by C. J. Pinard
“Is everything all right, Your Highness?” Edgar asked.
Griffin smirked at his right-hand man as he tucked the papers into his pocket. “Everything is perfect, Edgar. Now, go get some rest, for tomorrow, we’re going to solidify the plans for Castle Rothhaven.”
Edgar’s eyes widened at the revelation, and then he bowed slightly. “As you wish.”
Mariselle rapped lightly on the door and waited for it to open.
“Mariselle!” Eva squealed, hugging her.
“I’m so happy to see you,” the redhead replied, staring at the beautiful princess. She wore a cream-colored gown with teardrop-shaped beads hanging from the shoulders and waistline that Mariselle was envious of.
“Come, sit,” Eva said, taking her by the hand and leading her to a settee in the corner of her massive bedchamber. Everything from silks and jewels accented the entire room. Mariselle thought Eva had fantastic taste.
“I’ve missed you!” Eva said, squeezing Mariselle’s hand as they sat. “Do tell what you’ve got up to since you left here months ago.”
Mariselle chuckled and looked down. She shook her head, not sure where to start.
“That coy grin tells me you are most definitely in love!” Eva said excitedly.
“Your brothers…” Mariselle started.
“Which one? Wait, don’t tell me. Let me guess. It has to be Griffin. The most mature of the bunch. That’s why you’ve come back, isn’t it?”
“Not exactly—”
Eva’s eyes went wide. “Zackary, then? You’ve been spending a lot of time at that joker’s castle. He is a charmer, though!”
“Eva, it’s complicated.”
She stood and twirled. “Oh, Mariselle, of course it is. Love is always complicated. It can never be easy, can it? Haven’t you read Shakespeare? It’s downright tragic at most times!”
“I don’t think Shakespeare ever wrote about loving four men at once. But he should have, because it is sure to end in tragedy!”
Eva gasped. “No, you can’t possibly love them all.” She made a face. “My brothers are… charming, but not exactly the type who would share.”
Mariselle sighed. “And therein lies the problem. I’ve come here to try to clear my head. And if I cannot, I shall return to my father’s farm and find myself a simple villager. Although, I do not think I can ever conceive, so nobody will want me anyhow. I’ll die an old maid!”
Eva rushed over and sat down on the settee once more. She grabbed Mariselle’s hand. “Oh, love. You are responsible for breaking the curse! I’m quite sure the gods have something special planned for you. You just have to keep trying.”
“I have tried, Eva. With every single one of your brothers. And nothing at all happened, except my heart got invested, and here I am, no husband, no child. It’s been quite the ride. And I’m tired.” Mariselle looked down at her hands in her lap.
“Have none of my pigheaded brothers offered to marry you?” Before Mariselle could respond, Eva’s delicate face went stormy. “You know what? I’m going to find Griffin right this instant and give him a piece of my mind!” She went to stand, but Mariselle laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“No, don’t. Sit.”
Eva nodded and sat back down.
“They’ve all offered. Well, not Mathias, but I’m sure he would have if I’d have had more time with him. But I know they all love me. Zackary was green with envy when I left the West Haven to come here,” she said. “Alexander always looked like he was in pain when I would show affection to Griffin or Mathias. Same with Griffin. And Mathias was sweet and doted on me the entire time Griff and Alex were out looking for Zackary in the forest.”
Eva giggled. “Mathias is such a sweetheart. I do not think he’s ever bedded a woman, though. He’s too innocent-like.”
Mariselle’s cheeks flamed. “Well, he was until I got a hold of him.”
Eva’s eyes widened. She lightly smacked Mariselle’s arm. “My, my, you have been a busy lass!”
Mariselle relaxed and launched into everything she’d been doing for the past four months at the West Haven castle. It took a full hour, but when she was done, Eva was grinning.
“Wow, you’ve got yourself a right harem, don’t you? I wish I could have myself one!”
Just then, the door to Eva’s chambers opened and Griffin walked in. “What are you two hens clucking about in here?”
Eva stood and walked up to her brother. She had to crane her neck to look up into his face and said with a serious countenance, “You better do right by Mariselle. Try harder to put a little Rothhaven in her. The curse is broken, and she loves you. Make her a mother.”
Griffin chuckled and squeezed his little sister’s shoulder. “You have my word, I shall try my hardest, milady.” He bowed slightly for effect before looking at Mariselle. He put out his hand. “Come, let’s eat. I’m famished!”
Mariselle got up, walked over to him, and took his hand. They stared at each other as they walked down the stairs toward the dining room, with Eva trailing behind them.
The two maidens were taking a walk in the sunshine around the lake in front of Griffin’s castle. It was late spring, and Mariselle had been there for several weeks, unable to leave and go back to farm life. She wasn’t sure what was keeping her there, but she knew it was her heartstrings tethering her to the oldest Rothhaven.
“It’s been a good nine weeks, I’m sure of it,” Mariselle said, her brow furrowing as she tried not to get her hopes up. “I had it right before I left the West Haven.”
Eva grinned at her. “And you and my brother… excuse me, Griffin, have really been having some fun in his chambers since you got here.”
Mariselle’s face flushed. “I will not deny that. I just wish there was a way for me to tell if I’m with child or not.”
Eva rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand. “You said you are very regular, like clockwork, yes? You’ve now missed two of your monthlies. There’s no other explanation!”
Mariselle reached up and gently cupped one of her breasts. “They do feel quite sore and heavy, and this corset is tight and even more uncomfortable than usual.”
“I spoke to a couple of chambermaids and they told me that tender breasts and a swollen tummy are definitely signs of pregnancy! We must tell Griffin straight away!”
Mariselle laughed. She grabbed Eva’s arm and said, “Let’s not be hasty. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, let alone his!”
Eva nodded thoughtfully. “All right, if you insist. But surely he will notice during your naked sexy times if your belly continues to swell.”
“I’m counting on it,” Mariselle said, winking at her new-old best friend.
Epilogue
Three Years Later
Her red hair was sticky and matted to her forehead. Her legs were spread so wide, she didn’t think they could fold open any more, as a maiden on each side held them up and out for her. The roomful of women were chattering and murmuring excitedly, but Mariselle could only scream in agony.
“You’re doing great, Mari. I can see the head. One more push and your sweet babe will be in your arms. Come on, you can do it!” Shawna was perspiring, but was very much concentrated on the task at hand. Another maiden came behind her and blotted Shawna’s brow with a cold, wet cloth.
Serina dipped a cloth into a small tub of cool water and dotted Mariselle’s brow. With one final blood-curdling scream, Mariselle pushed with all her might, and the tiny child slid out right into Shawna’s waiting hands.
The room erupted into claps, cheers, and sobs of joy. The ladies hugged each other.
“It’s another boy!” Shawna cried, cradling the baby into the crook of her arm as she swept her finger into his mouth and flipped him onto his belly to clear out the fluids. She smacked the baby on his back a couple times, and at once, the child began to wail and cry. Shawna placed him on Mariselle’s bare chest.
“Oh, he’s so beautiful. He looks like his brother!” Tears fell in rivu
lets down Mariselle’s cheeks as she kissed his chubby little cheek. “Oh, I love you so much already, little man!”
Hecate and Angelique floated above the women in the room, unseen. They doubted any of the maidens in the birthing chamber could smell the lavender and rose scents they always left behind. Nor did the ethereal witches care if they had. The sight of the second Rothhaven prince entering the world was the only thing they concentrated on; the only thing they cared about. The curse… the spells to fix it… the hexes Hecate had weaved to assist Mariselle—it had all been worth it. They’d witnessed Prince Edward’s birth, and now it was all coming to fruition. Angelique knew she didn’t deserve to see the babies being born, but Hecate had encouraged her to come along, anyway. Hecate was well familiar of the heartache and hurt left by a man, and she had long since forgiven Angelique for what she’d done to the whole of Syracuse in anger and grief. But to Angelique… to see her beloved Edward’s first grandchild being born… it had helped heal her ghastly scarred heart.
They watched as Serina dashed out of the room, flushed and sweaty at the warm temperature of the birthing chamber, her own swollen pregnant belly causing her to move slower than usual. First her eyes locked on Elio’s and she smiled in love at her husband. Then, her light-brown eyes searched the room until they landed on Alexander. She bowed slightly and said, “Come see your child, Your Majesty. He’s absolutely perfect!”
Alexander cut a glance to Griffin, who was holding his two-year-old son, Edward, the child’s auburn hair gleaming under the candlelit chandelier. Griffin grinned at his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. “Go! See the babe. Then come back and tell us his name!”
“Go see the babe!” little Edward parroted, and the room erupted into laughter at the witty toddler prince.
Serina looked at the roomful of people standing around, anxiously awaiting the birth of the newest Rothhaven child. She noticed how even the cats seemed to sense the excitement. Mariselle’s four precious kittens, Smokey, Panther, Ebony, and Frosty, now full-grown cats, were prancing about the room, almost as if they were awaiting to the big moment themselves. They mewed and weaved themselves between the legs of all the people.
Eva crouched down, barely able with her seventh-month pregnant belly, and picked up Panther. She snuggled him while her husband, Lord David, put his arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. David had been their most faithful knight before and during the activation of Castle Rothhaven, and when Griffin saw his dedication, he quickly promoted him to lord of the castle. The moment he and Eva had laid eyes on each other, they were done for. They had married immediately.
Alexander slowly walked into the room and all the nursemaids and midwives bowed. His gaze was drawn to the tiny baby on Mariselle’s chest, who was whimpering and rooting around for something to suck on. Without breaking his gaze at his son, he asked quietly, “Shawna, is Mariselle all right?”
Shawna had just finished delivering the placenta and was cleaning Mariselle up. “Yes, sire, she and the babe are perfect. Your wife is a birthing champion. She has definitely been blessed with wonderful bone structure and a very fertile womb.”
Alexander looked into Mariselle’s green eyes and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. And as he stared at his new son, he felt like the luckiest king in the world. He brushed his hand gently over the small smattering of black hair on the baby’s head. “Let’s call him Marcus, after your father, since Griffin already took Edward.” He winked at Mariselle.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so glad you said that, because that was going to my first choice. I miss my papa so much.”
Unfortunately, Marcus had contracted a deadly coughing disease a year prior and had passed away. Mariselle had told his new wife, Maisy, that she could have his land and his farm, as long as she did something to honor her father. And she did not disappoint. Maisy had planted a copse of new trees and planned to call it the Langer Forest once the trees were mature enough to be, indeed, considered a true forest.
Once Castle Rothhaven had been completely rebuilt, Mariselle had been close to the end of her pregnancy with little Edward. The brothers just knew that there would be a lot of babies born there, so Griffin ordered a large and extravagant birthing chamber to be built to accommodate what he had anticipated would be a very lofty and busy activity. He had also moved the serfs, servants, midwives, nursemaids, chambermaids, cooks, and all other castle staff from all four havens to the employ of Castle Rothhaven. Shawna was so busy delivering babies in the nearby village, and to some of the castle maids, and of course Mariselle, that she had become Syracuse’s most sought-after midwife. Serina was learning quickly as well, and had delivered a couple of babies herself.
The four castles in the four corners of Syracuse were not left abandoned. Each was governed by the lords of each haven, and were given free reign to lead as they saw fit, as long as they were fair and charitable to the townspeople of their district.
Castle Rothhaven itself was ridiculously massive and consisted of four separate corners. Each king had their own wing of the castle. And while it took some pretty big bribes, and a little magical sprinkling from Hecate and Angelique, they found a high priest who would agree to marry the four kings to Mariselle in one large, elaborate celebration so she could be the mother to all the royal children. And so it came to be that Mariselle could choose which king she fancied each month, and spend it with him and him only in case a pregnancy occurred. This way, each king was able to enjoy his wife—Mariselle Rothhaven, the new Queen of Syracuse.
So it was, when Mariselle spent an especially long and erotic month with Zackary, she quickly became pregnant and gave birth to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter, whom she named Lizbeth. And following her birth, Mathias happily welcomed her into his wing of the castle and into his bed. She again became pregnant and birthed another child, a black-haired, green-eyed daughter whom she named Katriana, after her own mother.
Over the next fifteen years, Mariselle gave birth to eight more children. The castle—and the country of Syracuse—was full of life, prosperity, and happiness.
But nobody was happier than Mariselle, for she had four dashing, handsome kings who adored her, worshiped her, pleasured her, and had given her so many children, her heart was overflowing with love for them all.
And she wouldn’t trade any of the heartache she’d endured for anything else in the entire world.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cassie Alexandra (pen name of NY Times Bestselling Author, Kristen Middleton) is the USA Today bestselling author of The Biker Series. She also writes romance under K.L. Middleton and horror under Kristen Middleton. Since 2011, she has written and published over forty stories in different genres including romance, mystery, horror, and fantasy.
Visit her website at www.cassiealexandrabooks.com or www.kristenmiddleton.com
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The Biker Series in order:
Resisting the Biker FREE
Surviving the Biker
Fearing the Biker
Breaking the Biker
Taming the Biker
Loving the Biker
Luring the Biker
Christmas With The Biker
Phoenix Rising
Destroying the Biker
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. is a USA Today Bestselling author living in Colorado. Lover of red wine, wearer of fabulous shoes, and a die-hard Niner fan, she’s also an editor at heart. She’s written over thirty novels and short stories that contain both contemporary/new adult and paranormal romance that are a little bit badass, a little heart-wrenching, and sorta funny (to her, anyway). Almost all of her books usually contain law enforcement or military undertones, since strong, brave, alpha men and women are her weaknesses. When she’s not writing, she can be found working at a very strange day job, which may or may not have some mild influences on her grip
ping stories—so strange, in fact, she may just write a book about it one day.
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OTHER BOOKS BY C.J. PINARD:
Paranormal Fantasy:
Enchanted Immortals 1
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella
New Adult Contemporary Romance:
Patriotic Duty (Duty & Desire, #1) FREE
Tour of Duty (Duty & Desire #2)
Boots Beneath My Bed (Duty & Desire #3)
Playing the Field (Duty & Desire #4)
Romantic Suspense:
Antihero (Imperfect Heroes, #1) FREE
Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes, #2)
Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes, #3)
Beyond Love (Imperfect Heroes, #4)
Paranormal Romance:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O’Rourke)
Soul Rebel (Death’s Kiss #1) FREE