The Wolf Prince

CHAPTER 14



Chad heard Ruben leave the camp. In fact he was up getting dressed in preparation of following him when he saw the huge wolf skulking in the shadows where the human prince had been. Rubbing his eyes to clear them, he blinked and looked again. The beast was gone. Magic? He stood still, searching for the familiar tingle of skin and raising of hair. Instead, he felt nothing.

Not magic then. He debated going off into the woods to see what Ruben was up to, but the thought of that huge wolf roaming nearby was deterrent enough.

Instead, he waited.

Bored after about thirty minutes, Chad considered giving up his watch and going to sleep. Just as he was about to push to his feet, Willow exited her tent. With her slender shape silhouetted in the moonlight, she looked ethereal and beautiful. He watched her and felt a powerful stirring in his loins.

Unaware of him watching, she gazed off into the woods, head tilted as though listening. When she began to move, he stood. And when she disappeared into the trees, he went after her.

* * *

Back in her tent, Willow sat down hard, then winced at the unexpected soreness. Her body felt tender in places she hadn’t even known it was possible to hurt. But more than that—her soul felt wounded.

Meanwhile, Tatiana continued to sleep, snoring softly.

Now at last, she knew what it was about Ruben that drew her to him. She’d always been drawn to wounded things. A bird with a broken wing, a mountain lion cub too timid to hunt. Whether of the body or the psyche, she’d always been able to heal with a single touch.

When she’d been a child, she’d regarded this gift as her magic. Until she’d tried to tell her mother and Millicent had scornfully told her what she claimed to be able to do was absolutely not magic. In fact, Willow had been told in no uncertain terms never to mention this again.

That didn’t matter to her. The wild creatures of the forest and the plains had come to her with their needs. She’d always been able to sense their pain.

And never, until today, had she been turned away.

But then, Ruben wasn’t all animal. The wolf was only half of his nature. The human had refused her help, not the beast.

That didn’t make it hurt any less.

Outside, she heard sounds of others stirring about. The sunrise had begun to lighten the sky. With a sigh, she checked her clothing and smoothed down her hair.

“Tatiana,” she said softly, bracing herself for the backlash. Her sister had never been a morning person.

“Wake up. We’re going to be breaking camp soon.”

“Go away.” Without opening her eyes, Tatiana waved her hand in the air as though warding off a mosquito.

From past experience, Willow knew how this went. Instead of putting herself through it, she left the tent and went in search of Eric. He could deal with waking his fiancée.

She found him wandering around in search of his brother Chad. Eyes still dazed with sleep, he reminded her of her sister. Completely nonfunctional.

Perfect.

Taking his arm, she steered him in the direction of Tatiana’s tent. “I need your assistance,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes. “Will you help me?”

Either too befuddled with sleep or too unobservant to notice how unlike herself she was acting, Eric gave a slow nod. “What do you want?”

“Help me wake Tatiana up.” She gave him a small shove in the direction of the entrance to the tent.

He frowned and looked perplexed. “I think it’d be better if you—”

“I can’t.” She put on her best poor-pitiful-me face. “I have too much to do.” Taking a deep breath, she dashed off in the direction of the horses, as though she had to make sure they were fed and watered.

When she glanced back over her shoulder, Eric was just ducking into the tent. She braced herself for the scream that was sure to follow. Any minute now...

Instead, she heard only silence. And Eric didn’t pop back out like she’d expected. Interesting. Maybe theirs would actually be the one arranged marriage that would work.

Humming to herself, she checked on the horses, making sure they were feeling well and had enough to eat and drink. As a group, they had appeared pretty well satisfied, glad to have been able to escape their humdrum lives inside the palace stables.

Now, something had changed. The horses were uneasy. Willow tried to calm them and attempted to find out what had gotten them so spooked.

Their answer so shocked her that at first she only stood, fixated on nothing in the distance, trying to think.

They were terrified of two people. Ruben and Chad.

In Ruben, they sensed his inner wolf, a predator toward their kind. She did her best to communicate the truth—that Ruben was no danger to them, whether in human form or lupine.

Chad however, was a different story. The horses feared him a hundred times more than any wolf. They considered him a monster.

Moving slowly, she cast a casual look back in the direction of the tents. Chad sat alone close to the fire, working on a piece of wood with his knife. Tatiana and Eric had not reappeared. And Ruben had gone into the woods. Since he was the only one who ate meat, he had to hunt his own. He’d gone off in search of fresh game.

Again she studied Chad. He looked ordinary and calm, his masculine beauty more subdued and somehow reassuring. Not at all like the monster that the horses believed him to be. Chad. Are you sure, she asked the animals silently. Are you certain about him?

The horses couldn’t use words so instead they gave her images instead. According to them, Chad was capable of a thousand subtle cruelties. Too tight reins, held in such a way that the bit cut into the horse’s mouth. A whip used indiscriminately, and in the same place so that it caused welts. The animals sensed violence in him, and claimed they feared the day when it would erupt.

What about Ruben, she asked, thinking of the huge wolf he could become. Such a beast was a natural enemy of the horse.

Oddly enough, they preferred Ruben and his wolf. The lupine beast was familiar and would act in ways that were in accord with nature. Though the wolf had sharp teeth and claws, he did not kill for pleasure but only for food.

The horses believed Chad enjoyed violence.

She knew what she must do. Tell Ruben. He’d know what to do.

Leaving the horses with a promise to do what she could, she strolled with studied casualness back to the camp. Since it wasn’t safe to go out in the woods in search of a hunter, she’d have to wait until Ruben returned. She took a seat on a fallen log well away from Chad and sighed.

“Good morning.”

Chad. She turned slowly, to give herself time to hide her instinctive—and unwarranted—reaction. “Good morning.”

“How are you feeling today?” He sat down next to her, close enough that their shoulders bumped. Too close.

She scooted away before answering. “Why do you ask?”

“That’s not an answer,” he chided, the way his voice purred sending a shiver of revulsion through her. “I ask because I’m worried about you. You look a little pale.”

“Do I?” She doubted that. Perhaps it was best to play along. “Now that you mention it, I do feel a tiny bit fatigued.”

“Perhaps you should imitate your sister and take a nap,” he suggested, the hint of slyness in his smile telling her he knew she’d do no such thing. Especially since they both knew Eric was still in the tent with Tatiana.

Chad placed his hand lightly on Willow’s shoulder, making her tense up so much that he couldn’t help but feel it. Shrugging off his hand, she stood and stepped away from him. To her dismay, he stood, as well.

“Let’s walk,” he suggested, both his voice and his expression oozing friendliness.

“Oh, I can’t,” she demurred. “I really have a lot to do before we ride out.”

He grabbed her arm. This time, his grip felt more forceful than friendly. “I think we should.”

Futilely, she tried to pull away. “Chad—”

“I saw you last night.”

She froze, though her heart skipped a beat. “I see.” How much had he seen? No doubt enough to break their tentative betrothal. She couldn’t blame him, either. If the situation were reversed, she’d do exactly the same thing.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“I think we have something to talk about, don’t you?” he asked, flashing his teeth in what appeared more grimace than smile.

Of course she went with him. After all, what choice did she have? She had to find out what exactly Chad had seen and worse, what he intended to do with that knowledge.

For a moment, they walked without speaking. Surrounded by birdsong and the sounds of the morning forest, to anyone watching they would have appeared simply as a young couple out for a stroll.

Only the tension that had Willow holding herself stiffly would have told an astute observer a different story.

Finally, Chad broke the silence. “I saw you playing with a giant wolf.”

Swallowing hard, Willow nodded. “I have an affinity for wild animals. I always have.”

This time, when he flashed a smile, he didn’t bother to hide his ferocity. “And wild men? Do you have an affinity for them, as well?”

Had he seen Ruben change from wolf to human? Worse, had he been watching as they made love? If he had, it would be more than an appalling intrusion of privacy. It would be...desecration of something sacred.

“What exactly do you mean?” she asked carefully.

“Ruben,” he said, still smiling that same fierce smile. “I mean Ruben. When I said I saw you, I meant I saw you with him.”

“Really?” She cocked her head, as though it didn’t matter to her. Even though her heart had begun pounding, she took a strange sense of pride in the way she managed to keep her voice level. “What exactly did you see?”

“I saw the wolf and felt you use your magic,” he told her. “They told me you had none and in truth, I don’t sense any in you. But you must be very strong, to do such a thing.”

Though she wasn’t sure what exactly he thought she had done, she kept silent.

“You calmed the wild beast,” he raved. “Amazing. And then I blinked and when I looked again, the wolf was gone. And Ruben stood in its place.”

And then... She couldn’t help but reveal the shudder of revulsion that came over her. Disgusted that he’d dared to remain hidden and watched. And anger, she felt that, too.

“How dare you,” she breathed, her voice full of scorn. “That was a private moment.”

“How dare you,” he snarled right back, his grip on her arm tightening, turning painful. “You belong to me. You and I were supposed to marry.”

Jerking away, she took a step back. Then another. Something glinted in his eyes, something frightening. Suddenly afraid, she knew instinctively not to show it.

“Were. Past tense.” She stood taller. “I release you from any obligation.” Relief flooded her. Good that she’d be free of this one.

“Your actions with the human already did that,” he sneered. “Whore.”

He raised his hand as if to slap her. Instinctively, she braced herself, while at the same time stumbling backward, trying to put as much distance between herself and him as possible.

“Is there a problem here?” Ruben’s voice, hard as steel.

Thankful, Willow crossed to him without a second thought. Perfect because, she knew that with Chad, the action would indicate that she’d made her choice. And, judging from the Bright prince’s enraged expression, he viewed this as an incentive for war.

* * *

Ruben didn’t know what he’d interrupted, but damned if it hadn’t seemed like Chad was about to physically abuse Willow. While he wasn’t familiar with the customs of these people, in his opinion, women and children were to be protected at all times.

And Willow wasn’t just any woman. No way in hell would he let that fool hurt her.

Without hesitation, Ruben crossed the clearing and stepped in. When he asked if there was a problem, he really hadn’t expected Chad to answer.

And Chad didn’t. Instead, the Bright prince began to turn, craning his neck as though looking for something. “Don’t you feel that?” he snarled. “This isn’t my doing.”

The hair on the back of Ruben’s arms rose and the back of his neck tingled. Static electricity?

A quick glance at Willow’s horrified face told him it was something else. “Magic,” she whispered, confirming it.

The wind began to blow, swirling around them. Ruben pulled Willow close, gathering her against him. “If only you had magic, you could stop this,” he murmured in her ear.

Right. She opened her mouth and tried to speak. But before she could, dark cloaked figures dropped on them from the shadowy treetops above. There were too many of them to fight, though he battled them as best he could. His last conscious thought before they knocked him out was to hope Willow and their other traveling companions were safe.

* * *

Later, he came to in total darkness. After a moment of complete disorientation, he realized his hands were tied and his captors had placed some kind of hood over his head. The air tasted stale. He fought off a moment of panic, aware he’d need to keep his head about him if he wanted to escape from this—whatever it was—alive.

“Willow?” he whispered, praying she was nearby and unhurt. “Willow, are you there?”

But there was no answer. Apparently he was on his own. Fine. He’d have to figure out a way to escape from these people, whoever they were.

Ordinarily, he’d have said the odds were in his favor. He’d been well trained in combat at an early age. He also worked out daily—his strong muscles and healthy bones a testament to that fact. He knew he could fight his way out of just about anything. Especially as wolf.

The instant he had the thought, he began initiating the change.

Nothing happened.

Furious and worried, he tried again.

Nada, zip, zilch.

They’d done something to him. Using magic. He had no defense against magic. How could he, when he hadn’t even been aware such a thing existed?

As he tried to gather his thoughts, hating the darkness, he heard a sound. A tiny thing, at first. A mewling, like a kitten waking and wanting sustenance.

“Willow?” he asked again, his gut churning.

“Ruben?” It was Willow. Sounding weak, but nearby. And alive.

Relief flooding him, he answered in the affirmative.

“I can’t see,” she said softly. “My hands are tied. Do you know what happened to the others—Tatiana, Eric and Chad? And our horses? I can’t sense them.”

“I’m sorry.” He meant it. “I have no idea. Who are these people?”

“I don’t know.” She sounded apologetic. “All I know is they weren’t Bright. If I didn’t know better, I’d hazard a guess that they’re Shadows.”

“But?” He’d picked up on the hesitation in her tone.

“But the only way that’d be possible would be if we’d ventured into their territory. The Shadows avoid Bright lands and we do the same.”

“Could we have crossed some invisible boundary?”

“It’s possible,” she said. “But extremely unlikely. I’ve always been told it’s at least two days’ ride to even reach the border. And a huge and mighty river marks the separation of our two lands.”

“And we’ve only been traveling a day and seen no such thing. Then who are these people and what do they want with us?”

He’d barely finished speaking when the hood keeping him in darkness vanished, as did whatever had been used to tie him up. Nearby, Willow flexed her hands, her disheveled hair telling him she too had been wearing a hood.

“Over there.” She pointed. Tatiana, Eric and Chad were beginning to stir. The horses had been tied to a long hitching post and also appeared dazed, as though they were just now awakening from a deep sleep.

Ruben pushed himself up, helping Willow to her feet. As she slid her slender fingers into his, he again felt the jolt of connection. Together they went over to the others. He noticed Willow positioned herself as far as possible from Chad. Seems Ruben wasn’t the only one who felt something was off in the other man.

Narrowing his eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder again. Was it possible Chad had been the one Ruben had seen following Willow? Even though he looked nothing like the other man, with all the magic floating around this place, it wasn’t impossible to believe he could have seriously altered his appearance.

Eric raised his head as they approached. His petulant expression spoke of his dissatisfaction.

“What’s going on?” Eric asked, using the booming voice of a king-to-be. He stood, shoulders back, head up, turning in a slow circle. “Whoever has done this to us, I demand you show yourselves immediately.”

“Demand?” A bodiless voice spoke.

Again that feeling of electrical current arcing through the air. A quick glance at the others showed they felt it, too.

“Magic,” Willow mouthed, looking apprehensive. The other three Brights appeared focused, as though by concentrating they could pinpoint the source.

A small man, his hair and skin the color of midnight, materialized in front of them. With his dark twinkling eyes and boisterous energy, he appeared both young and old. As they stared at him, his countenance changed from wizened to youthful and back again.

“Welcome,” he said, sounding anything but hospitable.

Ruben and Willow exchanged a glance. “Where are we?” Ruben asked, keeping his tone respectful just in case.

“You have reached the Land of the Shadows,” the little man intoned, his entire body beginning to shimmer in a way that reminded Ruben of the moment before shape-shifting. Sparkles of light danced in the breeze. “We brought you here. There is one in whom we have much interest.”

“Who?” Eric demanded, the expression on his face showing he was positive it was him. “Which of us is the one and why?”

The glimmers of color grew brighter, so bright that it hurt to gaze upon them and Ruben had to look away. When he looked back, the man had vanished.

Everyone stood still, stunned speechless.

Eric cleared his throat, about to speak again. Chad shook his head, stopping him, before looking at Ruben and then Willow.

“Now what?” he asked sullenly. “This was your expedition. Somehow, you’ve managed to land us in the middle of enemy territory.”

Ruben didn’t bother to point out that the other men were supposed to have been his guides. “According to that man, we were brought here. I can only assume by magic. Since we’re here, does anyone have any suggestions?” he asked carefully.

Expression shuttered, Chad shook his head. Eric appeared to be considering his question. “Whoever captured us brought us here, tied and hooded. That was a poor use of magical ability. Then they released us and sent someone to make sure we understand where we are. For what purpose? What do they hope to gain?”

“Maybe they want to help us find Ruben’s killer,” Chad put in nastily. “Any Bright who sought refuge here would stick out like a sore thumb.” He gave Willow a pointed look to underscore his point.

“Like I did at home?” Willow asked, sounding amused rather than hurt. “If you’re going to insult me, Chad, you’d better try a more direct approach.”

When Chad opened his mouth to reply, Ruben stepped in. “We don’t have time for squabbling. I’m sure they had their reasons, even if we don’t know what they are.”

“I think I know,” Willow grimaced. “I think they didn’t want us to see the location of their portal.”

“Portal? You mean like the magical doorway you used to get to my world?”

She nodded. “Exactly. Because the Shadow lands are nowhere near my family’s. The only way they could get us here this quickly has to be with a portal.”

“Thus the hoods and the bonds,” Eric finished. “At least now all of this makes sense.”

“Except for one thing.” Chad glanced from Willow to Ruben, his expression pensive. “We still don’t know why.”

“I have a feeling we’re about to find out,” Ruben told him. “We’ve got to get moving. At least they left us our horses. That’s something.”

“Yes, but it’d be even better if we knew the way back to the portal. It’s a long ride home without it,” Willow put in.

Chad made a rude snort. “I’m sure you can find it. You seem to have a knack for such things.”

Tatiana, who until now had been uncharacteristically silent, yawned. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think we need to ride for the nearest castle. Royalty carries privileges.”

“Not with Shadows,” Chad said.

“How do you know?” Tatiana rounded on him. “Have you ever dealt with them before?”

“No,” he admitted.

“I didn’t think so,” she rushed on, before he could ask if she had. “Royals don’t turn away other royals. I’m heir to SouthWard and he is heir of EastWard,” she said, jerking her head to indicate Eric. “That ought to count for something.”

“Maybe in your world,” Chad began.

Tatiana silenced him with a regal wave and a harsh glare. “You, like my sister, are not directly in line for the throne. Since you aren’t an heir, you know nothing.”

As Chad’s expression darkened, Eric finally moved to intervene. Apparently worried there would be an all-out war, he clapped his hand on his brother’s shoulder and pulled him close, murmuring something too low for the rest of them to hear.

When Eric moved away, Chad once again wore his familiar bored expression. “What do you want to do?” he asked Ruben, only the ice glittering in his brilliant purple eyes giving him away.

Deliberately Ruben smiled. “I agree with Tatiana. Let’s ride for the first castle we see.”

Without waiting for their replies, he strode over to their horses and located his mount. After checking to make sure the saddle was still cinched tightly, he untied the gelding and swung his leg up over the animal’s broad back.

Next to him, Willow did the same. He sensed her curiosity, the tentative desire to at least meet those people whom she was said to resemble.

To his surprise, Tatiana was the next to come forward. She untied her horse and mounted with the same easy grace that seemed part of her nature. “Are you coming?” she asked the two EastWard brothers.

Eric looked from Chad to Tatiana and back again. “I still don’t understand how we ended up in Shadow Territory,” he groused. “The boundaries are definitely not within one or two days’ riding distance. Even though they attacked us and knocked us out, there’s no way one man had enough magic to transport us. This never should have happened.”

“Unless he, whoever he might be, has stronger magic than any we’ve ever known. Or more than one Shadow was involved,” Chad drawled. “That has to be the case.”

“I would have sensed it.” Of course Tatiana dismissed his statement, even though it was the only realistic solution. “We all would have.”

Shifting his weight uneasily, Rubin flashed the other man a flat smile. Chad remained stone-faced. Neither he nor Eric had budged.

Finally, Ruben shrugged. “Fine. Stay here or come with us. Either way, we’re riding out.”

Ruben turned his horse and began to ride off. Willow was at his side and Tatiana right behind them. He kept an eye on the other men, glancing over his shoulder, to make sure they didn’t try any tricks.

Finally, the two brothers moved. Side by side, they retrieved their horses and climbed aboard, keeping to a fair distance behind the others. Tatiana glanced back, then slowed her horse so they could catch up with her. She maneuvered into a position in between them, smiling prettily.

“Is that true?” Ruben asked Willow. “Can you sense when magic is being used?”

“Most times, yes.” She glanced warily at the others when she answered. “However, we know nothing about the parameters of Shadows and their magic. It might be completely different for them.”

She’d barely finished speaking when they heard a loud clap, like thunder. They all glanced up at the misty gray sky.

When they looked back down, they found they’d been surrounded by armed guards on horseback, and judging from the hostile expression they wore, they weren’t friendly.

Eric raised his chin and opened his mouth, no doubt to spew some sort of haughty orders. Exchanging a quick look with Ruben, Chad nudged his mount sideways into Eric, knocking him off balance and effectively silencing him.

While Eric was momentarily distracted, Ruben spoke for the group. “What have we done?”

“You’ve trespassed on royal land,” the apparent leader said. “We’re here to escort you to see the king.”

“We didn’t trespass willingly,” Ruben told them. “Someone attacked us, knocked us out and when we came to, we found ourselves here.”

If the leader believed them, he gave no sign. “We will ride with you until we reach the castle,” he said.

Then, herding Ruben’s little band like sheep, they moved out.