Free Firefly Hollow by T. L. Haddix

tides. But when it’s full? That’s like the brightest, sunniest day in summer. We bask in the glow, much like a flower opens under the sun. It’s simple nature, Owen, not some mystical power.”
    Owen hadn’t been satisfied by the explanation, so he’d set out to determine the truth for himself. To his consternation, his uncle was apparently right. Owen had conceded the fact to him on a visit to Laurel County when he was nineteen.
    Eli laughed. “Owen, you’re so skeptical. You can’t trust it if you can’t see it. I can hardly wait until you meet a young lady who makes you feel things you can’t see or touch. Then, maybe, you’ll understand a little better.”
    Owen endured the teasing, but only because he knew Eli felt real affection for him. He didn’t tell his uncle that he had no intention of ever letting a woman get close enough to enthrall him so much that he lost his head. He’d had a brief physical relationship the summer Sarah had gone away to school, but physical was all he’d let it be. Instinctively, Owen knew Sarah Browning could break through all his shields, which was the main reason he took pains to avoid her.
    As he walked her home, her unawareness sent something dark shooting through him. It would be too easy for Owen to jump on her and sink his teeth into the soft flesh of her throat. Conversely, he could shift back into his human form, where he was almost as strong as in his lupine form, and carry her to the top of his mountain with no one being the wiser until it was too late. It had been a long time since he’d felt the soft touch of a woman’s skin against his, and the emotional and physical need was part of what had driven him out tonight. He wasn’t physically aroused by her in his current form, but the mental need was there, riding him hard.
    All those dark thoughts raced through his head, but Owen knew he would never carry out the threat his sheer existence posed. The feelings she stirred in him gave him cause for concern, though. If Sarah stayed in the area, they were bound to meet. With her old enough to be his mate, she presented a temptation Owen didn’t know if he could resist.

Chapter Nine

    N OT FIVE MINUTES INTO HER interview with Superintendent Napier, Sarah knew she wasn’t going to be getting a job as a teacher anytime soon.
    “I’m sorry, Sarah. You’d be a welcome addition to the teaching staff at any of our schools. We just don’t have an opening, not this time of year. Next summer, we probably would be able to do something. But not right now.”
    They’d chatted for a few more minutes, then he showed Sarah out of his office with an understanding smile. “You don’t forget what I told you. Come July, I expect to see you back, application in hand.”
    Sarah kept a brave face until she reached her car, where she sagged back against the cloth seat. She hadn’t let her hopes get too high to begin with, but hearing the words spoken aloud had been disappointing. A quick glance at her watch told her it was nearing lunchtime, and she decided to head over to the drugstore’s lunch counter to grab a bite to eat. If she was lucky, Gilly would be working. Gilly’s parents owned the drugstore, and Sarah fully expected her friend, who was an only child, to take it over someday.
    Once she’d taken a seat at the counter and placed an order for a turkey club sandwich, Sarah had a few minutes to consider what her next move needed to be. Gilly brought the food over and sat it down, along with a mug of hot cocoa.
    “You looked like you needed it,” she explained when Sarah sent her a quizzical look. “Interview didn’t go well, I take it?”
    “No, not in the least. He couldn’t help me.”
    Gilly touched Sarah’s hand. “I’m sorry. I know you were counting on something coming through. What are you going to do?”
    Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. Mama mentioned hearing something about the library needing someone. I guess I’ll try there.”
    Gilly tapped her