Rogue Prince

by Cameron Drake

  Dylan cleared his throat. “Neither do I.”

  “I mean, I can go on very little sleep, but I still need a little bit. I love it, in fact.”

  “Guess we have one up on you,” Karen crowed teasingly.

  “If you say so. I like my jammies.”

  Karen rolled her eyes. “I can do spells in my jammies, girl.”

  I laughed, turning back around.

  “Where are we going again?”

  “Her house.”

  “Really? That’s your intel?”

  “She hasn’t left in days. Everybody thinks she’s sick, but I think it’s… you know.”

  “That she’s a werewolf and freaking out. Did Dyl tell you? About Fae and wolves?”

  She leaned on the back of my seat, resting her chin on my shoulder.

  “Yes. And that she might be able to kill Maxim.”

  “Not might. Would.” I caught Dylan’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Don’t get any ideas.”

  He laughed silently.

  “But this is dangerous for you too, isn’t it?”

  I shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I don’t seem to follow most of the rules when it comes to supernatural beings.”

  “You’re one of a kind, all right,” Dylan said with a hot look. I blushed and Karen made a retching sound. But for just a minute, it felt so normal that I almost cried. We rode the rest of the way in silence and were there before I had a chance to savor the peace.

  Janelle’s house was fancy, a newer home with overly large columns out front that made it look like it wanted to be something it was not.

  Pretentious. That’s the word.

  “Yeah,” Dylan agreed.

  We got out and waited for Maxim to pull in behind us. The house was quiet. The whole freaking street was quiet.

  “Does something feel… off?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Definitely,” Karen agreed.

  “There are no birds,” Dylan said, his voice sounding way too loud.

  Maxim nodded.

  “They can sense the danger.”

  “Great,” I grumbled. Then I pushed the doorbell. “Do we have a game plan? Any game plan?”

  Maxim smiled at me, his teeth bright white and wicked looking.

  “Don’t get bitten.”

  “Right. Thanks.”

  I heard footsteps and then the door opened. Janelle leaned against the doorjamb, giving us a surly look.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it. I had no idea how to broach the whole ‘we know you’re a freaking Werewolf’ thing. Janelle didn’t seem to notice my momentary loss of words. She didn’t look like she’d been sleeping well. I looked down and saw her fingernails and flinched.

  She caught my look and brought her nails up to inspect them. They were wickedly sharp and jagged-looking. Deformed. But she didn’t look embarrassed.

  “I haven’t been keeping up on my manicures.”

  I exchanged a look with Maxim.

  She knows.

  He nodded imperceptibly.

  I nudged Karen. We’d agreed ahead of time that she and Dylan should do the talking. Just in case the Fae thing held any weight with a watered-down Were like Janelle.

  “We came to check up on you, Janelle,” Karen said brightly. “Can we come in?”

  Janelle stared at her, an odd look on her face. For a minute, I thought she was seriously going to say no. Then Dylan spoke up and she just about melted.

  “We were worried about you.”

  “You were?”

  “Yes.”

  It was like watching a wolf turn into a puppy. I could practically see her wagging her tail. I felt an ugly surge of jealousy when she simpered and asked us in, her eyes glued to Dylan.

  He gave me a smug look as he walked past.

  You really do care, he teased me.

  Shut up.

  Yeah, Dylan, shut up.

  Karen went in next and then me and Maxim. We looked around. There was something weird about the place. Yeah, it was big and glitzy, but there wasn’t a lot of furniture.

  But there were a lot of dust bunnies.

  It looked… uncared for. Good bones, sure. But the place was unkempt. Kind of like Janelle.

  “Your folks home?”

  She shook her head, smiling at Dylan.

  “Come into the living room.”

  I would not have been surprised if she started skipping. I rolled my eyes.

  Don’t be too friendly to your lapdog.

  Dylan’s smile just got wider as he sat across from Janelle. Maxim and I stayed farther away, as discussed. There was a risk, to Maxim, at least. And I didn’t really want to mess with those claws she had, especially if she had a boost in supernatural speed.

  “You’ve been out of school a lot lately.”

  Janelle didn’t look at any of us. Not for a second. She was on the edge of her seat, listening attentively to every word Dylan said. I wondered if Karen would have the same effect on her or if it wasn’t just some sort of magical camaraderie.

  I wouldn’t count on it, Maxim muttered in annoyance.

  So it’s the hunk effect, not just the Fae thing.

  Oh, I’m a hunk now too?

  Shut up, Dylan.

  Yes, please, do shut up. Lycanthropes are known to be supernaturally… how do I say this politely? Prone to heavy breeding near the full moon.

  I stared at him, then at Dylan.

  Be careful, dude.

  He gave me a sharp look.

  You know I’m only interested in one girl.

  Not a girl, I thought, looking away.

  Close enough, he shot back.

  “Where are you parents?” Karen asked.

  Janelle shrugged, pulling a long leg up beneath her. She was dressed in uber-expensive-looking loungewear. One shoulder was exposed and the fabric of the top and leggings clung to her like a second skin. She wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup other than lipgloss. I had to say, it was a vast improvement. Other than the crazy nails and the bags under her eyes, Janelle looked hot.

  Music video hot.

  “Europe, I think. They travel a lot.”

  I looked at her, starting to put things together. The big house and fancy clothes. All the makeup she used to wear. The overachieving. But I’d always sensed Janelle didn’t want to be top in school or sports or popularity for the sake of actually being good at things. It was to impress someone. Her absentee parents, most likely.

  No wonder she’d lost interest when things didn’t pan out.

  “Why are you looking at me like that, freak?”

  I gave her a sad smile.

  “Because I think I finally understand you, freak,” I said, emphasizing the word to let her know that we knew.

  She looked around the room at all of us. Dylan nodded at her, and she seemed to shrink, looking like a lost little girl.

  “I don’t know what is happening to me.”

  “We know that. That’s why we’re here.” Dylan looked at Karen and she picked up the train.

  “We think your… heritage might have been triggered by the presence of other supernatural beings in the area.”

  “Supernatural,” she muttered, not sounding surprised. Then she looked up at all of us, putting things together. She looked at Dylan.

  “You too?”

  “Yeah. Not like you, but yeah. Runs in the family.”

  “Her I knew about, but…” She eyed Maxim, then back at us. She seemed to look at Karen for the first time. “You got highlights. I approve.”

  Karen just smiled.

  “We’re all going through changes. We wanted you to know we are here if you need us.”

  “And to warn you,” Maxim said. I shot him a warning look.

  “Warn me about what?”

  “Not to ever go against us.”

  She looked at him in surprise, then around the room.

  “You’re afraid of me. Why?”

  “Not af
raid. Concerned. There are larger forces at play than you realize.”

  She looked at me with curiosity. It was the first time she’d ever not sneered at me. It was kind of nice.

  “A war is looming. The outcome will impact everyone on earth. Supernatural and human.”

  “And you guys are what? Fighting?”

  Dylan nodded. “There are some really bad characters looking for us. We have to be discrete.”

  I watched her chew that over. She could out me easily with a video on the internet. It wouldn’t take much. But then she’d also put Dylan at risk.

  “Okay. I can do that.” She looked at her nails. “I don’t really want anyone to know what’s going on with me.”

  “That’s why you’re hiding out?” Karen asked. “Maybe I can help.”

  She looked at her and at me. Then shrugged.

  “Okay. I’ll show you.”

  We followed her up the massive stairway to the second floor. A double set of doors led to her enormous bedroom, decorated in tones of pink and sage green. There was a lot of princess stuff in here, I noticed.

  It was ironic, but I’d always hated princess stuff.

  Why would I ever want to pretend to be a princess? The reality wasn’t all ballgowns and tiaras. It was loss and fear and struggle and responsibility.

  Okay, and yeah, there were some poufy dresses involved too.

  She shut the door and walked in the center of the room. She looked at me warily and then seemed to come to a decision. She turned and lifted her hair, tugging her slouchy shirt down even further. A thick pelt of blond fur covered her spine, disappearing under her clothes. She turned around and kicked off her slippers. Her toenails looked like her fingernails. I tried to hide my revulsion.

  “And then there’s these.”

  She bared her teeth at us, and we could see her incisors were pronounced. Karen nodded and tugged off her gloves, handing them to me.

  “I think I can camouflage this. But only until the next full moon,” she warned.

  “You can? How?”

  Karen wiggled her fingers and beams of light shot out.

  “What are you?”

  “I’m a Fairy. Part Fairy.” Karen tilted her head to the side. “Don’t you want to know what you are?”

  “I’m a Werewolf. Right?”

  She looked at me defiantly, and I nodded. “You’re very rare.”

  “I am?” She seemed to puff her chest out a little bit, and I hid a smile.

  “Yes. There are very few left, and they are mostly in one tiny mountainous region of China.” I gave her a wry smile. “From what I’ve heard.”

  “Then how?”

  “Sophie,” Karen offered. “She’s more magical than any of us. Than anyone ever.”

  Well, that was more information than I wanted her to offer. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything more.

  “Of course, she is,” she said, sounding put out.

  I stepped closer, even though I could feel Maxim telling me to stop.

  “I’m not your enemy, Janelle. I never was. I just didn’t want you to hurt anyone.”

  She looked away. She felt guilty, I realized. Threatened and guilty.

  “But our kinds are natural enemies,” I offered, thinking it might make her feel better. “That might be why you hated me at first sight.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded. She seemed to look happier after considering that for a second.

  “Good.”

  I laughed at her answer. She owned her bitchiness, I had to give her that.

  “What are you, anyway?”

  “I’m a blend of different things. Mostly Vampire.”

  “No shit?” Her eyes were wide as I nodded. Karen clapped her hands together.

  “Let’s do this. Lie down on the bed.”

  Janelle looked at me. I held up my hands.

  “I’ll stay all the way over here.”

  She nodded and climbed onto the huge four-poster bed. The sheets were a tangled-up mess of pink sateen. A bed like that would make it hard for me to sleep too, I thought.

  Way too much pink. It would be like sleeping in a pool of Pepto Bismol or a sea of strawberry milkshake.

  Hmm, milkshake, I thought, suddenly hungry.

  You’re always hungry, Maxim grumbled.

  I love that about you, Soph.

  I smiled slightly as I watched the bed. Karen didn’t speak. She was humming something, a sort of wordless song, as light spilled out of her fingertips and poured over Janelle. She gasped, arching as the light went through her. I saw it pierce her skin like a sword. It wasn’t like a shaft of sunlight. Karen’s light had substance. It had weight.

  It had heft.

  Janelle’s body lifted into the air, twisting and turning. I stared in awe as she levitated several feet off the bed.

  If she keeps going, she’s going to hit the canopy, I thought sourly. No matter what happened or how sympathetic I was, it was hard to forget that Janelle had A) tried to kill me and B) made non-stop passes at my boyfriend.

  Ex-boyfriend, I clarified.

  Well, it wasn’t really non-stop.

  Can’t you boys find something to do?

  Oh, yeah, we’ve been talking. We’ve been talking a lot.

  “Crap,” I said aloud. I knew Maxim had filled Dyl in on my supposed-to-be-secret plans to go off on my own. I hoped that they didn’t think I’d really do it. That was literally my only advantage.

  As soon as I spoke the words, Janelle fell back to the bed. Karen gave me a look over her shoulder. I cringed sheepishly.

  “Oops. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I was done.”

  “You were?”

  “Yeah, I was just giving her a sugar dusting of niceness for your sake.”

  I slapped my hand over my mouth, stifling a laugh.

  “You didn’t.”

  She winked at me just as Janelle started to wake up, blinking rapidly. She sat up and looked around the room in a daze.

  “I feel…”

  “Different?” I asked hopefully.

  She glared at me then shook her head. So much for the pixie dust. But Janelle did look a bit softer. And healthier.

  And a lot less wolfish.

  She held out her hands and gasped. Her nails were normal again, minus the bubble-pink nail polish she seemed to favor. She threw her arms around Karen and squeezed hard.

  “Careful! Fairy bones are not as strong as Lycanthrope muscles!”

  Janelle let go with a mumbled apology. She looked at me.

  “What about your bones?”

  “Sophie is the strongest of us all. But that doesn’t mean we want to risk hurting her.”

  Janelle snorted.

  “And that’s my cue,” I deadpanned, heading for the door. “Glad you are feeling better, Janelle. ’Bye!”

  Karen ran after me, catching me halfway down the curved staircase.

  “We can’t leave her like this.”

  I sighed, looking around the deserted house. I walked into the kitchen and groaned. It was even worse in here.

  “Doesn’t she have a maid?”

  “I told her not to come.” I turned to see Janelle standing at the top of the stairs. “I wasn’t sure how to explain… this.” She wiggled her now-normal fingertips at us.

  I sighed even louder.

  “Fine.”

  “Absolutely not,” Maxim said with all four hundred years of snobbery. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at Karen. “I do not do housework.”

  I laughed, sharing a glance with Dylan.

  “But . . .” Karen protested, thinking she was about to lose half her muscle. I jumped off the kitchen counter where I was perched and tapped his shoulder.

  “Come on. We can go grocery shopping.”

  He scowled at me for a second then relented.

  “Fine.”

  “Here’s a list,” Janelle said autocratically. She was almost as bad as he was, and she’d had far less
time on earth to get that way. “And money.”

  I took both with a sweet smile. Maxim grabbed the money from me and shoved it in his motorcycle jacket.

  “Fine. But we’re also getting pancakes for ourselves.” He looked at me. “Sophie is hungry.”

  “’Kay, thanks, bye, you guys.” I put my hand on his back and guided him out of the kitchen. I looked back at them, mouthing, ‘we aren’t getting pancakes’ as I left. Outside, Maxim was heading for his motorcycle when I called out, “Oh, and we’re taking your car, Dyl.”

  Watching Maxim glare at all the housewives at the grocery store was almost worth it. They took turns admiring him and avoiding him. He looked like a hawk in a room full of mice.

  He was a hawk in a room full of mice.

  “Can’t we just glamour someone to get all this crap for us?”

  I shook my head distractedly, looking at the list.

  “There’s a lot of junk food on here.”

  “She needs red meat.”

  “Okay. We’ll improvise.”

  “And,” he glowered. “She didn’t give us enough money.”

  I laughed at him.

  “You’re rich.”

  “I’ve never bought food for a dog before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything, Maxim. Even at your age.”

  He made a scoffing noise and stared at the metal cart I’d grabbed.

  “You push, I’ll fetch.”

  “Fetch. How appropriate.”

  I rolled my eyes, but I was laughing inside. Grumpy Maxim was hilarious. I could not have been enjoying this more.

  Well, maybe if he hadn’t spilled the beans to Dylan.

  “How did he miss hearing that, by the way?”

  “Ugh. Eavesdropper.” He just waited for my answer. “Well, you were in the house. He wasn’t. Or maybe he was in his metal box.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Box?”

  “What he uses when he doesn’t want to be heard. Or hear.”

  “I do not use a box. That is childish. And what if you needed me and I couldn’t hear you?”

  I stared at him.

  “You never try to block it out?”

  “Absolutely not.” He gave me a look that was hard to read. “Why would I? Even if it was possible.”

  “But I don’t always hear you.”

  “I have control over my thoughts, Sophie.” He grabbed the bill of my baseball cap and tugged it down. “Your hair is showing,” he murmured intimately.