Gilda and Tom and their son also planned to leave Pine Forest, though they hadn't decided where they would go yet.

No one had seen or heard from Jim after that night, but Clarissa suspected he'd left in shame and horror at what he'd done to her and Erin. She hoped wherever he'd gone he could learn to forgive himself and understand he'd played a part in saving Pine Forest that terrible Halloween night.

Shewould never forget her days here in Pine Forest whether she stayed or left.

Ronan smiled at her from across the room and she felt the inevitable stirring deep inside for mental and physical joining.

Holding her hand over her stomach in a protective gesture, she crossed the room and settled onto the loveseat next to her man. She gave him a mysterious smile, even though her condition hadn't been a secret for two days. On the night the ancient one was destroyed, she'd taken the second pregnancy test and discovered what she suspected. She was with child. Whether the first test missed the boat or their subsequent couplings had produced results, they would never know.

Lachlan walked out of the kitchen with Erin, champagne in hand. They started filling glasses.

Once everyone else had bubbly, Clarissa lifted her glass and said, "I have a toast to make. To a wonderful man who came into my life and changed everything. I will love you for eternity, Ronan Kieran."

A cheer went up and they clinked glasses. When they settled down, Ronan made his own toast. Clarissa's heart turned over and started to thud like crazy with excitement when he got down on one knee in front of her.

"To Clarissa, the woman I love. I could have done this in private, but I wanted to make it official in front of all my friends." He took her hand and kissed the back and pure love shone in his eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Choked with emotion she managed to say, "Yes, of course. Yes."

As they kissed, their friends clapped and cheered.

Tears rolled down Clarissa's cheeks and he brushed them away with his thumbs. "Can I talk to you in private a moment?"

He led her back to their attic hideaway, making their way in the dark. When they reached the room and closed the door, he drew her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

When he let her up for air, she asked, "Ronan do you think my special abilities on Halloween were because Jim bit me, or because I was pregnant?"

His eyebrows quirked upward. "I forgot to tell you what the seer said when she called today. She believes the power came from both situations. Yusuf told me that the love of a woman and my willingness to sacrifice would be what saved us. I think the pregnancy also gave you power. When all of us combined forces with you, it was enough to defeat the ancient one."

She nodded and snuggled deeper into his arms. She gazed out the fan shaped window at the stars. Things were winding down. "Everyone who remembers what happened this month is going away."

"Perhaps that's a good thing. All that matters to me is that you don't regret what I had to do to keep you with me."

Hastening to reassure, she kissed him. "I have forever with you. I could never regret that."

He brushed his lips across hers in a scorching prelude of what would come later when the house quieted and their passion heated. "Would you like to honeymoon in Ireland?

Visit my homeland and see where I was born?"

She laughed with delight and he swung her around in his arms. After a few more torrid kisses, she said, "Ronan, do you think thedarkest is gone? I don't want to visit Pine Forest in a few years again to...to hunt...it."

Ronan knew what she meant and it concerned him, too. He shook his head. "I don't think thedarkest is ever gone. It exists in the world in many places. Here in Pine Forest it waits for the next time. It sleeps in the dark, lonely places, fragmented tonight by the power of true love."

The End

About the author:

Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous. All these words are used to describe award-winning, best-selling novelist Denise A. Agnew's novels. Romantic Times Magazine called her romantic suspense novels DANGEROUS INTENTIONS and TREACHEROUS WISHES "top-notch romantic suspense." With paranormal, time travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotica, and romantic suspense novels under her belt, she proves her gift for writing about a diverse range of subjects. (Writing tales that scare the reader is her ultimate thrill.)

Denise's inspiration for her novels comes from innumerable sources, but the fact she has lived in Colorado, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom has given her a lifetime of ideas. Her experiences with archaeology have crept into her work, as well as numerous travels throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Denise currently lives in Arizona with her real life hero, her husband.

Website: http://www.tilt.com/authors/deniseagnew.htm Email:danovelist@earthlink.net

Denise welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora's Cave Publishing at P.O. Box 787, Hudson, Ohio 44236-0787.

Also by Denise A. Agnew:

The Dare

Deep is the Night: Dark Fire

Deep is the Night: Night Watch

Winter Warriors