Defying Destiny (45 page)

Wolves has diminished, so I decided that

it would be a good idea to try to find a

position

with

Dr.

Sabin,”

Emma

explained.

“A whole pile of Wolves, huh?” Jared

asked.

“Not so many,” Maralee insisted.

Emma looked as if she wanted to say

something further, but she decided against

it.

“So,” Jared said, still glaring at Nash

who was glaring at him. “How long have

the two of you been married?”

Maralee and Nash exchanged glances.

“We’re not actually married,” Maralee

admitted. “Yet.”

“Is he the one who left you so

brokenhearted?” Jared asked her bluntly.

Maralee lowered her eyes and nodded

tersely.

“Do you know how many times she

cried over you?” Jared berated Nash.

“It’s none of your business,” Nash

said.

“I was the one who dried her tears and

comforted her,” Jared said, “therefore, it

is my business.”

Nash’s golden eyes narrowed and he

made a sound as close to a growl as a

human could produce.

“Not here, Nash,” Maralee warned.

Jared was appraising Nash more

carefully now, as if he suddenly

recognized something in him. “You seem

familiar,” he said. “Have we met

somewhere?”

Nash was tense in his chair. He

seemed about ready to spring across the

table. Maralee took his hand to try to calm

him. He clung to her fingers and took a

deep breath.

“I don’t think so,” Nash said

guardedly.

Jared examined him for a moment

longer before he turned his attention to

Maralee. “So where is that miraculous

dog of yours?” he asked. “I’d like to

challenge him to a rematch sometime.”

“Rematch?” Emma asked.

Jared looked at his new employee and

smiled. Emma flushed. “Maralee has a

dog that plays chess.”

“Not really,” Emma gasped, turning

her questioning gaze to Maralee.

“She sold him to a circus,” Nash said.

“Isn’t that where you said he belonged?”

“You sold him?” Jared asked Maralee,

obviously surprised.

“No, I didn’t sell him,” Maralee

insisted. “He’s waiting at home.”

Phyllis burst into the dining room.

“Breakfast is served,” she said cheerily.

The innkeeper’s wife smiled at Jared,

Emma and Maralee but scowled darkly at

Nash.

He pretended not to notice, but

Maralee couldn’t ignore the way everyone

seemed to be treating him so rudely. She

lifted the hand she was holding beneath

the table to rest on its surface in plain

sight of everyone present. She stroked his

fingers lovingly, smiling at him when he

gave her a questioning look.

“We should hurry to finish our

shopping,” she said, just loud enough for

the others to hear. “I’m looking forward to

getting you alone upstairs.”

He looked surprised that she had

uttered those words in front of polite

company. He glanced at Jared and

grinned, before turning his head to stare

deeply into her eyes. “We can go upstairs

now, if you’d like.”

Jared paled. Emma flushed. Phyllis

made a sound of disbelief.

“I do love you, Nash,” she murmured

to him, letting it show in her dreamy eyes

so no one would mistake her feelings. She

wanted them to see what she saw when

she looked at him, though it was probably

impossible for anyone to see him the way

she did. He smiled at her and touched her

face.

“You know I don’t give a damn what

these people think of me,” he said.

Jared flushed. Emma paled. Phyllis

made another sound of disbelief.

“You’re more forgiving than I am,”

she reminded him.

“Uh, Emma,” Jared murmured, tearing

his gaze from the scene Maralee and Nash

were making. “Where did you go to

school?”

Emma was a bit too eager to answer

his question. She seemed glad to be given

a reason to ignore the passionate, loving

couple across the table.

Nash winked at Maralee and turned

his attention to his breakfast. He didn’t

much care for the thick, creamy porridge

but he ate it with vigor. Maralee’s

appetite was entirely lacking. She couldn’t

help but think Nash had been right when

he’d said they didn’t fit anywhere. It was

obvious that they didn’t fit here.
I’ll find a

place for us
, she promised herself.
No

matter what it takes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay the

night at the inn?” Nash asked Maralee for

the third time since they had left the

mercantile.

“I’m sure,” she insisted. “I’m eager to

get home.”

He paused in the middle of the street,

heedless of an approaching sleigh.

“Because you’re ashamed of me?”

Her eyes widened. How could he even

think such a thing? She took his arm and

pulled him safely out of the street, before

looking up at him.

“Of course I’m not ashamed of you,”

she said. “I’m ashamed…I’m ashamed of

everyone else. I can’t stand the way they

treat you.”

He shrugged. “It’s always been that

way, Maralee. They just notice me more

when you’re with me. I’m not as good at

blending into the shadows with you at my

side.”

“That’s just it, Nash. You shouldn’t

have to blend into the shadows. It’s not

like you’re some kind of a monster or

something.”

He surprised her by laughing.

“What’s so funny?” she asked him

angrily. She was being serious.

“I just remember someone calling me

that once,” he murmured, running his

knuckle down her nose.

“Who?” she blurted, before covering

her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. I

didn’t really mean what I said to you that

day. I was just so shocked. Looking back,

I can’t figure out why I didn’t realize that

you were…well...what you are.”

“And what am I, Maralee?” he asked,

no longer sure himself.

“A wonderful man,” she told him.

“Mine.”

“Yours?” he challenged.

She faltered. “You are, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sure. I thought I might take

you to the inn and show you, but you don’t

seem interested.”

“It’s not that,” she insisted. “I just

want to go home.”

He watched her avoid his eyes for a

long moment, oblivious to the passing

traffic and the stares they were drawing

from interested passersby. “I understand,”

he murmured finally and started walking

back towards the woods.

Maralee hurried to catch up with him.

“Nash?” she questioned when he ignored

her.

He gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s

okay. Sometimes the only thing to do is

run away.”

“I’m not running away,” she insisted.

“I just…I just want them to see you the

way I do and when they don’t, I…I can’t

stand to look at them.”

He took her hand. “I know. I feel the

same way when we’re in my village and

my people see you as nothing more than a

threat.”

“What are we going to do, Nash?” It

seemed that everyone was against them. It

might be easier if they just gave up.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “If I

could only break the curse on my people,

then maybe I could concentrate on making

a life with you, but…”

Her hand slid into his and gripped it

tightly. He had yet to realize the last page

of the sage’s book was missing or the

reason why Maralee had been compelled

to burn it.

“I know it seems like we’ll never be

able to make our life together,” he said,

“but there has to be something in that book

to help us break the curse.”

“It’s all right if we stay like this,

Nash,” she said. “I’m happy as long as I’m

with you.”

“This isn’t what I want for you,

Maralee, for us. I need to break this curse.

My entire life has revolved around it up

until now and I don’t feel I can fight for us

until it’s gone. Does that make sense?”

She wished that she could tell him that

he was crazy, but she understood too well

what it meant to have your soul bound to

duty. She nodded, avoiding his eyes. She

didn’t care if that damned curse was ever

broken, especially if it meant that Nash

had to sacrifice himself to remove its

burden. At least she didn’t have to worry

about him dying by her blade. Her father’s

sword was lost to her now. She had never

recovered it after she’d tossed it into a

snow bank on the night of the last full

moon. If she no longer possessed her

sword, then she couldn’t use it to kill him

as she did in her dreams. Right?

They entered the forest and separated

to traverse the narrow path with their

large backpacks full of wares. Maralee

followed Nash, lost in a sea of doubt. She

felt his life would have been so much

easier if they had never met. She had taken

his brother from him. She was a wedge in

his close-knit family. Her book revealed

to him he wasn’t full Wolf. Her dreams

prophesied his death. She forced him to

try to be something he wasn’t by making

him mingle with humans. How could he

think of her with anything but animosity?

She was still brooding when they

arrived at the village. It was nearly dark

when they entered the cabin and began to

unpack their purchases. The silence

between

them

was

heavy

and

uncomfortable,

but

neither

seemed

obligated to break it. After everything had

been put away, they stood silently in the

dark kitchen across from each other, both

burdened by their thoughts. Neither one

wanted to bring up the possibility that no

matter how good or perfect it felt when

they were together, it just wasn’t meant to

be.

“I’ll go light a fire,” Nash said finally.

“I’ll start supper.”

He turned to leave the room and

Maralee couldn’t seem to stop herself

from racing towards him and catching him

from behind in an embrace.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked.

He shook his head, lifting his hands to

covers hers which were interlocked

around his waist.

“Are we doing the right thing?” she

asked. It was a question that she didn’t

want him to answer truthfully.

“What do you mean?”

“You and me together. Is it…
right
?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I feel

right when I’m with you but…”

“But not when anyone else is there,”

she finished, for her feelings mirrored his.

“It’s not fair,” he murmured. “Why

should it matter what other people think?”

“It doesn’t,” she said, but she knew

that wasn’t entirely true. It did matter that

others looked at them and thought what

they had together was anything but perfect.

“I should go…talk to Rella.”

“Tomorrow,” she urged. “Tonight it

should be only us. No curse. No family.

No obligations. No worries. Nothing but

us.”

He nodded. “We’ll forget about the

rest of the world for tonight,” he agreed.

“I’ll love you the way you were meant to

be loved—without any reservations.”

She held onto him for a while longer.

Clinging to his strength made her believe

they could overcome anything as long as

they were together.

“Let’s have dinner and then we can

stretch out in front of the fire and talk,” he

murmured, not seeming to mind that she

depended on him so completely.

She grinned. “Talk?”

“Among other things,” he promised.

“I guess I have to let go of you now.”

She pressed her cheek up against his back

and closed her eyes.

“Just for a minute.”

“All

right,”

she

agreed,

arms

tightening around his waist.

She inhaled his scent and then

regretfully released him. He didn’t move

away immediately and she was pleased to