The Shifter Romances The Writer (Nocturne Falls Book 6) (35 page)

“And that’s it? There’s no magic that will wear you down over the years? You won’t lose any of your life force to support it? No bad side effects?”

“Nope. You can talk to Pandora about it if you want.”

“I will.” He took hold of her shoulders again as what she’d just told him sank in. “Are you saying you can become a panther like me anytime you want to?”

She nodded. “Anytime. I’m never going to be a real shifter. I don’t have a half-form and my eyes will never glow, but I can turn into a panther just like you.”

“And you did this for me? For us?”

She scooted forward and put her hands on his knees. “Absolutely. I don’t want there to be anything we can’t share. If we’re going to give this relationship a fair shot, we need to be on equal footing. After what I went through the first time, I want everything to be right this time.”

“You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. I love you. And I love everything about you. No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.” He got to his feet and helped her up. “I know you just got out of an awful marriage, but I hope when the time comes you’ll be willing to talk about entering into a very different one with me. I can’t be without you, Roxy. I can’t.”

She swallowed. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“I…hell, yes, I am. Not today or tomorrow or even next year. Just whenever the time is right for you. Please tell me that doesn’t scare you away.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes bright with tears. “I’ve been trying not to tell you I love you for the last week. I thought it was too soon. Thought I couldn’t really know this soon. But I do. I can’t be without you either and I don’t want to be. So yes. When the time is right, I will. And to be honest, I don’t think it’s going to take that long for the time to be right.”

He scooped her into his arms and kissed her, hard. “Then there’s only one thing left to do.”

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is this thing going to make dinner late?”

“Yes.”

She moved her hands to his shirt and started unfastening the top button. “What else is it going to do?”

He knew his eyes must be glowing with all the emotion coursing through him. “It’s going to make you sweaty and tired, but when it’s over, you’re going to want to do it again.”

She laughed as he carried her around the couch and toward the bedroom. He picked his keys off the counter, and with her still in his arms, he headed toward the front door.

She frowned. “Um, shouldn’t we be headed toward the bedroom?”

“Nope.” He walked outside and went right to his car, where he put her on her feet and unlocked the passenger’s side door. “We’re going for a run.”

She let out a little gasp. “You mean like the way shifters do?”

He walked around to his side of the car. “Exactly like shifters do. What did you think we were going to do?”

She snorted. “Something else.”

“You have a dirty mind.” He winked at her. “The something else comes after.”

Roxy didn’t know what was more exhilarating. Running through the forests of Nocturne Falls as a panther with all the speed and agility of the big cat, or doing all that running while at Alex’s side, both of them in panther form. It was like the speed of driving the Vette, only so much better.

The run, and the night, wasn’t something she’d ever forget even though she knew they would repeat it many, many times over the course of their lives, a thought that brought her indescribable joy. She also couldn’t wait to use this experience in her books. The details she’d be able to add now would really bring the world of the shifters alive for her readers.

And, in a curious twist of fate, she felt as though Wolfgang and Marabella had become real to her. She could imagine what they would feel when they went for a run together, and how much more romantic it was than she’d ever realized.

At the end of the run, Alex brought them to a stop beside a waterfall and shifted back into his human form. He was still in his uniform, something that amused her to no end. He could have changed, but his eagerness to do this with her had trumped all else.

Verto
. She joined him in human form. “That was unbelievable.”

“And something I don’t get to do as often as I’d like, but I’m going to make more time for this in the future. So long as you’ll come with me.”

She linked her arm with his. “Always.”

He pointed at the water. “Look.”

She turned. Color played over the mist of the falls where the water caught the moonlight. “That’s beautiful.”

“It’s a moonbow. They’re kind of rare, but we get one on the falls almost every full moon.” He put his arm around her and they stood that way for a long time, letting their heartbeats slow after the run and enjoying the evening air.

At last he kissed her temple. “Have you changed your stance on soul mates or do you still think they can only exist in books?”

She smiled. “I think I believe in them now. In fiction and in reality.”

“Good. Because I know you’re mine.”

She looked up at him. “You’re so sure.”

He took a breath. “I am.”

“How?”

“I can’t imagine being with anyone else. I think about you when I wake up and when I’m going to sleep. You’ve brought a new kind of happiness into my life. How can you not be my soul mate? How can we not be meant for each other?”

She turned into him, pressing herself against him. “You make a very compelling argument.”

He slipped his hands to her waist, then coasted them down her body to cup her backside and pull her closer. His mouth bent in a wicked grin. “I forgot to mention how physically compatible we are.”

“Maybe you should remind me.”

His grin broadened. “Ready to go back, then?”

“Nope.”

His brows lifted. “Right here?”

“Right here.”

His eyes gleamed with gold, and a soft rumble spilled out of him. “Is that so?”

She shrugged one shoulder, so deliriously happy that it was an effort not to laugh out loud. This man was her future. She knew that without question. And she was going to enjoy every moment with him. “You did say it came after…”

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About the Author

Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists, entertaining stories and unforgettable characters. She currently writes the best-selling paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers:

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Other books by Kristen Painter

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Nocturne Falls series:

The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

The Werewolf Meets His Match

The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

The Professor Woos The Witch

The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story

The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story

The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée

The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise – short story

The Shifter Romances The Writer

Sin City Collectors series:

Queen of Hearts

Dead Man’s Hand

Double or Nothing

Box set

STANDALONE PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

Dark Kiss of the Reaper

Heart of Fire

Recipe for Magic

Miss Bramble and the Leviathan

COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY:

Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case – A Nocturne Falls Mystery

URBAN FANTASY

The House of Comarré series:

Forbidden Blood

Blood Rights

Flesh and Blood

Bad Blood

Out For Blood

Last Blood

The Crescent City series:

House of the Rising Sun

City of Eternal Night

Garden of Dreams and Desires

Nothing is completed without an amazing team.

Many thanks to:

Cover design: Janet Holmes

Interior formatting: Author E.M.S

Editor: Joyce Lamb

Copyedits/proofs: Marlene Engel