Magnus keeps watch outside while I go into the barn to spend the night with the animals. Even with Magnus here, I want to stay close to my livestock in case the predator returns.

I close my eyes for what seems like a minute, and when I open them it's later in the night. Through the hole in the barn's roof I see the moon is high. It must be after midnight. I never know exactly what time it is. There's no need to know.

Shasta remains half-asleep in the straw beside me as I quietly get up to check on Magnus.

When I look outside, he's not there.

I call out to him, afraid to be too loud. “Magnus?”

He emerges from the shack with a mug in his hand. “Shouldn't have drank all those beers. Made some coffee on the wood stove. Hope you don't mind,” he says.

“Why don't you get some sleep? I'll take a watch,” I say.

He looks out into the dark woods. “Nah. You can't see what I see,” he says.

“And what do you see?” I ask.

Magnus takes a seat on a barrel outside the barn. His tone grows somber. “I see a beautiful, brave girl who doesn't know how much trouble she's stumbled into,” he says.

I step closer to him, taking the mug from his hand and sipping from it. “And I see a beautiful, brave boy who doesn't know how much trouble he's stumbled into,” I say. I lean forward and kiss him, uncertain of his reaction. He smells like the forest: rich and musky.

He kisses me back, hard, like it's something he's been waiting to do forever. “I can't, Ash,” he says.

He says he can't, but he's still kissing me.

“Ash, this is…forbidden. If the Gray Wolves find out, it could be bad for you,” he says.

My hand slips under his shirt. His abs feel like hardwood. “Who are the Gray Wolves?” I ask.

He's breathing hard now, pressing against me, getting aroused. “The Elder Council. Our kind aren't supposed to mix with outsiders,” he says.

I've been alone for so long. I'm not letting him get away. My hands slide down below his belt. “But I'm Wolfheart. Maybe they'll give you a pass,” I say.

Magnus moans and lifts me off the ground. His arms are made of steel. I've never touched a man so powerful.

He carries me into the barn and we fall into the hay. Shasta wisely leaves as Magnus tears the shirt from my body. He's so hungry for me, he's literally growling. No man has ever been this excited to be with me!

My shoulders suddenly burn. I look down and see deep scratches. “Magnus, stop,” I say.

He pulls away from me and I see his face in the moonlight. It's the face of a fanged beast, half Magnus, half wolf!