by River Ramsey
His eyes widen in surprise, but it doesn’t last long. Guess he’s used to me figuring out things he and the others try to keep secret. You’d think they’d learn. “I can, actually,” he mutters, looking around. “First, let’s get you inside.”
“What are you doing out here anyway?” I demand, not fighting as he lifts me into his arms. I’m exhausted and that burst of fear and adrenaline took all my energy.
“I was hunting,” he admits. “Getting up strength.”
My heart sinks. He really is planning on going through with it, and I got here just in time. We head back to the inn and I catch a familiar scent before he opens the door.
When I see Mace standing there, some kind of chart in his hands, he looks just as surprised to see me. “You found her,” he mutters.
“Mace?” I cry. So he came through, after all. I was worried the vampires would stop him.
“I told you I’d find him, didn’t I?” he scolds.
I can’t exactly argue with him. I’m just less than thrilled that they’re both still here, knee-deep in vampire territory. Then again, Mace probably knows how to navigate it better than most wolves.
“You were supposed to stop him, not enlist in his cause. You do realize that if anyone finds out you two are the ones who killed Aedan, you’re dead?” I ask as James sets me down.
James gives me a look. “Really? You’re going to lecture us on how dangerous it is to be out here?”
I sigh. “Okay, fine. Truce, since we’re all here for the moment. Please tell me you at least tried to talk him out of this,” I say, looking pointedly at Mace.
“I did, but he made a compelling argument,” he muses.
I groan. “And what is that?”
“If I kill the King, by vampire law, I take his place,” says James. “That means I’ll have the ability to take Mace into my court and offer him official pardon.”
“If you kill the King!” I echo. “Which is riding on the supposition that he doesn’t kill you on sight.”
“James is a vampire lord now,” says Mace. “The King is honor bound to accept his request for a challenge, and contrary to popular belief, vampires hold honor in the same regard as wolves do.”
James grunts in forced agreement. “It’s not just about the pardon, although with you bound to Mace, that’s certainly a big part of it,” he admits. “If I’m King, I’ll actually be able to do something to change this world, like your brother’s been trying to do for ages.”
I listen, hating that I’m actually starting to entertain the idea of this crazy move. His words echo the old woman’s so closely. “You mean the humans?”
James nods. “The vampire kingdom is too strong, and if Eternus went to war with it head-on, the wolves would certainly lose. If there was an enemy agent within their ranks…”
“A Trojan vampire, if you will,” Mace says flatly.
My eyes widen. “You want to topple the vampire kingdom from the inside out?”
“Someone has to,” says James. “You’ve seen what they do, Dani. What we’re like.”
My heart aches to know he still sees himself that way. After all the lives he’s saved, all the good he’s done. “You’re not like them,” I say firmly. “And even then, not all vampires are evil. They don’t deserve to be wiped out.”
I sense their confusion, but I can’t stop thinking about the old witch who saved me. “I met a vampire who saved my life,” I confess, taking a deep breath as I prepare myself to tell them everything. No more secrets. Time to actually hold myself to that and hope they follow suit.
By the time I’m done, I can tell they’re on the fence about whether she was real or just a fevered hallucination.
“What do you think?” James asks, looking over to Mace. “Is that even possible?”
“The cure or the old woman’s existence?” he asks wryly.
“Both,” James mutters.
Mace considers it for a moment, looking at me thoughtfully. “I have to admit, it seems far-fetched, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to bet against Dani.”
His words are strangely touching, but I resist the urge to let my guard down. “I’m not saying I agree with this plan,” I inform them. “But if you’re insistent about changing this world for the better, there has to be a better way than just wiping out the vampires. Besides, we have Christopher. If the cure is magical, there’s no one who stands a better chance at figuring it out than him.”
“It’s an interesting thought,” says Mace.
James frowns. “Just because you met one vampire who was decent doesn’t mean they’re all deserving, Dani.”
“Not one,” I say, walking over to cup his cheek in my hand. His gaze softens as he realizes the meaning of my words and I bring his hand to rest on my stomach. “You want a better world for our child, and so do I. But that’s never going to happen if we just keep repeating the same patterns.”
“Dani…”
“She’s right,” Mace says, coming up behind me. His hands settle on my waist, warm and soothing. “She usually is.”
James sighs. “Since when are you on her side?”
“I know when I’m fighting a losing battle,” he taunts, taking my wrist to kiss the inside of it. I shiver in spite of myself. I’m never quite sure whether it’s more arousal or instinct, considering what I know he’s capable of. It’s only now that I realize I’ve long since stopped being afraid of Mace. Even if he is a wild card, he’s proven his loyalty on more than one occasion.
He just can’t see it for himself yet, but he has that in common with James.
“I think our Princess missed us,” James says flatly. “She only shivers like that for one reason.”
My face heats up as I feel Mace’s body pressed up against mine. He’s so hard and lean and warm. James comes to stand in front of me and when he sweeps a strand of hair away from my neck, I melt. “Well, you’re both here.”
Mace chuckles in my ear, his lips pressing hot and heavy against the back of my neck.
“I suppose she did come all this way,” James teases, peeling his robe off my shoulders. I’m standing naked between them, but the heat coming off the man behind me is more than enough to keep me warm.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have the both of them at the same time. They’re both so intense, and when I feel their hands on me, touching everywhere, I know I’m in for an experience as wild as I imagined.
My head falls back with a moan as James cups my breast in his hand and Mace kisses my neck harder, teeth brushing against heated flesh.
Before I know it, we’re on the bed and I’m still between them, this time on my knees. I straddle Mace’s lap as James takes his place behind me and when his hand slips between my legs to stroke me, I can’t help but gasp.
Mace captures my lips and swallows down my moans of pleasure as he adjusts me on his lap. I settle onto his cock, rocking gently to take all of him. James fondles my breasts, driving me wild and making it impossible to tell which is more arousing.
The combination, I decide. They’re even more dangerous together.
I squirm with need as James positions himself behind me, his stiff cock sliding between my cheeks. He puts a gentle hand on my hip to guide himself in, taking it nice and slow.
I bite my bottom lip to smother a moan, but it feels incredible, being filled by them both this way. Mace’s hands on my waist keep me from rocking and hurting myself, so I kiss him instead.
They’re both inside of me, both grinding gently, and I feel impossibly filled. Possessed. Taken in the most thrilling way.
I come from the sheer friction and pressure of them fucking me, and again before James spills his seed within me. Mace isn’t far behind and as we collapse in a tangle of limbs and satisfaction, I breathe a final moan of bliss.
They might hate each other, but they make one hell of a team.
Twenty-Seven
When I open my eyes, I’m still pressed between James and Mace, t
heir naked bodies hot and firm against mine. I’m entertaining the idea of waking them up for an encore when I hear shouting in the hall.
Someone kicks the door in and I’m convinced it’s a dream when my protectors shoot to their feet, awake in an instant. Mace shifts and lunges at the soldier who bursts through the door first, taking him down in a flash of fur and fangs.
James remains in his human form, tearing the gun out of another’s hand. It fires and ricochets off the ceiling and I cover my head with a startled cry. I’m about to shift when the room fills with soldiers and one grabs me, pinning my arms behind my back while another secures a collar around my neck, preventing me from taking that form.
The pained snarl Mace lets out fills me with horror, but I soon realize he’s just been tranquilized. James is still tearing into the guards, but they’ve surrounded him and before I can see the rest of the fight, a needle pierces my neck. I succumb to the same heaviness that knocked Mace out and go limp in my captor’s arms.
When I open my eyes, I’m in an unfamiliar room. The ceilings are vaulted and the walls are covered in ornate golden paper fit for a palace. When I see the guards decked out in the uniforms of the vampire royal army, I realize it is a palace.
How the hell did we get here? My heart races until I see Mace and James, both bound and on their knees in the center of the room before the throne. A dark-haired man with skin as paper-white as Aedan’s sits on the throne, studying them closely. I’m bound to a chair and someone put me in a robe, so I suppose the vampires have at least some chivalry.
The fact that I’m gagged keeps me from giving them too much credit, though. I cry out and James’ eyes meet mine, giving me a reassuring look even though he’s in a far worse predicament.
“So, the Princess is awake,” the man I can only assume is the King muses. “Imagine my surprise when a lowly guard interrupted my feast to tell me there was a strange she-wolf in our lands, and a vampire hybrid of all things had saved her life and killed four of my subjects in the process.”
My heart sinks as I realize someone must have seen my encounter with those guards outside the inn. If it hadn’t been for me, James would have been able to get the jump on the King. Now, he and Mace are going to die because of my foolishness.
No. I can’t let that happen. No matter what, we’ll find a way out of this. We’ll get home, together.
I finally have them both, and I can’t lose them. Not like this.
“I had my men investigate the inn,” the King continues, looking pointedly at James. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to find Lord Aedan’s murderer in your midst, but I must thank you, little wolf, for delivering him right to my door.”
My stomach churns at his hollow praise. He’s right, of course. This is my fault and the guilt is already settling down on me like a heavy weight.
“Guards,” the King barks. “Show this traitorous hybrid what we do to those who kill our own.”
I let out a muffled scream as the guards approach James with their blades drawn. He stares them down defiantly, more intimidating bound on his knees than most alphas are with a weapon in their hands.
“Wait!” Mace cries out. Even James seems surprised by his interjection. I guess there’s still part of him that doesn’t trust him.
“You can’t kill this man,” he says firmly, looking at the King.
“Oh?” the King asks bitterly. “And why might that be?”
Mace looks around at the gathered members of the royal army. There are others in fine clothing rather than uniforms, and I can only assume they’re part of the royal court. “Because this man is Lord Aedan’s killer, that much is true,” he begins. “But he is also his successor. His son.”
The King scoffs, but he grows somber when he realizes Mace isn’t joking. “Nonsense.”
“It’s the truth,” says Mace. “I would know. Sir Evret can vouch for that.”
The King turns to one of the armored guards, who looks frozen in his place. It’s clear he doesn’t want to be dragged into this, but he has no choice now.
“Is that true?” the King demands. “Do you know this fool?”
“Yes, your majesty,” the guard says reluctantly. “I saw him once. He was Lord Aedan’s servant.”
Several of the royals gasp and look to the King for guidance. There’s fury in his eyes as he stares down at Mace, but I can only hope that means good news for us. “If what you say is true—”
“Then you would be violating royal protocol by killing this man,” Mace sneers, clearly enjoying every minute of this. “And as an acting vampire lord, Sir James has the right to challenge you to a duel.”
James looks at him like he’s lost his mind, but says nothing.
“This is nonsense,” the King bellows, standing from his throne. “I won’t be disrespected by some hybrid traitor!”
“Hybrid or not, your majesty, the outsider is right,” says a woman to his right, clad in resplendent purple robes that hang off her shoulders and trail across the marble floor. The crown on her head suggests she’s high-ranking royalty, maybe even the Queen, despite the glint of amusement in her eyes.
Maybe the King is not so well-loved by all his court. Guess that’s just another way the vampires are different from Eternus.
The King takes a step back, glowering at the woman who spoke up, but now the others in court are murmuring. “No one has duelled for the throne in decades!”
“If I recall correctly, my love, is that not how your father took the throne?” the woman I now know to be the Queen asks in a feigned tone of innocence.
The King bristles, his teeth clenched as he looks from her to the others.
“He’s right,” another noble speaks up. “To deny a valid request for a duel would be immediate grounds for abdication.”
“Is that what you wish, my lord?” the Queen asks. “To give up the throne without a fight?”
“Of course not,” he snarls, drawing the blade at his side. He may have grown complacent with his power, but I can tell from the way he brandishes the weapon that it’s not the first time he’s used it. “Let it be so. I’ll paint the floor with the blood of this traitor and let all who seek to challenge the throne know where the game ends.”
My heart beats faster as the guards approach James, but they cut him loose from his restraints. When one reaches to undo the collar that keeps him from shifting, the King cries, “No!” He stretches out his hand, his eyes gleaming intently. “Leave it. If he wishes to challenge me as a vampire lord, he must fight as a vampire lord.”
James clenches his jaw, but there’s not a hint of fear in his voice as he stands to his feet and mutters, “So be it.”
When someone places a sword in his hand, my head spins. Mace is dragged out of the way, still bound, and the King approaches, ready to turn his throne room into a battle arena.
Just because James has the right to challenge him doesn’t mean he’ll win. Certainly not without being able to shift into his wolf form.
His eyes meet mine, as if he can hear my unspoken thoughts, and he gives me a reassuring smile as he raises his blade. The King lunges while he’s distracted, but before I can scream out in warning, James parries the thrust of his sword, knocking the King back. I shouldn’t be surprised he saw it coming. He’s had a lifetime of knowing he has to watch his back.
The King counters his parry immediately, plunging his blade toward James’ stomach, but James swings his sword down, striking the King’s blade out of the way. Sparks fly as the blades come up together and meet in the air again and again, drowning out the snarls and grunts, neither man succeeding in driving the other back for long. Even though the King is clearly more experienced with swords, James’ lack of experience seems to make him an unpredictable opponent, and I can see the King’s strength wearing down bit by bit.
Then the tables turn in the King’s favor. He lashes out with his right foot, striking James in the groin. It’s a cheap shot and James falls back for a moment, just long enough fo
r the King to drive his blade into James’ shoulder, missing his neck by inches. The grimacing hybrid’s breath whooshes out as he swings his blade up with all his might, knocking the King’s sword away.
The King nearly drops his sword, and that’s when James makes the final move. His sword sweeps through the air from left to right and the King freezes in place. Time seems to stand still, then the King slowly sags to his knees and his head tumbles off his shoulders. It hits the polished floor with a thump and rolls away as the King’s body slumps over.
I look away, nauseous, and my eyes land on the Queen. I can’t help but notice the relief washing over her face. The King’s reign was far from a happy one, but that doesn’t mean the transition of power will be easy. Or without bloodshed.
James stands still for what feels like an eternity, staring down at the headless corpse that used to be the King as the guards stare on in stunned silence. When he comes back to himself, he rushes over to unbind me and tears the gag out of my mouth.
I fall into his arms as the guards drop their weapons in surrender, accepting the fact that their King has fallen.
I flinch as the Queen steps over a fallen body and lifts the crown off her dead husband’s head. She stands in silence for a moment, and James and the others watch her uneasily. None of them are eager to hurt a woman, but she is a vampire, and we all know better than to underestimate her.
“The King is dead,” she says in a solemn tone, looking up at James with the ghost of a smile on her lips. She takes a step forward and he tenses up, but she stops a few feet away, bowing her head and holding the crown up to him in an offer of surrender. “Long live the new King.”
Every remaining vampire in the court follows suit, dropping to their knees at her lead. My heart is still pounding as I watch them all kneeling before James, and he seems even more bewildered by the gesture than he was by the battle itself.
He sheaths his blade reluctantly and looks like he’s seeing a ghost as he bows his head to allow the woman to crown him.