they were nearly to the kitchen. carol turned off the teakettle, but she didn't know what else to do. it hurt to stand or sit or even lie down. her joints all ached. her throat was sore. she felt miserable.

"don't come in," she warned.

lelandi and rosalind ignored her and entered the kitchen, each carrying a brass container of red roses. rosalind was wearing a pale pink sweater and matching jeans. her curly, long brown hair bounced on her shoulders, and her amber eyes sparkled with excitement. her smile was sweeter than ryan's and not as devious as his often was.

her red hair tied back in a bun, lelandi wore a loosely fitted emerald sweatshirt and sweatpants. carol wondered if lelandi's jeans were getting a little too snug around her waist with triplets on the way. lelandi gave her a knowing smile.

"ryan has good news. but you've beat him at the game again."

carol slumped on the chair, feeling lightheaded. tears blurred her eyes. even if ryan had found the vaccine, it would only protect werewolves from getting the virus, not cure those who had it already.

"what are you doing here, rosalind? you shouldn't be here," carol said, defeated though hopeful that ryan did find the vaccine and that it would help those who weren't sick.

"i couldn't stand being in green valley and not knowing how this was all going down. lelandi told me you were looking into herbal remedies. i have a greenhouse and wanted to bring all kinds of fresh herbs for you to use in your search for the cure."

carol sighed. "you shouldn't have come. what if you get sick, too?" then she frowned and looked at lelandi. "if ryan found the vaccine, how would i have beaten him at the game?"

lelandi beamed, then crossed the floor, pulled carol from the chair into her embrace, and hugged her soundly. carol wanted to break loose and dash away from her. but carol didn't have the strength. was lelandi mad?

rosalind waited, but the way she was standing so rigidly and grinning from ear to ear, carol wondered if it was because she knew for sure ryan and she were mated. but that would all be for nothing if she didn't find a cure!

"darien shifted a few minutes ago," lelandi said, tears misting her eyes. "god, carol, you did it. that first remedy you tried-the one he balked at and i had to force him to drink? the spicy ginger tea? combined with the raw onion chunks left soaking in honey overnight that he growled at me over, and the echinacea... all of the different remedies together worked. it just took a while, but... he's back to his usual self. well, a little gruffer than usual. he would have come down here personally and thanked you..."

tears streamed down carol's cheeks like a river run amok. she couldn't grasp the ramifications of what she'd done, and she wasn't sure she could accept it. what if they turned back? what if this didn't last?

rosalind joined them. "ryan found a jewel when he fell in love with you," she said, and tugged carol into a hug. "i've always wanted a sister who could beat him in something."

but it wasn't a game. she embraced rosalind back, pleased to have another sister to add to her family in any event. she reached over and drew lelandi into an all-girls' hug.

"are you sure, lelandi?"

tears streaked down lelandi's cheeks now, too, and she nodded vigorously.

"oh, hell yeah. he's giving orders, yelling at tom for allowing you to let north into the exam room and nearly taking off with you; giving jake grief for shape-shifting and getting stuck, even though he knew it couldn't be helped; and scolding me for allowing you to mate with ryan without letting him know first."

she smiled. "we'll miss you, carol. will you be all right when ryan takes you home to his pack?"

rosalind took carol's hand and squeezed. "silver town's not that far from green valley. she'll visit. we both will, if it's all right."

"for the all-girl-night parties," carol said, trying to smile.

rosalind gave carol another hug. "sounds like those could get out of hand, and i'm in. after you and ryan are all right and no one from our pack will get sick with this..." she grinned even more broadly. "...you can come home. don't tell ryan, but i'm moving to a condo in town, closer to my garden shop. the house will be yours and ryan's. he'll say no, because he wants to keep an eye on me, but i need a little freedom, and... well, this is going to be perfect."

"i... i-"

"darien is so proud of you," lelandi said. "so very proud of you. he'll tell you himself after he finishes ordering everyone around. at least those who haven't shifted yet." she motioned to the doorway. "ryan ran the vaccine to the hospital, and charlotte and matthew will be giving vaccinations to anyone who isn't sick. rosalind and i were already vaccinated.

"doc also shifted back-we suspect maybe even earlier than darien. we didn't know it until just a few minutes ago because he was so tired that he slept through the whole thing. he'll help with the vaccinations and wants to tell ryan to join our pack and forget taking you away.

"of course, darien would say no to that. it's one thing for ryan to come here to help us out with an important matter. but it's another for darien to have to butt heads with him all the time."

"carol?" ryan called as he entered the house. "have i got good news! we found the vaccine."

smiling, lelandi and carol wiped away residual tears as the women all waited for ryan to enter the kitchen.

ryan's smile faltered when he saw rosalind and lelandi with their arms around carol's waist. "i got waylaid at the hospital and thought the two of you had gone home," he said to lelandi.

"we were on our way there when darien called lelandi with the news. carol found the cure," rosalind said, proudly. "so we had to tell her right away. once you and she are cured and ready to come home... well, everything will be right with the world."

he looked from rosalind to lelandi. she shrugged. "darien's raising cain with everyone-north and his pack members; the two gray females, becky and marilee, for their shenanigans; and tom for allowing north to nearly take off with carol at the hospital."

"he shifted back." ryan smiled with a bit of the devil in his expression. "he's mad at me for taking carol as my mate without his permission, i can just bet."

"um, yeah, but he'll speak with you after he makes sure carol's cure has lasting power."

ryan chuckled darkly. "and now?"

"doc mitchell hasn't changed back yet, and he's having fits over it. doc weber said the two of you can stay in his home as long as you like. he'll stay with doc mitchell in his big, old house in the country until the vet shifts back."

carol felt relief and exhaustion, knowing that she no longer had to push herself to find a cure and that ryan wouldn't have to keep looking for a vaccine. she slumped down on the kitchen chair and wanted to sleep for the next year without waking to do anything.

ryan saw the telltale signs that carol was truly sick. he assumed she'd been trying to hide it from him earlier. now he saw how her eyelids drooped, her eyes glassy and her face pale. she looked worn out and sick. like he felt.

"what's the cure?" he asked, ready to give it to carol first.

she motioned to the fridge, teakettle, and herbs and spices sitting in containers on the counter. "a half-dozen remedies together. but i've detailed everything in my notes on the computer."

he glanced at the packages of licorice sitting on the countertop. "not the licorice." he frowned at her. "or the onion soaked all night in honey, surely."

she smiled a little and reached for his hand. "at least we don't have to try wolf's bane."

"wolf's bane?" rosalind and lelandi said at the same time.

carol shrugged. "it could have killed us. i need to throw that remedy out before anyone drinks it by accident."

everyone looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"or it could have been a cure, according to werewolf lore. it was used for medicinal purposes eons ago. and as a poison."

lelandi asked, "where is it?"

"the bottom-right crisper in the fridge, blue container."

rosalind went to dispose of it.

"until we can move to green valley, carol and i will stay here," ryan said, damned thankful they hadn't had to try wolf's bane. he hated the taste of licorice, and the idea of onions soaked in honey was sure to turn him off eating either for months.

"what about puss?" carol asked, and sneezed.

"maybe puss should stay with us a while longer while you get your rest," lelandi suggested.

carol nodded. the fight was out of her. she needed to rest.

ryan gathered her up into his arms, feeling how warm her body was and knowing she was running a fever.

"no one is to disturb us... for anything."

rosalind grinned. "i never thought i'd see the day that my brother would be mated."

lelandi patted ryan's back as he headed for the guest bedroom. "take good care of her."

"she'll be good as new before you know it."

but carol wasn't good as new in short order. she was run down, stressed to the max, and totally worn out. she lost her voice, coughed constantly, ran fevers, and ached all over. ryan, who wasn't nearly as sick, was still feeling poorly. he had to watch the way he coughed and grimaced every time he swallowed. yet he took care of carol as if he were her personal nurse, bossy sometimes and coaxing at other times.

he brought her fresh boxes of tissues and glasses of water and orange juice and sore throat lozenges and expectorant medicines. he forced down pots of ginger tea, onions minus honey, honey on toast-hopefully with the same benefit, small doses of licorice, and garlic. he tried all the remedies she'd used with darien and the others who had contracted the virus, except for the exercise routine.