Free Taming Her Heart by Marisa Chenery Page A

sheets.
    Maggie didn’t bother to sit up, and only turned her head to look at her friend. “Speaking of lying, you weren’t exactly truthful with me last night, when you’d assured me this was the guestroom and that you’d take care of Dolf for me.”
    Giving her an unrepentant look, Cydney shrugged. “I’d totally do it again. As for me handling Dolf, well, I’d figured the best thing was to just let him have you. That way, you’re both happy, and don’t tell me you aren’t, because you look like a woman who’s been well loved. Plus, you now have Tiw’s mark on your back. You and Dolf are mated.”
    Not caring she was butt naked under the covers, Maggie threw them back and made a beeline for the en suite. She flipped on the light, turned with her back to the mirror above the sink and looked over her shoulder at her reflection. High up on the right side was the Anglo-Saxon god’s mark, clear as day. Unlike Cydney’s, which had first appeared as a bruise before fully developing, it seemed Maggie’s had shown up overnight.
    “Are you okay?” Cydney asked once she stepped into the bathroom.
    Maggie couldn’t tear her gaze off the mark. She slowly nodded. “Yes. I’m just a little shocked I guess. Dolf and I had a great night together. I just forgot about…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
    “The whole mating business.” Cydney said for her.
    “Yeah. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was just happy that Dolf no longer scared me, since I found myself attracted to him.”
    “You’re meant to be with him, Maggie. Deep down inside, you know that, or the mark wouldn’t have appeared. Sometime during the night, you had to have accepted Dolf for what he is. All that’s left is to have Tiw grant you immortality, so you and your mate can have the same forever together that I have with Wulfric.”
    Maggie turned to face Cydney. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. It’s all happening so fast. I don’t even know if I can handle any more shocks like this one.”
    Cydney grimaced. “Well, I guess I better not tell you what I was going to say next then.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “No, you don’t. I’m not letting you get away with that. Spill it.”
    “If you insist. I’ll be quick and to the point. Chris lives here now and he’s a werewolf. Dolf found him the other night, but since he’s not anything like the rest of Fenris’ get, Tiw has allowed him to stay and wants Dolf to train him to be a warrior. Dolf first thought he’d be able to use Chris, and that was part of the reason why he’d brought him to the mansion.”
    “To use him how?”
    “After he found out how close you and Chris are, Dolf wanted him to spend time with you, then reveal what he was to you, hoping you’d be able to accept Chris, and then in turn, him.”
    “Really now?” Maggie was taken aback for a few seconds by the news of Chris being a werewolf, but she quickly found herself a little ticked off that Dolf had neglected to mention that fact. Or about Chris living in the mansion.
    Maggie walked out of the en suite and into the bedroom. She took out the change of clothes she’d brought from home and quickly jerked them on. She intended to have a little chat with Dolf. But first, she wanted to see her friend, to get to the truth of how he was handling being turned.
    “Where can I find Chris?” she asked Cydney as she pulled open the door.
    “He’s in the real guestroom. Two doors down and on the right. You’re going to give Dolf crap, aren’t you? And more importantly, are you mad at me for not saying anything?”
    She turned back to Cydney. “I’m not angry at you. I know you thought keeping it from me was for the better. To protect me. At least, you told me, and didn’t let me find out for myself.” Maggie sighed. “And I’m not really mad at Dolf, either. I’m just a little ticked off he’d try to use Chris in that way.”
    “Before you go off on him, you should know Dolf could’ve taken