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in a deep voice.
    At his short answer, Maggie remembered Cydney telling her Brand only spoke when he had something to say, and when he did, it was short and to the point.
    “How?” She yelped as he shifted back into a wolf, licked her hand, then just as quickly, turned back into a man.
    “Like this. I’m going to keep doing this until you’re no longer afraid of me. And in turn, of Dolf.”
    True to his word, Brand shifted half a dozen times into his wolf form, then back to human again. Each time, he urged her to touch him in some way. By the sixth one, Maggie had to admit seeing him as a wolf didn’t seem quite as scary. She could handle it now.
    But her fear returned in a sudden rush when Brand shifted from wolf to werewolf form. She opened her mouth as if to scream, only to have a large, furred hand clamp over it, silencing her before any sound escaped.
    “No, Maggie,” Brand said in a gruffer sounding voice than his normal one. “Look at me.”
    She shook her head as her eyes widened, while she breathed at a fast pace through her nose. He was so much bigger in this form, scarier, standing at almost seven feet, looking half human and half wolf.
    Brand pulled his hand away from her mouth and took hold of her chin, forcing her to meet his wolf-eyed gaze. “Look at me,” he repeated. “I won’t hurt you.”
    “I can’t,” she whispered.
    “Yes, you can. I’m not hurting you. You’re perfectly safe.”
    With her chin held firmly in Brand’s grip, Maggie didn’t have much choice but to stare at him. She looked into his eyes. Even though they were those of a wolf, she didn’t see anything feral in them. If anything, they stared back at her with patience lurking in their depths.
    By degrees, her heart rate slowed until it almost beat normally. Her fear didn’t completely disappear, but she was no longer terrified. It still didn’t mean she was ready to accept a man like Brand, or Dolf, into her life with open arms, though.
    “Better?” he asked.
    She nodded and swallowed. “Yes.”
    “Then you’ll see Dolf,” Brand stated.
    “No.”
    “Yes, you will. You’re his mate.” He let go of her chin.
    “It doesn’t matter. Just because I’ve gotten a little over seeing you like this…” she let her words trail off before she waved her hand up and down in front of him, “…I don’t want to be a part of what you are. What Dolf is. I ended up in the middle of it once. What are the chances it’ll happen again?”
    “It won’t. The Anglo-Saxon god, Tiw, protects the mansion. Cydney doesn’t feel as if she’s in danger.”
    “That’s because Cydney is Cydney, and she loves Wulfric.”
    “You’ll love Dolf.”
    “I can’t take that risk.”
    “He’s your mate,” Brand said as if that were the answer to everything.
    “So? It doesn’t matter. I don’t love him. I barely know him.”
    “Only because you refuse to give him a chance. If you did, you’d see he’s yours.”
    Feeling frustrated, Maggie asked sharply, “Why do you care whether I’m with Dolf or not? It doesn’t affect you.”
    Brand shifted into his human form. “I care because I know what it’s like to find your mate, and then have to keep your distance. To watch her from afar while aching to hold her in your arms. It’s hell. I don’t want that for Dolf. He’s my family and I look out for him. All of them.”
    Maggie was a little taken aback by Brand’s admission. While he’d spoken, a look of such longing and desperation had flashed across his face. She felt tempted to try to comfort him in some way, but it disappeared before she could do anything.
    Brand took a step back. “That’s why I want you to give Dolf a chance. He needs you, Maggie. His life will be a living hell without you.”
    His body blurred and he was once again a wolf. Without a sound, he loped away toward the house. She silently followed, his words running through her head.
    * * *
    Just before their guests left, Cydney managed to corner Maggie