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That seemed cruel, but it was the only way their kind had survived for a ine ould happen if olves were found to be real They’d be treated differently--like outcasts-- and most likely examined ruthlessly

The worst of it? They were virtual fountains of youth, living er than their human counterparts What if huave olves their increased longevity and bottle it? What if everyone wanted to be olves?

H what they were

"Carol? Did you hear randkids," her mother repeated over the phone

Carol took a deep breath How could she tell her randkids were out? That they’d be were-kids--and who knehat kind of trouble they could get into? How could she raise little lupus garous when she hadn’t grown up as one and was still fu at the hospital and need to go"

"You do plan to have children, don’t you? You’re the only daughter we have left now"

The guilt trip again "I need a guy inup on Ryan, should I have?" Her mother sounded really sorry for what she’d done

Carol so Talk to you later"

"Next ti I haven’t ht for you That is if you’re hell-bent on dating hi-to about your uniqueness"

Uniqueness Even now, herherself to say Carol had psychic abilities "He lives in Green Valley"

"I know, I know He told ht Bye, Mom"

"Ask his with a guy you’re interested in"

"All right, if I get interested"

"He’s interested, Carol, or he wouldn’t have called ht not have psychic connections, but she was fairly intuitive when it caured Ryan had only had one thing on his mind when he called herto ask if I truly had a vision about the doctor’s wife?"

"Of course he was That’s what made me mad He shouldn’t have to ask But he wouldn’t have bothered calling ued with you And I loved his sexy voice"

Even though her mother didn’t like that Darien had moved Carol into his ho her, her mother loved Darien and his brothers’ sexy voices also There was so about alphawarned Carol that she had so call, Moht, dear Good-bye"

"Bye, Mo up and then stared at the Caller ID Rosalind McKinley? Was she Ryan’s sister? It see Ryan, the way everyone was calling her about him At least, that’s what she suspected his sister wanted to talk to her about since Carol had never ot weirder and weirder

"Hello, this is Carol Wood How may I help you?"

"Hi, Carol, this is Rosalind McKinley, Ryan’s sister I wonder if Ryan has told you howto listen to her conversation He set the ice pack down on the counter and folded his are from the room

"What makes you think that?" Carol asked Rosalind She already liked the woumption to call her But she wondered if Ryan’s sister really knehat she was talking about or just thought she knew her brother that well

"Oh, Carol I can call you Carol, can’t I?"

"Sure"

"Well, Ryan hasn’t been able to think of anything since he o It was Carol this and Carol that, and dark brooding looks, chopping wood, pacing back and forth, wearing out our carpeting, impossibly distracted whenever I tried to talk with hilow

"Oh, no… not at all"

That hit Carol like she’d just been sprayed with a cold shower, dousing the war at once "No? What then?"

"My brother was obsessed with you Still is Mate the poor fool and put him out of his misery I can’t wait to meet you No other woman has had this kind of effect on him It’s wonderful"

"But what did he say exactly to you about me?"

"He had taken tons of pictures of you He keeps the closed, he keeps the file out for handy reference Not to study the case but to get another look at you You knohat that means, don’t you?"

"Not exactly" Carol noted that Rosalind did not exactly say what Ryan had told her about Carol, either