Free Unholy Night by Candice Gilmer

whipped cream mix into the drink. “And I had a visit from the Knights.”
    Neil blinked. Hell. He knew they’d go see her, they’d said so at the party. And he hadn’t thought about it at the time—he’d figured he’d be with her when she had to deal with them. Instead, she’d had to face them by herself.
    It’s a miracle she was here at all now. The Knights could frighten someone just by looking at them.
    “And how was that?” he asked, praying they hadn’t tormented her too much
    “Enlightening,” Marissa said. She sipped on her drink, wincing at the heat of it, and he grabbed the edges of the chair to keep from running up on the man who’d made her coffee and belting him for making it too hot.
    “Is that good?” he asked her.
    “I know I’m not crazy, anyway.”
    He smirked. “You’re not crazy.” His heart started to pound. Was she possibly considering that he wasn’t a freak of nature? That she might actually…
    No, it was too soon to think such a thing.
    Too soon to imagine she might actually not be frightened of him.
    “I was starting to think I was. Werewolves? And after talking with Kristy, I see they’re not the only creatures of the night that exist.” She stirred her drink some more before taking another sip.
    “No, pretty much any mythical creature you can think of are around, in some form or another.” He sipped on his coffee. He didn’t come in contact with too many, just the occasional vampire and other wolf packs, but he knew they existed.
    “I can’t say that I understand this, and I don’t know if I want to,” Marissa said, her hands trembling. “Just answer me two questions.”
    “Okay.”
    “You saved me that night in the parking lot, didn’t you?”
    “Yes,” he whispered.
    She stared off to a spot just over his shoulder. “I petted your nose,” she whispered.
    “Yes.” His heart ached in his chest at the faraway look in her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
    “Thank you,” she said, her voice barely audible, even for him. Then her eyes flashed at him. “Will you never leave me?”
    “Never,” Neil said. “Until I die, I shall be at your side.”
    Marissa nodded, and reached across the table. She touched his hand, and he felt his body ignite as she squeezed his fingers.

Chapter 8
    December 1st
    Marissa sat on Kristy’s deck, the winter a rather warm one. Kristy’s chimanaya was lit, and the two of them stared up at the full moon.
    “You know, I never really believed in psychics before, but that one gal, what was her name… The one at the party?” Marissa asked.
    “Charlie,” Kristy said. “She’d said she read for you.”
    “It took some time to figure out what she was talking about, but she was right,” she said. She’d spent almost every night with Neil since their meeting at Starbucks. They talked about many things, including how the werewolves lived, how their packs were structured, and how the Knights of Templar fit into everything.
    “She usually is.”
    “I didn’t realize until after your party that Neil was the one that saved me that night in the parking lot. All I could remember was a big dog.”
    “And how many times did he have to save you?”
    “Three times,” she said. “And he did.”
    “Well, what was the last one?”
    “He saved me from myself,” she said. And he had. Before Neil came into her life, she hadn’t been able to accept and deal with the loss of her family. Knowing that she now had an extended family of close to one-hundred in his pack brought a way for her to release the demons inside her, the ones that reminded her she was alone.
    She sipped on her margarita, the ice sliding down her throat feeling incredibly good, even on the chilly night. “What do you think they’re doing right now?”
    “Baying at the moon.”
    She smiled.
    Off in the distance, a howl could be heard, the sound of an animal, a dog or a wolf, crying out to the moon in the distance.
    Marissa glanced at Kristy.
    Both women