Marshall clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve done
nothing wrong. We’ll go and join the search of the house, if you feel
confident here?”
Ville slipped off his torn and stained shirt and dropped
it in a heap on the floor. “I’ll be fine. Whoever it was needed me to be
drugged before they could attack. With the toxins out of my system, I don’t
think they’ll be trying again.” He pulled out a couple of towels from the wardrobe
and set them aside with a fresh pair of soft, flannel pants.
“Do you want me to send up a maid?” Ibbe hesitated by the
door.
Ville shook his head. “Not tonight. I’d like some time
to think, and then I need to sleep.”
Ibbe and Marshall left to scour the house and I made to
follow them. I stopped when Ville spoke. “I’m sorry about my cousins,” he
said softly. “I don’t doubt you.”
I shook my head. I was embarrassed and furious, and I was
still exhausted. “Don’t worry about it.”
He came to me and took my hands. “If you feel that
strongly about it, you can still give me your blood.” I glanced up in surprise
to find him regarding me with a mixture of heat and humor.
I swallowed, shocked when I felt tears trembling in my
eyes. “I was scared.” I whispered. Then the emotions I had been holding in
check all night overflowed. I jerked my hands away, planted them on his
beautiful chest, and shoved.
Caught off guard, he took a couple of steps backward and
bumped into the fainting couch. He sat rather abruptly, his wings extending
for balance, and I rounded on him. “I thought you were dying, you bastard.
And your friends took the opportunity to make fun of me!” Heat stained my cheeks.
I would be surprised if my hair wasn’t standing on end. “Don’t you ever do
something like that to me again!”
I hadn’t even registered that I was in his face until he
grabbed me. One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me onto his lap, while
the other slipped behind my head. His mouth covered mine, silencing me. I
held myself rigid for a moment, refusing to yield, but it was no use and I
eventually gave in and relaxed against him. He lifted his head and his
crystalline eyes stared into mine. “I wasn’t mocking you,” he said softly.
“I’m touched by your devotion.” He chuckled. “That’s probably why Marshall
baited you in the first place- he wanted you to prove yourself so Ibbe would
leave you alone.” He sighed. “Ibbe’s right. I haven’t been open with them,
and that has to be frustrating.”
He nuzzled my hair aside and planted a soft kiss on my
throat. “But…I meant what I just said. I would never turn down your blood- if
you offered…” He tilted his head to the side and looked up at me with a molten
stare that sent blood rushing to other parts of my body.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “This has to
stop,” I said shakily. I opened my eyes. “Tonight- I see how dangerous your
position is. Me being with you, it could never work.” I stared at him
earnestly. “If we go any further… then what? What future could we possibly
have together? Me living here away from the eyes of your people. Slipping
into your room in secret. Careful to never give you away. If anyone found
out, they’d dethrone you!”
He grew serious, and his arms tightened around my waist.
“I wouldn’t hide you away. I’m not ashamed of you.”
I shook my head. “And then what? What would happen to
your kingdom if they found out that you were immoral? If you were so sick as
to openly consort with the enemy…to love a beast?”
He frowned at me, probably knowing I was right, but too
stubborn to admit it. “You know that’s all a lie. We could teach them. Maybe
soften the way for change.”
I closed my eyes in a long blink. “You know that wouldn’t
work. They would hate you- and your people need you.” I slipped from his lap
and he let me go.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, and we’ll find out who tried to
assassinate you… I just hope it has nothing to do with me.” If his followers
had realized he was inviting me into his bedroom that alone may have been
enough for someone to decide he was unfit to be emperor.
I made my way to my room and closed the door. Feeling
terrible, I engaged the lock between Ville’s suite and my own. It was to
protect him, I reminded myself. That my heart was aching had no bearing on the
situation. I made my way to the bed and curled up on top of the covers,
hugging a pillow to my chest. It took every bit of will power I had not to
leap up and go back to him.
I knew then, without a doubt. I had to leave this place.
I
sat on the top rail of an old fence, at the edge of the pasture. Fallen didn’t
eat, but the humans in the town did and, like in my hometown, there were a lot
of farms. I was still amazed at how similar our people were. I dangled my
legs. My heels drummed softly on the rail below me as I watched the sun begin
to sink behind the trees. A hawk drifted over the forest and my eyes followed
its soaring path, wondering what my father and sister were doing right now on
the other side of that vast stretch of wilderness.
I heard Ibbe coming long before she climbed up on the
fence next to me. She spread her snowy white wings for balance as she settled
her long, flower print skirt. I glanced at her. “Did Ville send you out to
check on me?” He was pretty protective of me, especially after the attempt on
his life
No one had been caught, but a redheaded woman who smelled
like a wolf was seen fleeing the place. The guards had lost her scent when she
reached the forest. Only Ville’s insistence, and Ibbe and Marshall’s
corroboration, had kept me safe. They all insisted that my scent was
different. They were careful not to say it, but I carried a whiff of Sky in my
blood.
Ibbe shrugged. “He was coming out, but I said I’d go
instead.”
I studied her pale face as she stared off into the
distance. “And you volunteered because?”
She sighed. “I wanted to talk to you.” Funny, she didn’t
seem too chatty. And she still hadn’t met my eyes. I resumed swinging my
feet, deciding to wait her out.
When she finally spoke, her words were rushed, as if they
just poured out of her mouth without her permission. I had to strain to hear
her, and even then, I didn’t think I’d heard her right. “I love him too.”
I stared at her as a breeze stirred her platinum blond
hair and ruffled her lacy top. Boy that sure explained a lot. “But you’re
cousins.” I didn’t know what else to say- what she wanted me to say.
She sighed. “Very, very distant relatives. Not enough to
matter.” I was surprised; I’d always thought the three friends were closely
related.
“Oh, Ibbe….” I wanted to apologize, but then, it’s not as
if I’d done anything wrong. And it wasn’t like I was just going to step aside
and say oh, my bad, here you go. I reached down and plucked a stalk of Queen
Anne’s lace, twirling the white flower between my fingers. I frowned down at
it, as if it could tell me what she was thinking. “What does Ville think about
this?”
She gave me a sidelong glance then went back to staring at
the woods. “I have no idea.” She shrugged. “He’s never looked at me that
way, not once in the twenty years I’ve known him.”
Her dark eyes finally met mine, and she lifted her chin.
“And now there’s no chance that he ever will. Not now that you’re here.”
I took a deep breath and gazed helplessly into her
beautiful eyes. “So…are you telling me to leave?” It didn’t sound like a
threat, but she was so subdued that it just might be.
She gave a short laugh and shook her head. “I don’t think
it would help. You don’t get it… I’ve never seen him look at any other woman
the way he looks at you.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “And there have been a lot of them?”
She smirked. “Not as many as you would think. And not a
single one that was really suited for him.” Her face twisted into a severe
frown. “Mostly they’ve been power-hungry nobles who are only interested in
being queen- utterly wrong for him.”
I thought of the dark haired doll I’d seen at the party.
“I think I’ve seen one of them…are you sure you’re not just bitter?” I would
be if I were in her place.
She snorted. “Alexa? She was the worst. A shiny apple
with a rotten core.” After a moment of silence she continued. “I’ve lost him
before. I’m used to the disappointment. At least this time he’s found a good
match.”
I pursed my lips and blew a piece of hair out of my eyes.
“In me? I’m so far beyond wrong for him that I’m a different species.” I
grinned at her. “Are you giving me your blessing?”
She swept her sharp blue gaze over me. “Do you realize
how much we need Ville? This war stretches on and on. We’ve been fighting for
fifteen years.” She shook her head. “Our numbers are decreasing. There are
less and less children being born, and so there’s no one to replace the ones we
lose in battle.” I nodded. It was the same with the Shifters. If the war
continued, both clans would become extinct.
“You think Ville can win the war?”
She pressed her lips together and was silent for a
moment. “I think if there is any possibility of an end, it will be through
him. He’s incredibly powerful, and also incredibly gentle. It’s possible that
he’ll win through sheer power and charisma.” She shifted uncomfortably. “But
after having met you- after seeing what your people are really like- I think
maybe you can help him to find some sort of peace. Both for us as a people,
and for himself. I think… well I think you’re perfectly right somehow.” She
grimaced. “Sickeningly so.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “You paint
me like some kind of great inspiration. But all I am to him is a distraction.
Just my being by his side puts him in danger.” I threw my hands up in the
air. “If that assassin had been just a bit more thorough, Ville would be
dead.” I realized I was still holding the silly white flower and tossed it
away. “I’m leaving, Ibbe. Maybe in time...” my throat constricted and I had
to swallow a few times and blink fast before I could manage to get the words
out. “Maybe he’ll come to love you.”
She slipped from the fence rail and headed off toward the
woods. “Tell Ville I went for a walk,” she tossed over her shoulder, not
looking back. “ I’ll be back after supper.”
I watched her stride away through the long grass, feeling
my eyebrows pull together in a deep frown. I had never heard the reserved
woman reveal so much of the inner workings of her mind in such a short space of
time. And I had no idea what to do with the information. I was leaving. Just
what did she expect from me?
*****
Ville’s dark head bent close to mine as I read him a
passage from one of my favorite books. He reached out a finger to tap a line
of text. “That’s my favorite line. It sounds so hopeful.”
I tilted my head to study his lean face, just inches from
mine. “I suppose so, but don’t you think it’s a little sad?”
His blue eyes met mine and a jolt of electricity ran
though me. “What do you mean?”
I looked down at the book. “Well, I think he knows it
won’t work out that way, no matter what he tells her.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know that at all. Maybe he thinks he
can change the world for her.” His warm breath tickled my cheek. My thigh was
pressed against the lean line of his and I leaned against his side, thanks to
the saggy, over-stuffed sofa. His presence was overwhelming.
I turned my head and looked into his eyes. They smoldered
with deep emotion, and I couldn’t quite remember how to breathe. His gaze
lowered to my lips.
The door opened and we broke apart like guilty children.
I tried to hide my blush behind the pages of the open book, but I dropped the
volume in my lap at Marshall’s words. “We’ve had a security breach. There’s a
Shifter in the courtyard.”
Ville and I stood, as if we were joined at the hip.
“What?” His voice was incredulous.
Marshall shrugged. He didn’t look too concerned. “Ibbe’s
with him now. He’s not acting hostile, really. But he insists that he won’t
leave until he talks to Wren.” He gave me an apologetic look. “He knew you
were here. He came looking for you specifically.”
Ville paced to the door and I followed. “Are the guards
there?”
Marshall shook his head. “We thought maybe you would want
to keep this quiet.”
Ville glanced at me and nodded. I followed him to the
courtyard, Marshall hot on our heels. When we got to the little cobblestone
courtyard, Ibbe was hissing angry words into the face of a broad, sturdy
looking brown-haired man. Her wings were spread and she looked like an
avenging angel.
The man didn’t back down, gesturing toward the mansion
furiously. His motions faltered when his eyes landed on us. Ibbe moved to
stay between the intruder and the emperor. “This mutt insists he has a right
to speak to our guest.” She arched a thin brow at me. “I’m assuming he wasn’t
invited.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t had contact with my people in
months.” But a smile was tugging at the corner of my mouth. I stepped forward,
Ville close on my heels. I hesitated, and then ran toward my guest. Logan
wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug, sweeping me off my feet for a moment
before setting me back down. “What in the world are you doing here?”
His gaze swept over me from head to foot. “I’ve looked
all over for you, Wren. He cupped my face in his thick hands, searching my
eyes. “Are you okay?”
I stepped away. Turning, I gestured to Ville, who was
keeping his distance, his arms crossed, and a wary look on his sharp features.
“Ville, this is Logan. He’s my closest friend.”
Ville nodded, and came to stand near me. “It’s a pleasure
to meet one of Wren’s friends.” He said nothing about how Logan had managed to
get into the mansion. His eyes flitted to Ibbe and Marshall who were watching
us with a tension that said they were about to pounce. “I think we’ll be fine
now. Give us a minute, please.” They weren’t happy- especially Ibbe, who kept
her eyes on Logan the entire time- but they left.