Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

he demanded in a hushed whisper. "Was that a blood vow?"
    "Yes."
    "I didn't know you had magic."
    "All blood has magic, even yours. If she breaks the vow and comes back here, she'll have nothing but bad luck the rest of her days. She's gone for good, baby. You're safe," Charlie said, his heart rate calming as he caressed Luke's huge chest, reassuring himself they had indeed dodged their first bullet.
    Luke wrinkled his face as he thought about that. "So I betrayed a friend just to save myself?"
    "More like save the world," he told him with a smile. "If Margo or anyone in the Cause ever got their hands on the grimoire, there's no telling what could happen. They could find a witch to write the rest of the spell, find the kid and destroy the world. You've been in a war for a long time, even though you never knew it, baby. We just won our first battle. This is a good thing."
    Luke placed his big hands on Charlie's slender shoulders, rubbing him lightly. For the first time since they met, acceptance of the seriousness of their situation shone clear in his face. "What would've happened if you hadn't been here?"
    "But I am here," he reassured him, wrapping his small arms around that solid waist. "And I'm not going anywhere. I will do anything to keep you safe. Even if it means turning vampire and killing every one of them to do it."
    Luke crushed him to his body in a hard embrace. "No, I don't want that."
    The warm, solid feel of his lover holding him close made the whole incident seem like a distant memory. All he could recall was being with his bond mate, in his arms, content and happy. He sighed then pulled back to look up at Luke's gorgeous face. Feeding from Charlie had erased all the fine lines around his eyes, his skin appearing more supple and youthful than before. He looked about thirty rather than his actual forty-five. "Then we will just have to be careful, wont we?"
    Nodding, Luke agreed. "Very careful."
    With a grin, he burrowed deeper into his bear's embrace, satisfied they were safe for now. Whoever had placed them together—be it Fate, destiny or some crazy witch—it no longer mattered. He was home.
    Charlie pursed his lips as a thought occurred to him. "So do you know the werewolf Margo is after?"
    "He was a friend, a long time ago."
    The way he said 'friend' made Charlie think there had been more than a friendship but he didn't want to hear it. Luke belonged to him and whoever lived in their past could stay in the past. "Well, lucky for you, Margo was more interested in him than us."
    "Do you think she'll hurt him?"
    Shrugging, Charlie said, "He's her mate, so I have no clue. Wolves fight each other all the time, but they can take care of themselves. You, on the other hand, cannot. That's why I'm here."
    Luke kissed his forehead, his body engulfing Charlie with love and gratitude. "My hero."
    He chuckled. "I believe you're the one who saved me first."
    "No," his lover whispered. "We saved each other."
    THE END
    Author bio: Bestselling erotica author Deanna Wadsworth leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her hubby of 15 years and three demanding little dogs. She has a fascination with the exotic and taboo but her love of love in all its stages and incarnations motivate her to write Romance with Spice and Love without Boundaries.
    You can find her on Facebook , her blog , and Goodreads .
    You can also buy her books at Decadent Publishing and all other reputable ebook distributers.
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THE WAR AT THE END OF THE WORLD
    by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane

    I could feel him slipping away from me, his pulse was weak and thready, his skin ash white. He was so young, and gorgeous. I'd sworn not to use my power any more. I knew what healing took from me. I'd even come to believe that it wasn't my place to save those whom the spirit had called over. But his hand was strong in mine, his fingers long and elegant, the nails a little ragged, a callus just there... I closed my eyes and pushed into him, finding the breaks, the torn vessels, the pooling blood. I let healing pour out from me into him. Not too much, just enough to keep him alive. His eyes opened and they were storm-grey and brilliant. He looked up at me and whispered, "I know what you are."
    ~ Kaje Harper

    genre: historical, paranormal
    tags: writer; military men; no sex; mythical creatures; ghost; dark; disabilities; fairytales/folklore; bonded; tear jerker; World War II
    content warnings: violence; death
    word count: 10,470
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