Shame scalded her from the inside out. She'd once thought him secretive and unfeeling, but he was the bravest of men. He had risked everything, his very humanity, for her. Could she abandon such a man? No, she could not. Would not. She would love Sterling unconditionally. She would love him, curse and all.

Rising from the bed, Elise washed her face, ran a brush through her hair, and left the wagon. The cooking fires had long been extinguished and she imagined most of the troupe had retired to the comfort of their wagons. They would move soon. They always did. She must find Sterling and convince him to come back to the caravan.

The woods were full of shadows. Elise moved through the trees, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart. She hadn't gone far when a voice stopped her.

"You shouldn't be out here alone."

"Sterling," she whispered, turning to face him. With relief, she noted it was the man she confronted, not the beast.

"What are you doing here?" He stepped from the shadows.

"I wanted to talk to you," she answered. "Convince you to come back to the caravan."

He laughed, his teeth flashing in the coming dark, but at least his teeth were not pointed, she noted. "Come back to what?"

She lifted her chin. "To me, to those who consider you family."

"Do not pretend that you are not repulsed by me, by what you saw last night. I know differently."

Again, shame washed over her. "I was taken aback by what happened last night. I believe I am entitled to that first reaction."

He stepped closer. His hair was tangled and he still looked half-wild to her. Elise would not retreat in fear. She knew Sterling would never hurt her, regardless of what form he took.

"What are you saying?" he demanded.

Staring up into his eyes, she answered, "I love you, Sterling. And because I love you, I accept you as you are."

She would be the death of him. Sterling's heart soared with hope, even as his spirit plummeted with the reality of their situation. Brave words from her now, but Sterling could not allow her to love him, to waste her young life upon a man cursed.

"I will not have children," he said. "I will not pass this curse to my sons." Sterling gently touched her cheek. "If we could not abstain from the pleasure we find in each other's arms, I would have to be ever mindful of the risks involved in loving you as you deserve to be loved. You deserve children. You deserve a normal life, which you will never have with me."

"I deserve to be with the man I love," Elise argued. She sighed. "I do love children, but a life on the road is not what I would wish for them. It is a life I could be happy with." She stared up at him with hope shining in her eyes. "Please allow me what I deserve most in life, Sterling. To be happy, and I can't be happy without you."

Again, he imagined these were brave words that would soon fade away. As much as he longed to believe her, he could not. He took her slender shoulders between his hands. "Elise. I am cursed by the moon. Whenever it is full, I become a beast that roams the night like other beasts. I have no recollection of what I did last night, but I woke naked and shivering this morning in a man's body."

Instead of recoiling from him, she said, "Well, it's not so bad, then. We've only a few days each month to deal with your curse. The rest of the time we can live a normal life."

He supposed his mouth dropped open. "Are you mad? There is nothing normal about me now, Elise. I want you to find your aunt in Liverpool and forget about me. Find yourself a governess position somewhere and a respectable man who can give you all that I cannot!"

"I don't want that," she insisted. "I want you."

With a growl, Sterling released her and turned his back. Night would soon fall. He felt the change already upon him. "You cannot have me!" If he must be a brute to convince her, then he would. "I don't want you, Elise. I want to live out the rest of my miserable life in peace! I don't want to worry about you, or the people of the caravan! I just want to be alone!"

"Sterling," she pleaded.

"Go!" he shouted. "Darkness falls and the wolf comes. I am lost to him, Elise. I am lost to you."

He left her before she could protest further. Sterling bounded through the trees, waiting for the awful pain that would soon tear through his body. But before he allowed the beast to take him, he would circle around and make certain that Elise reached the safety of the wagon.

He saw her a few moments later standing before the animal wagons. He crept closer.

"What am I to do?" he heard her ask the cats. "I love him for all that he is, but he does not love himself enough to accept what I offer him. How do I make him see that nothing on earth will make me stop loving him?"

The urge to go to her was overwhelming. His love for Elise in that moment became stronger. But he loved her too much to ask her to share his curse. He would make her believe that he had gone. But until she reached the safety of Liverpool, Sterling would be watching.

CHAPTER 15.

In the month it took Elise to reach Liverpool, she learned to cook, drive a wagon, and become independent. She danced when they found an audience, and always she danced only for Sterling.

She knew he watched her from somewhere in the night shadows. They were connected in a way only lovers understood. Mind, body, and spirit. Today Dawn rode with her as they approached the outskirts of Liverpool.

"Philip says you will leave us now," Dawn said, her young face solemn. "I will miss you."

Elise blinked back a sudden onslaught of tears. "I will go, but only because if I leave, Sterling might return. He needs a family to watch over him."

"I promise to love him unconditionally," Dawn said. "As you have taught me to do. My mother says that you are a good example of humanity."

"Your parents are good examples of humanity," Elise pointed out.

"Yes," Dawn agreed. "I will try to be more like them."

Dawn's admission lifted Elise's spirits. The girl had found the value of love, just as Elise told Sterling she would do.

"I predict you will be a fine lady someday," Elise said. "I have the sight, you know," she teased.

"I'm going to be a veil dancer like you," Dawn whispered. "But I haven't told my parents yet."

Elise would like to be around when Dawn did. She smiled; then her smile faded as Liverpool came into view. Her valise was packed, and she still had the coin to hire herself a hackney to take her to her aunt's address. Her adventures were over.

Once the wagons halted near an inn, Elise steeled herself for the sorrowful good-byes. Sarah actually cried over her. Philip told her that if things did not work out with her aunt, she always had a home among them. Dawn had disappeared, and Elise was thankful. She couldn't bear to say good-bye to her.

Sporting her best outfit, Elise waved good-bye. It was strange to again be in a city, where life teamed along at a fast pace, where people passed on the streets with no time to look around. The house the driver stopped in front of was in need of repair. Elise vaguely remembered it from her childhood visits. The woman who answered her knock did not look familiar.

"Aunt Silvie?" Elise ventured skeptically.

The old woman shook her head. "You'd be looking for Silvie Preston. She's been dead now for going on five years. I bought the house after her passing."

Elise was shocked. Her aunt dead? Elise had hardly known the woman, but still, she'd kept fond memories of her throughout the years. Her uncle must have surely known her aunt had passed, and he hadn't told her. He'd kept the truth from her as if her aunt's death were of no consequence. How she hated him in that moment. He truly was heartless.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Elise walked back to the waiting hackney. There was only one thing she could do: return to the caravan. She couldn't say that she wasn't pleased to see her family again or that she wasn't welcomed home with open arms. But Elise still worried about Sterling. He'd no doubt be wondering why she had left, only to return. But would he have the courage to confront her for answers? Yes, she believed he would.

While she waited, Elise prepared for the coming performance. She dressed in her costume, then sat to wait for Dawn to come fetch her. The door suddenly opened and Sterling appeared. Her heart leaped with joy to see him. He did not look all that pleased to see her.

"Why aren't you with your aunt?" he demanded.

So much for warm reunions, Elise thought. "I have learned today that my aunt has passed away. Five years now she's been gone, and never a word of it from my uncle."

Sterling's expression softened. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for me, or for yourself?" she challenged.

He smiled slightly. "You were never one to mince words, Elise."

"No," she agreed. "And I won't start now. Why are you here?"

He closed the door behind him. "To see you safely into another life."

She lifted a brow. "In this world, or in the next?"

Sterling threw back his head and laughed. It was good to see him laugh. It warmed Elise through and through. He needed her to lighten his darkness. If only she could convince him. He sobered a moment later.

"The road is no place for a woman without a mate to protect her."

Her arms ached to hold him. Her lips longed for his kisses. She had learned to be brave, to go after what she sought in life. "I have a mate," she said. "Even if he refuses to make an honest woman of me."

"Elise." Her name was half-sigh, half-caress. "You and I both know we could never live a normal life together."

She took a step toward him. "I never said that I wanted a normal life. I want the life of an adventurer, remember?"

"Don't," he warned when she took another step toward him. "You know that I cannot resist you, and tonight is not the night to tempt me. The moon will be full."

Ignoring his warning, Elise stepped up close to him. "I am not afraid of you. I know that you would not harm me, or any person that you care about."

"But I do not know that, Elise," he stressed. "I won't take that chance. I cannot."

Gently she touched his face. "You must trust in yourself, Sterling-in your goodness."

For a moment their eyes held and she thought he would kiss her; then a knock sounded upon the door. Elise peeked out and saw Dawn.

"Philip says I'm to rouse everyone," she said, then stretched her neck to see past Elise. "Is Sterling with you?" Her eyes brightened. "He is here."

Sterling smiled at the girl. "Hello, Dawn."

"I knew you'd come back to us," the girl said. "Philip says no matter how different we may seem to the rest of the world, when we're together, we are a family."

Elise swore that Sterling's silver eyes misted over for a moment. "Philip is a good man," he admitted. "But aren't you afraid of me, Dawn?"

She shook her blond head. "Not if Elise isn't. She and I are best friends, you know?"

"Elise is a good friend to have."

Again Elise's and Sterling's gazes locked.

"I hope you'll stay with us," Dawn said, breaking the spell. "You and Elise together, as part of our family."

Sterling reached out and mussed the girl's hair. He did not commit to staying. Still, Dawn smiled, then scampered away.

"I must go," he said abruptly.

"Not yet," Elise pleaded. "Stay and watch me dance. I'll tell Philip I want to perform first, before night falls."

"I like to watch you dance," Sterling admitted. "I always feel as if you're dancing for me alone."

"That's because I am," she said, and kissed him.

He resisted, but only for a moment. They melted into each other, a fusion of warm, seeking mouths and bodies straining against each other. Elise was breathless and dazed when he broke from her. By the time she roused herself, he was gone.

She sighed, then said a prayer that Sterling would come to his senses and realize that he belonged with her and the caravan members. The crowd was small, and Elise was more self-conscious because she danced when night had not yet fallen. She felt eyes boring into her and wondered if Sterling had stayed to watch her. Hoping that was the case, she danced her most sensuous dance. A dance to inflame the passions of her own sultan. She became so caught up in the dance, she hadn't realized that a man had stepped into her circle and stood arguing with Philip. The stranger's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Unhand me, you idiot! That is my niece parading herself around like a whore for all to see!"

"Uncle Robert," Elise gasped.

He marched forward and grabbed her arm. "How dare you embarrass me in this manner? Your future husband will have to beat some sense into you."

Fear paralyzed her for a moment, but Elise dug in her bare heels. "My future husband is not Sir Winston Stoneham," she snapped. "Take your hands off of me!"

"Ungrateful brat," her uncle sneered. "I took you in even though you were an embarrassment to my family name. I gave you fine clothes and an education. You belong to me, and I will have the bride's price for all my trouble!"

"Release Elise this instant," Philip warned her uncle. "She obviously has no wish to accompany you."

The troupe members now stood in the circle, rallying to her cause.

"I can make trouble for you," her uncle warned. "For all of you," he added, his gaze running coldly over the ragtag group. "My name and my influence will see you all hanged for kidnapping."

"No one kidnapped me," Elise protested. "I stowed away upon one of their wagons in order to escape you. They are guilty of nothing but kindness to me!"

Her uncle's grip tightened around her arm. "If you care about what happens to them, you'll come along as you've been told to do."

The last thing Elise would do was cause trouble for the troupe members. "I'll go with you," she agreed. "But leave these fine people alone."

Her uncle smiled coldly over his victory and jerked her toward the crowd. A tall figure suddenly blocked their exit. Elise's heart flip-flopped inside of her chest.

"You, sir, are not taking Elise anywhere," Sterling said. "Least of all back to the monster you sold her to."

"You," her uncle snarled. "You led me to believe that the woman I saw outlined inside the wagon that day was your wife. I should horsewhip you for lying to me!"

"Try it, if you're brave enough," Sterling goaded. He stuck his face close to her uncle's. "But know this: There is nothing short of killing me that will make me allow you to take Elise with you. She belongs here, among people who love her."

"Get out of my way!" her uncle shouted. "I'll not stand here and argue with a vagabond. That handsome face has given you airs, boy. You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do with my own flesh and blood."