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Tara’s arainst her so that she was standing with her cousin’s for new aches in herher eyes locked with Gerard’s, she eased Ann down into the high grass She drew the stake from her coat

"Come near me, and you’re dead"

"I don’t think so"

He took a step toward her She felt a sudden agony in her are, and beauty! But such a novice Oh, yes, of course, you dealt ith the silly young creatures and duth and skill But you’ve yet to be up against so like me"

He took another step toward her "I should reater finesse!" he said "But ti to have to end your resistance here and now, I’ht lead once I have tasted your deliciousness," he said softly "When truly hungry, of course, ill dine on just about anything But a young woth of her shook She could barely hold the stake She wanted to reach for the last of her holy water, but she couldn’t force her arms to move She had to tear her eyes away fro closer, closer, closer

She prayed in desperate silence and willed herself to break his hold At last, she tore her eyes fro for the water with her right But it was too late Even as she tried to aiun at him, he reached her, and her bones were nearly broken as he forced it froled with the stake, but he wrenched it fro a tinsel wand

Then he stared down at her, holding her shoulders Smiled suddenly, and lifted the fall of her hair She found one last inch of strength, and brought her knee up with a vengeance, wondering if she could uttural cry of pain and fury But he was instantly up, instantly on his feet, ready to coain

But then

They both heard it

A baying sound A sound that rose and rose into a cacophony, cries to heaven, a shrieking, a howling borne on the wind

Beneath thean to tre for Tara and his rifle at the sale of forest and trees, they appeared There seee, wolves, and not wolves, for as they moved, they couldn’t truly be seen, they were like a spin of motion, film out of focus, a thunder of illusion that spilled across the landscape Tara struggled wildly to free herself fro "He has silver bullets, he has silver bullets!"

Gerard began to fire, wildly

It see, snarling death They barreled on toward theun up, the bullet to burst into the air

And as she did so, the first of the wolves was upon the hilimpse of time

She could hear Gerard "Da, staggered away, trying to reach Ann, to cover her froh she heard the howling, growling, snappingtearing, gnashing of teeth and ripping of claws, nothing caurgling sound She closed her eyes, ducked over Ann, praying, and then

She realized that she heard nothing Nothing at all Except the soft whisper of the breeze, and a rustling of trees

She lifted her head, and rose slowly

There were no wolves in the field

Only a ht sky The clouds had dissipated And against the natural shadow ofthere, tall in his silhouette, reflecting upon sorass

The body of his ene Sound wouldn’t come to her lips

Then at last "Brent?"

He turned to her, and started walking across the grass to her He was liain, warmth to make her frozen lirass and into his arth of his hold, drew back, smoothed back wild tendrils of her hair, searched her face with his anxious golden gaze, and treainst hi the sweetness of the night air, the caress of the breeze, and of the ht was shattered by the sound of an explosion Streaks of fire soared into the sky

Brent’s hold tightened around her

"It’s the house in the woods," he said softly "It’s over" She drew back "Lucian," she nor!"