As I galloped toward town, I wondered if I were indeed rushing into a trap, rather than solving the mysteries that shrouded Raven Crest. If Aaron Lovejoy was home, would he give the answers I demanded? And why was I going there alone? But it seemed my only option, with Ferral Graves gone for good. The only way to win him back, if that was ever going to happen.

As I reigned Nellie in beside the twin brick buildings, I noted a fancy black carriage with doors bearing the gold letters KD. So Graves was keeping office hours again...but I suspected Katy DeShay was playing doctor, more than needing one. Just as well. They were old friends and would remain that way long after I was gone.

I peeked in a side window while I caught my breath from my arduous ride. Sure enough, the henna-haired madam had Ferral naked and spread-eagled on an examination table, his wrists and ankles bound at its four corners. He looked quite human now, and extremely aroused: that erection stood like a thick, pink flagpole as Katy slid up and down it. The man beneath her was writhing, closing his eyes as he moaned and bucked. He'd already put me out of his mind and life. And he was in no apparent hurry to catch the man who'd nearly attacked me.

So that was the way of it. Ferral's love was like a hot, fickle wind, and it was already blowing a different direction.

I turned toward the other building, assessing the stairway to Lovejoy's apartment. As during my first visit, I heard strains of magnificent music, and recalled his remark about leaving his gramophone to play repeatedly, to convince any visitors he was rehearsing and could not be interrupted. I assumed he wasn't home--that this was a sign I should just move on, rather than giving him a chance to grab me again. The memory of that horrible photograph, of the man whose face was covered with oozing wounds, was incentive enough not to test Fate again.

But I could feel an aura emanating from above me...the dark, ominous force of a beast lying in wait. My curiosity propelled my feet to the first step, and the second. How was it that a world-renowned performer like Aaron Lovejoy, with the flawless complexion I had always marveled at, was actually so disfigured he couldn't show himself in public? A man who'd sprouted tufts of fur like...like a werewolf.

I paused. Had the handsome blonde always shared Ferral's affliction? Or did he acquire it that night at the seance, when Graves bit him? Pieces of a very frightening puzzle fell into place, and warnings blared like sirens in my mind: Turn back! He's caught your scent and is licking his chops, you goose!

But when I stopped outside his door, my rapid breathing came more from a deep-seated fear than from the exertion of the ascent. The music swelled, and the golden tenor voice soared above it--sounding like a live performance at the Opera House rather than a recorded rendition. I nipped my lip. My pulse was pounding to the beat of the orchestra, still trying to warn me away.

But I'd come too far to back down. I had to know the singer's secret, and find out why he'd ransacked Raven Crest looking for Ravenna's letter. Why was it so important that he find it first?

I made a fist to pound on the door, but it opened so suddenly I almost toppled into the apartment! To my horror, the creature who greeted me looked nothing like the opera star whose voice poured out around me with deafening intensity. I backed away--cringing against the loud music and the most terrifying face I had ever seen--but Lovejoy grabbed my arm, grinning wickedly.

"Just couldn't leave it alone, could you, Caressa?" he jeered, making those open pockmarks undulate with every word. "Printed my picture, and just had to find out why that nasty bastard grabbed you in the dark--and how he came to look this way. Well, I can answer both questions with a single name. Ferral Graves."

My eyes widened. "You surely can't mean--let go, dammit! You're hurting me!"

"Oh, you don't know the meaning of pain, little bitch!" he growled, his tawny eyes alight with a demonic gleam. "You will never understand the anguish Dr. Graves inflicted years ago with his surefire cure for my smallpox scars. All the voice lessons and public acclaim--all the money in the world--will never win me a woman's love! What lady would have a monster like me, who must spend hours filling in his face with a beeswax mask, and then apply theatrical makeup, before even answering his door?"

I swallowed hard, unable to stop staring at the face ravaged by disease...and an infirmity that had infected his very soul. "So you tried to trick me into marrying you?" I retorted. "Is that how it happened with Ravenna, too?"

"She loved me like no other woman ever will!" he blurted. "She was far too good for Graves! But he'd rescued her from a life of ill repute, so she felt beholden to him--even though he left her alone for weeks at a time to hunt those damned animals! I had almost convinced her that since the baby was mine, she should leave with me--shouldn't trust the beast Ferral had become, or subject her child to its influence, but--"

"But she refused, so you pushed her off the balcony?"

"NO! I was reasoning with her when--"

The clatter of feet on the stairway prompted him to yank me inside and slam the door. Lovejoy was squeezing my hand with a desperation that made me cry out, his actions a startling contrast to the beautiful aria now playing in the background. Hair was sprouting from his jaw inward, filling in the spaces between his sores, as his features took on an angular, lupine fierceness I had never seen, even when Ferral Graves had succumbed completely to his wolf.

"You see why I hate him?" he went on in a gravely voice...the voice I recognized from last night. "Not only did he make my face more hideous than before, but he's infected me with his beastly disease, as well! So now that he's lured another lover into his lair, he's going to pay again!"

The blood rushed from my face. "But what did I ever do to you, to deserve--"

"Who said life was fair?" he countered, drawing me farther back into his apartment as a pounding began on his door. Ferral and Katy were both shouting to be let in, but Lovejoy was too much the rogue wolf now to pay them any heed. "Where's Ravenna's letter? I might consider--"

"I don't KNOW, dammit!"

"--setting you free if you can promise me--" The singer resembled a wild dog with the mange now, panting as he eyed me. And indeed, I felt like a rabbit about to become his next meal.

"Don't lie to me, Caressa," he continued in a cruel voice. "You had the run of that house. You had that Oriental whore eating out of your hand--among other places. I know damn well you went looking for that letter after the seance, if only so you could show it to Graves, just to spite me!"

His sense of reason had obviously left him. The hands clutching mine had turned into paws...huge paws with calloused pads and claws. He was an animal driven by pain and the need for revenge, and unless I kept him under control until Graves could break in, I might be the next woman to plunge from an upper story balcony to her death.

"You printed up fake concert schedules as an alibi for when you broike in, didn't you?"; I demanded. I was playing long shots, but bluffing was my only defense. "And why did you steal my Bible? And Mama's likeness, and her handkerchief?"

Aaron's lips curled around pointed teeth. "If you couldn't summon Ravenna's spirit without your little props, I could prove you a fraud. And Ferral would've sent you away, disgusted--and he'd be just as lonely and loveless as he';s made me! I bet you're wishing that had happened.&"

Tears sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them clear, afraid to drop my gaze. When I saw those tawny orbs begin to spin, however, I looked away to grasp at the straw of another idea. He had backed into his bedroom, pulling me along, and with the gramophone still playing so loudly, no one would hear my cries for help. Or my final whimpers.

"But I did reach Ravenna!" I asserted. "Had you behaved better that first time, perhaps she would've shown herself. She came to us the next time--Ferral spoke with her, and even Katy can tell you how the chandelier swayed! If you'll settle yourself, we can have our own seance right here and now--just you and me--so Ravenna can appear to you, as well!"

"If you think I'm going to fall for--"

A loud crashing of glass made us both jump. Even though Ferral was rapidly transforming into a wolf as vicious as the one who held on to me, I felt extremely relieved to see him. What I did not expect was for my captor to reach under the mattress of his unmade bed and pull out a pistol.

I swung him with my full weight as he took aim. "Aaron, my God! Put that thing down, before you--"

He fired at the approaching wolf, but the bullet ricocheted to silence the gramophone. In that split-second interval before Lovejoy could cock the gun again, Ferral lunged. The singer hit the bed with a snarl, releasing my hands to grab at his assailant.

"Get the hell out of here!" Graves growled at me. "Go back with Katy, and don't you MOVE until I return!"

For once I wasn't tempted to defy him. Down those stairs I clattered as fast as my rubbery legs would carry me, to the black coach that awaited. I sprang toward the leather seat, barely acknowledging a handsome young man I recalled seeing somewhere before. The door slammed behind me and the horses lurched down the street. Katy DeShay sat facing me with deceptive calm, puffing a little cigar.

"Good thing the Nichols twins were visiting when Ferral summoned me," she remarked, her brown eyes sparkling. Yet I detected a tremor in her voice. And when an unearthly chorus of snarls and shrieks rang out from the apartment, we were both at the window.

Two bestial forms stood silhouetted on the landing; two sets of claws and mean teeth were struggling for jugulars. Only Ferral's dress clothing set him apart at this distance, and as the carriage sped out of town I desperately wanted to stop it. Never had I felt so helpless. Never had I felt so responsible for yet another catastrophe that might cost Graves a lot more than the pride he'd forfeited when I didn't accept his proposal.

"What if Ferral doesn't--"

"He will," Katy insisted, slipping her arm around my shoulders. "We have to believe he will triumph and come back to Raven Crest, once he's put Aaron in his place. Little prick. He's been a boil on my butt for years, and he's finally popped."

The figures atop the stairs were now too small to distinguish as they circled, still struggling. I eased back toward my seat--and then swore I heard another gunshot. Shuddering, the madam slid beside me and gripped my hand.

"What else has come between them, besides Ravenna's death?" I queried. "At first I thought it was just jealousy, but as Aaron was dragging me towards his bedroom, I knew he'd crossed the line. He's absolutely insane."

"I've never trusted him any farther than I could raise his dick," she said with a bitter chuckle. "In my business, you don't let your guard down with a man who must be whipped to get stiff... especially if he backs away from kissing. I've never quizzed him, but it's always been a red flag."

"Didn't want to smear his makeup," I breathed with sudden comprehension. Katy's statement was true: the singer had always kept a distance, despite his charisma onstage. "He should have women crawling all over him. His looks and money and talent--his stage persona--sets everyone up to believe he must be kicking them out of his bed."

"But because of some mistake Ferral made with his smallpox scars, the little priss must apply an elaborate mask and cosmetics. Just like Subi." she finished. "I heard about this today. Just as you were showing up."

I sighed, reliving the past hour. "I shouldn't have rushed in like such an unprepared fool. But when I recognized that horrible photograph from--"

"Nonsense." She squeezed my hand. "When Ferral saw you'd come to confront Lovejoy, it perked him up in more ways than one. Just wish I could've finished that fine ride before we suspected you were in trouble up there."

I chuckled weakly as the carriage barreled between those those spiked iron gates, and down the cobblestone driveway toward the brooding mansion on the mountainside. I'd been with Lovejoy when I first saw this place, unaware of how he was playing me against Ferral even then...like a wolf cozying up to a lamb before a competing male gets a whiff of her. Moments later we clattered to a halt and Katy hurried me inside, as though the hounds of Hell nipped our heels.

The revolting aroma that greeted us made us cover our mouths, and for the second time in as many days I thought I'd vomit. It didn't smell like food, or like something dead Fu might've dragged in. Pinching my nostrils, I approached the thin veil of smoke drifting down from the open mezzanine, and motioned for the madam to follow me upstairs.

The door to Ravenna's suite stood open, and the foul smoke hovered in the hallway like a malevolent spirit preventing our entry. By this time I was concerned about the Geisha's welfare, however--wondering if poor Fu hadn't survived the night, and she was cremating him. My eyes watered from the scent's intensity as I stepped into the room, fully prepared for the worst.

Fu, thank God, sidled up to me and rubbed my leg. His mistress knelt in the center of Ravenna's bed, her head resting upon arms outstretched toward us, as though in worship. Large dragon's-head censers smoked on both sides of the Oriental, who spoke in a continuous low sing-song. I hated to interrupt her, but I'd never seen the housekeeper this caught up in a ritual that threatened to drive us all from the house.

"Subi? Subi, what's happened?" I ventured as I slowly approached. Katy went over to throw open the French doors.

The Geisha shuddered out of her trance, her violet eyes alight with relief. "Missy Caressa! You alive!" she whispered. "Subi so afraid--"

"You'd better put out that damned incense before we ALL suffocate!" the madam retorted, waving her arms to clear out the dense fog.

Subi nodded, snapped the dragons' mouths shut, and blinked to get her bearings. She wore a kimono as pure white as her mask, and her blue-black hair fell around her, unbound by the usual daggers. Yet she clutched one of the weapons between her breasts, as though intending it for herself.

"Subi praying to the gods for forgiveness, and begging Missy Ravenna to help," she murmured. "I so sorry, missy, for trouble I cause--for not telling Mistah Ferral--"

"Not telling me what?" came a familiar male voice from behind us.

We all jumped, and Katy and I instinctively ran over to see that he was all right. Amusement flickered in those cerulean eyes as we studied him: he was wearing only his torn trousers, and his face had a nasty scratch along one side, but he looked quite capable of taking us both down to make us beg for him. Lord knows I thought of it, before I recalled that he'd walked out of my life. His bare chest was rising and falling from his run up the stairs, but it was skin with the enticing pattern of chest hair I'd always adored. Not fur.

"Where's Aaron?" the madam asked, was more interested in our welfare than the singer's.

Ferral sobered. His deep dimples lengthened as he cleared his throat. "We struggled until the carriage rolled out of sight, and then he turned the pistol on himself. With his last breath, he cursed me again for the unfortunate mistake I made as a young doctor, concocting salves for patients with unsightly smallpox scars. Then he cried to Ravenna that he loved her. Ate the end of his gun before I could grab it."

The silence sucked what air was left from our lungs. Katy patted his arm, cooing, "He's been unstable for years, teetering on this edge mostly to worry us all. Honed his act to perfection when she died."

"Yes, he was a trouper to the end," the doctor sighed tiredly. "Waited until a crowd had gathered to pull the trigger. So at least everyone witnessed that he did himself in, and that I tried to prevent it. Small consolation, after everything else he's pulled."

He turned to me then, running a gentle finger down my face. "Did he hurt you, Caressa? I didn't have a chance to--"

"I'm fine. Thank you," I breathed, trying not to shudder shamelessly at his touch. "But I suppose now we'll never know how Ravenna really died. Or did he tell you?"

Ferral shook his head, making the silver-splayed hair at his temples shimmer invitingly. "Guess we'll just live with that mystery. Or, if you'd be willing, we could summon Ravenna again--"

"She right here. Safe with stupid Subi all along."

We glanced toward the bed as the Oriental reached down the front of her kimono and pulled out an envelope, and then something she kept curled in her fingers. "Missy Ravenna have funny feeling, that last time Lovejoy coming to visit, that he get crazy if she not leave with him--before you get back from Africa trip," she added in a halting voice. "She afraid he hurt the baby. So she write things down. Ask Subi to keep it a secret, in case something happen. But I wait too long. I very, very sorry for trouble I cause, Mistah Ferral."

The doctor scowled as she handed him the sealed envelope. "Is this the letter Aaron was looking for when he broke in?&"

The Oriental nodded, her violet eyes wide.

"But it's addressed to me."

Subi's thin lips curved mischievously. "When Lovejoy want Ravenna to marry him that day, she say she give prettier answer in a letter. More poetic. And secretly allow more time for you to come home."

The housekeeper waxed serious then; as somber as I'd ever seen her. "Ravenna tell me to hide it--not show to ANYONE, until Aaron confess truth about their relationship...and maybe about what he do to her, if the worst happen. I saw what happen between them on the balcony...I afraid to say so, because Lovejoy so angry he kill you and me both!"

"And by stringing him along, making him believe she'd written him a letter, Ravenna knew he'd keep coming around...perhaps crack under the strain and confess to Ferral," I finished quietly. "You had him pretty well figured, Subi."

"But what happened? What did he do to her?" Graves crossed to the bed and grabbed the Geisha by both arms, as though he might squeeze the answer from her.

She breathed deeply, straightening her spine. "She on balcony painting, when Lovejoy come for his answer--his letter. He make loud demands, saying she stupid to stay with you. Saying he always love her more, and never leave her. Ravenna backing away, trying to reason. Not paying attention, and she step backwards...lose balance on...top step."

A sudden image of the dark-haired woman, unbalanced by her distended belly, made my eyes clench shut. Katy gasped, grabbing for Ferral's arm in her sympathy, while the doctor exhaled jaggedly. "And then?" he had to ask.

His housekeeper caved in, her tears rippling like a waterfall down her chalky white mask. "Lovejoy try to grab her, but fall against railing. When it break, Missy...Ravenna tumble backwards. Break her neck and roll...off edge of stairway."

"Into the chasm below," Ferral finished in a whisper. The envelope in his fist crackled and quivered with his agitation. "So Lovejoy was right about one thing: had I stayed home with my wife, where I belonged--"

"NO!" Subi protested. "Missy Ravenna want you to enjoy one last safari. She know that when baby come, you be here always. She never, never blame you, Ferral. She never question your love. Just like she never EVER intend to go with Lovejoy. Just couldn't get rid of him and crazy, lovesick ideas."

"I'd say that sums him up," Katy replied quietly. She squeezed his arm one last time. "This has brought it all back to you, Ferral. We'll understand if you need to get away, to read that letter in private. It's been a helluva day, dear."

"Certainly has." Graves slowly unfolded his fingers...smoothed them over his beloved wife's handwriting.

I was aching for him, and for myself, as well. A blind woman could see that Ferral Graves would always be in love with his lost Ravenna, even now that he could lay her soul--and his doubts--to rest. I could never hope to compete with her presence; could never expect her to leave Raven Crest any more than Ferral would remove her haunting portrait from the landing on the stairs.

So when he left the room without a word...traipsed down the stairs...closed the double front doors behind him, I knew I'd lost him. And somehow, that was fitting. He would find the peace he deserved--as much as his wolf would allow, anyway--and I could get back to my original mission of setting myself up in a studio. Just not anywhere near here.

My musings were interrupted by Subi's nudge. She uncurled her fingers into my palm, where she placed two chunks of green glass. I scowled.

"Lovejoy's ring," the Geisha explained. "That emerald a big fake, like him."

I choked--and then realized I was laughing at the irony of it. "Why am I not surprised? He admitted he was trying to keep Ferral from claiming me--because he himself could never convince a woman to love him."

"Hah! Even with that perfect face he put on, he was too stuck on himself to care about anyone else." Katy DeShay pulled a match from the bosom of her tight black dress and relit her cheroot. "While I'm sorry Ferral's going through this all over again, I can't say I'll miss Lovejoy. Little prick. Couldn't even check out without playing to an audience."

"Baby not his, either. He only say so, to make Ferral mad. To drive wedge between them."

We both gaped at the Geisha. "How do you know? You'd better follow Ferral! Go tell him--"

Her catlike grin shut me up. "You really think Subi could keep best friend's letter so long without...steaming open?"

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then all three hooted with the deliciousness of this revelation. "But why didn't you tell Ferral?" Katy said between chortles. "The poor man deserved to know--"

"He fool enough to doubt wife, he deserve to stew in own juice," the Geisha replied with a flash of those violet eyes. "Besides, Missy Ravenna make me swear on stack of Bibles to keep secret. She not intend to hurt Ferral. Just to get licks in for way he doubted her and believe Lovejoy."

It certainly fit, considering what Katy knew about Lovejoy's less-than-intimate ways with women. Which meant that he and Ravenna probably had been the best of platonic friends who shared their love of artistic endeavors, until the singer's envy twisted everything around...and his lies got out of control as his obsession with another man's wife grew.

A tragedy, indeed. Out of loyalty to Ferral Graves, neither Katy nor I asked about the rest of that letter. We knew enough. We knew the doctor would heal, now that the truth would set him free.

But would I recover? As we walked Katy DeShay to the front door, the note Dr. Graves left me made his intentions very clear: he'd found my belongings at Aaron's and had carefully wrapped the ambrotype of Mama in her lace handkerchief, and placed it atop my big Bible, which awaited me on a table in the vestibule. Inside the envelope, I found a substantial stack of hundred-dollar bills--enough to make me gasp, since I'd never before seen Mr. Franklin's picture on money. As I skimmed Ferral's precise handwriting, however, I would've ripped Ben to shreds had I not had two curious witnesses.

My dearest Caressa, he wrote, I can never thank you enough for your assistance in this matter of Ravenna's death. Please accept my best wishes and this extra money to open your studio, and take Nellie when you leave. Only fair, since Belle became yet another victim of my uncontrollable animal nature--a fate that should NOT befall you, dear lady. With fond regrets, Ferral Graves.

Fond regrets? The bottom fell out of my stomach as I crammed the note back into the envelope before Subi or the madam could snoop over my shoulder. Yes, the man was indeed fond of his regrets, and this impersonal send-off was the last straw! He'd made it clear I was to leave, and I would--before I added any more regrets to the ones I'd accumulated. A bitter taste flooded my mouth as I steered Miss DeShay towards the door.

'Well--perhaps things will return to normal, now that this unpleasant business is behind us," I said breezily. "And who knows? If my studio doesn't pan out, perhaps I'll come see you about a position, Katy."

The redhead eyed me with an odd expression. "You'll sing a different tune in a week or two, when all this has settled into perspective, Caressa. Get some rest, dear. You look pale.'

I felt pale, and when she lightly bussed my cheek, letting her hand rest at my waist, I waved her off good-naturedly. Why wouldn't I blanche, with the effort of keeping Ferral's kiss-off to myself? At that moment, I wanted to toss my few belongings into my valise and be gone! Get the hell out of the mountains, so there'd be no chance meetings with Graves to remind me what a fool I'd been to get mixed up with him!

Subi graciously played along...without rubbing my nose in the fact that she'd finally won the man she loved. Katy's carriage was still rumbling down the tree-lined driveway when the Geisha excused herself. "Must feed Fu. Get rest, now that Missy Ravenna at peace."

I nodded, letting her return to her duties in the house which would forever remain her domain. I would never forget my first night here, when she attacked me with her soapy brush in the tub, or the evening I peeked through that keyhole and was again tormented by the Oriental dancing with her master. They made perfect companions, so why should I stay and become like a third leg...a third breast?

The afternoon's advancing shadows found me packed and slipping through the revolving panel beside my fireplace, into Ravenna's hazy suite, and then down that fateful flight of stairs from her balcony. I thought about her...heard her heartrending cries in my mind as I carefully found each step--which was still easier than having to look at her imposing self-portrait on my way out. The periwinkle haze settling over the Rockies failed to move me, as did the golden globe of the moon beginning its tranquil ride across the sky.

Nellie whickered, as eager as I to be on the road, it seemed. Without a backward glance at that Gothic castle and all the associations it would forever hold, I set her at a trot. I didn't know where I was going, but I was too edgy to sleep and too wounded to care. The tears spilling down my cheeks were signs of exhaustion, I told myself. The natural results of learning such horrid secrets about a love triangle gone wrong...a lopsided affair I myself could've gotten caught in, had Fate not intervened.

Too late, I realized the horse had her own destination in mind. I tugged frantically on the reins, calling her every sort of name as she broke into a defiant canter. No amount of wheedling or maneuvering of the traces convinced Nellie to turn around, and before I could compose myself--or a convincing story--the wagon was rattling up the overgrown path to the last cabin I ever wanted to see again.

And there stood Ferral, wearing only a wolfish grin. He leaned against the moonlit building in all his manly glory, with his arms crossed at his chest, watching me. Waiting for me, like the predator he'd always been. When Nellie halted, blowing and wheezing from her exhilarating dash, he stroked her nose. So damn smug I wanted to slap him!

I threw down the reins and stood up. "I'm sorry for barging in on--"

"No you're not."

"--your solitude, but I never intended to--"

"Yes, you did."

"--come where I'm obviously not wanted. Damn you to hell, Ferral!"

"Too late for that, dear lady." His lazy grin spread to the edges of those soft, silvery sideburns. "I've been set upon a throne second only to Satan's, doomed to rule the nether regions of the earth...and your heart, as well. You were mine from the start, you know."

I dashed the last tears from my eyes, so angry I could've spit. Why hadn't I seen his gift of Nellie as the underhanded ploy it was--designed to drag me through this torment yet again? "So now I'm bought and paid for--like Subi? Is that it?" I demanded. "Well, you can take your fucking money--"

"I've never paid you for fucking, Caressa," he corrected with a chuckle. "You were always begging me for it...usually at the top of your lungs, on the edge of an earth-shattering climax."

That cock of his had the nerve to shoot up like a periscope. And when the moonlight caught the shine of the dew in its little slit, I my knees nearly buckled. I was standing on the wagon's narrow platform, so agitated I was ready to lunge over its edge at him. A precarious position.

When I leaned closer to protest his insolence--that cruel send-off letter--he didn't wait for me to lose my balance...for he'd known all along how to topple me with one suggestive gaze of those crystalline eyes. No, Ferral simply stepped forward, grabbed me around the thighs, and hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A kicking, screaming, squirming sackful that fazed him not at all as he walked towards the cabin door.

"I don't WANT to go in there!" I cried. "I don't--"

"Fine. It's a beautiful night for outdoor loving. Because I do love you, Caressa."

"--want YOU, Ferral. Get your paws off me!"

He stopped in the clearing a few yards from the house, lowering me part way down his rugged front so he could gaze up into my face. "Liar," he whispered. "When I was proposing, like a proper gentleman, you couldn't get enough of me. If it hadn't been for that jackass Lovejoy, we'd be planning a wedding now. Looking forward to a lifetime of domestic bliss."

"Domestic? You, Ferral? I snapped. Then I swallowed a moan, because the sly dog was nuzzling my thighs, burying his face at their apex to sniff my scent through my skirts.

"You wouldn't want me that way." He inhaled deeply, preparing the rest of his playful rebuttal--and then stopped. Those pale blue eyes impaled mine in the twilight, and something silent and primal passed between us. Clasping my hips, he pressed his face into my crotch again, and with one quiver I was lost.

One swift yank got my skirts out of his way, and then his long, hot tongue found the slit in my drawers. I screamed, finding his shoulders with my knees to avail myself to him. Shamelessly I rubbed my cunt against his mouth, opening my hole to his probing...knowing that the strongest will and best intentions could never prevail in the presence of this wayward, wanton wolf.

My power rules like the moon, echoed in my mind as he lowered me to the grass. There's no turning away...no resisting my call. Once I've gotten what I want from you, you'll be gone. Ruined. Never forget that.

That truth burned into my being as the rest of my clothes were torn from my body. And yet, just as the truth had finally set Ferral free when he read Ravenna's letter, it could liberate me, too. I could not turn away from this man, nor could I resist this animal's call.

But when had being ruined ever felt so wonderful? I'd fallen hard at the start, and there was no sense denying the words he'd tried to scare me away with: they were the way Ferral Graves had declared himself mine, as much as he was calling me his.

I thrust up to meet him, moaning with the ecstasy of taking him in, all ten inches of that wondrous cock that made me insane...like everyone else in this world he ruled. The frenzy hit me fast, and as I clutched him, convulsing with spasms that came over me like a hurricane, he delved deeper. Rubbed the high side, so my clit felt electrified. Held my hips and rocked, maintaining a distance that allowed him to watch me lose myself while he saved me.

"God, you're glorious," he whispered. "I'm going to love you all night. Going to fuck you into forever, Caressa."

My body seemed to separate from my rational mind. I felt myself convulsing with a passion only this carnal lover could incite, yet I, too, was observing the way he toyed with me, rubbing just the right spots, just long enough, before moving on and keeping me frustrated. Above us in a night sky, where wisps of clouds frolicked, the full moon glowed down as though granting us its benediction...binding me to this man in ways I had yet to understand.

"Last chance to leave, rather than becoming my wife," he rasped, nearly ready to explode. "I've told you before that I want a family. If you can't deal with the possibility that our children will inherit my...animal magnetism, I'll understand. I'll always love you, but the choice must be yours, Caressa."

I wailed as another round of spasms overtook me, until my eyes went out of focus and I saw two moons...three. But the two outside images were not the moon at all: the cloud on the left swirled into a vision of Mama! She was smiling down at me, as I recalled so fondly from my childhood, her face alight with the wisdom that had guided me through many a seance and sitting.

Mama's gaze shifted to the cloud on the other side of the moon, and it became Ravenna Graves, looking young and beautiful and free...and quite interested in the way Ferral and I were going at it in the grass. The bottom of her glowing image shifted mysteriously, catching the moon's radiance, until I realized she was holding a baby! And then damned if she wasn't passing it down to me, with a knowing smile that jolted me even more than Ferral's intense lovemaking.

A child! Had I been so dense, or so naive, that I hadn't seen the signs? Katy DeShay's parting gesture and expression took on an obvious meaning now, as did all those times I'd wanted to vomit of late. An uncontrollable giggle bubbled up inside me and I clutched my handsome lover as the final waves of passion washed over me.

"Caressa? Are you all right?" he whispered against my ear. He was ready to climax, holding himself back to gaze at me with obvious concern. The silvery streaks in his hair glowed like those eyes...eyes that would forever possess and control me as they claimed my very soul.

"Never better," I managed in a pant. "Why do you ask, love?"

"For a moment your eyes crossed, and you sounded delirious--"

"I am, Ferral."

"--and I thought you'd literally left your body. And laughter isn't what a man expects when he asks about having children," he added quietly. He stopped rutting then, to lean down and kiss me so very gently my heart stood still. "Again, I can't expect you to want me as a husband--much less give me children. The dire consequences my condition might--"

"Yes, you can!" I blurted, swatting him playfully...bucking just enough to keep him on the edge of coming. "Dammit, Ferral! You knew, that first night you had me down on the floor, I couldn't resist you. Knew I'd fall for you in spite of your--because you're a wolf!"

"And besides," I continued, gulping for air and the confidence to make this awesome confession, "I'm already pregnant. You sly dog."

His face lit up, mirroring my own joy, and then he chuckled so hard his convulsions overtook him. As he shot me full of his hot wad, his laughter evolved into a hair-raising yet triumphant howl. And when he had control of himself again, his smile became indulgent...with that superior, arrogant edge that told me Ferral Graves would indeed rule every facet of our lives, just as he had since that magical moment we met. And he would always have the last word.

"I know you are, sweetheart. I did that our first time, out here in the yard," he whispered, trying not to look too damn pleased with himself. "It's a girl."



THE END