As planned, they met in the middle. They’d flipped a coin to see who would go first. Rule had won. He started to reach for her hands—and remembered the mike. Hastily he fumbled with it. Lily laughed at him with her eyes. Finally he got it turned on. This time, when he reached for her hands they were held out, ready for him. “I, Rule Turner, take you, Lily, for my mate, my partner, my lover, and my wife, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, cleaving only unto you.”
“And I, Lily Yu, take you, Rule, for my mate, my partner, my lover, and my husband, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, cleaving only unto you.” Lily pulled her right hand free. Cullen placed a ring in it. Lily’s hand shook ever so slightly as she slid the ring onto the third finger of Rule’s left hand. “With this ring I thee wed.”
Rule held out his right hand. Cullen supplied the other ring. He concentrated hard and managed not to drop it before he could slide it on Lily’s finger. “With this ring I thee wed.” And then he just looked into her eyes, a smile starting from his toes and spreading all over him. Mine.
“And I,” Cullen said, seizing their joined hands and holding them high, “declare the two of you well and truly married!”
Fire burst out on their joined hands—fire as green and joyous as spring, a warm, laughing fire that didn’t burn—the ardor iunctio, the joining fire, used in the ceremony when a newly adult lupus was brought fully into the clan. Cullen danced that happy fire down their arms, then washed them in it, head to toe. Together they turned, hands still upraised and both of them bathed in green fire, and greeted their guests as husband and wife.
PRAISE FOR EILEEN WILKS’S NOVELS OF THE LUPI
“Eileen Wilks writes what I like to read.”
—Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author
“I remember Eileen Wilks’s characters long after the last page is turned.”
—Kay Hooper, New York Times bestselling author
“Grabs you on the first page and never lets go. Strong characters, believable world building, and terrific storytelling . . . I really, really loved this book.”
—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“As intense as it is sophisticated, a wonderful novel of strange magic, fantastic realms, and murderous vengeance that blend together to test the limits of fate-bound lovers.”
—Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author of the Darkyn series
“Full of intrigue, danger, and romance.”
—Fresh Fiction
“An intense and suspenseful tale . . . A must-read . . . Eileen Wilks is a truly gifted writer.”
—Romance Junkies
“There is no better way to escape reality than with a Wilks adventure!”
—RT Book Reviews
“An engaging paranormal tale full of action and adventure that should not be missed!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Held me enthralled and kept me glued to my seat.”
—Errant Dreams Reviews
“Fabulous . . . The plot just sucked me in and didn’t let me go until the end . . . Another great addition to the World of Lupi series.”
—Literary Escapism
“Intriguing . . . A masterful pen and sharp wit hone this third book in the Moon Children series into a work of art. Enjoy!”
—A Romance Review
“Quite enjoyable . . . with plenty of danger and intrigue.”
—The Green Man Review
Books by Eileen Wilks
TEMPTING DANGER
MORTAL DANGER
BLOOD LINES
NIGHT SEASON
MORTAL SINS
BLOOD MAGIC
BLOOD CHALLENGE
DEATH MAGIC
MORTAL TIES
RITUAL MAGIC
Anthologies
CHARMED
(with Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle, Julie Beard, and Lori Foster)
LOVER BEWARE
(with Christine Feehan, Katherine Sutcliffe, and Fiona Brand)
CRAVINGS
(with Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, and Rebecca York)
ON THE PROWL
(with Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, and Sunny)
INKED
(with Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, and Yasmine Galenorn)
TIED WITH A BOW
(with Lora Leigh, Virginia Kantra, and Kimberly Frost)
Specials
ORIGINALLY HUMAN
INHUMAN