The next morning, they were bumping along the road back to Sally’s house, Michelle cradling a leather-wrapped bundle in her lap. David had one hand firmly clasped in hers, and for a moment, she had the weirdest feeling this wasn’t her life, couldn’t be her life.

But then she looked over at him, and he smiled at her, making her heart leap and a tingle erupt deep inside her. A wave of dizziness washed over as a powerful feeling of love erupted inside her and spread, leaving her feeling warm and content.

Sighing, she looked out the window as the forest flew by and wondered how she was going to find the strength to do what she had to do. How she was going to face the doorway again, face the evil that emanated from the darkness and threatened to suck her in. She’d felt it when Molly opened the doorway, felt it pulling at her and remembered the terror she’d felt.

For a moment, she considered telling Sophie to turn the truck around and take her back. She wasn’t ready for this, wasn’t strong enough to face the evil black hole at the gravesite again. But then she remembered what she’d be walking away from, that if she ran, she’d lose not only David but all the other wonderful new people in her life.

She knew deep down that leaving had never been an option, that it was something she could never have done, that love or not, she’d have never turned her back on Molly, Jessie or Sophie. Suddenly, she understood that she was part of this, part of the evil that had been lurking in the forest all these years.

It also became clear to her that she was the only one who could end it, the only one who could close the doorway and free Molly from her prison. But now she also understood that although she had to face that evil, that she had always been destined to face it, she’d been given what she needed to face it.

Feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she sat up straighter and took a deep breath. For the first time since she’d been with her grandmother all those years ago, she opened herself to the magic swimming through her veins.

When they got to the little cabin deep in the woods, Michelle got out of the truck feeling stronger than she had in days. The power of her magic filling her completely for the first time in years, she took David’s hand in hers and walked toward Sally, who was waiting on the porch for them.

“You’re different today, young one; your magic flows through you,” Sally said, a look of surprise on her face. “I thought it would be harder to get you to open up. But this is good; it will make our work that much easier.”

Michelle stepped forward. “I’ve been running from my magic for too long,” she said.

Sally nodded, then poked the leather-bound book in Michelle’s hands with her finger. She pulled it back quickly and said, “You have Monique’s book.”

Michelle nodded. “She gave it to me,” she said. “I’ve never looked at it, but I thought now might be the time.”

“I guess it is,” she said, then hobbled toward the door. “Come, we have much to do before the new moon.”

When Sophie and David followed, Sally turned back to them and said, “I’ll only be needing Michelle for now; leave us be.” Then she pushed Michelle into the cabin.

“Wait,” David said, clearly not pleased. “I’m not letting Michelle out of my sight.”

Sally gestured to Michelle to stay where she was, then hobbled back onto the porch and put a gnarled hand on David’s arm. She looked up into his face, studied him for a second, then said, “We have much to accomplish before the new moon, and you, young man, are a distraction. I can feel the power surging in you, can feel your other side pushing to be let free. Go and run, feed your power. Michelle will be safe here with me.”

“But when will I get to see her again?” David asked, feeling Michelle’s loss as acutely as if it were forever.

Sally smiled up at him. “Are you willing to give her up for a few days in exchange for a lifetime?”

David didn’t even hesitate. “Of course.”

“Then be patient, give us the time to do what we must, and when the time is right, you’ll know. Now, it’s time for you to leave,” Sally said, pushing David away.

When David turned, his head hung down and he started for the truck, she knew that she couldn’t let him go that way. She pushed carefully past Sally, out of the house and into his arms.

“I’ll miss you. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but I need some time with Sally,” she said, kissing him quickly on the lips.

David looked down into her eyes and said, “I know, but it’s just hard for me to leave you. What if you’re different when I see you again?”

She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I’ll still be me, a little stronger and wiser I hope, but still me,” she said, then she pulled out of his arms and quickly walked back into the cabin.

This time she didn’t watch him walk away. Instead she went right into the cabin without looking back. She heard the door shut, and then Sally muttering to herself, “Young love, such a bittersweet thing.”

When she got over to where Michelle was standing in the middle of the room, she patted her on the back and said, “He’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready, but now we need to concentrate on you. Bring the book and let’s see what’s inside.”

“We’re not painting the store bright yellow,” David said, handing the paint samples back to his sister. “And this lighting is all wrong. Don’t you remember what we’re trying to do here, or do I have to explain it all to you again? The store is supposed to look like it did in the 1920s, not some futuristic time.”

Natalie’s bottom lip began to tremble, and he knew that he’d gone too far. “Oh, dang, I’m sorry, Nat. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I’m just on edge since Michelle’s been gone.

It had been three days since he’d left her in the mountains, and he’d spent all of them thinking about Michelle. He’d run the woods at night, his wolf form eating up the miles, but it didn’t help: she was all he could think about.

Natalie gave him a watery smile. “Guess you got it pretty bad,” she said, a dreamy look in her eyes.

David snorted. “Don’t get that dreamy look on your face; this isn’t very much fun,” he said.

Natalie giggled. “I never thought I’d see the day that my big brother would let a woman get to him. But I can’t blame you; she’s gorgeous. What’s her hair like when she takes it down? I’ve been dying to see it,” Natalie gushed.

David sighed. “First, there’s more to Michelle than her looks; she’s intelligent and caring. She’s, well, she’s a good person.”

Natalie waved that away, “I want to know about her hair.”

“Well, it’s…” he trailed off, realizing that he’d never seen Michelle with her hair down. “Honestly, I don’t know; she’s never taken down in front of me.”

Natalie stared at him in shock, “She’s never taken it down. Not even…” then she trailed off embarrassed.

“No, she hasn’t,” he said, just as embarrassed as Natalie. “Now, let’s try again on the paint and lighting; think 1920, not 2220.”

David had known that his patience was wearing thin, but not that he was at the breaking point, and now his sister had brought up Michelle’s hair. It hadn’t been an issue until then, but now that he started thinking about it, he realized that she’d gone to great links to keep her hair up all the time, and he wondered why.

It felt like she was keeping something from him, like maybe she was holding back that one piece of herself that wasn’t perfect, and for a second, he felt hurt, as if she’d betrayed him. But then he realized that what they shared was new, full of potential, but a young love that could be easily destroyed by him making something more of it than it was.

Shrugging off his negative feelings, he realized that what he needed was to get out of town and try to get his mind off Michelle. She couldn’t stay up in the mountains for much longer; Sally had made it clear that new moon was the only time they’d be able to close the doorway, and the moon would be full the next night.

He’d spend the next few days with Jessie and Sophie, using the full moon as the distraction he needed to get through the lonely days and nights before Michelle came home. He hadn’t run with his family since he came home; it was past time that he did, and if he were lucky, by that night, she’d be in his arms.

After two days of helping around the farm, David was glad to shower off the sweat and grime and prepare for the night to come. It would be a new experience to run with the family since it had more than doubled since the last time he ran with his werewolf cousins.

In fact, he hadn’t seen Jessie’s twin since he came home and he was looking forward to running with the white wolf as he had when they were teenagers. It was the only time he could communicate with his cousin, and he was looking forward to getting caught up.

After a huge dinner, they all gathered in the front yard of the farmhouse, watching the sun sink behind the mountains. David had seen his cousin transform into the giant black wolf many times before, but it was a new experience to have Kara there too, an equally large black wolf. Joined by her husband, Danny, and Sophie, they were a fierce looking group, and he knew what they were capable of together.

He wished that the problem they faced could have been solved with the brute strength around him like it had been so many times before. But this time, brute strength wasn’t what was needed; this time, they needed magic, magic strong enough to push back the evil that had found its way into their world.

Realizing that he was thinking about Michelle again, he pushed her from his mind and shifted just as the pack, led by Jessie, started up the mountain. Feeling the power surge through him, he followed Jessie, pushing himself to catch up to the pack.

It was miles before he realized where they were going, and at first, he couldn’t believe that he was going to see Michelle. But when they emerged from the trees into the little clearing, his heart soared to see her standing in front of the cabin waiting for him.

She was dressed in a long flowing white robe, a contrast to the dark night. The full moon shone down on her, illuminating her face, which was serene as he approached. He felt her energy even from this far away and knew that the witch had been awakened inside of her. To his immense relief, the change in her only made him want her more.

He looked to Jessie, who nodded his head toward Michelle, then turned and ran back into the forest, the rest of the pack following him. David started toward Michelle, his heart swelling with love, every muscle in his body straining with the need to have her in his arms.

It wasn’t until he was standing in front of her that he realized that he was still in his wolf form and hoped that she wasn’t scared. But she held out her hand to him, and when he stepped closer, she placed it on his head, then stroked the velvety fur on his back.

Something primal and intense passed between them, a recognition of what they shared, and David’s body came alive with desire. But before he could shift and take her in his arms, she stepped away from the cabin and walked towards the woods. He followed, unable to let her get more than a few feet away from him, entranced by not only her beauty but by the passion between them.