Winter's Dawn (9 page)

“How long will the silver keep him ill?”

“He is caring for the queen again. That is a very good sign, but the other doctors and I will stay at the palace as long as you want,” Doctor Davis said, before he leaned forward and spoke to Susie. “How are you feeling, Your Highness?”

“I’m hungry,” Susie whined.

Max frowned and turned back to the doctor. “I am too.” He grimaced in pain when he realized just how hungry he was. “Can you get the queen some scones and tea? I want ham, eggs and toast. I’ll drink her tea.”

Doctor Davis laughed. “I don’t know where to find that, Your Highness, but I am certain I can find someone who does.”

“Yes, thank you,” Max said as he returned to his task of fixing Susie’s knotted hair.

“They’re both going to be fine, Douglas,” Doctor Davis repeated. “I would not say that if I wasn’t certain.”

“Nonetheless, I’d like you to stay,” his father said in a dark voice. “Losing our alpha pair would be devastating to our people. Most of the females in the palace offered up their hair to the Goddess to insure their well-being. Adam offered blood. I would have as well but—”

“Can I be alone to fix her hair?” Max glared at his father.

His father nodded and then ushered the doctor out the door.

Max snorted when they left. “Glad we didn’t die and disappoint our people,” he whispered under his breath. “I hate him.”

“He was sad you were sick,” Susie said, her head following the brush as she cringed. “Ouch, Maxwell.”

“Sorry. He should have braided your hair when you fell asleep.”

“He was crying.” Susie’s head was still following the brush, making the task of brushing her tangled hair much more difficult. “I’ve never seen Uncle Doug cry.”

“I have,” Max told her softly. “He loved your mother.”

“Mmm, yes, I know. She was beautiful and sweet like me,” Susie hummed. “So he must love you, because he cried when he thought you died.”

Max shook his head again. “No, he was just worried he was going to have to kill Aunt Emma when he made a new alpha pair to replace us.”

“You make me sad when you say things like that,” Susie said softly, before she turned around to look at him. “I love you, Max. I’m happy they made you better.”

He smiled at her and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “Me too.”

Chapter Five

Winter 1958

“Your queen is radiant this evening, Your Highness.”

Max took a long drink of champagne and nodded at the werewolf in front of him. He had to focus for a moment before he pulled his name from memory. “Thank you, Raul. How is Spain this season?” he asked in Spanish despite the fact that Raul had spoken to him in English.

Raul’s tanned face broke into a broad smile, revealing even white teeth. “It is lovely in the winter, as it is in every season. You really must bring your queen to our estate once you are settled and mated. I suppose we still have a few more seasons before that grand occasion.”

Max smiled, hoping that Raul would not notice just how strained the effort was. “Your estate?” he asked, feigning interest. “Working for the human government is treating you well, then?”

“Very well,” Raul agreed, taking a long drink out of his own glass of champagne. “Of course, it is not just the money that makes the effort of running for office worthwhile. I am honored to say that I have been able to make huge progress in protecting lands sacred to the werewolves in Spain, as many of the werewolves here in the States have done for your woodlands.”

“That is important work.” Max nodded once again in agreement. “Darwin only has one more term in the Senate before we will be forced to help him feign his death. Fortunately, we still have James and Thomas to carry on his work.”

Raul sighed. “I may have to make that request to you within the next decade,” he said sadly. “As it is, I’ve been forced to add grey to my hair to keep the humans from noticing I don’t age.”

Max laughed. “I think the grey is quite debonair.”

“Yes, Maria tells me so to save my ego.” Raul reached up to his dark hair, streaked with grey self-consciously. “Be thankful that once you are done with your education, you will no longer have to mingle with humans.

“I enjoy my school.” Max gave Raul his first genuine smile of the evening. “Susan and I will always want to remain closely tied to the human world. We would both like to go to college, maybe Harvard and Radcliff, to learn more about their laws and government.”

“The Carltons all attended Harvard,” Raul said thoughtfully. “And as you know, it was quite successful for them. Maria and I attended their running party in Newport three moons ago. Their Estate is exquisite. Not as nice as your palace, of course, but still quite grand. It is a shame he had to fall out of office before making a run for president.”

“Perhaps a few more years and he can run again.”

“As his own grandson—The humans are so naïve.” Raul turned to the beautiful, dark haired woman who walked up beside him. “Maria, his highness was just telling me of his desire to attend Harvard.”

Maria smiled, her tanned face warm and friendly. Her features were similar to Raul’s, their eyes the same shade of golden honey. Max wondered how they had kept hidden from the human world the fact that they were brother and sister.

“Oh, Your Highness, will you have time for Harvard once you are mated?” she asked curiously. “The monarchy falls entirely into your hands and you will have no aid save your beautiful queen. She is radiant this evening.”

Max nodded dutifully. “Thank you.”

“Perhaps if you are blessed early with a pair or two?” Maria said hopefully.

Raul raised his glass. “Gods’ blessings, may the spring and autumn pairs come early to you and your radiant queen.”

Max winced, he couldn’t help it.

Maria noticed and frowned at him. “Are you not wishing for a fruitful mating?”

“Oh, no.” Max looked to see if his father had heard her. “I mean, yes, it’s just—” he lowered his voice and sighed. “I worry for the queen’s safety. It is a lot to require her to restore the monarchy.”

Maria sighed sympathetically. “I forget that you were in attendance at your queen’s birth. You have to know that she will fare far more favorably than her mother, Gods rest her soul.”

“Gods rest her soul,” Raul repeated, lowering his head for a moment before he spoke again. “Queen Susan is so very powerful, even before maturity. I promise you, Your Highness, you will have no problem producing the other alpha pairs.”

Max found he was at a loss, but was saved from further explanation as his father approached. Max could tell he was none too pleased, but a smile graced his youthful face as he chidingly said, “Maxwell, you have abandoned your queen. She is forced to entertain the Delauncey’s all on her own.”

“Sorry, Father,” Max said, before inclining his head to the two Spanish werewolves. “You will excuse me.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Raul bowed deeply and Maria followed suit. He spoke to the floor as he addressed Max’s father. “Douglas, you will forgive us for keeping the king’s attention away from his queen.”

“Of course.” His father tilted his head, indicating Max should leave and then spoke again. “Raul, your taxes have been generous this season and I hear you have made good progress on our Spanish woodlands. I hope King Maxwell thanked you for your contributions.”

Max left before he could hear their response. Instead he attempted to make his way through the crowd that filled the grand ballroom to capacity. He guessed that there were easily six hundred werewolves in attendance for the Winter Solstice Running, the grandest running celebration of the year because of its close proximity to Susie and his birthdays. Thankfully the full moon came a full week after their birthday celebration. The years when the two parties merged were almost more than Max could handle.

As it was, he searched blindly for something stronger than champagne as he slowly moved through the crowd, heading in the general direction of Susie. Though he could not see her, he could smell her easily, even in a crowd of hundreds.

“Your queen is radiant this evening.”

Max nodded out of habit, unaware of who had even addressed him. “Thank you.”

“A belated Happy Birthday, Your highness,” said a blonde haired female, bowing as she spoke. “Your queen is radiant this evening.”

“Yes, thank you.” Max nodded again, trying not to groan.

Everyone bowed to him as he walked past. He stared at the top of dozens of heads. Females with their long hair hanging long and loose. Males with neatly styled and parted short hair similar in fashion to Max’s hairstyle of the evening. An invitation to the Winter Solstice Running was the most sought after invitation in their world. Most were the werewolf leaders from around the globe, and as such the whole ballroom was an array of wolves with different coloring and exotic clothing.

Aunt Emma was extremely choosy about who she invited. Their people didn’t judge based on race as humans did. Their social value was based solely on the power a wolf exhibited. Only the most influential werewolves were in attendance. Yet, Max was still suffocated with the heat caused by a grand ballroom filled with hundreds of hormone-induced werewolves as the full moon made its way to the center point in the sky, bringing the running into full effect, ending the civilities and sending hundreds of hormone crazed werewolves free on the Winter Palace’s expansive property to have sex and hunt for the next three days.

“Happy belated birthday, Your Highness.”

“Your queen is radiant this evening.”

On and on it went and Max said thank you more times than he could count until he finally recognized one truly familiar face.

His cousin Adam dutifully bowed. “Your queen is radiant this evening.”

“Yes, yes, I know, she is radiant and lovelier than all the females in attendance despite the fact that she is only fifteen and has barely grown breasts.” Max quickly pulled Adam away from the crowd. He pointed to Adam’s glass and sniffed. “Whiskey?”

“Yes.” Adam frowned when Max took the glass from him and downed the entire drink in one gulp. “Would Your Highness like something to eat with that?”

Max looked at Adam’s plate, which he had offered Max without hesitation. “Gods, no, Adam.” He tried not to look repulsed. “I have yet to acquire a fondness for raw meat.”

Adam smirked, his amber eyes sparkling. He looked all of twenty-one in human years with his shiny copper hair and freckles across the bridge of his nose. But, he was not twenty-one. Adam was a little over a hundred years old, making him one of the younger werewolves in attendance. “You’re drinking on an empty stomach?” he asked, sounding amused.

“Yes, for all the good it’s doing,” Max grumbled, but turned when a server walked by with a tray of champagne. He grabbed one crystal flute, thanking the server before he turned back to Adam. “With our birthdays and the Winter Solstice Running, I may lose my taste for champagne forever.”

“I doubt that,” Adam said, still smiling as his mate Danielle came up to them. “How are you, love?” he asked, looking concerned as he wrapped his hand around Danielle’s waist. She was wearing a long, silk green dress that made her amber eyes sparkle in the dimmed light. Her hair was the same shade of dark red as Adam’s and she also had a smattering of freckles over the bridge of her small, upturned nose. “You look strained.”

“I’m fine,” Danielle said, as she ran a hand over her glistening brow.

Max leaned down to whisper to her, “Should I lower the temperature?”

“Oh no, Maxwell, I’m a red wolf. The cold is no friend of mine. It’s just hormones.” Danielle waved her hand to end the topic. She bowed and said, “Your queen is radiant this evening.”

“I think he grows tired of that endearment.” Adam sent Max another grin.

“Oh, but Maxwell, she is enchanting this evening,” Danielle said quickly, her bow not lasting nearly as long as others because she was close family. “And you are so very handsome. I still can’t believe how you’ve grown. You stand head and shoulders over the others. How tall are you now?”

“Six-seven,” he said and then pointed to the glass in her hand. “What is that? It smells sweet.”

“It’s brandy.” Danielle looked at the drink in confusion. “Why?”