. "I know you're not a medical doctor, but what do you think could be wrong with me? Fatigue might be responsible for my not noticing that I was eating your meal earlier, but what about last night? My vision has always been good, but I could see in the dark. I mean really see. And there was something else."
Rick started to feel sick to his stomach. "Something else?"
Despite her earlier claim of feeling better, tears filled her eyes. "I?I know this is going to sound crazy, but I thought I smelled that old woman. I had a sense that she was still close by, waiting for something to happen."
He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment, then opened them again, hoping she didn't see the panic rising inside him. "You're just tired. You need rest. We'll talk more about it later, all right?" He eased her down on the bed. She didn't argue.
"All right. I am tired," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
He settled the covers around her and stared down at her beautiful face. His excuses for Stephanie's increasingly strange behavior were wearing thin. He didn't want to face facts. He'd obviously bitten her the night she saved his life. His curse had now become her own. He had to save her. Do something?find a way to spare her from the same hell his own life had become. He thought he knew how, but he wanted to be certain.
He also thought he knew who could tell him the answer. After assuring himself that Stephanie slept soundly, he grabbed a jacket and left the cabin. He didn't get far before the wolves joined him. They moved in single file, as if on a hunt. He had a keen sense of smell, just as Stephanie had developed. He followed the old woman's trail easily. It led him to the abandoned shack on the road where he'd first spotted the old woman. He was surprised to see her sitting in front of the shack, as if she were waiting for him.
"Have you come to kill me?" she asked calmly.
A stab of guilt cut through him. Not long ago, his answer might have been different. "No. I've come to ask how to save her."
Her glassy eyes widened. She rose and walked toward him. "Today, I see more man than wolf in you. You have met a woman who has made you see the light. Understand that with love comes sacrifice."
"What do I have to do?" he demanded.
She eyed him sadly. "You already know the answer."
He glanced away from her. "I thought so. I wanted to make certain."
"Are you afraid?"
Oddly enough, he wasn't. "Only for her."
The touch of her leathery hand against his face startled him. "When I first saw you, I saw only the wolf hiding beneath your face. Now I look into your heart, into your soul, and I see they are both good."
Another fear plagued him. "Is there hope for my soul?"
"If you do what must be done, you can save your soul. For your sacrifice, you can be reborn."
"What does that mean?" he