by Aria Winter
Finn’s warm hands on my shoulders draw my attention back to him. “You need not worry, Ella.” He smiles. “Devon is a cat. It is in his nature to be moody.”
Cash lightly touches my back. I look over my shoulder and raise my eyebrow in a silent question.
“We should change this dressing.”
I sigh and lift my arms, allowing them to unwrap my torso to expose my back. The cool air raises small goosebumps across my exposed flesh, turning my nipples into hardened beads. My cheeks flush warm in embarrassment. But I don’t try to hide from their eyes because I know they’d never touch me without my permission. The same bond that makes me feel connected to them also tells me that I can trust them with my life.
I cannot help but notice the way Nyx stares at me, his warm, honey-brown eyes studying me intently. As soon as he notices my gaze upon him, his face flares bright red, and he lowers his gaze. His chestnut brown hair falls forward, the length just barely above his brow.
As I observe him, I still cannot believe these big, muscular men can turn into creatures so small. Despite that he can shift into a rabbit, Nyx’s human form is thick layers of muscle, not an ounce of fat on his body, from what I can see.
He clenches his jaw as he stares at me with a pained expression. “Does it hurt, Ella?” he asks softly.
“It feels much better now,” I reply. It’s the truth. The medicine they placed on my injuries has helped me tremendously.
Cash pulls me against him, smoothing his hands up and down my arms, while Finn cleans and applies more of the poultice to my wounds. It feels so good to be taken care of for once. I can’t remember the last time someone did anything like this for me.
A sharp voice calls up from down below. “Ella!”
I still.
Cash hugs me even tighter.
“Ella, get down here! We need you!” my stepmother calls out. “I didn’t beat you that badly yesterday, for goodness sake!”
Cash growls low in his chest. So does everyone else. The room is full of deep, rumbling noises of anger.
Kai puts a hand on my shoulder. “Do you want us to—”
I don’t let him finish the sentence. He doesn’t understand. None of them do. It’s easier just to do whatever she asks of me. After all, I have nowhere else to go if she kicks me out. Or do I?
I look back at him with a renewed hope. “You said you’re my guards. Can you... take me away from here?”
He lowers his gaze and shakes his head softly. “Until our two kingdoms are at peace, we cannot take you back to our world. It is forbidden to part the veil for a human.”
“Oh.” I force myself to bite back my disappointment.
Steeling myself, I stand. Pain shoots through me, but I grit my teeth and remain silent. It does no good to complain. I allow my gaze to drift over each of them. “I’ll be downstairs doing my chores. But as soon as I finish, I’ll come back up here. Don’t worry. She never comes up here, so you should all be well hidden.”
I move to my dresser and pull out a fresh work dress and apron. I move behind my room divider and change into my clothes. When I emerge, I watch as each of them shifts into their animal forms. It’s so strange to see them so small like this when they are anything but in their human forms.
“We’ll help you,” Finn looks up at me in his chipmunk form as he speaks in my mind, and I smile.
I’m still not used to hearing them in my thoughts, but it’s comforting, in a way, to have such an intimate connection to them. “All right. But be careful that you remain out of sight.”
They follow behind me as I go down the stairs, and when I start breakfast, everyone pitches in where they can. They shift back into human form to help me clean, mindful of staying hidden where no one but me can see them.
As I’m cleaning up the breakfast table, my stepmother turns to me. “We’ll need you to take us into town tomorrow.”
My heart stops. “Me?” I smile. She never asks me to go with them anywhere, and I’m excited to be included for once.
“Yes.” She smirks. “We’ll need someone to carry the packages for us.”
My expression falls. “Oh. Of course.”
After I finish clearing the table, I move back into the kitchen to tell my guards that I’ll be gone tomorrow, but it seems they’ve already heard. Kai’s blue eyes meet mine. “We will go with you.”
“How?”
“It’s easy to remain hidden when we shift.” He chuckles as he uses his hands and gestures how small he would be. “You’ll see.”
I grin. “All right. I trust you.”
I move to the back door to lock it but stop when I notice a black cat approach. “Devon?” He shifts almost instantly then walks the last two steps to greet me in the doorway.
“Were you mad at me earlier?” I ask because I have to know. I don’t like to part with anyone in anger. Father taught me it was not good to hold on to negative emotions.
Devon blinks down at me a moment before answering. He’s so tall. Then again, all of them are. Only there’s something about him that’s different from the rest. Yes, his eyes are cat-like, but it’s more than that. It’s his presence. He moves with a sort of lethal grace that belies his heavily muscled form. He stares down at me with an intensity that makes my heart stop then quicken its pace.
“I want to apologize for earlier,” he says, his voice deep and smooth.
“Oh, that’s all right,” I reply, stepping back to allow him to pass. “You were only acting out of concern and—”
“I meant how I walked away from you and just left,” he interrupts, halting my retreat. “It was wrong of me. I was angry, but not at you.” His green eyes meet mine as he reaches out and touches my cheek. The tips of his fingers leaving a heated trail in their wake. “I could never be mad at you, Ella. Forgive me.”
“I do. I just—” I lower my gaze, unsure what to say before finally settling on, “want us never to leave one another in anger.” I lift my eyes back to him. “Agreed?”
A ghost of a smile tugs at his lips. “Agreed.”
I walk outside, and he follows me to the gardens as I tend to the vegetable beds.
My stepfamily retires to their sitting room as they usually do with the tea I’ve laid out for them, so I know we won’t be interrupted. Even so, I turn back when I notice the rest of my guards following us as well.
“You should all probably shift while we’re out here,” I warn them. “Just in case.”
In the blink of an eye, they all transform.
I smile because, all together like this, they look as if they’re posing for some sort of whimsical painting. A rabbit, a blue jay, a cat, and two chipmunks. All of us surrounded by carefully manicured gardens full of vibrant flowering plants in an assortment of blues, reds, whites, and yellows.
The bushes are all trimmed neatly in rows, and the vegetable garden is thriving with thick vines full of ripe, red tomatoes ready to be picked.
As I work on harvesting some of the vegetables, I smile up at Devon. He’s lounging on the edge of the fountain in a very cat-like pose of feigned indifference to the world around him. Nyx comes up behind him with a mischievous look in his eyes and a slight twitch of his rabbit nose as he studies the cat. He carefully hops toward Devon, and I wonder what he’s up to. Without warning, he kicks out at the cat shifter, knocking him into the water. A loud hiss rings in the air.
A startled laugh escapes me, but I quickly cover my mouth to silence it as Devon pulls himself out of the fountain, dripping wet and looking for all the world to see that he is a miserable cat, indeed.
Devon reaches up to swipe at Nyx, but the rabbit rushes to my side and settles against me. I arch a teasing brow. “You expect me to keep you safe?” I ask. “I thought you were supposed to be my guard, not the other way around.”
“I simply wished to be at your side,” he teases in my head.
Devon flicks his long, black tail in agitation. “Just try that again and see what happens, rabbit.”
Nyx turns away, ignoring him as he nestles against me. He’s so fluffy, I want to pet him, but I’m not sure that’s entirely appropriate since he’s technically a man. So, I don’t.
Kai swoops down and lands in front of me. His blue eyes search mine a moment before he moves closer, settling down against me on the opposite side of Nyx. Finn and Cash come over and do the same.
I smile at them and then glance back up at Devon, wondering if he’ll come over here too.
Instead, he stretches out on the low stone wall as if trying to dry himself in the sun. He closes his eyes.
“Are you going to take a nap?” I ask.
“I’m a light sleeper,” he replies. “I will know if anyone approaches.” He flicks one ear in our direction. “That includes you, rabbit.”
I laugh. His reply was such a cat thing to say.
Sighing, I look out at the garden and the fields beyond the low wall. Everything is so dry here lately. It’s depressing. It used to be green fields as far as the eye can see, but almost everything is dull and beginning to turn brown these past few years. Everywhere but the estate and much of the forest that borders it, it seems.
I look back down at my vegetables then start to sing, trying to lighten my mood. It does no good to dwell on negative things, after all.
As I sing, Kai joins in. His voice smooth and velvety in my head as the words flow through my mind while I hear his bird song aloud as well.
The sky grows dark, and clouds begin roiling overhead as the wind picks up. Lightning arcs across the sky. Booming thunder rumbles above us a moment before the sky opens up, and thick droplets of rain begin pelting the ground.
I quickly gather my basket full of vegetables. All the guys shift forms, and together we race toward my tower. The heavy rain drenches me by the time we step inside. My guards follow close behind me as we ascend the stairs back to my room.
When we reach the top, I realize that my dress is completely soaked through. The fabric is so threadbare it leaves nothing to the imagination. Normally, I would not care, but I notice several pairs of eyes staring at me with strange expressions I cannot quite discern.
Someone places a towel over my shoulders, and I look back to find Finn standing behind me. His light brown hair slightly disheveled and wet from the rain, hangs down over his brow. His warm green eyes meet mine in concern. “You should change out of these wet things, Ella, so we can redress your wounds.”
I move back behind the screen. When I start to lift my dress off, the wet fabric clings to my injuries, and a small whimper of pain escapes me.
To my shock, everyone rushes to see what’s wrong. Partially undressed, I gape at them, embarrassed.
Finn’s words set me at ease, though. “It’s all right, Ella. We only want to help you. Please,” he says. “Let us take care of you.”
Nervous, I tuck a stray tendril of hair behind my ear. “I know. Just... allow me to change into my nightshift first, all right?”
“As you wish.”
Without another word, they all leave again.
It’s so strange being here with so many people, especially men. Before I met them, I’d never spent as much time in the company of any man save my father when I was still a child.
When I finish changing, I come back out, and they motion for me to lie on my stomach on the bed. Cautiously, they lift my nightshift, careful to cover my backside with the blanket so as not to expose me.
Warm hands travel over my back as they cleanse and tend to my wounds. They’re so gentle with me. The poultice is like a soothing balm over my injuries, taking away all my discomfort. I close my eyes as they carefully apply the wrap around my torso.
When finished, they lie down beside me. It’s cold in here from the many holes in the walls and the rafters, but as they press in around me, I sigh in contentment at their soothing warmth. I inhale their masculine scents—a strange mixture of chocolate and cinnamon. It’s wonderful, and I close my eyes, reveling in the sensation of being cared for and protected.
When have I ever felt so loved and safe?
Strong arms drape across my waist as I lie on my side and tug me closer. I realize it’s Finn, and I snuggle into his chest. “Thank you, Finn.”
Cash settles behind me, holding me close as well.
Finn’s green eyes meet mine with a curious look. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Tell us apart so easily?”
I reach across and brush the hair back from his brow. “Your eyes,” I tell him. “Yours are a bit more serious. While Cash’s,” I turn to him and touch his face, “look more mischievous.”
Nyx lies down by my feet and Kai near my head. His blue gaze holds mine as he gently runs his fingers through my hair and sings softly to me. He really does have a lovely, deep voice. Smooth and rich like velvet.
I open my eyes to find Devon staring down at us. Something flickers across his face, but it’s gone so quickly I’m uncertain what it is. I do feel bad for him, however. He didn’t sleep with us last night, and I don’t want him to feel left out.
I lift my arm to him, and he takes my hand. “Lie down with us.”
His ordinarily stern expression softens, and he lies on the other side of Finn. I reach my hand out to take his, and he entwines our fingers as I close my eyes and allow myself to drift away, surrounded by my guards.
Awareness slowly trickles back into my mind. I nestle deeper into Finn’s embrace, and Cash tightens his arm around me from behind. It feels so good to be held. I lift my head, and Finn’s green eyes meet mine. He gives me a sleepy smile then tenderly kisses my forehead. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.” I reach up and trace my finger across the beautiful line of his jaw. “I like this,” I whisper. “Being here with all of you. I feel... close to you all even though we just met. I know you say it’s the bond, but it... it feels like something more.”
Kai runs his fingers gently through my hair in a soothing gesture. “With time, the bond will only strengthen.”
I take his hand, threading my fingers through his as I meet his blue eyes. “Will it always be this way between us?” I ask. “This closeness like we have now?”
His gaze flicks to Finn’s for a moment before he answers. Sadness flits briefly across his expression. “The bond will remain, and we will always be your guards. But this”—he gestures to each of the others—“we... cannot always remain with you like this.”
His answer troubles me. “Why not?”
Finn touches my cheek, his green eyes staring at me like I’m a rare and precious treasure. “We will remain at your side and we will always protect you, Ella. But you are to marry the prince. He is human. He will not tolerate this level of... closeness.”
I lower my gaze. I suppose he’s right. What husband would ever allow his wife to sleep surrounded by men? Even if they were her bonded guards?
“I don’t understand, though,” I mutter. “How will my marrying the prince help unite the two kingdoms?”
Kai smiles warmly. “You are the Chosen One. You will broker peace between the two kingdoms through marriage. Your ability to understand us through our mind speech in both human and animal forms is a gift. One that will help bridge the divide between humans and shifters.
“The prophecy foretells that you will teach the prince of us and through you, he will become more accepting... more understanding of who and what we are. He will see that we are not the demonic beasts many of the humans believe us to be.”
It’s strange to think that someone like me. A person of very little importance would be the key to something so critical.
“Can’t we simply just request an audience with him?” I ask. “Speak to him of a truce?”
Kai shakes his head.
“Why?”
He tenderly cups my cheek, brushing the pad of his thumb across my skin. “Because the Elders have foreseen it. Only through marriage to the Chosen One will his eyes be opened to our world and the path to peace.”
>
Finn smooths his hand down my arm. “Do you not want to be a princess, Ella?”
I lower my gaze. “I just... I don’t know what kind of man the prince may be.”
“He must be good,” Kai offers, and yet, in his blue eyes, I can see a hint of doubt. “If not, the Elders would have seen problems in your match to him.”
“Thank you, Kai. That makes me feel a bit better.”
I lie there a moment more, enjoying their presence and the feel of their comforting warmth all around me. Tonight is the royal ball. If the prince chooses me as they hope, he will take me as his bride right then and there. I will be sealed to him this evening.
I’m nervous, but I trust Kai and the others when they say this is how it’s supposed to be. They are my guards. They’re bonded to me and take care of me. They would never lead me down the wrong path. Of this, I am sure. I know it deep in my soul.
Chapter 10
Kai
Cash and Finn slip into Ella’s pocket, in their chipmunk forms, before she enters the carriage with her stepfamily, while Devon and Nyx hide beneath the bench, concealed behind Ella’s long dress.
I fly overhead, making sure to keep them in sight at all times as we make our way into the city.
When we reach the dressmaker, Devon and Nyx remain in the carriage. After all, a cat and a rabbit are too conspicuous to remain hidden like the rest of us are. I shift into my human form behind the building, making sure to appear as if I am wearing the elegant coat and pants of a wealthy gentleman. I choose a deep blue color to highlight my golden hair and blue eyes. Several ladies stare at me appreciatively as I enter the shop, but I pay them no mind as I search for Ella.
When I find her, I move to her side and then lean down and whisper in her ear. “Ask for the owner. Her name is Rina. Tell her that Devon sent you to pick up a dress.”
She smiles. “Is it my dress for the ball?”