The Lycan and His Witch by Anastasia Maltezos

at the extent of his
desire for her.
    Grim-faced, he grabbed the throw
rug and wrapped it around his middle.
    She stared up at him,
bewildered, and wondered what the hell had just happened.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Zora hadn’t figured it out,
Bryce thought grimly as he stared at her lovely face. “ Only the
purest of love can break the curse ,” he said. “That’s the cure
from your spell book. Your willingness to give your life for me set
us free. A pure and willing self-sacrifice broke the spell. I
realised that the curse was lifted the moment I grabbed your leg to
stop you from stumbling.”
    She lifted her brows in
surprise. “You…you touched my leg not knowing the curse was
lifted?”
    His face was grim. “Yes.”
    “You could have died,” she cried
out.
    “I didn’t.”
    She drew in a shaky breath and
stared at the spot where Morganna had disappeared. “Where did she
go?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t
know. Maybe you killed her, or just vanquished her, sending her
somewhere where she can never harm you or your family again.”
    “I don’t have family.”
    “You may, if you marry.”
    “If…I…marry? I…don’t
understand.”
    Bryce would rather die than hurt
her, but he couldn’t face watching her die of old age while he
remained young and eternal.
    “Zora, I am an immortal,” he
began. “And you will grow old and die. I cannot bear to lose you
and live an eternity without you.”
    “We could embrace the time we
have,” she said quietly, but he could tell she was holding back her
tears. “I don’t want you to leave.”
    His gut clenched. “I have to
find the cure for my curse. I do not want to live as an immortal
anymore. Eternal life comes with a price I’ve paid too many times
already.”
    “Bryce, you can’t mean
this—”
    “I don’t want to watch you die!”
he roared, his eyes burning with the uncharacteristic threat of
tears. Dammit! He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried.
    “If I was an immortal would you
stay with me?”
    “Yes. Or if I was mortal, we can grow old together.”
    She pursed her lips. “Fine. Then
make love to me. Now.”
    He blinked, unable to hide his
surprise. There was only one reason why she’d said that and a cold
thread of apprehension ran up his back. “So you know of the Lycan
Legend.”
    “Yes.” She recalled what her
mother had told her. If a Lycan makes love to their one true
love, the Lycan involuntarily shifts and the human immediately
turns into a werewolf . She kept her gaze fastened on his. “A
Lycan is immortal.”
    “You would willingly take on my
werewolf curse to be with me? You don’t know what you’re saying. I
can’t let you do this.”
    She wasn’t going to back down.
“From what I know, Lycans control their turning, so it wouldn’t be
that bad. Besides, if Luna gets stuck on the roof, I can shift and
get her down by myself.”
    He knew she was trying to make
light of the situation, but it wasn’t working.
    She gasped softly. “Oh, my God!
You’re afraid it won’t work. You’re afraid if we make love and I
don’t turn, I’m not your one .” She pursed her lips. “I can’t
believe after all we’ve been through, you still have doubt. Well,
if you don’t believe in us, I don’t want you.”
    He made a move to take her hand,
but she stepped out of his reach.
    “Zora, you don’t understand. As
much as I love you and want to be with you, I don’t—”
    “There’s nothing left to
say.”
    “I’m a coward, dammit!” Bryce
yelled. At her surprised look, he continued with more control. “I’m
too much of a coward to take my own life after you die. I don’t
want to live forever without you.”
    Her expression softened. “Then
believe in me when I tell you I am your one and none of this
will matter after we make love.”
    He watched her bring her hands
to the buttons of her dress and undo them. His throat went dry.
Slowly she unbuttoned her dress and slid her arms out of the
sleeves, her gaze