Mary tilted forward in a subtle attempt to escape contact with the hospital pillow; without a doubt, a breeding ground for plague-level germs. Pure politeness kept her from snatching the thing and tossing it as far and hard as she could. Well, that and she didn't want the staff to extend her stay to include a psychiatric evaluation. She was bursting with impatience to check out following an overnight stay. All she wanted was to return to her own clean sheets and her beloved sheep.

"As soon as Doctor Kane reviews your file, we'll process your discharge paperwork," Nurse Wylde announced with the prodigious authority of a battalion commander. She looked up from her clipboard to ask, "Now, do you require assistance getting dressed?"

"No, thank you." Mary shifted with restless energy. As soon as the RN left, Mary intended to vault off the bed and put on the change of clothing that Tammy had brought her from home.

"I'll help her," Tammy chimed in from her seat on a guest chair. Even though it was a double-occupancy room, the other bed had remained unoccupied during Mary's stay. She'd been treated for a couple of second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, and they'd kept her overnight to monitor her concussion.

Nurse Wylde dropped a nod and departed.

Mary shot to her feet. "Hand me my clothes. Hurry, before someone else stops by to check on me and they find some other reason to keep me longer."

Tammy passed over the folded clothing she held. "They're just being attentive. You can't blame them. You're something of a local celebrity now."

"Celebrity! Don't be absurd." Mary snorted and stole a nervous glance at the door to make sure it was shut. The staff had a disturbing tendency to announce themselves with one sharp knock and then enter without waiting for acknowledgement.

"I'm not kidding. The Wooly Acres barn fire is front-page news. They're making a big deal out of it, especially since the arsonist was your ex-husband and the sleaziest divorce attorney in three counties."

"God, this is last thing I need." Mary groaned. Her belly ached at the thought of her name being associated with a huge scandal. Hastily, she stripped off her hospital gown and started getting dressed. Pants first, since being caught with her lower half exposed had ten times as much embarrassment value as her breasts.

"Don't be so hasty to turn down your shot at fame. Maybe you can sell the movie rights and solve your financial problems. It's a great story. The press is lovin' the irony that Quentin got trampled to death by the sheep he tried to kill. Frankly, that bastard is fortunate to have died fast. If I'd gotten my hands on him..." Tammy made a neck-wringing motion with her hands, implying prolonged and excessive violence.

"At least Quentin can't hurt us anymore." Mary pulled her shirt over her head to hide her expression. While she'd hated her ex-husband, she couldn't bring herself to rejoice in his demise. Relief, though, she held in spades. Other than Mary's injuries, there'd been no other casualties. Her insurance should cover the cost of building a new barn.

The flock had taken the blame for Quentin's demise. Mary was more than content to keep Demetri's role in the matter a secret between the two of them. Even Tammy didn't know, and Mary intended to keep it that way so none of the surviving members of her ex-husband's coyote band had any reason to seek revenge.

"Yeah, that's good, too," Tammy agreed in an uncharacteristically subdued tone. She pursed her lips as though on the verge of saying something else.

A solid rap sounded on the door.

Hah! Just like she'd predicted! Mary opened her mouth, on the verge of crowing in triumph over having gotten fully dressed before the interruption arrived. In unison, Tammy and Mary faced the entrance. Surprisingly, however, no one burst in uninvited.

The visitor knocked again.

"Come in!" Mary called, and the door swung open to reveal Demetri.

Just the sight of Demetri—bigger and bolder than life—set her pulse to racing. Foremost, she wanted nothing more than to rush straight into his arms. She hesitated, however, because she wasn't sure he'd welcome the physical demonstration. They hadn't spent more than a few minutes together since the fire, and never alone. Things between them remained unresolved.

"Hey." Demetri smiled and eased into the room.

"Hi ya." Mary lifted her hand. She gulped while her stomach performed acrobatics worthy of an Olympic gymnast.

Their gazes locked. Demetri's direct regard seemed to pierce straight through her—all the secrets of her heart laid bare before him. She grew antsy and maybe even a bit fearful.

Prodigious silence settled over them. No one moved or spoke. After a minute or so, Tammy huffed in clear exasperation. "I'm going to step out. Find out what happened to Dr. Kane. I swear, that woman is like a stray cat."

"Okay, that sounds great." In her distraction, Mary hadn't the faintest clue what she'd agreed to. Across a great distance, she marked Tammy's departure.

The door banged shut.

"Are you ready to go home?" Demetri cocked his head to the side.

"More than ready, but I'm still waiting on the discharge paperwork. Where's Colleen?" Mary mustered a little smile, but her face felt plastic. She clasped her hands, but then succumbed to wringing them as angst achieved maximum velocity.

"At the ranch," Demetri replied. "She's keeping watch over the flock and waiting for the insurance adjuster to show. He was supposed to come by this morning but hasn't arrived yet."

"That's insurance for you." Mary nodded, but her great enthusiasm engine ran out of steam fast. And once she hit empty, only anxiety remained.

Pre-storm unease brooded in the air. Demetri cleared his throat, a jarring sound. She quelled the impulse to jump. Self-disgust replaced her anxiety. Mentally, she shook herself and shouted in her head, "Get a grip, woman!"

"Can we talk?" Demetri asked in a tone so serious it alarmed her.

Mary's stomach sank. Uh-oh, that couldn't be good.

"Sure. Should we sit?" She gestured toward the pair of guest chairs. She didn't really want to sit in the stiff furniture with the stroppy round table between them, but she had to offer. It was the polite thing to do.

"No." Without warning, Demetri closed the distance between them. He caught her shoulders in a firm grip. "I have something I need to say. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me speak my piece."

Startled, Mary tilted her head back to gaze into his face. The burning intensity in his blue eyes stole her breath away. His proximity invited intimacy. She ached to touch him. Since it made no sense to leave her arms dangling at her sides, she settled her hands on his waist. They held each other in that awkward embrace like teenagers at their first dance.

"Go ahead," Mary prompted, and sealed her lips to demonstrate her commitment to keeping quiet while he talked. Her anxiety remained but his touch went a long way toward soothing her jangled nerves.

Demetri narrowed his eyes and lowered his head a notch, adopting the distinct demeanor of a man who meant to tackle a problem head-on. An amused smile overtook her. In the time she'd known him, Mary had come to know that look only too well. She thought of it as his "ram-style" approach to communication issues. When compared to her ex-husband's sly and manipulative tactics, blunt honesty counted as a definite improvement.

"I owe you an apology," Demetri began.

"For what?" Mary burst out. When he placed his finger over her lips, she blushed. Well, that counted as the shortest-lived promise of her life!

"For hurting you like I did." Demetri settled his hand on her back once again. The declaration begged the question, but this time, Mary managed to stay silent.

She nodded to encourage him.

"Last night, I almost lost you," Demetri continued in the tight voice of a man who didn't easily talk about his feelings. "In the fire, when I broke through to the birthing stalls and didn't find you with Pepper and Hope, my heart stopped. It was the worst moment of my life. I was more scared than I've ever been, and I'm never afraid of anything."

"Last night was scary." Mary clung to him. Apprehension rolled through her like the worst-ever case of seasickness, but also something far more frightening, even dangerous. A tiny flicker of hope flared to life in her soul.

"For me, it was an epiphany. In that instant, when I faced losing you, my entire life unfolded before my eyes. I've lived in my father's shadow. I told you how Krios walked out on me and my mother?"

"Yes," Mary said in a tiny voice.

"For me, it was rough growing up without a father, but that bastard broke my mother's heart. She never remarried. She gave up."

"I'm so sorry." Tears stung her eyes, and her throat tightened. Her heart ached for him. It hurt to imagine what loneliness and sorrow an abandoned mother and son must've endured in the cruel centuries of the past.

"I swore I'd never do that to anyone—a promise I've kept for three-hundred years. It wasn't until last night that I realized what a fool I've been. Avoiding commitments has kept me from hurting anyone, but it's also become my excuse for never having to take a chance on a relationship that might actually break the curse."

"And Colleen never pointed this out to you?" Mary asked in a tone rife with sarcasm. She didn't even try to hide it. Of course, it amused her to hear the poor man speak of the startling revelation that'd taken him three hundred years to achieve. She could've told him all this last night, if only she hadn't run away.

Demetri grinned wryly. "She did, but I didn't listen."

Mary snorted, and bit her tongue against saying "I told you so." The flame of hope flared to a positive firebrand, burning in the center of her being. The road before them might still have its rough patches, but she was fairly positive they'd be traveling it together.

"This curse has defined my entire existence. No more. I'm not entirely convinced it can even be broken, but I want to take that chance—with you, Mary."

Her joyous heart skipped across the Grand Canyon. It took all her self-control not to get ahead of herself. Overcome with emotion, she cleared her throat and asked, "What about the curse?"

Momentary doubt crossed Demetri's face only to be replaced by dogged determination. "We have almost a full year together before that's a concern. I'll stay on the ranch with you. It's my hope that if we work on making our relationship work, the curse will lift."

"And if it doesn't?" Mary despised having to focus on the worst-case scenario, but the pragmatist in her had to do it. Her worries and doubts had to be addressed before she'd feel secure in whatever happiness she and Demetri forged together.

"Then I have a backup plan for that, too." He tightened his grip on her, fast and firm, as though the Aries Curse meant to rip her away from him right then and there. His vehemence both frightened and reassured her.

"What's that?"

Words spilled out of Demetri in a torrent. "Should the curse kick in and I'm forced to leave, you should come with me. We can travel the world together. There are so many wondrous places out there that you've never seen, Mary. I could show them to you. So long as we keep moving, we can outrun the curse."

"You want to cheat fate?"

Demetri's gaze burned with fierce resolve. "I want to determine my own destiny, and I want to be with you. If the only way to accomplish that is to cheat, then yes, I'll do that, too."

"Demetri," Mary began, raising her hands. She wasn't rejecting his plan. She just wanted to put the brakes on so she could ask a few questions. Her mind whirled, and she wasn't sure how to put her feelings into words.

"I know it's asking a lot," Demetri continued with marked passion. "You'd have to leave your flock. My work with the Aries Foundation has to do with locating and rescuing sheep that carry the shifter gene. You wouldn't have to give up your lifestyle. Just change it a bit. I can afford to hire a caretaker for your ranch. Your sheep would be well cared for and you could visit them—"

"Demetri," she tried again.

"Mary, you have to listen. I refuse to allow this to be the thing that determines my life anymore." Demetri thrust his fist upward, flashing the helm tattoo on his forearm.

Mary blinked and automatically dropped her gaze to the Aries Curse mark. Before her eyes, the stylized helmet shimmered. She blinked to focus her vision. Curiosity gripped her when it kept moving.

"Demetri, look." Mary caught his arm and tried to draw his attention to the tattoo, which rippled like wind on the water. Wonderment filled her when the mark broke apart into ashy-snow.

"I love you, Mary. I want to marry you."

The Aries Curse mark disappeared off his bicep.

Jubilant laughter burst from Mary. "Hush up, you silly man! If you'd just let me get a word in edgewise!"

Demetri jerked his chin up. Indignant outrage crossed his countenance, and she suspected she'd injured his male ego. Despite her amusement, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Mary rose on her toes. She caught the back of his head in one hand, and gripped his arm in the other.

"It's gone." She forced his gaze to the vanished tattoo.

He grunted and looked, and then looked again. A full-throated exclamation burst from him. He performed a double take and checked his entire arm as though the Curse Mark might've decided to play hide 'n' seek.

Mary waited, giving him the time and the space he needed to process the miracle. The whole time, she smiled so hard it hurt. Exuberance welled up from within the depths of her soul. The happiness she held for him stretched without bounds. It overflowed.

When Demetri lifted his gaze, amazement lit his entire face. In a reverent voice, he said, "Amazing. Your love has broken the curse."

"Our love." Mary blinked. Tears trickled down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Demetri. My answer is yes," she said softly. "I will marry you."