Free Black Wolfe's Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Avelyn McCrae Page A

daily radiation, I could have extended it a bit longer, but the end result would have been the same. I had no family, no close friends...nothing, really. Why postpone the inevitable? So, I quit my job, sold everything I had, which didn’t amount to much, and booked my ultimate fantasy vacation: a medieval castle on an isolated island, where I could live out whatever quality time I had left.”
    Her voice softened. “I knew the end would be bad. They warned me the cancer would spread and my body would shut down piece by piece. It would be painful. I didn’t want to live like that. I didn’t want to suffer.” She looked at him, willing him to understand. “I didn’t want anyone to have to see me like that or take care of me when I was no longer able to do so myself.”
    Derrick held her close, rocking her in his arms. “Ah, my sweet. Do not cry. It is over. It is all over. You are well now. Safe. Perfect.”
    She sniffed. “The cancer, it’s gone? It’s really gone?”
    “Yes,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You will never be sick again.”
    “But...how is that possible?”
    He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “What do you remember of that night? The night of the storm?” he asked, brushing the hair back from her neck to place a gentle kiss upon the tender skin, the skin now bearing his claiming mark.
    “I sensed it coming,” Angelica answered slowly, struggling to remember the night that seemed like a lifetime ago. “My head always hurt more when there was a change in pressure, like the kind that comes with the approach of a storm. I knew it was going to be a big one just by the amount of pain — it was excruciating. I stayed in my room all day with the blinds closed; even the light of the overcast skies was like a dagger to my eyes. Sleep was impossible, so I closed my eyes and drew the images I could remember. It allowed me to focus on something other than the pain. By the time I made it down to the breakers, I could no longer walk. I had to crawl.”
    Derrick tensed and his arms tightened around her, but she had to continue. He had to know.
    “I pulled myself as close to the edge as I dared. If I fell in too early, I would simply be washed ashore, a bit bruised and battered, perhaps, but nothing more. So I waited. Hoping, praying, it would be quick. That my body would be carried out to sea and no one would have to see...”
    She paused, her voice lost as the echoes of pain and despair prevailed. Derrick stroked her hair and placed his lips to her temple, instilling her with his strength.
    “Then, suddenly, I heard it. It was a distant roar deep inside my head as the searing pain grew to an unbearable intensity. I felt the shift in pressure miles above me before it reached the ground. It was the chance I had been waiting for.”
    “I pulled myself to standing and spread my arms in welcome. I felt the lightning course through my body a second before the wall of water hit me. It was stronger than anything I could have possibly imagined. It pushed me back, filling my mouth and nose and lungs in one violent rush. The burn of the salt water was so painful, I barely noticed being slammed back into the rocks. But as bad as that pain was, it was nothing compared to what was already in my head. And then, everything just...stopped.”
    She lifted her eyes to his face, her heart realizing something her mind had not yet quite accepted. “I...died, didn’t I?”
    His blue eyes darkened to a deep sapphire blue. “Your mortal body was damaged beyond repair, Angelica, but you did not die, not in the true sense of the word. Your soul, your life spirit, endured.”
    It was Angelica’s turn to stroke, to pet. Instinctively, she dropped her head and nuzzled his neck softly.
    “I pulled you from the surf that night,” he said, his voice laced with pain. “I held your battered, bleeding body in my arms, knowing you would not survive more than a few minutes. It was not nearly enough. I