by Amy Sumida
“I'll marry you,” I agreed. “All of you. You're the mates I've been waiting for.”
“Post the wedding announcement too, Talbot,” Audric said, then amended it with, “if you'd be so kind?”
“I'd be very happy to post it for you, Your Highness,” Talbot declared. “Very happy indeed.”
Chapter Seventeen
The Kingdom of Lupienne was re-established, and while its people were still reeling from the news of their returned royals, they were informed of those same royal brother's upcoming nuptials... to one woman. But the announcements of a witch and her vicious monsters holding the princes prisoner seemed to be confirmed by the surviving villagers who had battled the beasts. And the lack of monsters confirmed the claim that the same princes had killed the beasts. So, the citizens were too relieved to raise their eyebrows at the odd choice of one bride for all three of their heroic royals. In fact, they came to the wedding.
No one knew that the new courtiers were the old servants; too many years had passed for anyone to remember them. After all their years of silent service, the household staff was justifiably enjoying their new status; prancing about in their finery and dancing across the ballroom in delight. I watched them with a smile, sitting at the high table with my three husbands and my family.
Our ceremony had been private; just the priest, my family and my husbands. It was sweet and simple, the most basic of vows for the most important bond that I would ever make. I was still amazed that two little words had joined me to three men forever. As soon as the priest proclaimed us to be men and wife, we were led out to the front steps of the palace to greet our guests and welcome them into our home to celebrate.
A roaring cheer had echoed out as we stepped outside, shocking me a little. Part of me had worried that the announcements wouldn't be well-received. But, in general, people wanted to be happy, and they would accept any explanation that allowed them to continue their existence peacefully. But not everyone was so willing to overlook the holes in our story.
When my husbands and I finished our meal and went out among our guests to socialize, there was a brief moment when I was alone. My husbands were distracted by visiting royals, and I had wandered off to retrieve my glass of champagne from the high table. While there, I paused to admire the centerpiece; a rose in full bloom that appeared to be carved from jewels. It was faceted and sparkled like stars under the candlelight, looking every bit as precious as it was. But its value went far beyond that of treasure. This was the cursed flower that had bound the brothers and their household to the castle in stasis. After the curse had been broken, we'd gone into the tower, expecting to find the rose dead or vanished. Instead, we had found this. This eternal flower; a perfect representation of our love.
“A rose,” Theo said as he stepped up beside me. “That reminds me of a story.”
I looked at him sideways, and found him staring intensely at me.
“Was there something you wanted to ask me, Theo?”
“What happened to you that day?” He asked. “The day we found monsters here.”
“I rode Bertrand home,” I said simply. “There was nothing that I could do to help.”
“But why were you here, in the first place, Sylvie?” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“My father stumbled across the castle awhile back,” I went with the story we'd concocted. “He had stopped to pick a rose for me and was attacked by the witch's monsters. They took him to the witch, and she imprisoned him in a cell beside those that held the princes. Bertrand, our horse, came home without father, and he led me back to the castle. I snuck inside, freed the princes and my father, and they took back their palace.”
“Just like that?” Theo asked.
“Well, no, not 'just like that,'” I huffed. “You arrived as we were fighting the beasts. I tried to get you to leave so that you wouldn't be hurt, but you didn't listen to me. You and the others broke down the door, and you know the rest.”
“But I don't.” Theo grimaced. “I took a blow to the head, and when I woke up, I was home. The others had carried me back with them.”
“Oh, well, I'm not sure what happened either,” I said evasively. “As I told you, I ran off after you broke down the door. Lance told me and my father to run, so we did. When we returned, we found the brothers victorious, and the beasts dead.”
“Where are the bodies?”
“Excuse me?”
“Of the beasts,” Theo said. “Where are the dead monsters?”
“The servants buried them, I expect.” I shrugged. “Why are you interrogating me about this, Theo?”
“Indeed,” Lance's deep voice interrupted us. “Why are you harassing my wife over her heroism? Heroism which saved me and my brothers, I might add.”
“I... I'm sorry, Your Majesty,” Theo stammered. “We are very old friends, and I took liberties with the Queen that I should not have.”
Queen. Yes, that would take some adjusting to. But it did help me get out of sticky situations like this one. Theo gave me a deep bow and hurried away.
“Thanks for the rescue,” I said as I slid into Lancelot's arms.
“It was the least I could do after you released me from my prison,” he teased me and then lowered his lips to mine.
“Stop hogging our wife,” Audric said as he walked up with Blaise.
“I think it's time to retire to the Queen's bedchambers,” Blaise added.
It had been decided that we'd spend this first night together in my new suite. Then we would go back to a rotation, during which I could choose to either spend the night in one of my husband's rooms or invite them to stay in mine. That way, we could each have our space and the option of sharing it.
“I am feeling a little tired.” I yawned dramatically.
Lancelot smiled and nodded to one of the new servants. With much fanfare, we left the celebration and headed up to the bridal suite. It had been decorated with silk and roses; the lavish bed turned down to show the cream colored sheets sprinkled with rose petals. There were vases set all around, overflowing with red roses, that added a delicate scent to the room. Before I could walk through the door, the brothers picked me up, carrying me between them over the threshold. I laughed as they continued to carry me all the way to the bed.
Blaise ran back to shut and lock the door, and then the three of them pounced. My dress became a silken heap, piled over the men's clothing. Hands roamed my body as Audric claimed my lips. I shivered as delicious sensations flowed over me; Audric's tongue tangling with mine, Lance's hot mouth at my breast, and Blaise's teeth nibbling their way down my arm. Then I was lying in bed; the men pressed in around me. Our legs twined together, and then two of theirs pulled mine apart. I looked up from Blaise's kiss as Lance settled between my thighs.
“I've been dreaming about this,” Lance whispered right before he set his mouth to me.
My head rolled on the pillow as pleasure consumed me. Blaise and Audric were pressed hard into my sides, and my hands sought them out. I stroked their silken lengths as they moaned and covered my body with kisses. All the while, Lance continued his ardent ministrations to the most sensitive part on my body. Then suddenly, Lancelot lifted his head and met my stare. I nodded, and he eased over me as Audric and Blaise shifted further to the sides. I continued to stroke them as Lance surged into me, and we all cried out together.
Ecstasy took over, and we were lost to it for hours. The slide of Lance inside me, his muscled chest pressed to mine, and his powerful arms bracketing my face. Then Audric urged me to my knees, driving into me from behind as Blaise knelt before me. I took Blaise into my mouth, and he groaned, his fingers going through my hair. Audric had my hips in his strong grip as he pounded into me violently, sending rapture ricocheting inside me. My gaze shifted to the side, where Lance lay, watching us with a hot stare as he stroked himself. Then he shifted to lay beneath me and suck at my breasts.
I screamed my way into a blissful abyss.
Finally, Blaise eased beneath me,
and I angled him inside me and took control. The other men stroked my body as I rode Blaise, kissing my skin and breasts and lips. Blaise stared up at me with adoring eyes as I spread my hands over his chest and rubbed my thumbs over his nipples. Audric and Lance started working themselves as Blaise and I approached our apex.
We all came together in a tumultuous cry of pleasure.
As the climax rocked through us, we shifted. I changed into my werewolf form, and then men turned back into beasts. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by fur and claws. I gasped, and the men jerked in shock.
“What in all the realm has happened?” Audric shouted.
“No,” Blaise held a furry arm up to inspect it. “No, not again.”
“I cannot go back to being a monster,” Lance lamented.
“Do you think that I'm monstrous?” I asked Lance.
He flinched and then blinked. “No, of course not.”
“Look at me, all of you,” I said firmly. The brothers stared at my sleek, werewolf body. “What do you see?”
“You're beautiful, Sylvie,” Blaise said. “In any form, I see you, and I love you.”
“And that's how I feel about all of you.” I nodded. “But I also love myself, in all of my shapes. You need to love yourselves too.”
“Love ourselves?” Audric asked. “How can I love this?”
“I've tried to tell you.” I sighed. “You all are magnificent in these forms. There is power and nobility in your beasts. Accept them as part of you, and maybe they will accept your human side too.”
“Accept them,” Lance looked over his massive body. “Yes, you're right, Sylvie. I lived in this form for years and hated it the entire time. I need to change that. Hating yourself can only lead to pain.”
Lance took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes; just accepting. As he did, his body shifted back to human. The other men gasped, but I smiled, my suspicions confirmed.
“It worked!” Lance said when he opened his eyes. Then he saw my face. “You knew it would!”
“I suspected,” I admitted.
“You mean, we can shift back?” Blaise asked.
“Accept who you are, Blaise.” I closed my eyes and serenely called my human body back to me. I transformed easily into a woman. “Love who you are; every aspect.”
“I do.” Blaise smiled and closed his eyes.
He changed back into his beautiful human body. Audric immediately closed his eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. He growled in frustration, and I eased over to him. I slid my arms around him and nuzzled my cheek to his.
“You're the most striking bisclavret I've ever seen,” I whispered in his ear. “Your fur is as black as the midnight sky and your eyes are like thunderclouds.”
Audric shivered against me and shifted back into his human form. He opened his stormy eyes and stared at me in relief.
“Bisclavret?” Blaise asked. “What's a bisclavret?”
“I am a loup garou–a werewolf,” I said gently. “My family can trace its lineage back to the bisclavrets; the originals. But we have evolved into something more wolf-like over the years. It was necessary for our survival. You three are bisclavrets; a mix of several beasts and man. Bisclavrets are the ultimate warrior, meant to rule all races. That witch who cursed you actually did you a kindness.”
“She changed us into royal werewolves?” Blaise asked.
“Something like that,” I agreed.
“Are you saying that we could have shifted back to human at any time?” Lance asked.
“I'm not sure.” I shook my head. “The curse seemed to have layers to it, but I don't think it was ever intended to free you fully. You needed to learn to be good rulers; to love your people and yourselves, but the witch also wanted to punish you, and give you an obstacle to surmount. So, she turned you into bisclavrets; beasts whose very nature drives them to rule and love, but who also love so fiercely that they mate for life. You had to embrace the bisclavret while you fought against its instinct to possess its mate completely.”
“Tricky witch,” Lance huffed.
“Tricky and very wise,” I said. “I'd like to shake that woman's hand.”
“So would I,” Audric whispered. “I feel fantastic. From just that one shift, my body feels more powerful.”
“Loup garous and bisclavrets heal with every transformation,” I explained. “Used regularly, the shifts can curtail the aging process. When you are a beast, time cannot touch you. I believe that it's the reason Blaise was able to come back from death; he was transformed just in time.”
“Hold on,” Blaise said. “That sounds like immortality.”
“It's very close.” I smiled. “We can live extremely long lives if we choose to.”
“If?” Lance lifted a brow. “Who wouldn't choose to live forever?”
“Forever can grow tedious.” I shrugged. “Let's just take it day by day, my beastly princes.”
I leaned forward and they caught me, surrounding me with a love that may just be strong enough to last us an eternity.
Pan's Promise
Chapter One
To tell you my story, I must first tell you another. It's your story too; the story of the creation of life. Zeus had two loyal Titan supporters when he first became the greatest of the Greek gods. The Titans were Epimetheus and Prometheus. You've probably heard of Prometheus, but his brother didn't get as much publicity. It's rather ironic since Epimetheus is the source of all of the world's pain. Most people think it's my fault, but it wasn't, it was his. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
As a reward for their loyalty, Zeus gave the brothers the task of creating the first creatures on Earth. Epimetheus made the animals, and he gave each of them a skill and a way to protect themselves. Prometheus took his damn time perfecting humans, and when he was finally finished, there were no protections to give them. So, Prometheus asked Zeus if he could give humans fire. Zeus laughed and refused, saying that fire was for the gods. Prometheus gave it to humans anyway.
I'm sure you've heard of his awful punishment; the eagle eating his liver daily. So gross, but that was Zeus for ya. Heracles eventually saved Prometheus, but that's not the end of the story. Zeus didn't just punish Prometheus; he decided to punish humans for accepting the gift of fire too. How dare the humans take a gift of protection from a god! Yeah, Zeus wasn't known for his fairness.
To punish humans, Zeus made me: Pandora. Well, he told Hephaestus to make me. Zeus was more of a delegator than a hands-on type of god, but whatever. I was created in the image of Aphrodite herself, and I was given numerous gifts by the gods upon my birth. On top of my beauty, they gave me wisdom, kindness, peace, generosity, and health. Sounds good, right? Those lovely gods.
Wrong.
Zeus instructed the gods to give me all of those attributes so that I would tempt Epimetheus, and then Zeus added a good dose of curiosity. Because Zeus, that sadistic bastard, had a plan for me. First, I was offered to Epimetheus as a wife. Nope, I had no say in it. I was created and then given away. Fine. Well, despite his brother's warning of Zeus's trickery, Epimetheus couldn't resist my god-enhanced charms. He married me, and Zeus came to our wedding.
The lightning-wielding lummox gave me a wedding present too; one just for me. It was a jar–no, not a box, though it was a large, squat jar, so I guess I can see why the grapevine of storytelling eventually turned it into a chest. Zeus gave it to me, and then told me to never open the jar. Right–eye roll. He knew I'd open it; I was made to open that fucking jar. And who the hell gives a person a gift that they can't open? That's just rude!
But I promised Zeus that I wouldn't open the jar because that's what he wanted me to do: make a promise. When it came down to it, I was Zeus's creation, and I did not only what he asked, but also exactly what he intended for me to do. My curiosity drove me to it. This horrible feeling hounded me day and night until I finally gave in and opened the stupid jar.
I'm sure you know the rest. I broke my promise, and all sorts of evil
came flying out of that jar: hatred, greed, envy, pain, disease, hunger, poverty, war, and death. If something bad happens to you, it's most likely because of that jar. I fumbled for the lid mid-exodus and was able to smack it in place just in time to save hope, which is a small comfort, I know. But at least you can cling to that when all those other traumas bombard you.
Anyway, that was just the beginning of my story. Everyone blamed me for opening the jar when it was all Epimetheus's fault in so many ways. First, if he hadn't been so greedy with the protection, his brother would have had something to give humans. Then he didn't listen to his brother... who was being eaten by an eagle every day... Zeus's eagle. Um–hello? You're gonna trust a guy who tortures your brother with a bloodthirsty eagle? Epimetheus married me anyway, the dumb ass. So, I blame him. That doesn't change the fact that everyone else blames me. Well, mostly everyone.
Epimetheus was horrified when I opened the jar that Zeus expressly told me never to open. He raged at me and even knocked me around a bit, but, at first, nothing happened. The evil needed time to take root. It wasn't until three months later that the effects started to show. Everyone became more guarded and suspicious, and then the wars began. Epimetheus hired men and trained them to be soldiers–warriors. Then he was infected by hatred.
Epimetheus annulled our marriage and sent me packing. But he didn't just kick me out. Oh no, the son of a she-goat sent me away on one of his ships with five of his strongest warriors to make sure that I didn't escape. His loyal captain was instructed to sail me out to some uninhabited island and then leave me there to rot. It's kind of a Greek tradition; they loved abandoning people on islands.
The Greek God, Dionysus, who happened to have found his wife stranded upon an island by that jackass Theseus, noticed my plight and took pity on me. He knew what a bastard Zeus could be, and he figured out that I had been set up. Dionysus was offended that Epimetheus hadn't stood by me when it was his fault entirely that the jar had been opened. He was also a bit peeved at the whole “stranded on an island” thing.