Read Just A Kiss: (The Frog Prince) (Tangled Tales Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Elizabeth Rose
Three days had passed, and almost everything was back to normal as Freya, Arnon, and a small group of people stood near the fire in the great hall of Castle Fane.
“Arnon, you are happier than a frog in mud, now that you’re lord of the castle,” said Wolf, pouring ale into a tankard and handing it to his brother.
“Pig. Pig in mud,” Arnon corrected him. “I don’t want references to frogs added to my name ever again.” He sat down on the wooden bench next to Freya and pulled her close and kissed her.
“You two make a perfect couple,” said Freya’s mother, seated on the bench next to Arnon’s father who no longer had the guise of looking like the earl of Tavistock. Instead of looking like an old man, he now had the image of a handsome man with dark hair, a mustache, and small beard on the end of his chin.
“Thank you, mother, and I am so happy you are alive and feeling better,” said Freya.
Wolf sat down next to Arnon and grabbed the tankard from his brother that he’d just handed him. Arnon scowled but just picked up another one off the table instead.
“Father seems to have hopped quickly to the opportunity of getting to know Freya’s mother, don’t you think, brother?” Wolf smiled at his jest.
“Enough with the frog jests, or I’m going to start up with the long-toothed wolf remarks and howl in laughter,” Arnon replied.
Wolf didn’t look like he appreciated that remark and it shut him up.
Freya leaned against her husband, happier than she’d ever been in her life. “The people of Slapton have accepted you as their new lord, Arnon, and I think you’ll do a much better job than my stepfather.”
“That was odd how all the frogs attacked and ended up killing him.” Wolf took a drink of ale.
“It’s not odd,” said Lucio, overhearing their conversation. “The man did wrong by burning those witches, and the frogs did what they had to in order to make things right.”
“Where did all those frogs come from?” asked Freya.
“I’m afraid that might have been my doing, though it was highly unintentional,” Arnon explained. “I needed help and called for it, and since I was . . . so close to their kind, they came to my aid. Freya, where is Gar? I haven’t seen him in days.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “When you told him to go jump in the lake to give us some time alone, he never came back. I called him many times but he didn’t answer.”
“I’m sure he’ll show up,” said her mother. “Familiar’s have a way of coming and going as they please.”
“Here comes Stefan,” said Lucio. “Mayhap he’ll have word on the whereabouts of Hecuba.”
Freya looked over to see Stefan approaching. He was the eldest of the siblings, and every bit as handsome as the rest of the de Bar men she’d already met.
“Stefan. Is there any word on the whereabouts of Hecuba?” asked Wolf.
“Nay,” said Stefan with a shake of his head. “Wolf, I took a dozen of your best warriors and we scoured the entire area and even went as far north as Gloucester, but we couldn’t find evidence she’d headed in that direction.”
“I hope your sister is all right,” said Freya. “Why do you think Hecuba even took Rapunzel? Do you think she’ll hurt her?”
“Hecuba is too enamored with me to risk my wrath,” said Lucio. “She enjoys cursing my children and tricking me into sleeping with her using different appearances to do it, but I don’t think she’ll actually hurt Rap.”
“Oh, I hope not,” said Almeta. “I know if she were my daughter, I would hate to think of her possibly being in danger. I will help in any way I can to find her.”
“Thank you,” said Stefan. “I will be heading out in the morning to look for Rap, and I have someone who has volunteered to go with me.”
“You do? Who?” asked Arnon.
“Here he comes with Red now.” Stefan nodded toward the door and Freya saw Red heading over with a handsome man who looked a lot like Arnon and his brothers.
“Is that one of your brothers?” asked Freya.
Arnon looked up over his tankard and then put it down on the trestle table and jumped to his feet. “It is, Freya. It’s my brother, MacKay.”
They all got up to greet him.
“So nice to meet you, Freya,” said MacKay with a smile. “I didn’t think anyone would ever want to marry that two-headed brother of mine. You must be a very special woman to do so.”
“Hey, I’m not the ugly one if that’s what you mean,” Arnon scowled while the rest of them laughed.
“You were pretty ugly as a frog I hear.” Stefan hit Wolf on the back and they both started laughing.
“Stefan, you’re the ugliest out of all of us and you know it,” growled Arnon. “No one is ever going to want to marry a
beast
like you.”
“Stop fighting,” said Freya reaching up and kissing her husband. “You’re all handsome, now not another word about it.”
“Even Arnon? After you’ve seen him as a frog?” Wolf raised a brow.
Freya looked up into her husband’s grey eyes and snuggled against his chest. She lifted her chin and reached up to kiss him once again.
“You didn’t answer, Freya,” Arnon told her. “And what did that kiss mean?”
“It means I love you, whether you are a wolf, a frog or a man, Arnon. You are my husband and I will always be by your side. That kiss was my promise to you that I will never change my mind.”
“So it meant all that, did it?”
“It certainly did, Lord Arnon de Bar. I’ll have you know that my kisses hold passion, power, and magic, and you should feel lucky to get one. So remember that, my love, and don’t ever take it for granted and think it was
Just A Kiss
.”
I hope you enjoyed
Just A Kiss (The Frog Prince)
- Book Two of my
Tangled Tales
Series
. Poor Arnon has had a hard life, first as a wolf and then spending a short time as a frog. But as you’ve seen, a good, strong woman can help a man conquer and overcome any situation.
Continue the journey of the cursed de Bar siblings with Stefan’s story –
Beast Lord
(Beauty and the Beast)
Book 3 coming soon.
Here are some of my other series that might interest you. All my books are also available in print (or will be soon), and now I have started putting my books into audiobook format as well.
Daughters of the Dagger Series:
This series is followed by my Scottish
Madman MacKeefe
series, with the first book being about the girls’ brother
,
Onyx – Book 1,
who they thought was dead.
Aidan – Book 2
,
is next, followed by
Ian – Book 3
.
(Watch Book Trailer)
Greek Myth Fantasy Series:
The Legacy of the Blade Series:
The Elemental Series:
The Dragon and the Dreamwalker
Book 1: Fire
The Duke and the Dryad
Book 2: Earth
The Sword and the Sylph
Book 3: Air
The Sheik and the Siren
Book 4: Water
Cowboys of the Old West Series:
And one last series I’d like to tell you about is my
Tarnished Saints Series
.
Watch book trailer
.
This is a twelve book series about the sons of a preacher – but they are far from saints. Matter of fact, these men are nothing but trouble! Please be sure to visit my website at
Elizabethrosenovels.com
for more information on this series and to subscribe to my blog in order to receive updates about new releases. You can also read excerpts from any of my novels on my website as well as get sneak peeks at covers of upcoming books. And please remember that there are other authors by the same name, but my novels can be identified by the rose on every cover. If you’d like to follow me on twitter, my handle is
ElizRoseNovels,
and my facebook is
Elizabeth Rose – Author
(don’t forget the dash.)
I’d like to leave you now with excerpts from some of the series I’ve mentioned.
Elizabeth Rose
Excerpt from Beast Lord – Book 3
(Beauty and the Beast) Tangled Tales Series
Stefan stood in front of the large looking glass in the east tower chamber, surveying his reflection. He’d had Trumble remove his stitches. While the boy was clumsy and all thumbs, sticking him more than once with the tip of his knife, the sutures Bonnibel had used were dainty and small and his wounds were healing better than he’d hoped.
He’d called for her to apply ointments to his wounds, but really he wanted to test her and see if she acted less repulsed by him now that his stitches had been removed. He ran his hands over his chest, having found a few tunics in the bottom of a trunk pushed away in the corner. He’d donned the larger of the two, and though it was tight, it wasn’t ripped and shredded like his other clothes.
He didn’t like what was happening to him, and if he wanted to beat the witch’s curse, he was going to have to beat her at her own game. Hadn’t she said in order to break the curse, all he needed to do was love a woman and she had to love him in return? He’d never been in love before, but he’d seen most of his brothers fawn over a girl or two in the past, and was sure it wasn’t that hard to woo a lady.
He’d also been reading Bonnibel’s book, The Romance of the Rose. He figured he’d try some poetry on her, or perhaps do something they talked about in the book. Of course, the book wasn’t easy to understand, as it was full of symbolism and more or less open to interpretation. Honestly, he had no idea what the author had been trying to say, and quickly dismissed the idea of quoting anything at all. He felt like the character in the book, trying to get to the rosebud that was locked away behind walls in a secret garden. Bonnibel was his rosebud and he could use advice from the characters in the book named Reason and Fair Welcome right now in order to know what to do.
He gave up trying to decipher the coded messages in the book and figured he’d just make Bonnibel fall in love with him. Simple as that. And when she did, the curse would be lifted, and he wouldn’t be consumed and turn into a beast forever – or die.
The door to the room opened and in walked Bonnibel followed by his squire. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, and the air deadened between them. He usually hated when Trumble’s mouth ran like a river, but right now he would settle for just a trickle of a creek.
“My lord, here is the girl as you requested,” said Trumble with a slight bow.
“Thank you, Squire. You may leave now.”
“Leave?” he asked. “What for?”
“Yes, what for?” asked the girl, seeming suddenly nervous. “I’d like Trumble to stay.”
“I said leave!” His voice must have come out louder and more forceful than he’d intended, because the girl jumped, and Trumble scooted out the door. Then the sickening silence between them was back and he instantly regretted dismissing his squire.
“Why did you call for me?” she finally asked. “Did you want to perhaps tell me that from now on I’d be locked away in the dungeon instead?”
“Nay,” he said, feeling very tongue-tied. He looked back to his reflection in the standing mirror. “I – I thought – I mean . . . do you see anything different about me?”
She raised her chin in the air, crossed her arms over her chest, and walked a full circle around him as she perused him. He’d never felt like a prized cow being inspected for slaughter until now.
“Aye, I do see something different, and I don’t like it.”
“You don’t?” His hand went to his scar and he glanced back to the looking glass. Mayhap it was a mistake to bring her here.
“You are wearing my father’s tunic,” she stated. “It’ doesn’t even fit you properly and you’re going to rip it like the rest of your clothes.”