“I’ll always love you, Charlie, no matter who or what you are.” Pushing the screen door wide, Shannon marched down the front steps and into the arms of her two mates.
* * * *
Charlie wasn’t sure how long or how far she’d walked. After Shannon left, she somehow managed to get on her feet. Like walking through a dream, she passed through the kitchen and out the back door. She vaguely remembered hearing Reese shouting at Shannon, questioning her about what had happened, but she didn’t turn back. Instead, she put one foot in front of the other and kept moving.
The sun was beginning its descent in the western sky. Using it like a beacon, she headed toward the changing colors floating above the horizon. Her mind was blank other than taking in the splendor of the sunset. Purples and blues filled the sky as the golden sun sank behind the ground. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should turn around before the light grew dimmer, but she’d lost control of her feet. She kept walking down the road then followed a path that led her away from the road and over the flat land.
My sister’s a werewolf. She’s mated to two werewolves.
As many times as her mind tried to comprehend it, she couldn’t quite get a grip on it. She still loved Shannon with all her heart. Maybe that would change if she saw her sister change like Daniel and Anderson did, but she doubted it would. Could she stand to stay around and find out?
Blane’s and Reese’s faces popped into her mind, giving her comfort. They’d accepted their friends as werewolves even to the point of defending them. Could her men help her do the same for her sister? Was acceptance just a matter of getting used to Shannon’s new life?
She walked on, stumbling once as the path grew more rugged with lots of large pebbles to trip over. The sun was almost gone and the light was going. A tingle at the back of her neck warned her to beware, urged her to turn around and hurry back the way she’d come. But she ignored it. Her heart hurt more than her feet did.
Memories flooded her with images of happier times with both her sisters. A seven-year-old Christine, still alive and laughing, pointed a water gun at her older sisters and squeezed the trigger, soaking their new party dresses. She smiled and remembered Shannon’s cheerful good-bye as Christine slipped into the waiting limo to be chauffeured off to college.
But the good memories were few and far between as other memories leaked to the forefront. Shannon’s tear-streaked face gazed up at her as she clung to Charlie and weathered another argument between their parents. Her mother had railed at their father, but it was his coldness, his uncaring that had been worse. Wasn’t that the worse kind of cruelty?
She’d seen a close friend of hers caught in a horrible relationship where the man had been physically abusive. Wasn’t he less of a man than Shannon’s lovers? Was Reese right? Was her definition of a man wrong?
Shannon was still the same gutsy, fun-loving, loyal sister she’d always been. Those qualities hadn’t gone away now that she could change her appearance.
It was true that Daniel and Anderson loved Shannon. She’d seen enough evidence of that during the day. She remembered the first time she’d seen them in their wolf forms, back in the vampire’s house. As she’d raised the gun and shot at Daniel, she’d seen them come together to block Shannon and keep her safe.
Charlie stopped as an idea hit her.
Reese and Blane. What about them?
She frowned. They were a lot like Daniel and Anderson. All the men were strong, virile, and exuded an extra quality that she couldn’t define. But it was a quality that spoke of confidence and their ability to handle any situation. They held themselves in a certain way, even tilting their heads in question much like a dog would do.
She sucked in a breath. Could it be true? Could Blane and Reese be werewolves, too? Didn’t it make sense that they were? Hadn’t she felt the same kind of connection to them that Shannon had described?
Her mouth parted as she tried to draw in regular breaths, and she could hear her pulse picking up speed, flooding her ears with the pounding of her heart. If they were werewolves, what did it mean for her?
She loved them. She didn’t know how or when it had happened, but she was certain of it. She loved them with every ounce of her being. More, she was sure they loved her back. Their actions, the way they made love to her spoke it as loudly as any words ever could. Hadn’t they already made a place in their home for her? Could she give that up if they were werewolves?
She turned around as the answer came. She’d love them no matter what they were, just as Shannon had said she loved her men. She didn’t care what form they kept, she’d love them until her dying breath.