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  When they found out Rudolph wasn’t into the ladies, they had to get more drastic. Templeton thought of taking her place, but it was clear Rudolph only had eyes for Wenderly.

  Every project the two of them invested in only drove Templeton more insane with rage over the money that he felt belonged to him.

  He knew all about the family curse, so when he had the opportunity to steal the magical figurine from a wizard staying in one of the cabins, he took a chance.

  The rest of the story, killing Rudolph, accidentally killing Selden, she and Van had figured out already on their own.

  Beryl told them Selden had been the breaking point. She was already sick with grief over Rudolph, and after Selden, she had tried to stop Templeton, but he was out of control. And when Henry came into the picture, she knew she could never be a part of it, no matter what it cost her. So Templeton overpowered her, and tied her up, telling her he’d deal with her later.

  Of course, after Templeton’s body had been found the next morning, a look of fear frozen on his face, she didn’t really need to worry about him anymore.

  The police had taken her in as an accessory to murder, much to Henry’s chagrin. Henry wasted no time appointing Jack Wenderly as the head of the Rudolph Barrymore Foundation. Then he’d spent almost every waking hour since visiting with Beryl and planning her defense.

  Dulcie didn’t need to guess. She could read the bright waves of love between them.

  Still, she’d be sure Henry got a good prenup when the time came.

  They pulled up in front of the building. As always, Dulcie admired the sturdy brick of the Victorian facade.

  “Ready?” she asked Van.

  He nodded and they moved to the front door.

  Dulcie leaned over the knob to open the lock box. In a perfect storm of optimism, the combo was W-I-N.

  She slipped the whole box off and handed Van the key that was inside.

  “All yours,” she told him with a smile.

  “Half Henry’s until I buy him out,” he corrected her, but he was smiling too.

  After Henry had recovered from that night in the clearing, he decided it would be a good idea to learn how to protect himself.

  Van had offered him private lessons at the mansion, but Henry told him he had something else in mind. Another way to use his uncle’s money to improve the town.

  Van unlocked the door and held it open for her.

  Inside, light streamed in the enormous original windows and burnished the pine plank floors.

  It was perfect.

  The perfect place to open a martial arts school for adults and children, a gym where the community could learn self-defense and discipline.

  And upstairs, the MMA studio Van had dreamed of, a place for him to train hard with the handful of downstairs students he hoped would show promise.

  Dulcie looked up at Van.

  His jaw was still tense.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “Is this… too much?”

  “It’s not enough,” he said darkly.

  “What more could there be?” she asked, stunned.

  And then he was on his knees.

  The light coming through the palladium windows glimmered in his eyes.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

  Dulcie began to tremble all over.

  “Dulcinea Alette, will you marry me?” he asked.

  Her eyes were so full of tears she could barely see. A week ago this would have scared her to death. But she was done being afraid. Thanks to Van.

  “Yes,” she said, wondering at her own steady voice, and at the sure feeling that was behind it. This was right. This man made her whole.

  He slipped a ring on her finger, then looked down at it with great satisfaction.

  Dulcie blinked and saw the prettiest little diamond in a ring of gold.

  “But, Van, how did you ever…” she broke off, wildly embarrassed that she had almost asked him about money at a time like this.

  “It’s okay.” He smiled crookedly and he was more handsome than he had ever been. “I’ve been saving money since the first time you told me to. Back when we first met. And now it looks like I don’t need it for a down payment anymore.”

  The rasp in his deep voice was making her feel feverish.

  “And I’m glad,” he said. “Because I could not wait one more minute to make you mine, Dulcinea.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her off her feet, cradling her in his arms.

  Dulcie’s mouth found his and she lost herself again in the heady taste and scent of him, of her fiancé.

  His tongue stroked hers as he carried her to the single piece of furniture in the place.

  He placed her back on her feet in front of the red leather sofa in the office that would be his.

  “Put your arms up, baby,” he said.

  Dulcie raised her arms and he lifted her dress over her head in a single motion.

  Then he was on his knees again.

  “What are you doing down there? I already said yes,” she giggled.

  “No more jokes,” he reprimanded her, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

  “Why not?” she teased.

  “Because I don’t want to talk with my mouth full,” he said.

  His teeth were on her panties before she could laugh.

  And then Dulcie was lost again, delirious with the pleasure of his mouth and his hands.

  At last he laid her down on the sofa and eased his weight on top of hers.

  “I love you, Dulcie,” he whispered, as soon as he was inside her.

  But the white halo around him had already told her that.

  “I love you, too, Van,” she whispered back.

  THE END

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  Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.

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  Curse of the Alpha by Tasha Black

  Curse of the Alpha: The Complete Bundle

  Ainsley Connor is determined to turn her back on her shifter past.

  But the wolves of Tarker’s Hollow call on her to choose the next alpha, and Ainsley becomes the object of desire for every eligible wolf in the quiet college town.

  Surrounded by seductive shifters, all desperate to claim her, Ainsley wants nothing more than to leave the pack behind forever. But her newfound passions will not be ignored.

  Ainsley soon finds herself torn between the mysterious stranger with the dark secret, the gorgeous and loyal friend from her past, and the hunky sheriff that wants her all to himself.

  And the shifters aren’t even the strangest part of Tarker’s Hollow.

  As she struggles to come to terms with her true nature, Ainsley is thrust into the center of a steamy web of shifters, ghosts, witches and warlocks, caught up in a life-and-death struggle for control of the pack she tried to abandon.

  But for Ainsley Connor, the toughest wolf she must face might just be the one inside herself.

  Building a Hero by Tasha Black

  Reconstructed: Building a Hero (Book 1)

  Some heroes ar
en't born...they're built.

  Westley Worthington has it all. Piles of money, good looks, a head for business, and a seemingly limitless supply of women who want to please him. And that's just the way he likes it. Until a brush with death causes him to rethink his priorities, and consider someone besides himself for the first time in his privileged life.

  Cordelia Cross has never had it easy. Her duty to her family has her working as an assistant to a man she hates just to pay her sister's medical bills. When her arrogant boss alienates his last true friend, she finds herself promoted from schedule-managing coffee grabber, to the newest member of West’s inner circle.

  Tempers, and passions, ignite as the two start spending time together, until a shocking accident puts their newfound attraction on ice. When West is faced with the toughest trial of his life, Cordelia helps him realize that he has all the tools he needs to be a force for justice.

  Together, they must turn West into the hero no one ever thought he could be.

  Click here to read for free as part of the Tasha Black Starter Library!

  Woodland Creek

  The Woodland Creek Series

  30 Authors. 30 Shifter Stories.

  Be sure to check out Woodlandcreekseries.com for more great stories from these fantastic authors:

  Scarlett Dawn, Aria Kane, Lia Davis, K.N. Lee, Hope Welsh, Calinda B, Alexia Purdy, A.E. Gatta, J. Rose Alexander, J.M. Witt, Carina Wilder, Sarah Makela, Tasha Black, Emily Walker, Elle Thorne, Nicole Blanchard, Tia Louise, Mandy Rosko, J.D. Hollyfield, Mindy Larson, M.C. Cerny, Xandra James, Raci Ames, Isobelle Cate, April Aasheim, Cherie Marks, Rachel M Raithby, Ever Coming, Jenni Moen, and K Webster.