How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (The Embraced #1)

Leo shook his head. Unbelievable. Whoever had arranged this had to possess the ability to communicate with animals, or at least seals.

Jensen’s exclamation was loud enough for Leo to hear. All three guards were now watching the seals. Luciana waved and called out a greeting. There was no reason for her to worry about the guards seeing her bottle, for it was completely hidden in the midst of the sea creatures.

While Tatiana and her guards remained focused on the seals, Leo spotted a movement on the beach, far to the left. Something moving from behind a rock, partially hidden by the mist. He reached for his bow and arrow, then stopped when he realized it was Brody.

What the hell? How could he track the seals as a dog? Brody slipped into the water, unnoticed by Tatiana and her guards, who were watching the seals dive back into the water.

Soon the rock was bare, the bottle gone. One of the seals had it for sure. The surface of the sea frothed as the dozen seals started their journey.

Leo glanced back at Brody. He dove underwater, and a few seconds later Leo spotted the sun glistening off a slick black body as it broke the surface and made another dip underwater.

What the hell? Leo stood up and frantically scanned the surface of the sea. Where the hell was Brody? Was he in trouble, or had he actually transformed into a different creature?

When Tatiana and her guards started back toward the fortress, Leo hunched down behind the bushes. Holy shit. He could have sworn Brody had become a seal. Did that mean he could shift into any creature he wanted to?

Leo ran a gloved hand through his hair. Tatiana wasn’t the only one keeping secrets from him.

*

Leo remained distracted for the rest of the morning. He made a quick trip to the dungeon to check on the prisoner, but Willem still refused to talk. Leo assured him Nevis would return soon, but also reminded him that as soon as the gallows were built, Willem was scheduled to hang.

In the courtyard, Leo inspected the scaffold that had been erected near the south gate. It was nearly complete.

His gaze wandered toward the western wing of the keep. No doubt, Tatiana was in her dressing room, changing into dry clothes. Perhaps having one of her long baths. He smiled to himself. He was beginning to like hot baths, too.

On the ground floor, below the library, there was a communal bath, one for men, another for women, with large pools of heated water. After spending most of his life on the road with the army, Leo was enjoying his daily bath and a real bed to sleep in. But this sort of lifestyle wasn’t something he could grow attached to. As soon as the assassins were discovered and dealt with, he would have to escort Tatiana and her father to the court in Ebton. After the wedding, he would return them to Vindalyn and resume his duties as Lord Protector. He would rarely even see his new wife.

When he entered the southern tower, two of his personal guard were on duty. They jumped up to salute. Edmund handed him a letter from the duke.

“Thanks.” Leo’s stomach rumbled as he headed for the stairs. He’d been in such a hurry to spy on Tatiana this morning that he’d neglected to eat breakfast.

Edmund chuckled. “Food again?”

Leo smiled. “If you don’t mind.”

While Edmund dashed to the kitchens, Leo went up the stairs to his room to read the letter. The duke had ordered a celebration for that night in the Great Hall. Dining, music, and dancing. Both Leo and Lady Tatiana were requested to attend.

He smiled to himself. Ana couldn’t avoid him now.

After a few minutes, Edmund knocked on his door, then entered with a tray of food.

“Thanks.” Leo dropped his bow and quiver onto the bed while Edmund set the tray on the table. There were two plates, one heaped with bacon, sausages, and eggs, and the other filled with bread, butter, and jam. Leo’s mouth watered as he took a seat. “This looks excellent.”

Edmund grinned. “My lady fixed these for you.”

“My—you mean, Lady Tatiana?”

“Yes, my lord. She’s helping out in the kitchens. They’re very busy getting ready for the celebration tonight.”

“Ah.” So she wasn’t lying about in a bathtub. She was working.

“She should be safe,” Edmund continued. “Jensen and two guards are outside the kitchen door. Usually Brody is with her, too, but I haven’t seen him today.”

Leo nodded. “I asked him to take care of a matter for me. He’ll be gone for a few days.”

Edmund bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Leo removed his gloves, and while he ate his mind kept replaying the vision of a sleek black body diving into the water. Brody had become a seal? Why had Brody never mentioned that he could shift into different animals?

It had been five years ago when Brody had wandered into camp as a dog, looking exhausted and hungry. After Nevis had given him a bone to chew on, the dog had followed Nevis into his tent, and there he had shifted into human form, scaring the crap out of Nevis. But once he convinced Nevis he had news from the royal court, Nevis had thrown him some clothes and taken him to meet Leo.

Leo had hired him, and over the years Leo had started to rely on Brody’s reports and good advice. Brody was the only other person he knew who was Embraced, so they had that in common. But Brody was gone most of the time, gathering information, and even when he was around, he could only be human for a limited time, and that time was normally used for business. Leo had to admit now that he actually knew very little about Brody.

A knock sounded on his door and Edmund peeked inside. “My lord, I thought you might want to know…”

Leo rose to his feet. “What?”

“I saw it from the entrance to the tower. Lady Tatiana has moved to the kitchen garden to work.”