Shifter Royals 3: The Crown

by Leigh Walker

  More of the Black Guard had come to the Realm. They stood in a separate assembly.

  Rhys had phased back into his human form. One of his soldiers must have given him some trousers, but that was all he wore. His hair was loose and wild around his bare back. With him he had a dozen wolves, including Roger and Duncan, and a large group of his soldiers also in human form. They comprised the third group.

  The separate factions faced each other.

  I moved closer. Jenny whispered, “Remember what your king said! We’re to go into the castle!”

  I shook my head. “You go inside—I must see what happens.”

  Jenny cursed and then came and crouched beside me. We crept closer and hid behind a rock, peering over the top. I stilled my breathing so that I could listen.

  “King Rhys,” Prince Austin said, “I’ve asked my Northern sentinels to join me here because I have some security concerns.”

  Rhys nodded. “That is why I’ve gathered my men as well, Your Highness. We’re very concerned.”

  The lead Black Guardsman stepped forward. “That is also why King Black has sent us—because of his concerns. Where is your prisoner, King Rhys? She seems to have gone missing.”

  “This is exactly my concern—your King’s pressing need to know what I’ve done with my prisoner,” Rhys said. “It doesn’t sit well with me.”

  His choice of words wasn’t lost on me: your King. Rhys was declaring himself; he would no longer serve King Black.

  I held my breath as Austin bowed his head. When he raised it, he looked first to Rhys, and then to the Black Guardsmen. “It doesn’t sit well with me either. I have voiced my concerns to my father, but he will not take counsel from me.”

  The Black Guardsman’s jaw dropped. “Are you here in opposition to King Black?”

  Austin put his hand on the handle of his sword, and Eve, Balkyn and the others followed suit. “I’m afraid that if you’re here to attack our friends in the Realm, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  “We’re not here to attack,” the guard said. “We’re merely ensuring that order is preserved.”

  “But that’s exactly the problem.” Rhys took a step forward, and the wolves growled behind him. “I am the King of the Realm. It’s my duty to see to it that not only order is preserved, but also to determine that order. I made the mistake of accusing my vampire prisoner of attacking me. But it wasn’t the girl—it was a group of rogue vampires that have been roaming the forest for weeks. I believe these vampires were under orders from King Black to ambush me.”

  The wolves growled again, and the vampires looked uneasy. Austin’s jaw was taut; the Black Guard glanced at each other. This was the first time Rhys had publicly acknowledged what had really happened to him.

  “I made an example of the girl, but I know now that I was wrong to do it,” Rhys said. “There’s no appeasing King Black. I’m sorry Austin, because we’ve been friends since we were children. But I’m afraid your father has made an alliance against me. I can no longer pledge myself to him.”

  Austin turned to Rhys and bowed his head. When he straightened himself, he said, “I will not fight you, brother. The Realm is yours to govern; you have the deeded rights per royal decree. I have not forgotten, nor will I ever forget, your loyalty and the loyalty of your pack. These lands are yours—I will not fight you for them.”

  The prince glanced at the Black Guard. “I have to wish to raise arms against my father and his army. But I won’t join him in his quest to appease the rebels. I’m sure he’s tired of war in the settlements, but it does not follow that he should make a sacrifice of our wolf brothers. Where is King Black?” he asked the lead guard.

  The guard hesitated. “He’s preparing for a return to the settlements, Your Highness.”

  Eve cursed, then pretended she was coughing. Austin ignored her. “Then you’re to follow my orders. Return to the Northern castle at once. Your duties here are discharged. Are you clear on that, soldier?”

  “I-I’m sorry, Your Highness,” the guard stammered, “but I’m under direct orders to—”

  A canine cry ripped through the night. One of the wolves behind Rhys was thrown to the ground by some invisible force. But then I heard shots coming from the forest. “They’re firing silver,” Rhys hollered, “everyone get down!” Rhys’s body began to violently shake. His guards in human form followed his lead. All of them phased and crouched low to the ground. Then they followed Rhys toward the forest, directly to where the shots had been fired. They disappeared in an instant. Howls and human screams emanated from the forest as the wolves crashed through the brush.

  I shot to my feet. “Rhys, no!”

  Frail as she was, Jenny yanked me back to safety. “Remember what he said! Sideline. Stay down.”

  I was about to argue with her, but more commotion broke out on the grounds.

  “Ah, all of our friends in one place—how marvelous!” Someone cackled, and then four new vampires joined the group. These vampires resembled the one who’d taken me into the woods. They were strangely dressed, each wearing flimsy robes that were dirty and torn. They too were ghoulish and unattractive, looking more like demons than vampires.

  Austin’s army and the Black Guard turned on the newcomers. “What are you devils doing here?” the Black Guardsman asked.

  “Is that any way to treat an old friend?” the vampire asked, her voice coquettish.

  The guard put his hand on his sword. “You’re no friend of mine.”

  “Your king would order you to say differently.” She looked at Austin. “How fares your father, young prince?”

  Austin shook his head. “My father’s no concern of yours.”

  “Ah, I beg to differ,” the vampire answered. “I’m here because he asked us to come to his aid. Then the werewolf king got involved, of course. We were happily playing both sides until one of the wolves killed our sister tonight. So we’ve decided: we’re all yours. The rebels are shooting the wolves full of silver as we speak. Want to go and help finish them off, once and for all?”

  “The only thing I’ll be finishing tonight is your miserable existence.” Austin pulled a small sword from his belt—a stake. “Eve, Balkyn—go and help the wolves. Everyone else, with me!” He roared, then rushed the vampires as Eve and Balkyn tore off toward the woods.

  Everything happened at once. There were more cries, both human and wolf, from the forest. Austin and his army attacked the rogue vampires while the Black Guard stood and watched. But when two of the vampires had Prince Austin between them, the Black Guard joined the attack. They pulled the vampires off of the prince and staked them both. The two remaining demons fought for their life, but they were outnumbered. Austin staked one of them in the heart; the lead Guardsman staked the other. The grounds were littered with bodies: the four rogue vampires and at least ten vampire soldiers.

  There was a loud howl from the depths of the forest. It was joined by other wolves’ voices, all raised in a cry. I wished that I could recognize Rhys’s cry. “Does that mean it’s over?” I asked Jenny.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. But we should stay hidden until we’re sure.”

  We crouched behind the rock as Austin went through and checked the bodies. He knelt by his fallen soldiers, saying words of prayer over each of them. Together with the Black Guard, they laid the bodies out in a row. They took the four vampire corpses and put them in a pile; from what I knew of vampires, they would burn the bodies shortly.

  I shivered, waiting for the wolves to reappear.

  Both the grounds and the forest were unnaturally quiet. As the eerie silence settled over us the light began to change; the night was ending and dawn was coming soon. The gruesome scene below was even more clear. Many lives had been lost, too many.

  After a moment Eve appeared, then Balkyn. Between them they dragged a human body. Some of the wolves appeared, dragging wolf carcasses. A few of the wolves had phased back and they also dragged human corpses to the field: dead rebels.


  “How many were there?” Austin called.

  Eve shook her head. “Not many, but they’re all dead. A fool’s errand, if you ask me.” She and Balkyn deposited the body and went back to the forest for more.

  Tears streamed down my face as I watched more wolves and guards come out of the woods, all bearing the dead. “Rhys, where are you?” I cried. I felt as though I might collapse. But my wolf came out next. He and a lithe, pale-haired wolf dragged the body of one of their own: a dark, sleek-looking werewolf. Roger.

  Jenny held me as I wept.

  The wolves laid out their dead as well. Eight wolves had died, including my kind, loyal bodyguard. They put the humans near the rogue vampires: fifteen human rebels had lost their lives in the brief battle.

  Eve was right. It was a fool’s errand, indeed.

  “My father should be here to see this.” Austin nodded toward the group of vampire and rebel corpses. “But coward that he is, he prepares to leave for the settlements.”

  “It’s heresy for you to say that,” the lead Black Guard said.

  “It’s heresy to lose all these lives. And for what?” Austin scrubbed a hand over his face. “A flimsy promise from my father. He might’ve bargained with these vampires, and made promises to the rebels, but King Black is loyal to no one but himself. He’ll be pleased that the wolves fought his battle for him: now he doesn’t have to deal with the nasty work of disentangling himself from these wretches.”

  Austin turned to Rhys. “I am sorry for your losses tonight, brother. More than that, I am sorry that you had to deal with disloyalty from my father. I won’t stand for it, Rhys. You have my word that my family will make my father see the error of his ways. I don’t know if he’s fit to govern anymore.”

  Rhys bowed his head to the vampire prince. Prince Austin bowed his head to the werewolf king.

  And I prayed that somehow, we would all find a way forward. Together.

  The Crown

  Although it was early morning, it had been a long day—the longest day. But even as the funeral pyres smoked outside, Mira insisted that we film the final episode.

  She paced the kitchen, pushing a large golden cuff up on her wrist. “I understand that we’re in mourning for those we’ve lost,” she said. “But we have to finish the show. We owe it to the audience at home to give them a satisfactory ending. We’ve come so far—I fear if we don’t do this now, we might not get another opportunity. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the current state of things…”

  She didn’t dare mention King Black. Austin had gone back to speak with him, but we’d received word that the king had already fled for the settlements.

  Rhys bowed to Mira. “Then we will film the final episode. I agree, we owe the audience that much.”

  I blinked at them both, then down at my blood-soaked ensemble. “Right now?”

  “Maybe we should.” Rhys eyed himself, then me. His pants were torn and his hair was wild. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Mira sniffed in my general direction. “Good lord Tamara, I’ve never smelled anything so vile. Did that vampire have to vomit all that werewolf’s blood on you?”

  I shuddered. “Yes, and I suppose I still have chunks of her heart on my cloak as well.”

  Mira scowled then pointed up the back stairs. “Both of you, to the bath. I expect you back here in one hour—I’ll have the other girls prepare their gowns, and my crew will be ready to film. You understand that we have to shoot the final ceremony and then a ball, of course. I have my men working on the barn, cleaning it up.”

  “A ball?” I croaked, then lifted up the edges of my disgusting cloak. “Really Mira? After the night we’ve had?”

  “I don’t care if everyone’s drunk as a skunk by ten a.m..” The vampire hostess’s nostrils flared. “We’ve promised the viewers at home a ball, and a ball we shall have. Is that understood?”

  “Yes Mira.”

  Even Rhys bowed his head. “In this instance you’re the boss, Mira. But I’m only agreeing to it because I’m more than ready to be done with this blasted show. You and your crew are welcome to remain in the Realm for as long as you like, but no more filming after today.”

  Mira’s brow furrowed. “What about the royal wedding? May I please film the royal wedding?”

  Rhys blinked at her. “Something tells me that even if I say no, there’ll still be a bloody camera around here somewhere. But that’s it, Mira. I’m retiring from my acting career after the wedding.”

  “Ah, that’s a shame, Your Highness.” The normal glimmer returned to Mira’s eyes. “You were born to be a star.”

  “I was born to be a werewolf, Mira, and it’s time I stopped constricting this chest of mine beneath all these bloody clothes.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I’m afraid there isn’t any wine, but if there was, I’d drink to that.”

  “We’ll toast later.” Rhys winked at me. “Now off to the bath with you, my love. Even I can’t tolerate that smell much longer.”

  Giuliana went absolutely wild over my appearance. “Oh, my goodness!” She clapped a hand over her heart. “Quick, you must be scrubbed clean. The ceremony’s in one measly hour!”

  For once, my vampire maid was silent as she washed my hair. As I scrubbed the stains from my skin, I thought about everything that had happened over the course of one night. I felt as though I’d lived a hundred years in twelve hours.

  I wanted to weep over both the werewolf guard and Roger, but it would have to wait until later. I felt responsible for the guard’s death—if I hadn’t tricked him into looking for Elsa, he might never have found himself face-to-face with the rogue vampire. I sent up a silent prayer to him, and one for Roger, and one for everyone that had died in the battle.

  Then I said another prayer for those of us that remained.

  What would happen with King Black? Austin had seemed steely in his resolve to take power from his father. But what would Blake make of that, not to mention Dallas and Gwyneth? Then there was the matter of Queen Serena. Would she ever agree to let her husband be sidelined in such a manner? There was no way to know the answers to these questions, not yet. But I hoped that the Realm had been spared for good. With Austin’s promise of loyalty to Rhys, the future seemed much more secure.

  I scrubbed the filth from beneath my fingertips as Gi dried my hair. “There, now, that’s better. You smell much more like a queen now.”

  I glanced up at her. “I’m not queen just yet.”

  Gi tsked. “But of course you will be.”

  I took a deep breath. “It will all be over soon. No more need for guessing.” My smile masked a twinge in my heart. It’s not over ‘till it’s over. Even though the rogue vampire hadn’t killed me, the suspense just might.

  “Just relax and enjoy yourself,” Gi said as she started on my eyebrows. “It’s been a long road.”

  I opened one eye and looked at her. “You can say that again.”

  The dress Gi chose for me was exquisite—black tulle with a lace bodice and a full skirt. She finished my makeup and fluffed my hair over my shoulders. To my surprise, I actually looked human.

  I hugged her. “Thank you for everything, Giuliana. You’ve been a wonderful friend to me.”

  She sniffed and blotted her eyes when I released her. “It’s been an honor, my lady.”

  I took a deep breath as I left my chambers and stood at the top of the stairs. I could see klieg lights below. The hum of the production crew rose from the grand lobby. I suddenly felt very, very tired. Giuliana was right: it had been a long road.

  But I lifted my chin as I descended. This was the end, and I intended to finish strong.

  “Ah, here she is.” Mira Kinney beamed for the cameras. She’d changed into a floor-length crimson ballgown; diamond chandelier earrings flashed at her ears. “A huge welcome to Lady Tamara Layne, one of our two remaining finalists. Lady Layne, how are you feeling about the competition?”

&
nbsp; She shoved the microphone under my nose and I forced myself to smile. “I am very glad for it to be over, but at the same time, I’m sad that it’s done. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes of course, darling.” Mira watched me closely. “You’ve made great friends during the contest.”

  “Yes, I have.” I scanned the room for Joely and Dae. They stood huddled together, both resplendent in their finest gowns. Dae wore violet, and Joely wore pale-green. “Come here, my friends.”

  They joined me beneath the cameras and I hugged them both. All three of us had tears in our eyes when we broke apart. I didn’t even know how Joely’s final date had gone, and my friends had no idea what an ordeal I’d been through the night before. But it didn’t matter: over the past few weeks, they’d become two of my dearest friends.

  “Ah, I love to see how close you’ve become,” Mira gushed. “I agree with Lady Layne, though—it will be hard to say goodbye.”

  “Yes it will.” Joely blotted her eyes.

  “Agreed.” Dae looked as though she might burst into tears.

  “Can we stop talking about it?” I asked over a lump in my throat.

  “We should bring the king in, and let him make his final choice.” Even Mira’s eyes shone. “And then we’ll have a ball, and we can all drink punch and cry as much as we like.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Dae said.

  “And so we shall.” Mira flashed us a brilliant smile. “But now, let’s bring out His Highness, shall we?”

  A hush fell over the room as the werewolf king strode in, followed closely by Duncan and Philip. His appearance was much improved. He wore a dark ceremonial tunic, fitted to his muscular chest, tight-fitting dark pants, and tall boots polished to a lustrous shine. His hair was pulled back neatly. The only indication of the battle he’d fought was a certain look around his eyes: I could see more lines there, evidence of pain and regret for those he’d lost.

  Still, the king smiled and bowed as he reached us. “Ladies, I am so glad to be with you again. I cannot thank you enough for your loyalty to this process, and for the sacrifices you’ve made to be here with us in the Realm. You will forever have my gratitude.”