The Wolf Prince

CHAPTER 19



Pushing the thought from his mind for now, Ruben finished packing and mounted his horse. Already seated on hers, Willow waved, her dark hair looking almost blue in the morning sunlight.

Again, yearning swept through him. He supposed he should be glad she appeared to be trying to keep distance between them. He sighed. He couldn’t exactly blame her. She probably thought he’d stood her up last night. In fact, he’d simply been a coward, unable to deal with all the emotions she aroused in him.

He’d tell her later that he hadn’t stood her up, but he didn’t need the distraction right now. Not with both Eric and Tatiana proving they were completely loose cannons.

Finally, with the camp disassembled, they rode again. At the designated place, King Drem’s guards took their leave. As they rode off, their black-clad backs straight, Ruben didn’t miss the way Tatiana and Eric exchanged covert glances. He nearly groaned out loud. They rode their horses alongside each other, speaking in voices too low to carry.

“Well, there’s one good thing about all this,” Willow said drily, riding up alongside him. “Maybe the two of them will finally get close enough to marry.”

Ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat, he allowed himself a moment to drown in her smile.

“Maybe.” He smiled and glanced back at the others. “But have you noticed the way your sister looks at Chad? I really think she fancies herself in love with him.”

“She does,” Willow sighed. “Even when they first arrived in SouthWard, she decided she wanted him instead of Eric. I’m not sure why. She and Eric are exactly alike.”

“Maybe that’s the reason. They’re so similar, they’d despise each other in a matter of months.”

“That’s one possibility,” she said. “But I’d like to think they’d learn from seeing their own flaws mirrored so clearly.”

“Those kind of people rarely do.” Shaking his head, he tightened his hands on the reins to keep from touching her. “You were asleep when I came last night,” he murmured. “I didn’t want to disturb your rest, so I left.”

As she opened her mouth to speak, one of the horses whinnied, then screamed, a blood-curdling sound. Willow’s mount reared up, as Tatiana’s horse went down, pinning her under it. Blood pooled scarlet into the dirt.

Once Willow had her horse under control, she jumped down. Ruben also vaulted to the ground, handing her his reins. He rushed over, arriving at the same time as Eric.

One look at the Bright prince’s face and Ruben knew this hadn’t been staged. Appearing truly panicked, Eric tried frantically to free his fiancée from underneath the thrashing horse. An arrow protruded ominously from the animal’s neck.

Unfortunately, his efforts only succeeded in terrifying the wounded animal, which flayed about in a futile effort to climb to its feet.

“Stand back.” Attempting to grab Eric’s arm, Ruben slipped in the blood and staggered, just as the other man swung at him.

Eric glared at Ruben with murder in his eyes and resumed his efforts to free Tatiana. The horse’s stomach heaved as he struggled. Still Eric tried to lift the beast, all the while attempting to dodge flailing hooves.

Meanwhile, Tatiana lay ominously still.

“Hold.” The note of command rang unmistakable in Ruben’s voice.

An instant later, Willow seconded his order. “Move away from the horse.”

About to argue, Eric saw something in her face that had him jumping back. “You! How can you help? You have no magic,” he spat the words. “Everyone knows that. And now you’re going to let your sister die in the dirt just for spite.”

She ignored him, running her hands down the horse’s flank. Instantly, the animal went still. When she finally raised her head to look at Ruben, tears ran down her cheeks.

“My sister is grievously wounded and the horse has been shot,” she said. “First, we need to move him off Tatiana. The arrow nicked his artery, so I can’t help him. But I can ease his passage, very quickly, or at least try so he won’t suffer, before I help you and Eric tend to my sister.”

Shot. Glancing around them and realizing they were completely exposed, Ruben knew they’d have to find the shooter.

“Yes,” Willow agreed, once again apparently reading his thoughts. “But first, we must free Tatiana. Then you can find the shooter.”

Intuition clamoring a warning, nonetheless Ruben nodded. “What would you have me do?”

“You and Eric,” she said, including the other man in her gesture. “Each grab a pair of legs. Ruben, you take the front and Eric the back. I’ve sedated the horse so he will remain still, as long as you are gentle. Slide him this way, and we’ll free Tatiana.”

Though Ruben seriously doubted he could move even half of a one-ton horse, he was willing to give it a try.

“Ready?” Willow asked, crossing around to the other side to push while they pulled. She stood as near to Tatiana’s prone form as she could. “One, two, three, pull!”

Ruben pulled. Next to him, Eric did the same, grunting loudly while Willow pushed. To his disbelief, they were able to slide the massive animal off Tatiana.

Willow went to assist her, to see if she could somehow use what little magic she had to help, but the instant her fingers touched her sister’s skin, Tatiana began screaming.

When Willow took her hand away, her sister quieted.

“See?” Eric shot her a venomous look. “She doesn’t want your help.”

“Tend to her,” Willow ordered, dropping to her knees next to the violently shaking horse. She began crooning low, nonsensical words that seemed to calm the beast. Ruben turned away, glancing from Tatiana to the woods.

“I don’t think you should move her,” he told Eric. Ignoring him, the other man slid one arm under her head and the other under her back, lifting her. He carried her over toward the wagon while Ruben followed behind.

“If I had my magic, I could heal her,” Eric said bitterly.

“Look, I understand.” Ruben clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder and tried to keep an eye on the trees. “I’m not sure how or why, but it would appear someone has a powerful bow and is trying to take us out. We need to find this person before anyone else gets hurt.”

Without looking up from Tatiana, Eric nodded.

Inside his makeshift cell, Chad began to laugh. “Leave her, you fool. Do what I told you to do.”

Eric swung his golden head to glare at his brother. “Hurting her wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Plan?” Ruben looked from one to the other. As he did, Chad brandished a wicked-looking crossbow.

Ruben dove behind the wagon just as Chad sent an arrow flying. “Take cover,” he shouted to Willow, as she raised her head from her work on the horse. In plain view, with her back to Chad, she’d make an easy target.

“I’ll kill her unless you free me,” Chad said, the venom in his voice telling Ruben he meant it.

Seeing the danger, Willow froze.

“Take cover,” Ruben shouted, his heart in his throat.

“I can’t leave the horse right now,” she shouted. “If I do, he’ll die in great pain.”

“If you don’t, he’ll kill you,” Eric warned her, turning back to look at his brother. “And the horse will still die in pain. You promised no bloodshed, Chad.”

“I lied,” Chad told him smoothly, before shooting Eric in the leg. He laughed when his brother crumpled to the ground.

Willow took that opportunity to dive behind a large tree.

Chad grinned, bringing the massive crossbow to bear on Ruben. “Looks like you’re next,” he told Ruben.

“Kill us all and you’ll be trapped in there forever,” Ruben said. “There won’t be anyone left alive to free you. You’ll rot in your cage. A slow, painful death.”

Chad cocked his head, considering.

A movement above Chad caught Ruben’s eye. The coachman had climbed on top of the cage, unnoticed by the Bright prince. He held a long, deadly looking whip.

Quickly Ruben looked away. The coachman was their only chance.

Madness gleamed in Chad’s eyes as he sighted the arrow on Ruben’s heart.

“You don’t want to kill me,” Ruben said, knowing he had to distract the other man.

“Oh, but I think I do. But first, I want her to die.” As Chad raised the crossbow again, aiming at Willow, the coachman snapped the whip, knocking the weapon out of Chad’s hands with a loud crack. It discharged its arrow before bouncing into and through the bars onto the ground.

Ruben dove for it. Chad began cursing virulently.

Ignoring him, Ruben turned to check on Eric. The Bright prince had torn his shirt and made an efficient tourniquet over his wounded leg.

“I’m all right.” Eric waved him away. “Please, check on Tatiana.” The worry in his voice told Ruben the other man truly cared for his fiancée.

“Let me check her out.” Pushing past Ruben and Eric, Willow knelt at her sister’s side. She took Tatiana’s pulse, then began feeling along her arms and legs and rib cage, searching for broken bones.

When she looked up again, her expression was tight with strain. “She has at least one broken rib, and I think her left arm is also broken. Beyond that—if she has any kind of other internal injuries—I have no way of knowing. She’s unconscious.”

Exhaustion was evident in the way she swayed, even from a crouched position. Though Ruben hated to ask it, he had to. “Can you try again?”

For a second she closed her eyes, appearing to muster up her last remnant of faded strength. “She’s my sister,” she said finally. “I’m not sure she’ll let me, but of course I’ll try.”

Shaking with the effort, she began humming tunelessly as she let her hands hover over Tatiana’s rib cage. Tears streamed down Willow’s cheeks, but she held her position, until the tremors became all-engulfing shudders. As Ruben rushed to steady her, she collapsed in his arms.

“Is she...?” Eric asked tentatively.

Ruben cradled the woman he loved and glanced up at the other man, only to find him gazing at Tatiana with an eager, hopeful and completely besotted look.

“I don’t know.” Transferring his attention back to Willow, Ruben gathered her as close as he dared, wishing he could send some of his strength to replenish her limp body.

But whatever magic he possessed was limited to shape-shifting and he could do nothing but hold her.

Willow’s chest rose and fell with shallow breathing, and she didn’t appear hurt, just depleted.

Next to him, Eric gave a glad cry. “She’s waking up.”

Sure enough, Tatiana had begun to stir. Pink returned to her colorless skin as she regained her strength. Ruben wished he could say the same for Willow.

“Keep her still until she can focus,” Ruben cautioned.

Eric nodded, reluctant to tear his gaze away from the woman he planned to marry. Tatiana moaned, trying to push up onto her elbows. She opened her violet eyes and blinked up at Eric. Realizing who held her, she tried to push him away, struggling to see beyond him. “Chad?” she cried out, her voice full of anguish. “Chad.”

To his credit, Eric continued to hold her. “He’s alive,” he said drily. “As am I and your sister, I think.”

But Tatiana did not hear him. She’d already slipped back into unconsciousness.

Ruben looked away, back at his mate. Her long lashes fluttered, and he saw a shimmer of awareness in her caramel-colored eyes. “Willow?”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I think I healed her...”

“Shh.” Placing a soft kiss on the smooth skin of her forehead, he held her close. “Conserve your strength.”

“But Tatiana...”

“She woke up and then went back to sleep. I think she’s going to be okay.” He kissed her again, this time lingering. Inhaling the fresh lilac scent of her, he suppressed the urge to hold her tighter, afraid he might injure her.

“Great.” Willow smiled sleepily up at him, then stretched. “Give me another minute to regain my energy and then I can help you two figure out how to get everyone home without injuring them more.”

By the time Willow was able to stand—shakily, and while leaning heavily on Ruben—Tatiana had come around again. Despite Eric’s protests, she had gotten to her feet and gone to crouch near the cage, where a furious Chad still sat, glaring at them all with murder in his gaze.

“Are you all right, my love?” Tatiana gushed, attempting to reach through the bars to caress Chad’s face.

“Get away from me, you faithless whore,” Chad snarled.

At his words, Tatiana drew herself up straight, her injury apparently completely healed. “What’s wrong with you?” she demanded. “How can you speak to me like that, after we’ve made love? I know we’re meant to be together.”

Chad spat at her, contempt twisting his face. “I don’t want you. I never did. You and my brother deserve each other. Two fools.”

Shocked, Tatiana stumbled backward, nearly falling. Eric had come up behind her, and he caught her, though he moved now strictly from reflex, his jaw tight and his gaze hard.

“You slept with her?” Eric asked his brother, his voice completely without inflection. “The woman I planned to marry?”

Ruben couldn’t help but notice how the other man used past tense now. He couldn’t blame him. What kind of man would want a bride so faithless that she’d cuckold him with his own brother?

“What kind of man are you?” Revulsion plain in his every action, Eric set Tatiana apart, ignoring the way she desperately reached out to him, apparently realizing she’d lost it all.

When she touched his shoulder, he spun and turned on her. “For that matter, what kind of woman are you? We were supposed to wed. We’d even begun discussing wedding plans, for Bright’s sake.”

Most women would have hung their head in shame. Not Tatiana. She looked Eric straight in the face and smiled. “I will make it up to you,” she promised. “If you’ll let me.”

Not an apology at all.

For a heartbeat, Ruben thought Eric might strike her. The thought apparently crossed Eric’s mind, as he raised his hand before lowering it and clenching it in a fist.

This made Ruben actually like the pompous prince, who seemed to have a heart after all.

“The engagement is off,” Eric declared, in a hard, flat voice. “Do not come near me again.”

Disbelief flashed across Tatiana’s face. “You can’t do that. Our parents have already signed the marriage contracts.”

“They will be voided,” he said, and turned his back on her to mount his horse.

Since they were now one horse short, they helped Tatiana up on the front of the jail wagon, where she could ride with the coachman.

And then they set out as fast as they could for SouthWard. King Drem had explained that they would not be sent through the portal due to the prison coach and so would have a long ride ahead of them.

Ruben rode next to Willow, noting how she gripped the pommel of the saddle. More than once, she appeared to be nodding off.

“Are you going to make it?” he asked, aware he couldn’t let her see how worried he was. Willow’s earlier pale skin had now taken on a ghostly pallor. Even her lips, normally red, seemed bloodless. She barely showed enough strength to keep upright in the saddle.

Unsmiling, she nodded. “I think so.”

“Let me know if you need my help,” he said. “If you’d like to ride with me, I’m sure we can arrange something.”

His words brought a faint smile, though she shook her head. They rode on, pushing as hard as they dared. Luckily, neither Tatiana nor Eric seemed inclined to talk. Chad had folded himself up into a close approximation of a ball. He must have been weak from loss of blood.

Several hawks circled overhead, keeping pace with them. Ruben also got a sense that other creatures watched them from the shadows. If they communicated to Willow, she didn’t pass that information on. Perhaps they too were worried about her.

Finally, the landscape began to look familiar.

“We’re nearly home,” Willow said, confirming his thoughts.

The instant they reached the golden path that wound up the hill toward SouthWard keep, as though a message had been sent ahead, medics rushed out and tended to Tatiana and Eric. When they were deemed stable enough, they were transported to the hospital. Chad was also taken off, escorted by a regiment of guards, still trapped in his ensorcelled prison.

Though Willow needed to rest, she and Ruben were told that the king and queen wished to see them immediately.

They were taken into the castle, and without a chance to clean up or take refreshment, Willow and Ruben were ushered into a formal sitting area. The servant closed the door behind him, leaving them alone. Ruben helped her take a seat on a gilt-encrusted couch, then sat beside her.

“At least it’s not the throne room,” Willow joked, trying to sound lighthearted, though she betrayed herself by the way she kept twisting her hands anxiously. The slight sag of her shoulders and the persistent way she shivered revealed her exhaustion.

Aching to hold her, Ruben nodded, absently noting the dazzling gilt-covered chairs, gold-threaded upholstery and glittery wallpaper. Bright didn’t even begin to describe the effects of it. “If I stayed in this room too long, I’d have a raging headache.”

Though she laughed, her nerves were apparent in the sound. Her movements were shaky, but she got to her feet and began to roam the room. She picked up objects, studying them and setting them back down without ever seeing them.

Finally, she dropped back into her seat next to him. “They’d better make this quick, or I’m going to pass out,” she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Stroking her hair, Ruben reached for her hand. Once her fingers were intertwined with his, he felt a little bit of calm peacefulness steal over him. No matter what happened, as long as Willow and he were together, everything would be all right. He had to believe that.

Finally, King Puck strode into the room, his narrow face pinched. There was no sign of Queen Millicent, Willow’s mother, and Ruben didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried.

Instead of greeting Willow, the king fixed his gaze on Ruben. “I see you’ve imprisoned the youngest EastWard prince. What evidence do you have against him?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Against Chad?” Ruben sat up straight. “He tried to kill me. And then he admitted to murdering my servant. I request permission to bring him home so he can stand trial.”

The king flinched. “He is the second son of a powerful king. I don’t know that I can allow this.”

Moving slowly, Willow pushed to her feet, bravely facing down her father. “You don’t have a choice. You must send word to EastWard. You know our laws. Chad will have to stand trial. Not only did he murder a human servant, but he attempted to kill Prince Ruben.”

King Puck slowly nodded. “I’ll have to speak with your mother.”

Willow shrugged. “Go ahead. But no one is above the law. King Drem has put a binding spell on Chad to keep him from using his magic.”

At the mention of the Shadow king, a look of sorrow mingled with pain flashed across King Puck’s autocratic features. “You met your sire?”

Slowly, Willow nodded. “Why did you never tell me?”

“You mother did not wish me to.” He reached out as if to touch her, but dropped his hand before making contact. “I abide by her wishes, as always.”

“Where is my mother?” Willow asked, her voice steady. “I have much I want to discuss with her.”

“She’s with your sister. Until she’s sure Tatiana is all right, I doubt she’ll have time for you.”

Though Ruben knew the king’s words had to hurt, Willow’s serene expression betrayed nothing. “Would you let her know that I need to speak with her?” she asked.

King Puck nodded. “Of course. Meanwhile, I’ll go and prepare a message to be sent to the EastWard king.”

As he turned to leave, Willow stepped in front of him, stopping him. “And after Chad is well enough, he must be sent through the veil to stand trial for his crimes among the humans,” she declared, her tone daring him to disagree. “Prince Ruben has promised this to his father.”

After a long moment, the king sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Let me see what I can do.”

As he reached for the door, Queen Millicent swept into the room, her expression furious. “Arrest both of them,” she ordered, motioning her guards to come in after her.

“On what charges?” Ruben asked. Willow stood like a statue, allowing the guards to place her in restraints.

“On what charges?” he repeated, when it seemed plain the queen had no intention of answering.

She waited until he was handcuffed before answering.

“On charges of conspiring against the royal family of EastWard.”

“What kind of nonsense is this?” Willow asked, facing her mother. “You know good and well—”

Queen Millicent’s expression contorted, turning her beautiful face into one of ugly malice. “Tatiana has told me the truth. She said you and your human pet conspired against Chad in order to frame him for Eric’s crimes.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Ruben protested. “Ask King Drem’s coachman. He can tell you the truth.”

The queen looked down her aquiline nose at him. “He violated the treaty by trespassing on our lands. Like him, you and Willow are to be held until all of this is sorted out.”

* * *

Exhaustion claiming her, Willow let herself be transported by the guards to her family’s little-used jail in the ancient dungeons underneath the castle. She had no doubt that neither she nor Ruben would be kept here for long, despite Chad’s apparent plan to deceive everyone. Even if Tatiana refused to tell the truth, there was Eric. As firstborn son and heir to the EastWard kingdom, his word would carry a lot more weight than Chad’s.

“All very good reasoning,” Ruben said from the cell next to hers. “Except for one major issue. Chad’s trying to make it seem like Eric is the killer.”

“Somehow, he must have persuaded Tatiana to go along with his story.” That wouldn’t have been too difficult. Now that Eric wanted nothing to do with her, her sister would have been quick to grasp at any straw Chad might have thrown out.

Though she tried to stay awake long enough to come up with a plan, Willow felt herself drift off to sleep. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Ruben’s handsome face, peering worriedly at her through the bars.

When she woke, she felt sluggish, though she knew her strength had returned to her. Raising her head, she found Ruben in the exact same place, still watching her.

“How long was I out?”

He shrugged. “A few hours. I have no way to track time. But no one has come looking for us. If your sister doesn’t recant her story...”

“She will. She has to. Tatiana is a lot of things, but she’s not an idiot. She won’t want to be with a killer, especially one who made it plain he was using her. Once she gets over her embarrassment, she’ll tell my mother what really happened.”

Ruben’s expression was doubtful, but he nodded. “I just want to go home,” he said.

Willow felt a pang at his words, though she was careful to hide it. “Of course you do. Why wouldn’t you, now that you’ve completed your task?”

He searched her face. She couldn’t decide if the tenderness she saw in his gaze was pity or something more.

“Now is not the time to talk about this,” he finally said. “But once we get out of here...”

Chest tight, she turned away, not wanting him to see how much his words had hurt her.

Footsteps on the stone stairs had them both raising their heads. When Tatiana came into view, Willow smiled, glad she’d been right about her sister.

Ignoring Ruben, Tatiana crossed to stand in front of Willow’s cell. “I’m sorry to have to put you through this,” she said, her tone as conversationally pleasant as if they were discussing the weather.

Willow frowned. “Are you going to tell the truth so we can get out?”

“I haven’t decided.” Twirling a lock of her golden hair in her finger, Tatiana wrinkled her nose in a move she often practiced in front of a mirror, deeming it adorable. “I didn’t want to marry Eric, but I refuse to let him humiliate me. At least now that everyone thinks he’s a killer, they won’t listen to anything he says.”

“You can’t do this. Not only will Chad—who actually is a killer—go free, but an innocent man will be tried for his crimes.”

“So?” Tatiana’s expression seemed carefully blank.

“Tati, Chad said he didn’t want you. Remember?”

“He didn’t mean that. He only said that to give him time to think of a better plan. Once he did, he told me the truth.”

Willow let her disbelief show. “I have to believe you know better than that.”

Her sister’s face took on that mulish expression that Willow knew so well. “Say what you will. I have to do what makes me happy.”

“This? This makes you happy? Not only are you helping a killer, someone who may just decide to slaughter you some day, but you’re letting an innocent man suffer for his crimes.” Willow took a deep breath, fervently hoping she could make Tatiana see reason. “Not to mention they’ve got us locked up for allegedly conspiring against him.”

“Sorry. You’re collateral damage.” With a sigh, Tatiana swept her gaze over Willow. “You had no future here anyway. You should have stayed at NorthWard, with your own people.”

Unable to believe what she was hearing, Willow regarded her older sister with a combination of pity and scorn. “Tati, you’ll be queen someday. You have to do the right thing.”

Then, not waiting for her sister to answer, Willow turned her back on her and went to sit on her cot.

Tatiana left without another word.

“Do you think she’ll do it?” Ruben asked. “I knew she was awfully self-centered, but this is unbelievable.”

“I can only hope.” Willow let some of her glumness show in her voice.

When a few minutes later there were more footsteps on the stairs, she raised her head. Relief flooded her when she saw King Puck and Queen Millicent stride around the corner.

But neither one was smiling.