“And your husband is that famous celebrity that all the women swoon over, the Blardonnay Guy!”
Brynley laughed. “I love his commercials, too. And I love his voice.” She motioned for Phineas to join her. “Come on, say it,” she whispered.
He nodded at the camera. “Hello, ladies.”
Brynley squeezed his arm. “I love it!”
He winked at her.
Maggie grinned at them. “It’s obvious you two are newlyweds. I’ve never seen a couple so in love. Now tell me, are the rumors true? Has our beloved Dr. Phang become part werewolf?”
Brynley nodded. “He’s been shifting every month on the full moon.”
“Amazing!” Maggie looked at Phineas. “And yet you’re still a vampire, too?”
“A little of both,” he answered. “We’re still figuring it all out.”
“And how do you like being a werewolf?” Maggie asked.
He grinned. “I like chasing my wife through the woods.”
Brynley shook her head, blushing.
“Even more, I like catching her.”
She swatted at his shoulder. “Hush.”
He assumed an injured look. “But of course, she’s the Alpha, so she thinks she can boss me around.”
“I do not.” Brynley nudged him with her elbow.
Maggie laughed. “And you’re living here in Wyoming?”
“We go back and forth from here to New York,” Phineas said. “I still work for MacKay S and I.”
“But he’s learning how to be a rancher,” Brynley added.
“I can see that.” Maggie pointed behind them. “That must be one of your horses?”
Brynley glanced back and smiled. “That’s the wild white stallion. He doesn’t belong to anyone. But he comes by to see us often.”
Phineas strolled over to the horse and patted it. The horse nudged him in the shoulder.
“He doesn’t look very wild to me,” Maggie observed.
“He likes Phineas,” Brynley said, still smiling.
Phineas swung onto the horse’s bare back. “Hello, ladies. Now I’m on a horse.”
Brynley snorted.
“And this is your home?” Maggie gestured to the side, and the camera shifted.
“Yes,” Brynley answered. “It was the old Haggerty ranch. My father bought it for us as a wedding present.”
“Really? That was very generous of him.”
“Yes.” Brynley nodded. At first, she hadn’t been sure they should accept her father’s gift. She suspected he was keeping them close, hoping he could use them someday. After all, she was the only female Alpha, and Phineas was also unique, possessing powers that no other werewolf had.
She smiled for the camera. “I love being here. This area is home to me, and my sister is close by, so I can see her often. And we have a really good friend just down the road, Nate Carson. He’s great guy and a vampire. And single.”
“Oh, did you hear that, viewers?” Maggie looked at the camera. “Now, what can you tell me about your house?”
Brynley grinned when Phineas rode by the house on the wild white stallion. “Well, frankly, it was a bit of a mess when we moved in. But we’ve been working hard to make it our own.”
“It was a fixer-upper?” Maggie asked.
“Yes. But once we moved all the dead werewolves out, and cleaned up the bloodstains, we slapped on few coats of paint, and it was as good as new.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “I see.”
“And we’re remodeling the bathrooms and kitchen,” Brynley added. “Putting in our own furniture.”
Maggie smiled. “I hear you’ve been working on one room in particular?”
Brynley blushed. “Yes. It appears the Lycan virus reactivated parts of my vampire husband. It caught us by surprise, but we’re very excited about it. I’m expecting twins.”
“We’re delighted for you!” Maggie hugged her, then turned to the camera. “Be sure to keep watching
“That’s a wrap!” Darcy lowered her video camera and turned it off.
“You’re done?” Phineas walked toward them.
“Congratulations, you two.” Darcy hugged them both.
“I’ll see you at DVN tomorrow night to shoot another Blardonnay commercial,” Maggie told Phineas.
She teleported away with Darcy.
“Another Blardonnay commercial?” Brynley asked.
Phineas smiled and gathered her in his arms. “We gotta pay for all this remodeling.”
She gave him a wry look. “So many names. The Blardonnay Guy, Dr. Phang, the Love Doctor. But do you know my favorite name for you?”
“Snout-Face?”
She laughed. “No. Husband.”
He kissed her nose. “That’s my favorite, too. For now.”
“You’re going to change your mind?”
“Maybe. I’m going to really like being Daddy.”
She hugged him tight. “I’m going to like that, too.”
Acknowledgments
Doesn’t this book have a beautiful cover? If you agree, you can join me in thanking Tom Egner and the art department at Avon Books/HarperCollins. I also want to thank Erika Tsang and Amanda Bergeron and the editorial department; Pam and Jessie and the publicity department; and all the others at HarperCollins who work tirelessly to make each book a success. My thanks also to my agent, Michelle Grajkowski.
Here on the home front, I have another support team I wish to thank: my critique group/best friends, MJ, Sandy, and Vicky, who miraculously never get tired of patting me on the back or kicking me in the rear; my children, who miraculously think I’m cool; and my husband, who miraculously believed in me from the beginning.
And then there are you, all of you readers who have embraced the Love at Stake series and kept it going for twelve books now. I thank you for keeping me happily employed. My characters thank you for keeping them alive. May they continue to bring you hope and joy.
About the Author
KERRELYN SPARKS is the
Please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com, where you can read excerpts, play vampire games, or join the forum. Kerrelyn loves hearing from readers, even those who howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512.
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