How could thisbe?
Even as he struggled to understand why the change was occurring, an unseen force propelled him across the garden toward the gate. Rolfe fought against it every step of the way. He knew he was not permitted within these walls in wolf form, but he should not have become a wolf this day. He should have been able to remain with Annelise and tell her thetruth!
Love was supposed to be hissalvation.
What had goneawry?
Rolfe quickly found himself flung through the gate. When he landed on his four paws, he ran toward the open gate, but they closed againsthim.
He sat down in the snow,perplexed.
The curse had not been lifted by hisefforts.
Had the second djinn been wrong? Had he misunderstood her terms? Or had she deceived him, promising a reward then stealing it away when he had earned it? There was a lesson there on the deceptiveness of women, mortal or djinn, of which Rolfe should not have needed a reminder. Rosalinde had taught him that lesson, afterall.
He was a fool to have trusted the djinn and a worse fool for beginning to trust Annelise. And now he would have considerable time to consider hiserror.
Alone.
In the snow outside the palacewalls.
He lifted his head and howled infrustration.
* * *
Annelise awoke feelingwarm and content. She snuggled beneath the coverlet in the great bed and let her fingers ease between the linens in search of her amoroushusband.
He wasgone.
She sat up in surprise, her hair falling over her shoulder as the linens dropped to herwaist.
“Sir?” she asked, then shouted more loudly. “Sir? Where areyou?”
There was noreply.
Annelise wasalone.
She got out of bed to look for him, noting that there was no sign of his clothing. That great cloak was gone and so were his boots. She wondered how he could have abandoned her after the night they had spenttogether.
Then she noticed the flowers. They were scattered all over the bed and cast across the floor surrounding it. Annelise smiled with the certainty that her husband had left them for her. Their scent was familiar, both from her bath and from the garden last evening, but still she did not recognize theblossoms.
For an ogre who used such unusual means to find a wife, Annelise’s new husband had a definite measure ofcharm.
She picked up one blood red bloom and fingered its soft petals. She buried her nose in it and closed her eyes in recollection of the nightbefore.
Just the day before she had left Beauvoir’s bailey with the dawn. Had she truly wed the lord of this palace since then? Or had it all been adream?
The red stone winked in the ring on Annelise’s left hand as though it would confirm the truth to her. She supposed it must be a garnet, which was a valuable stone, and knew it was as real asshe.
She noticed the dried blood stain on the linens and considered it. It was clear she was a maiden no longer and she had not dreamedit.
She bent and smelled her husband’s skin upon the linens, then shivered in recollection of his caress in thedarkness.
She waswed.
The match wasconsummated.
Her husband had promised to reveal himself to her this morning. Annelise was more than ready to learn the worst about him and to see his truth. She would look upon him and not give any sign of revulsion, no matter how scarred he mightbe.
