~One month later~
Abby smiled at the sight of the home that Broden had worked to build. Though he’d had plenty of help—his brothers and, yes, even his father—it was still a marvel what they’d managed to accomplish in only a month. The cabin was, like Broden himself, a little small and a bit scarred where some of the logs didn’t quite fit right and had to be patched awkwardly, but, like Broden, she loved it all the more for those reasons. It was, when all was said and done, hers.
The time it had taken to build was enough to square away the rest of the affairs, and, being a regular hand in the building process, Bowen had finally come around and come to embrace Abby as more than just a human, but, in fact, a daughter; a sound choice since she was to be his daughter-in-law. His first daughter-in-law if things went according to plan. Like Bowen, Abigail’s own parents had struggled a bit in the last month. Coping with the change hadn’t been easy for them, but Abigail had been pleased to see a genuine effort from them as they accustomed themselves to the changes. And while she was sure that it would be a while before her father fully came around, she was confident that her mother, who was warming up more and more to Broden and the rest of his family, would manage that.
And, with their new home resting securely between their respective family’s homes—halfway between the cave at the mountain’s peak and the village—they didn’t have to worry about ever missing a family event.
They could only hope, however, that there’d be enough food for Broden, who’d since rediscovered his appetite and an eagerness to fight for the last serving.
“Well, what do ye think?” he asked, his voice filled with hope and impatience.
“It’s perfect!” she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love it.”
“I added three guest rooms,” he smiled. “Just in case we find ourselves entertaining others.”
“Well,” she smirked and glanced over at him, “I’m afraid it’ll only have two guest rooms for others in the end.”
“What do ye mean?” he asked, confused.
Taking a deep breath, she laid a hand on her stomach and smiled up at him. His mother, Nelle, had figured it out even before she had, and the two had agreed that it should be kept a secret until he unveiled their new home to her.
“Ye’re going to be a father, Broden.”
* * *
Dana watched as the happy couple walked into their new home from the eyes of a crow perched in a nearby tree. The promise of a new start and new life and a new chance for Bowen’s family radiated off of the two, Bowen’s first born looking so certain and, she would have smirked had she been within her own body, so confident. The power of her curse—the bonds of her spell that tied him to the blonde—had given him a taste of his kind’s potential, and the stories of this that he’d shared with his family had only served to spur them all onward. For so long the trap had been set and waiting, and now, finally, it was about to snap shut on the lot of them. She smirked, watching in glee as she returned to her own body, far off and already cackling in the depths of the forest. Turning back and heading off to her own cave beneath the rotted trunk of an old, fallen tree, she reached out with a painted fingernail and carved out a notch in the trunk.
The first of many, she reminded herself.
Above this, seven runes that had been long ago carved and since waiting gleamed. As the fresh gouge in the dead bark flared, the first of the symbols—a jagged etching of a trident—flashed and began to dim.
“Soon things will fall into place…”
The End
* * *
Continue the Hunter’s Moon Curse series in book two, Moonlit Hunger.
* * *
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About the Authors
Megan J. Parker lives in upstate New York and is normally found lounging in the writing office with her husband and fellow author, Nathan Squiers. Since the debut of her first novel, Scarlet Night, Megan J. Parker has gained international recognition and has been a bestseller in paranormal romance and dark fantasy. Her first novel, Scarlet Night, also was a runner up for 2013’s Best New Series Award on the blog, Paranormal Craving. In 2017, she became a USA Today bestseller with her title, Dark Melody.
Nathan Squiers resides in Upstate NY with his wife and fellow author, Megan J. Parker. Nathan is usually found in his writing lair where he is either typing away at his latest work or staring out the window as he plots a new idea in the subspace of his mind. His first series, Crimson Shadow, is a bestseller on Amazon in both Dark Fantasy and Horror categories. Along with that, his Death Metal novel two awards in 2013 for best paranormal thriller and best occult. Nathan Squiers was awarded 2012’s best indie author of the year and has since then been rampaging the literary world with his take on vampires and the paranormal world. Nathan Squiers became a USA Today bestseller with his title, Gilded Revenge &
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