The Wolf Prince (11 page)

Eyes narrowed, Willow watched him. “Look, I know she’s beautiful, but Tatiana cares about herself more than anything else. She won’t hesitate to betray you if she’ll get something out of it.”

“You don’t trust her?” As the youngest of four, Ruben had three sisters. He was closest to Alisa, the one who’d recently married and moved to America. He’d trust any of them with his life and knew they felt the same about him.

“No,” Willow responded simply. “I don’t trust her at all.”

“What about her fiancé, that giant blond guy?”

“Eric?” She shrugged. “I don’t know enough about him to say, but he seems pretty self-absorbed. If those two marry, they’ll have to figure out a way to take turns admiring each other.” She made a face. “For now I plan to avoid them both as much as possible.”

“And your fiancé?” He found himself holding his breath for her answer. Once he realized this, of course he immediately released it.

“I’ve already told you, nothing’s been agreed upon,” she said crossly. “And yes, we should try to avoid him, as well.”

“Then we need to vamoose.”

Her blank expression told him she wasn’t familiar with the word. He opened his mouth to explain, but before he could she asked him something else.

“Will you shape-shift for me?” she asked, her voice casual, as though the question was completely normal. “I’d like to see what you look like when you become wolf.”

Stunned, he thought about how to reply, not sure what to say. He opened his mouth to answer her, and then something happened. Something completely and totally unexpected and out of his realm of experience.

Right in front of her, he could feel his body begin to change without him initiating it. Of course. Now he’d lost control of that, too? Worse, seeing an opening, his wolf chose that moment to mount a fast and furious attack, taking an already off-balance Ruben completely by surprise. Before he even had time to mount a defense, the wolf began the process of shape-shifting, forcing him to change. Wolf. Human. Wolf. Ruben struggled, gripping his rapidly shredding humanity and trying like hell to hold on. If he let the wolf win, even once, what little tenuous hold he had on his sanity would be gone.

He could not let the beast win.

As he battled for his sanity, his life, a horrible sound burst from his throat. Snarl, howl and part moan. He heard this dimly, as though from a great distance, even as he felt another cry bubble up inside him.

An uneven fight, this. In prime condition, the wolf had watched and waited, with the perfect patience of its kind. And when Ruben had let down his guard, his attention focused on Willow, the animal had struck.

Payback time.

“Ruben?” Willow’s voice, sweet and worried and curious. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He could no more answer her than he could let the wolf win. But when she reached out and placed her soft hand on his arm, his inner wolf roared.

Even now, the beast craved her.

Even now, so did the man.

The momentary distraction was enough. Ruthless, Ruben fought back the wolf, penning it into a mental cage and locking the door. Then, exhausted and breathing heavily, he opened his eyes to find Willow surveying him as though she feared he’d become possessed.

In a way, that’s exactly what he’d been.

“Are you all right?” she repeated.

Temporarily unable to speak, he nodded. Because he feared at any moment his legs would give out from under him, he let himself sink to the floor.

“I’m going to call for help,” Willow said.

“No,” he croaked. “Please. Just sit with me.”

Looking alarmed, she slowly and reluctantly did as he’d asked, dropping to the ground alongside him. “What just happened? Was that normal?”

As he tried to catch his breath, he also gathered his thoughts, attempting to figure out some sort of cohesive explanation.

“My wolf wanted out,” he finally told her.

She leaned close, searching his face. “You mean you were about to actually shape-shift into a wolf?”

“Sort of.” Closing his eyes so he couldn’t see her expression, he sighed. “I know you wanted to see what it was like, but that change wouldn’t have been a good one. Sometimes my inner wolf tries to gain control.”

“And you have to be the one who is in command of it?”

“Yes. Otherwise it’s...dangerous. I have to fight him for the right to remain human.” He wondered if she’d really understand what this meant.

“Is shape-shifting like that for every Shifter?”

Wordlessly, he shook his head.

“I see,” she said, making him wonder if she really did. “What happens if you lose?”

“Good question. I don’t know. So far that hasn’t happened.” He shuddered, thinking about the repercussions were such a thing to become reality. “And I don’t want it to.”

“I’m sorry.” She sounded sincere. “I shouldn’t have asked you to become a wolf like you’re a performer in a circus or something. I promise you, it won’t happen again.”

“That’s okay.” He didn’t bother to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. “My wolf and I battle constantly. It could have happened regardless.”

Again that pause, as though she was holding her breath. He made the mistake of opening his eyes, to find her much closer than was prudent.

“I have to wonder,” she murmured, her gaze fixed on his mouth. “What would happen if you let the wolf win, just once?”

Temptation, both the woman and the thought. He knew an instant’s fierce aching, a wild flash of need, before he shoved the notion away. Partly because he didn’t want her to know the truth, and partly because he’d fought enough battles for one day, he gave in to one temptation, at least. The lesser of two evils.

The instant he covered her lips with his, he knew he’d made the right choice.

Kissing her was like coming home. And more. Arousal and sanity were commingled in her mouth and as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed closer, he thought he might never want to leave.

And that, he knew, carried yet another chance of dangerous madness. Yet this was a risk he was willing to take.

Chapter 11

T
hey fit together like separate halves of a whole. Soft where Ruben was hard, she smelled of flowers and the pine scent of the forest. The kiss went on and on, a lingering embrace, neither willing to break apart. Finally, aroused and aching and much wearier than he should be, Ruben gently set her apart. He might be many things, but he knew he didn’t have the right to do this. No matter what he wanted.

She sighed and snuggled into his side, smiling happily. Contentment radiated from her and he fought a virulent urge to change that contentment to desire.

No.

He took a moment to regain control, eyeing her with something akin to wonder. She looked beautiful and sexy, with her rumpled hair, flushed cheeks and swollen mouth. Chest tight, he gazed at her, wondering how one small dark woman could affect him so strongly.

He also wondered if she wasn’t more dangerous than his inner wolf could ever be.

For a moment, he realized he’d changed. Being around Willow, or being in her world, had halted what he’d come to think of as his slow spiral into madness. While he and his wolf still battled, the burning ache to become and remain wolf no longer seemed so insurmountable or powerful. He felt almost...normal.

Uncoiling his body, he pushed to his feet. “Come on.” He held out his hand to help her rise.

After a moment’s hesitation, she slipped her fingers through his and let him pull her up. “What now?” she asked, her voice husky and sensuous and hurt, all at once. A maze of walking contradictions, he thought.

A distraction he definitely didn’t need or want. He had enough on his plate already.

“We go back to your palace,” he said, deciding. “I want to hear what your parents have to say. Maybe they’ll even offer to help.”

Pulling her hand free, she shook her head. “I wouldn’t count on it. But there will be another meal later in the day. We can try again.”

When they reached the room he’d been assigned, she left him. With a cheery little wave, as though she didn’t feel the same wrenching sense of loss as he did at their parting. More proof, he thought as he closed his door, of how closely he lurked near the edge of madness. He barely knew her. Yet all he had to do was think of the kisses they’d shared and he was instantly aroused.

Cursing under his breath, he headed for the shower. Maybe a nice cold one would help settle his unruly body and help sharpen his mind. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

* * *

Willow had only taken a few steps down the hall when Ruben closed his door behind him. The instant she heard the sharp click, she let her shoulders sag.

Shades damn him. How could he make her want him so badly with merely a kiss? Dejected and furious, for the first time she wondered if her impulsive decision to help him was a bad one.

Rounding the corner on her way to the stairs, she mentally cringed when she heard Chad calling her name.

“Wait up,” he called.

Though he was the last person she wanted to see right now, she didn’t want to be rude, so she turned and waited.

At her first glimpse of him, all she could do was stare. He’d used some sort of magic or something. His golden beauty had vanished, dulled down to a dimmer version of his previous self. She did a double take. “You look different...” He’d done something, but with her lack of magical ability, she couldn’t tell what.

Coming up to her, he took her arm as he gave her a tight smile. “What do you mean?”

“Magic?” she guessed. “You’ve altered your appearance.”

Now he smiled, bringing back a hint of his former masculine beauty. “Your sister prefers me ugly.”

Since she knew this to be true, though she didn’t understand it, Willow let it go.

But Chad apparently wasn’t finished. Resting his hand comfortably on her shoulder, he turned her to face him. “I made myself look more like you.”

Stunned, shocked and...stars help her, hurt, she shook her head. He’d made himself
ugly
to look more like her. Blinking back the tears, she tried to move away. His grip tightened, keeping her close.

“Your people are wrong, you know.” Prince Chad spoke so softly that at first, Willow wasn’t certain she’d heard him correctly.

“Wrong about what?” She forced herself to pay attention to the man her parents wanted her to marry. It wasn’t his fault that she couldn’t stop thinking about Ruben.

“You.” Lightly he moved his hand from her shoulder, skimming her neck and tracing the side of her face. “You’re absolutely lovely, you know.”

Shocked, she tilted her head, wondering what he’d been drinking. “Uh, thank you.”

A smile tugging at one corner of his sensuous mouth, he moved closer, stroking her hair with a reverence that suggested he’d never seen locks so lovely.

Though everyone in SouthWard abhorred her hair, apparently he liked the color. Still, something about him made her uneasy.

While he cupped her chin, she could think of nothing else but how badly she wanted to move away. Instead, she forced herself to hold still, curious to see where he was going with this.

“You smell like lilacs,” he murmured. His eyes had drifted half closed, as though sensory awareness of her had overwhelmed him. “And something else. Maybe vanilla.”

Skepticism warred with fascination as he moved his hand from her face to her hair. From her brief experience with Ruben, she imagined he would want to kiss her soon.

At the thought, she found to her surprise that she wanted to giggle. With a major effort of will, she kept her expression serious, focusing on the handsome Bright man who had moved even closer still.

He was handsome and muscular and well-proportioned. Well-bred and polite and oozing with masculine charm. Yet he couldn’t hold a candle to Ruben.

Again, she pushed the unwelcome thought away. According to her parents, she was to marry this man. She might as well see if his kiss affected her as strongly as Ruben’s had.

If not, she would be in for a world of trouble.

Encouraged by her stillness, Chad cupped the back of her head. Gazing into her eyes, he tilted his head and hesitated, as though asking for permission or waiting for her to make the first move. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and kiss him first.

She pulled him to her, letting him crush her mouth with his. The instant his lips began to move greedily over hers, she realized she’d made a mistake.
Blech
.

Unfortunately, Chad apparently didn’t feel the same.

Deepening the kiss, he crushed her to him, letting her feel the strength of his formidable arousal as he ground his hips against hers.

Starshades. Not what she wanted. Not what she wanted at all. She struggled then, attempting to push him away, which only seemed to inflame him even more.

When he attempted to ram his tongue down her throat, making her gag, she brought her knee up in reflex, jamming it into his man parts so hard he staggered backward. Then, as he doubled over, gasping and groaning, she pulled away, uncertain if she should apologize or not.

The shudders wracking him indicated her move had caused him great pain. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, only discourage him.

“I’m so sorry,” she told him, reaching to touch his shoulder. Unsurprised when he recoiled from her, she doggedly continued. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just—”

“Enough,” he snarled. When he raised his head, the rage blazing from his eyes hit her hard enough to send her staggering back. Then, as he struggled to regain his equilibrium, he stumbled toward her. He opened his mouth to speak, and she felt the familiar sizzle of magic. She might be in serious danger. Though all of her people had been trained to put up shields to protect against magical attacks, Willow didn’t even have enough magic for this.

Praying Chad didn’t know about her serious lack of power, she raised her hand and waved it slowly in front of her, as though building a magical wall. “Don’t do this,” she ordered, relieved her voice sounded strong and sure, the exact opposite of the true way she felt with her insides quaking.

He narrowed his eyes. “Give me one good reason why not?”

“Because I am a princess of the royal house of SouthWard and your intended betrothed. I meant you no harm. My actions were those of a foolish, scared virgin,” she told him, hating the way something else, something even darker, flared in his eyes at the word
virgin
.

Nevertheless, she kept her shoulders back and her spine straight as she continued. “I was frightened and lashed out without thinking. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

All of a sudden he became all smiles. “I understand,” he said, though his eyes remained cold. “I wasn’t aware of your untouched state. I confess, I’m a bit surprised, especially given the way you kissed me.”

“Are you?” She crossed her arms, cocking her head and wishing she could find a way to let him know, subtly of course, that she was no fool. “You of all people should know princesses are expected to be pure.”

He laughed. “Now you’re trying to tell me Tatiana is a virgin? Please. How stupid do you think I am?”

Though she blushed, she wanted to keep the topic on track. “Tatiana is not my concern. We are talking about me and the fact that because of one kiss, you thought you could take liberties with me? Might I remind you that you are a guest in our palace and my father would not take kindly to the thought of you trying to force yourself on his little girl?”

As if her father would care. She had a painful suspicion that both her parents would forgive just about anything if it ensured they could get their youngest daughter married off and thus out of their hair.

The color had mostly returned to Chad’s face. Straightening, he grimaced and swept his hand through his hair. “Let’s walk,” he said, managing to sound both menacing and soothing all at once.

Warily, she started off. She hoped he couldn’t sense her revulsion as he fell into place at her side.

“Tell me about this human friend of yours,” he asked casually.

Instantly she was inexplicably suspicious. “He’s not a friend, actually. More like an acquaintance.”

“I heard you brought him to your parents for an audience.” Still he sounded merely curious, nothing more. Briefly, she wondered if he was jealous, then discounted the idea. If she’d been as beautiful as her sister, maybe. But she knew there was no way someone as attractive as Chad would be jealous of her.

“I did bring him to see them,” she agreed. “I couldn’t just let him roam around without acknowledgment. He is royalty, after all.”

“Human royalty.” The way he said the words put them on a level with horse dung.

She nearly laughed. “Yes, human royalty.” She saw no reason to mention the Shape-shifter aspect, either.

Prince Chad turned the full wattage of his purple-violet gaze on her. “What does he want?”

She blinked. “He’s here on a quest and I’ve promised to help him in any way I can.”

“A quest? What does he hope to find?”

Just like that, her lighthearted mood evaporated. “A killer,” she said grimly. “Someone killed one of his servants.”

“Servants?” He raised one golden brow.

“Yes, one of his palace maids was murdered.”

“Hmm,” Chad mused. “He values his servants that highly?”

Stunned at his callousness, she opened her mouth and then closed it. Chad didn’t appear to notice.

“Has he offered you gold?” he asked.

This question startled her. “Gold?”

“For your magic,” he said, sounding slightly impatient.

She realized he truly didn’t know that she had no magic. She also had no reason to tell him the truth, at least not yet. If it came down to the fact they both became serious about their nuptials, then of course she’d fill him in. She wouldn’t be so cruel as to let him marry her believing she’d been gifted with magical ability.

For now, she’d play it safe. She did have a moment of wonder that she felt such a thing necessary with the man whom she might be spending the rest of her life.

“No gold.” Smiling to take any potential sting off the words, she slipped her arm through his. Trying not to notice the way her skin crawled, she pretended to be honored to be accompanying him.

A moment later, as they rounded the corner and headed toward the sweeping staircase, she began to worry how she would extricate herself. If only Chad wanted to go downstairs, she could excuse herself and head up to her room. Every man understood a woman’s need to refresh herself.

But then Tatiana appeared. Her sister took one look at Willow and Chad and fell to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

The instant she’d seen Willow gazing up so adoringly at the altered Prince Chad of EastWard, Tatiana had known something drastic had to be done. So of course, she’d pushed aside the sharp bitterness of jealousy and called on her well-skilled acting abilities to pretend to pass out.

Willow bought it hook, line and sinker. Tatiana couldn’t tell about Chad. Watching through her eyelashes as her younger sister fussed around her, she could barely make out Chad, standing stiffly several feet away, a bored look on his chiseled features. Briefly, she noted the shimmering hint of glamour, and wondered what he’d done to himself, then decided she’d examine it more closely as soon as she got the chance.

Whether he suspected she was a fraud or simply didn’t care, either way, she’d won. She’d managed to break up their little tête-à-tête.

What the shades was Willow thinking? Tatiana believed she’d been quite clear in communicating to the twit what she wanted. Chad. She’d practically ordered Willow to focus on Eric. He would be easily won over with just the right amount of awe and hero worship. Which Willow would actually owe him, especially if she could get someone as beautiful as Eric to fall in love with a woman who looked like her.

In love. Right. With an effort, Tatiana kept from snorting out loud. As if such a foolish emotion even existed. And if it did, Eric would never fall for someone as homely as Willow. No, that plan was doomed to fail even before implemented. Still, she didn’t actually care what Eric did. As long as it wasn’t with her.