Lydia Dare - A Certain Wolfish Charm

tell Prisca he sends his love. I will return when I am

able. Give Lily a kiss for me.

Your devoted brother, William

"What is it, Simon?" Lily asked, stepping forward.

Simon handed her the letter and watched confusion cross her face.

"He didn't say much," she said softly, giving the note back to him.

Not that Simon was surprised. Will kept quite a bit to himself. He always had. "He said enough."

"He didn't say if they were in trouble, or why Benjamin hadn't written. He… Why did he send Prisca Benjamin's love and not his own?"

Simon pocketed his brother's note. "Don't worry about it, Lily. You have more important things to concern yourself with."

"Oliver," she said wistfully.

"Indeed. Now do you really want your father's pocket watch?"

Lily nodded. "I've looked everywhere, Simon."

"Shh." He touched his fingers to her lips. Then he closed his eyes and focused on the sounds in the room. In the far corner, he heard a faint, muffled ticking. Simon opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. Lily's armoire stood in the corner, and he edged toward it.

The ticking got a bit louder.

When Simon opened a drawer inside the armoire, he could hear it better. His fingers explored through frilly lace and satin until he came across something cold and metallic.

When he withdrew a gold pocket watch, Lily gasped. "How did you find it?"

He winked at her. "My hearing is excellent."

"Will our children inherit all these wonderful traits?" she asked as she reached up to brush her fingers tenderly through the hair that hung over his forehead.

"Only the boys, love. Only the boys."

"Wait." Lily's brow furrowed. "Only the boys inherit Lycan traits? That doesn't seem quite fair."

Simon couldn't help but chuckle. She not only accepted him, but she wanted a house full of others just like him? How had he gotten so lucky?

Simon patted her bottom and shooed her out the door. "With the two of us combined, anything is possible, Lily love."

About the Author

Lydia Dare is an active member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and sits on the organization's board of directors. She lives in a house filled with boys and an animal or two (or ten) near Raleigh, North Carolina.