Shifter Planet (34 page)

“Well, sure, then, I’d love to go to his wedding, and I know my—”

He wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “You think I’m the kind of man who’d dally with you in the forest if I had a woman waiting for me?”

“Well, no,” she lied. “I thought maybe Cristobal had suggested a dynastic marriage or something.”

“Fionn’s sister? Not in this lifetime. Besides, what do I need a proper lady like that for when I’ve got you—”

“Are you saying I’m
not
a proper—”

“—the first woman ever to pass the trials and become a full-fledged member of the Guild. You’ll go down in history, lass.”

“Well,” she said, pleased. “There is that.”

“Besides, Cristobal wants me to take on the Guild, sort of a first among equals. It’s a sad state when you’ve got shifters rigging the trial, and trying to kill one another. Something needs to be done. I’ll divide my time between the city and Clanhome, but I can’t imagine doing the job at all without you.”

She waited for him to say something more. When he didn’t she scowled up at him. “That’s it? You want me to make your job easier?”

His mouth twitched. “Well, that and I love you, and my life would be empty and, most especially, boring without you.” He glanced around the small apartment, and then grinned down at her. “You think this place will hold two of us,
acushla
? Or will I be living a lonely existence at the Hall?”

She grinned back at him. He loved her. Her heart felt like it was too big for her chest. She was having trouble breathing again, and didn’t know if she had enough air to tell him what needed to be said. Or hell, if she could get the words past the lump in her throat. She swallowed hard, ignoring the tears rolling down her cheeks, as she pulled his face down and kissed him. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips. “And don’t worry. Together we’ll break down as many walls as we need to.”

The End

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Acknowledgments

I want to thank Allison Collins for all her hard work in getting this story ready for my readers, and Theresa Marie Cole for falling in love with it in the first place. Thanks also to all of the people at Entangled who worked to make this book possible.

This story was a work of love for me, but a lot of people helped make it better along the way. In particular, my friends and fellow writers Steve McHugh and Michelle Muto have been there since I wrote the first paragraph, and they’re always there to give a read, to share the triumphs, and to listen to me whine. They make everything easier. Another talented writer—my friend Angela Addams—was particularly supportive over the last year of this book’s life, reading revisions, and cheering me on through the ups and downs of getting my story out there.

And finally, love always to my family, and to my wonderful husband, with whom I’ve shared so very many years of my life.

About the Author

D. B. Reynolds is the RT and EPIC Award-Winning author of the popular Vampires in America series of Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy and an Emmy-nominated television sound editor. She lives with her husband of many years in a flammable canyon near Los Angeles, and when she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s. Visit her blog at
www.dbreynolds.com
for details on all of her books, free stories, and more.

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