The Wolf Prince (8 page)

Down the hall, the king and queen and their retinue of guards exited Ruben’s bedroom, moving toward them. The noise level must have drowned out Ruben’s summons, because no one paid them any heed.

“Guard,” Ruben called again, clearly annoyed at the delay. “Here. Now.”

Immediately, one of the uniformed guards stepped closer. Ruben reached out and snagged a pair of metal handcuffs off the other man’s belt. Then, as she gaped at him in disbelief, he snapped one around her wrist, the other around his.

“You can and you will,” he repeated. “We cannot be separated now. Take me or you’re not going home at all.”

Dumbfounded, Willow looked toward his father for help, knowing he’d understand the dilemma. But King Leo was occupied with his semiconscious wife and the investigation going on with the murder scene. Still, she knew he would definitely not appreciate her taking his first born son across the veil into the land of the Sidhe. Who knew how much time might pass until his return?

“Your Highness,” she called, pitching her voice to carry over the background noise. “Please. I need a moment of your time.”

King Leo held up one finger, indicating he would be with her in a moment.

“Don’t try and play on my father’s sympathy.” Expression like stone, Ruben tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go,” he ordered.

“Wait.” She dug in her heels and again cast an entreating look toward Ruben’s parents. “This is not a good idea at all. He can explain that to you.”

“Why don’t you explain and save us all time?” His voice silky smooth, he gave her a look that plainly said he was calling her bluff.

Once more she tried to make eye contact with the king. Instead of moving toward her, he’d actually moved farther back toward the room, conferring with several of his guards.

“Fine,” she sighed, seeing no other way for it. “You can’t come home with me. I come from another land, completely outside your realm.”

“So?” Arms crossed, impatience made him seem both arrogant and wild, which called to her as all wild things did.

She took a deep breath and resisted. “Where I come from is a magical place.”

“Which is why you claim time passes differently there than it does here?”

Pleased that he appeared to understand, she nodded. “Exactly. If I were to take you with me, even if it seemed like you were only gone days, you might return back to find a month or two had passed.”

For a moment he only eyed her, as though trying to gage her sincerity. When her expression remained serious, he slowly shook his head. “Magic?”

She nodded.

“Another realm?”

Again, she shook her head yes.

“Are you telling me you’re what—an...Elf?” Eyebrow raised, he looked as if he couldn’t decide whether or not to laugh or grimace.

She couldn’t help but smile at that. “Not exactly.”

“Then what? A Fairy?” He said the word with such distaste that her smile widened.

“Neither. I’m a Sidhe. I come from the Court of the Bright.”

“Right,” he drawled. “And since we’re telling truths, you might as well know about me. I’m a shape-shifting werewolf.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

And stalemate. She didn’t know how else she could get him to believe her. Maybe if he heard the truth from his father, he’d understand.

But no, once again Ruben began moving toward the stairs, tugging her along with him. As she had before, she dug in her heels, grabbing hold of a passing door frame to slow their progress.

To his credit, though Ruben could have moved her by force, he did not. Why, she didn’t know. Perhaps he didn’t want to make a scene.

“Your sire knows the truth.” This time, she allowed a thread of desperation in her voice. “Ask him. I guarantee he will not be happy if I take you to my land.”

“Still sticking with your bizarre story?” He shook his head. “You should have tried something a bit more believable.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Right.” He gave her another tug. “Come on, let’s go.”

This time, he succeeded in yanking her a few feet down the hall. Since she had only one free hand to try and hold on, she knew if he gave her other arm one final, sharp tug, she’d be around the corner and away from the only other person who had a hope of making him understand.

To her relief, the king decided finally to come over.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, clearly irritated at being interrupted.

Wordlessly, Willow raised her handcuffed arm, certain he’d order his son to set her free. To her chagrin, after a quick look, King Leo gave a booming laugh.

“What are you doing?” he asked Ruben.

“I’ve ordered her to take me to her home. If the killer has fled to her country as I believe he has, I can track him there and bring him back to face justice.”

“Very good. But why the restraints?”

“She refused, so I did this to ensure that she would.”

At this, the king’s smile faded. “I see. She does have valid reasons for her refusal, you know.”

“She says that time passes differently there, and more nonsense about being Sidhe—part of the Court of the Bright. She even mentioned magic.”

King Leo scratched the back of his head. “Son, she told you the truth. It’s not nonsense.”

Ruben grimaced, clearly not wanting to argue with his father. “She seemed to think you would mind if I went. But this killer must be caught.”

“I agree. If the man we saw following her in the woods is the one who did this, then by all means travel to her land and find him.”

Willow’s heart sank. Not for one minute did she believe any of her people had traveled through the veil and murdered a human servant. Her people did not kill. At least, not like this. They used magic and spell and power, not physical brutality.

There had to be another explanation.

On top of that, whoever had done this had stolen her mother’s magical earring, as well. She had to wonder if the thief even knew what he had. No one but Queen Millicent could use the magic contained in the jewelry. So it was worthless to anyone but her.

Willow wished she’d never borrowed the dratted things.

And now, when things couldn’t get any worse, they were forcing her to bring a human into her realm?

Ruben dipped his head in gratitude. “Thank you, Father.” He turned to her, his expression hardening once again. “I told you he’d feel the same way I do. Come on. We’ve delayed too long as it is. Let’s go.”

She waited until they’d traveled the rest of the long hallway. At the top of the stairs, she turned to him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked softly. “Because you must cross the veil of your own free will.”

His response was short and curt. “I don’t have a choice now, do I?”

“You always have a choice.”

When he didn’t respond, she sighed and pressed him, well aware of the necessity, even if he wasn’t. “One again, I’ll ask you. Do you travel across the veil of your own free will?”

“I do,” he answered grimly, not looking at her. She sensed he had something to prove, something greater than finding a killer, though she couldn’t imagine what that might be.

They didn’t speak again until they were out in the forest.

Walking along the familiar path, tethered to a man whom the night before she’d found unbelievably attractive, Willow tried to imagine her family’s reaction when she showed up with a human prince, even if his father had met her parents.

None of the scenarios she could picture were even remotely pleasant.

“I should warn you,” she told him, hating the way the metal handcuff dug into her soft skin. “If these restraints are made of steel, they will not pass through the veil.”

Despite his father’s assurances that she spoke the truth, his skeptical expression told her Prince Ruben was not yet a believer.

“All right. If that happens, then you’ll be free of me. We can each go our separate ways.” He smiled. “Though I have to say I’m grateful that you trust me enough to leave me alone in your homeland. That is your plan, isn’t it?”

Horrified, she swallowed hard. “Of course not. My people would eat you alive.”

“Metaphorically or...”

Tempted to let him think the worst, she finally sighed. “You know what I meant. They’d mop the floor with you.”

At this, he looked mildly interested. “Are your people great warriors then?”

“Some are.” She shrugged to suggest that physical prowess was not important. “But more significantly, we have magic. There are great wizards and warlocks and sorceresses in the Land of the Bright.”

“Wizards and Warlocks. I see.” He gave her a skeptical look that told her he had decided to humor her rather than outright dispute what he plainly considered an outlandish claim.

“No, I don’t think that you do.” But that truly was not her concern. If he persisted in this foolish request, he’d find out the truth soon enough.

If there was any chance, no matter how small, that she could dissuade him, she’d have to take it.

“I have an idea.” Flashing him her brightest smile, well aware of what a pale imitation hers was compared to her sister’s, she touched his arm. Again, she felt that sizzle, that spark. She swallowed and tried to ignore it, though she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt it, too.

“Go ahead.” Her smile, of course, appeared to have no impact on him.

“How about you let me go and I’ll go home and see what I can learn about the killer? I can meet you back here in a week’s time and fill you in?”

After one startled second, he tossed his head back and laughed. The masculine sound seemed to echo through the forest. “Right. And you’d definitely come back. I don’t think so. Enough of your stalling tactics. Let’s go.”

Since there didn’t seem to be any way out of it, she sighed. “All right then. Just remember, you asked for it.” That said, she stepped toward the veil with him in tow.

Chapter 8

R
uben didn’t know what he expected. But whatever he’d believed Willow’s story to be—fairy tale, delusion or the product of an extremely overactive imagination—he’d never in a million years supposed it to be real.

Yet, as they’d approached what Willow called the veil, he’d definitely felt a shift in pressure, a very noticeable change in the quality and composition of the air. His wolf felt it too and became restless. This time, Ruben let the beast have full rein, or as close as he could come without actually changing. He felt safer trusting his wolf’s finely tuned senses and instincts. If Willow had looked into his eyes at that moment, he knew she’d have seen a hint of what he could become.

As they approached a small grove ringed by several tall aspen trees, she stopped yet again.

“We’re here,” she said, her amazing eyes troubled. “Please, I know you think I’m stalling, but you really should reconsider. This is your last chance to back out.”

He lifted his wrist, the handcuff they shared causing her to do the same. When he saw the red marks on her creamy skin, he winced with guilt. “Sorry, but I have a killer to track down. I can’t change my mind. Lead the way.”

And so she did. Reluctantly, but he thought he detected a bit of mockery in the wry half smile she flashed.

“Come then. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As they walked forward, the pressure became more intense. His ears filled and he swallowed to pop them.

Though he squinted and tried hard to see—something, anything—the sunlit-dappled forest appeared unchanged. If there was magic—and the tingling along his skin told him there was—it remained invisible to the naked eye.

Just as the pressure became almost too intense to bear, it vanished. Ruben blinked and looked around. The forest from before was gone.

Instead, they stood at the edge of an unfamiliar wooded area. In the distance, rolling green hills danced toward a cerulean sky.

Dizzy, he staggered.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“We’ve changed location,” he said, feeling as though the ground had suddenly shifted right out from underneath his feet.

“Uh, yes. We’ve crossed the veil. It’s in a different place on our side.” One perfect brow raised, she eyed him. “Are you all right?”

Concentrating hard kept the world from spinning. He took another small step forward, dizzily feeling his way, and realized they were no longer tethered by the handcuffs.

Of course when she noticed the direction of his gaze, she smiled. “I told you they wouldn’t transfer with us.”

“Right.” He swallowed, popping his ears again, and took another step, briefly closing his eyes and willing away the spinning. When he opened them again, everything seemed to have settled back into place.

“Where the hell are we?” he rasped. Inside, the part of him that was wolf still reeled, unable to regain his equilibrium.

Her smile widened. “Home. Welcome to SouthWard, land of the SouthWard Court of the Bright. My home.”

Again he searched the horizon, reassured to note the sky had lightened somewhat. Though still darker than what he was used to, at least it had remained blue. “In the land of the...what? Fairies?”

Moving ahead of him at what honest-to-hounds looked like almost a skip, she shrugged. “Call it what you like. Elves, Fairies, Sprites, none of that matters to us. We are Sidhe. We exist in our own reality that closely mirrors yours.”

Why he found this so surprising and difficult to digest, he didn’t know. If anyone should understand the supernatural existed, as a shape-shifting member of the Pack, aka a werewolf, he should.

And he reminded himself, he was a prince among the royal house of Teslinko. Moving quickly and relieved to learn he’d regained his balance, he caught up with her.

“Where are we going?”

She cast him a sidelong glance, her expression serious. “I haven’t quite figured that out. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you.”

“How about you present me to the court?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Right.”

“I don’t think my request is all that unusual. I’m a prince, you’re a princess. Protocol demands—”

“Forget protocol,” she interrupted. “As much as I hate to be rude, shall I remind you that you’re not a welcome guest? No one, and I can’t emphasize that enough, is going to be happy to see you. Even if your father has met my parents.”

He frowned, puzzled. “That doesn’t make sense.” Teslinko was beloved among the countries of the world. Though small, the natural resources—diamonds, timber and miles of perfect white sandy beaches—made them a much sought after destination of tourists and celebrities alike.

“Doesn’t it?” She stopped and faced him, hands on her hips. “No one here even knows that I travel to the human realm. And then, not only have I lost one of my mother’s precious magical earrings, but I show up with a human when I’m supposed to be entertaining—”

“I’m not a human,” he interrupted her this time. “Maybe that counts for something.”

She shook her head, heaving a sigh. “Stop playing games. I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Head cocked, she studied him. “Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll bite,” she said, unaware of the irony. “If you’re not human, then what are you?”

“I’m a Shape-shifter, just like my father.”

When she said nothing, he continued.

“I can change into a wolf.”

Now her eyes widened. “That explains why I saw...”

“What? You saw what?”

“A shimmering ghost of a wolf, surrounding you as though linked to your soul.”

Dumbfounded, now it was his turn to stare. “You saw my aura? But only Shape-shifters can see that.”

“Sorry.” Her shrug told him she cared nothing for his preconceived ideas. “Maybe magic trumps shape-shifting. So if you’re a werewolf, is your entire kingdom made up of werewolves?”

“Shape-shifters,” he corrected, before he really thought about it. “Sorry. We prefer that term. And no, not everyone is like me. Teslinko has always been ruled by the Pack. I’m a prince of one of the oldest European Packs.”

“Packs?”

“A grouping of wolves.”

“I know what the term means,” she snapped. “Though I guess I find it odd that you refer to yourself this way.”

He shrugged. “How else would we refer to ourselves?”

To her credit, her steady gaze never wavered from his face.

He met her gaze with a straight face. “And as I said, not everyone in Teslinko is Pack. Like every other Pack, we coexist with many ordinary humans all around our world. They have no idea such a thing as a Shape-shifter truly lives, apart from legends and old fairy tales.”

She watched him in silence, mulling over his revelation. After a moment, to his surprise, she held out her hand, her caramel-colored eyes twinkling. “Truce, okay?”

Despite having absolutely no idea what she meant, he went ahead and shook. The instant they touched, electricity arced between them. Sizzling. He could tell from her wide eyes and the hitch in her breathing that she felt it, too.

Of course he found it incredibly difficult to let go of her soft hand.

“Do you believe me?” he finally asked, more to distract himself than anything else.

“I’m not sure.” Lifting one shoulder in a delicate shrug, she looked away. “I guess you’ll have to show me sometime.”

Which meant, in her refusal to take things on faith, she was like him. “I will,” he promised. “Though unless you like animals, you might not like what you see.”

A shadow flitted across her mobile face. “I love animals.”

“Good. Now will you present me to your court?”

Still considering, finally she laughed and nodded. “Yes, I think I will. Something tells me you can take care of yourself.”

Relieved, he gave her a half bow, using his hand in flourish. He still had difficulty realizing the handcuffs had disappeared. “Then, please, lead the way.”

When she smiled up at him, his heart skipped a beat. Unwillingly, he was reminded of how attracted he’d been to her when he’d first seen her at the ball. Was he still? He refused to allow himself to think about it.

“Let’s go.” Walking alongside her, he relaxed slightly as he took in the beautiful scenery. Here, he felt an amazing synergy between the earth and its inhabitants, as though Willow’s people didn’t rape the land and destroy nature for their own means as some humans did. His inner wolf approved. For a moment, the beast struggled to break free. Ruben subdued him with a promise of later. Soon.

Finally, they came up over a hill and a glittering golden castle came into sight. Even in the muted sunlight, the thing shone bright enough to hurt his eyes. Ruben couldn’t decide whether it was beautiful or too much.

She’d stopped and stood silently watching him, no doubt to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t comment, she began to move forward. “Most people around here like it. Personally, I think it’s gaudy and garish.”

Since her words so closely mirrored his own thoughts, he had to chuckle. “I didn’t want to offend you by saying anything.”

Her answering grin warmed his heart. “Don’t worry, you won’t. I should tell you, around here everyone is fond of glittery, loud and sparkly. Most times, so much gold gives me a headache.”

He found himself grinning back. “Me, too. I much prefer nature.”

Again she appeared startled, though he didn’t understand why.

As they approached the golden structure, Ruben braced himself for when the guards stopped them. To his surprise, they weren’t intercepted or even greeted. They proceeded into the castle unnoticed and unannounced.

Inside, everything—from the sparkling marble floor to the gilt-encrusted furnishings—carried over the bright golden theme. He even saw gold dust floating in the air.

They walked through a huge entryway, their footsteps echoing on the glittering floor. “This time of day, my parents hold court in the throne room,” she murmured. “We’ll go there and I’ll try to present you.”

Still no guards. He couldn’t figure out if her people were extremely trusting or foolish. Finally, they reached a set of double doors, both of which appeared to be painted in pure gold.

“Are you ready?” she asked. Her neutral voice gave nothing away. But then, why should it? They were both royalty. It wasn’t as if he’d never seen a throne room before.

He nodded and she pushed open the doors. Side by side they entered the room.

Instantly, Ruben realized this was nothing like home. Light reflected off every surface, so brilliant, so dazzling, the first impression brought pain. Too bright, in fact, the sharpness of it made him wish for sunglasses. Instead, he shaded his eyes and squinted as he looked around.

Where his family did not stand on ceremony, evidently here the king and queen did. Everyone wore formal attire, glittering gowns and equally dazzling suits. The court sat gathered around a raised dais that appeared to be made entirely from perfectly cut diamonds.

On the dais, two shining beings were seated on two equally glamorous thrones. Everyone watched as Willow led Ruben into the room. Temporarily blinded, he narrowed his eyes and struggled to see.

Willow dropped into a deep curtsy. “Mother, Father, may I present Prince Ruben of Teslinko?”

Still no one spoke. The king and queen eyed him with a regal intensity he would have been hard pressed to imitate. Though they possessed a beauty beyond words, he could tell from the disapproving set of their aquiline features that they found him utterly lacking. Too bad. He had more problems than pleasing them.

“I believe you have met my father,” Ruben said. “King Leo of Teslinko sends his regards.”

This seemed to do the trick. Though neither of the rulers moved, a subtle relaxing of the tension told him using his father’s name had helped him somewhat.

Queen Millicent smiled. “Give him our regards, as well. He is a good man.”

Ruben bowed his head. “I will.”

“What do you want with us, human?” King Puck asked, his expression less austere.

“He’s not—” Willow tried to interject. Ruben squeezed her wrist to silence her.

“I’m looking for a killer,” Ruben announced, making his own tone equally chilly. He could go with courtly B.S. or try the direct approach. Considering the contempt with which this king eyed him, he figured he didn’t have time to waste with hints and innuendos. “Someone from your kingdom traveled to my home and murdered one of my servants.”

The instant he finished speaking, the room erupted in chatter. The king silenced them all with a single wave of his hand, an impressive feat. “You are mistaken,” he said. “Our people do not kill.”

The arrogance of the statement was not lost on Ruben.

“I’ve seen him. He followed your daughter from this land to mine. I happened to be in the woods when he did so.”

“So? What proof do you have?”

“My mother saw him. She has described him perfectly, right down to the violet eyes. Only one people have such a physical trait. Therefore, I know he’s from here.”

Again the crowd began to whisper and gossip. Once more, the king waved them to silence. “Why should I believe you?”

Ruben fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Why would I lie? I have nothing to gain and everything to lose, traveling to your realm in search of a killer.”

The king frowned. “You say you’ve seen him?”

Ruben nodded.

“And would you recognize this man if you were to see him again?”

“Yes. I am sure of it.” And he was. Even though the other man had looked exactly like most of the men present—tall, blond, with piercing violet or purple eyes—Ruben felt certain he could recognize his features.

“I see.” Turning to the queen, the king spoke with her in a voice too low to be heard.

While he waited, Ruben realized how much this task meant to him. Not only would this search for the killer distract him from the approach of the madness he so greatly feared, but if he was successful, he might also succeed in banishing that completely. Here, he’d have no choice but to stay human.

Next to him, Ruben felt Willow tense. He glanced down at her to see why and realized her attention was fixed on a doorway midway between them and the throne.

Two people stood there, both elegantly beautiful, with shimmering blond hair and well-built physiques. After a quick glance at the man, Ruben’s gaze was drawn to the female, the most amazing-looking woman he’d ever seen. With her lush figure draped in a bright red dress that wrapped around her like a caress, perfectly showcasing her curvy figure, she actually glowed with beauty. If that weren’t enough, the exotic tilt to her violet eyes and her plump, bow-shaped lips completed the package.