The Wolf Prince (14 page)

Though the Pack scoffed at the human legends about werewolves, sleeping outside under a velvet sky and a full moon always made Ruben feel a bit...odd. Out of sorts, uncomfortable in his own skin. He supposed there had to be some shred of truth in the old legends; most fables were born this way, from a long-ago occurrence combined with centuries of embellishment.

That night, Ruben’s wolf came to him in a dream, trying yet another method to win dominance over his corporal body. Though he had prepared himself for just this eventuality, this time he’d been so involved in a pleasant dream involving Willow and kisses, he nearly missed the danger when it presented itself.

Where before his inner beast had fought him using traditional means, this night the wolf snuck up quietly, not making him aware of its presence until the last possible moment. Then—ambush! The beast attacked.

Half asleep, still in the throes of an absolutely wonderful dream, at first, Ruben couldn’t muster the wits to fight back.

Then, as his bones began to lengthen and change, he lost. There, in the middle of the forest, surrounded by slumbering Sidhe, he became wolf.

Once the change had completely finished, he took a few steps and paused. In a world where scent ruled, at first the wolf was confused. These people smelled nothing like Pack or humans, but still their scents enticed.

With what little bit of human self-control he had left, Ruben forced the beast to leave the encampment and travel deep into the forest to hunt.

Filtered through the eyes of his beast, Ruben took great pleasure in the hunt. Since the Sidhe, or at least the Brights, were all apparently vegetarians, the forest was full of plump game. He caught a rabbit and a pheasant and devoured them both, glorying in his power and the renewed strength the meat-based protein brought.

Finally sated, he roamed the woods, thrilling to the feel of the damp and fertile earth under all four of his powerful paws.

He ran, just for the pleasure of it, enjoying the way the lesser animals scattered in blind panic as he approached. Tearing through the forest, heedless of the noise he made, he circled around the encampment, always staying within a mile, just in case anyone needed him.

Finally exhausted, he slowed to a walk, then let his familiar furry body sink to the forest floor, panting. He lay in the undergrowth, loving life, happy for the first time he could remember.

He hadn’t been truly happy—alive, in the moment—since the last time he’d been wolf. Other than, some part of him whispered, when he’d kissed Willow. Immediately, he shoved the thought away.

The human part of him, still sentient, though relegated to only a small part of the wolf’s brain, knew he eventually would have to shift back to human. He knew also that the wolf would fight this and the battle would be tremendous.

But to remain wolf—as his soul longed to do—was to become mad. Feral. He’d heard stories of Ferals flinging themselves from cliffs or dashing in front of semi-trucks, all in a bid to escape madness.

However tempting remaining wolf might seem, the short life of a Feral was not a fate he wished for himself.

Gradually, the moon sank lower, vanishing behind the treetops on its trip toward the horizon. Ruben-as-wolf finally pushed to his feet and Ruben-the-man made the first attempt to force the change.

As expected, the wolf resisted.

Thrashing, biting at an external enemy that only existed within, anyone watching would have guessed the animal mad. In a way, there was a kernel of truth; the wolf’s desire to remain in corporeal shape hovered right at the precipice of insanity.

And the man knew he had to win, at all costs, at any cost.

The horizon flushed pink as the darkness lightened. Still Ruben and the wolf fought its solitary/dual battle, rolling and snapping, growling and biting at an unseen enemy as well as itself.

Any other time he would have sensed her. Any other time, the soft sound of her footsteps on the carpet of leaves wouldn’t have been silent enough. He would have detected her scent, which he’d always recognize as individually hers, long before she reached him.

Instead, preoccupied with the battle to change/not to change, Willow was nearly on top of him before he realized. Apparently unafraid, she reached out to him and stroked his fur.

The wolf’s first impulse was to snap. With a supreme effort of will, Ruben kept the beast from biting her.

Willow, crooning softly, reaching out to gather the crazed animal close to her breast.

Ruben thought his heart would stop beating. Even the wolf, now uncertain, confused, held its breath.

As she caressed his fur, the animal began to relax. Though he didn’t want to shock her, Ruben seized this moment and initiated the change back to human. Taken by surprise, the wolf couldn’t muster enough strength to fight.

Ruben became man again, right there in Willow’s arms.

One thing all Shifters knew was that the moment they changed back to flesh, adrenaline blazed through the veins like lightning. The human body reacted with instant arousal. This would become glaringly obvious the instant the change was finished.

As the animal changed shape with her soft hands still buried in its fur, Willow let out a soft cry. To her credit, she didn’t try to jump up or dislodge the beast rapidly shifting from wolf to man.

“Ruben?” she asked, sounding uncertain but markedly unafraid.

At first he could not speak; still locked within the throes of the change, he could only growl.

As his bones settled back into place and the fur disappeared, he tried again to force words past his still evolving throat.

Then. Man. Completely.

With one swift motion, he rolled away from her, landing on his soft human belly in the cushioning leaves. His powerful erection under him, hard and aching.

Though he knew she had to have seen it, at least he could lay this way, breathing the scent of the wild forest, until his arousal subsided. Breathing hard, he closed his eyes and willed her to go away, to leave him to come to grips with the act of being human once again.

This time, the horrible sense of loss he always felt seemed to have vanished. Puzzled, he tried to understand, but though the wolf normally lurked just under the surface, the beast appeared to have retreated further into the dark recesses of Ruben’s psyche.

“Ruben?” she said again. “Are you all right?”

Evidently she wasn’t going away until he answered her.

“I’m fine,” he ground out, his body pulsing with need. “Please. Go back to your tent.”

“But—”

“Go. Away.”

If he expected her to comply, he was more delusional than he’d realized. Instead, she did the opposite, crawling across the pine needles and dead leaves until she reached him. This time, she tangled her hand in his hair rather than his pelt. This time, she pressed her body close as she stroked and caressed the man rather than the wolf.

And this time, when she pressed her soft lips against his jaw, he lost all control.

He rolled, pulling her down on top of him, pressing himself into her. She let out a soft cry, one of encouragement rather than fear, and impossibly he felt himself grow even larger, even harder.

He locked her in his arms. Now fully man, they gazed into each other’s eyes. Naked, his skin tingled where she touched him, and he dimly realized her clothing was a barrier that would have to go.

As if she had the exact same thought, she pulled her sleeping shift over her head, letting it drop to the forest floor. Naked, her full breasts gleamed in the predawn light, her dusky pebbled nipples inviting his tongue.

Her grip tightened as he took her into his mouth. She arched her back, making a soft sound of pleasure. Though he wouldn’t have believed he could get harder, the sudden surge of desire had him stretching to huge dimensions, throbbing.

When she closed her small hand around the hard length of him, he jolted, nearly losing his already tenuous control. Her fingers seared him, the movement hot and sensuous, pleasure and pain combining in her touch.

Just when he thought he could bear no more, she rose up and settled over him, taking him deep inside her. The moist heat of her body surrounded him, welcome and titillating.

He writhed beneath her, pushing deeper. Her hands came up, tangled in his hair as she pulled him to her. He crushed her mouth with his, blazing hot, his tongue mimicking the movements of his body.

Flesh silky against flesh, they moved together in exquisite harmony. Blazing, a bright torch soaring in an explosion of need and desire.

When she shattered, her climax pulsing around him, he gasped in agony, trying to hold on to the last shreds of his control. Failing, he crested on the wave of a release so powerful he swore the earth moved under his body.

Panting, they clung to each other, wordless and awestruck. He didn’t pretend not to know what this met—his kind found their true mate only once.

But Willow? She was Sidhe, neither human nor Pack, and she came from a place that existed in another space and time.

Shoving away his disquieting thoughts, he kissed the smooth swell of her shoulder. She made a sound, a quiet murmur of contentment, then reached for her sleep shift. Smoothing the garment, she dropped it over her head and smiled at him.

“I brought you peace,” she said. “Your wolf is very troubled. I can help him, I think, if you’ll let me.”

Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been this. He opened and closed his mouth, biting back the instinctively harsh words he’d been about to say.

He didn’t need her help. He hadn’t asked for it, and for her to offer... With a sigh, he dropped his head.

This was something that would require thought. For now, he had other, more pressing issues.

Pushing to his feet, conscious of his nakedness, he held out his hand to help her up. “Come on. We’d better get back to camp before we’re missed.”

Eyes huge in her heart-shaped face, she bit her lip but did as he’d asked.

They walked a few feet, the silence feeling absurdly loud, before he found the right words to say.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“Not with your body,” she quipped, sounding almost angry. “I came to you of my own free will. But your refusal to let me help you—that’s another story. I heal wounded animals. That’s what I do. And I can help you, I sense it.” Her voice trembled, dancing around on the edge of tears.

Chest tight, he stopped and turned to face her. “Despite the fact that I think you mean your offer with sincerity, I’m not a charity case,” he said. “I’m here only to find this killer and bring him to justice. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Slowly she nodded, the unhappiness that shadowed her beautiful face making him want to kiss her again and drive every bit of the darkness away.

Instead, he squeezed her shoulder. “I may just take you up on that offer some day.”

“I bet you will,” she said, the bitterness in her tone muffled but still discernible. Ruben didn’t comment on it as he walked her back to her tent. He waited until she was safely inside before returning to his pallet and dressing as he prepared to meet the day.

Chapter 14

C
had 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.