Wolf Kisses

by Marian Tee

  “I’m not surprised. You never struck me as the sensitive type.” This, from Juriaan, who was not, as it turned out, as gentlemanly as he had portrayed himself to be in the past. Apparently, that was all to win my trust. And it worked, I had to admit. It had made me look upon him like a younger brother, with his unassuming boy-next-door air about him, even if he was in fact a couple of years older than I was.

  “Stop teasing your cousin, Juri.” This was from Amalia, my mother, who, as I soon found out, was overly protective of me. The first time we met, I had found myself overwhelmed by how much alike we looked. The same blonde hair and blue eyes – we could have passed as twins if she wasn’t a head taller than I was.

  “But it’s true, Your Majesty. She has this way with words that reminds me of…” Juriaan pretended to think then glanced at Amalia in feigned shock. “Why, she reminds me of you, Your Majesty.”

  My mother laughed, the sound drawing smiles from all of us – even my brother Vladimir. The prince had black hair and violet eyes, his skin dark. I had heard from Juri that he took after our father, the King who had gone mad and tried to kill us all. It was probably the reason why he appeared extremely forbidding, his beautiful face rarely softening with a smile.

  When he saw me looking at him, his voice was quiet and gentle when he asked, “What is it, little sister?”

  I blurted out, “You need to stop feeling guilty about what happened.” The first thing he had said to me when we met was sorry, like he – a five-year-old boy back then – was responsible for my kidnapping.

  Behind me, the Queen gasped, and unease flashed in Juriaan’s eyes. Vladimir stiffened, but he didn’t say a thing, forcing me to continue awkwardly, “Every time you look at me, I see guilt in your eyes. It’s like you’re blaming yourself for what happened—”

  “You know,” he said musingly, “they warned me about your candidness.”

  “I’m sure they said I was appallingly blunt.”

  “Yes. They did.”

  I lifted my shoulders in a helpless shrug. “I can’t help it. I was raised as a warrior.”

  Juriaan, Vladimir, and my mother exchanged looks.

  “We were warned about that, too.” Amalia was clearly trying not to smile.

  Seeing my confusion, Juriaan explained, “In our race, girls are, well, girls.”

  I asked slowly, “Do you mean…that I’m the only female Souri who has dark fits?”

  “Ah, well, that one is a royal trait, I’m afraid. The Prince and the Queen share it with you and so will your eldest sons and daughters. But what I am referring to is your warrior-like ways. Female Souris do not fight. At all.”

  “I see.” I tried not to feel disheartened by the fact. I had hoped that the Souris would be where I’d finally feel normal, but I was beginning to accept that place didn’t exist.

  Amalia reached for my hand. “It’s all right, you know. Remember, I am the same, too. And it’s necessary, this difference of ours, because it’s what allows us to defend the people we care for.” She sent a knowing look to her son. “Another royal trait is how we take our responsibilities to heart. Too much so in some cases.”

  “I am to blame,” Vladimir said matter-of-factly. “I was five, not one. I understood what was right and wrong, and I chose to believe that Father would change his mind when I overheard him talking to those creatures. I chose wrongly.”

  Amalia raised a brow at me, as if asking, Do you see what I mean?

  I certainly did. “Vladimir…” I paused, trying to search for the right way to tell him it was not his fault. Nothing came, and I ended up resorting to what I usually resorted to when I was lost for words. “That pain in your heart…if you think feeling guilty and punishing yourself will make it go away, it won’t. You just have to learn to embrace it, you know? It’s like what Charles said.”

  Vladimir blinked. “Charles?”

  I nodded fervently. “The ability to bear the pain without breaking. It’s our greatest gift, and it’s what makes us stronger.”

  He said carefully, “You make sense, but may I ask…”

  I said eagerly, “Anything.”

  “Who is Charles?”

  “Oh. The professor. You know? Charles Xavier? Professor X?”

  Juriaan was the first to laugh, followed by my mother, and even the Vladimir cracked a smile. “They warned us about that, too.”

  I immediately knew what he meant and I protested, “Just because a superhero said it doesn’t make it any less true.”

  Vladimir stepped forward and ruffled my hair. It was his first time to touch me, and I felt his immense strength, courage, and power through that touch. “You’ve done well, little sister. With all the adversities you have faced, I am impressed with the way you have remained unblemished with cynicism.” His tone was quiet and serious as he said, “You are definitely a warrior I would be proud to have fighting at my side.”

  His words sobered me. They reminded me of the inescapable present and the choices that awaited me. “I’m glad you said that.” I tried to smile but failed. “I’m hoping it won’t turn out that way, but if it does…”

  “We stand behind you and beside you, daughter. Your enemies are our enemies.” Amalia was the one who answered, her voice eerily cold, and when I looked at her, I realized that she was and wasn’t herself. It was as if her darker half had emerged, but it was under Amalia’s control, her dark powers leashed and the Queen’s to command.

  “I didn’t know you could do that,” I whispered.

  Vladimir said, “It takes time and practice, but we’ll do our best to train you so that, you, too, may exercise the same control as soon as possible.”

  “That would be nice. I’m hoping things will end peacefully, but…”

  Amalia laughed, and the sound of it made me shiver. “You may wish it as much as you can, but we all know that peace in this situation can only be won by having blood in our hands.” Danger flashed in her wise blue eyes. “And I will not stop to ensure that it’s their blood – not yours – that’s shed.”

  Vladimir reached for Mother’s hand. “Your Majesty, enough.”

  Seconds passed before the ice-blue fire in her eyes faded.

  “When we get older,” Vladimir explained to me without taking his eyes off Amalia’s, “turning starts taking a toll on our physical bodies.”

  Amalia’s strained face was proof of it, and she wryly admitted as much. “I’m afraid it’s true. But if you both think that’s going to stop me from helping you two in battle, you are dead wrong of course.” Her voice turned extra sweet. “Be reminded that I am the Queen, and in the end, it is what I decide that must be followed.”

  That was true, too, but I was determined she’d never have a reason to fight. Seeing my mother weakened after turning – that was what they called my dark fits – was terrifying. I didn’t want to lose her when I had just found her.

  I looked at Vladimir. “Maybe, if my plan works, there won’t be a need to fight.”

  “For the sake of your adopted family,” my brother said in a chilling voice, “I do hope that you are right.”

  ALEJANDRO

  It was too bad Lyccans couldn’t get drunk. If only he could, then maybe he would have started feeling numb a long time ago. But he wasn’t and so the pain caused by Calys’ last words continued to gnaw at him.

  Calys no longer wanted to see him. Alejandro’s fingers tightened around his mug at the thought. Just thinking about it made him want to smash something, but it was the memory of her trying so hard to look at him without crying that made him want to kill. Goddammit, he hadn’t wanted to hurt her like that. She kept saying she was a warrior. If she really was one, shouldn’t she have been the first to realize that love was just bullshit spelled with four letters?

  His thoughts were interrupted as the doors behind him swung open, and boys from Calys’ new race strolled in. Souris, they were called. Angels with mortal blood. He had heard about them, of course, but he had thought they were just rumors
. Even now, Alejandro couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, especially when he considered the fact that his hellcat was one of them. They were a quiet bunch in general, but the young boys behind him were a bit noisier, probably because of their age.

  “What time will you be leaving?”

  “Just a little after midnight.” The rueful answer was from the boy seated in the middle. “I’ve been tasked to go to the monastery, where the Lady Cayan lives.”

  The third boy whistled. “Darn, that’s far. You know you gotta cross mountains to reach that place, don’t you?”

  “They say that place’s full of chicks,” the first boy said a little enviously. “If any one of them looks even half as pretty as the Invisa Julianna, then I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

  “But I heard they have a vow of chastity. I don’t think I can even steal a kiss from one of them. And I can’t really stay long, you know? My mission’s to ask the Lady Cayan if she can think of a proper match for the Princess—”

  The three boys fell silent, rendered speechless by nervous fear as a werewolf prince looking larger than life suddenly appeared before them.

  Alejandro asked in a menacingly soft voice, “Which princess are you talking about?”

  The three boys looked at each other. Finally, the oldest-looking one mumbled, “Princess Calys, Your Highness.”

  “And you say you’re in search for a proper…match?” Alejandro felt like he was hearing someone else speak the words coming out from his mouth. Jealous rage had him cracking his knuckles every few seconds, the sound reverberating throughout the bar, which was now quiet as a tomb. The boys gulped and stared. It was as if they feared taking their eyes off his knuckles, fearing that the first one to do so would get a taste of his fist.

  When the boys didn’t answer, Alejandro asked again, “Wasn’t that what you said?”

  The oldest boy nodded reluctantly. “We are to formally announce the royal house’s need for a proper match for the Princess, a husband—” He stopped speaking when the werewolf prince turned and walked away without a word.

  No fucking way. The words repeated over and over in Alejandro’s mind as he stalked his way towards Calys’ place. The room she rented was at the topmost floor of the inn, and when he reached the place, he immediately saw the guards stationed on each side of Calys’ bedroom door. Souris as well, by the scent of them.

  He turned to face them, but their faces remained stoic. Looking at them, he suddenly thought of Misty Wall, the human girl his eldest brother married as part of his plan to rule the race. Misty had been fascinated with all non-human creatures and had grown up listening to stories about them. She would have loved to know about the Souris.

  Thinking about Misty made Alejandro realize something else. The absence of bitterness – a feeling he had been denying all this time. Before tonight, he had been unconsciously bitter about Misty. His brother was the strongest of their race, the most powerful, and yet she had so easily exposed his weakness by making him fall in love with her.

  He had hated her for it, but he had never been able to admit it to himself because even he knew it was wrong. Love could destroy anyone. Alejandro finally understood that. It had the power to make anyone weak and vulnerable, and there was no exception to the rule. Not Domenico, not Misty herself, and certainly neither Calys nor him.

  But…

  It could be avoided. Love could be avoided, and he had to make Calys see that. He also had to convince her that she didn’t damn well need another fucking fiancé to solve her problems. Been there, done that. Didn’t they have that kind of cliché up in panther land? Or were they too busy busting each other’s balls to learn about common sense?

  He started for her door. Tonight, whatever it took, he would make Calys realize that all she needed was him.

  The guards didn’t move a muscle as he stopped before Calys’ door. He knocked on the door hard. “I’d like to talk to you.” A part of him expected the guards to react at his curt tone, but they didn’t even blink. Smart of them. In the mood he was in, he might just end up knocking them out cold if they tried getting in his way.

  The door slowly opened.

  A face peeked from behind, one with swollen eyes. His heart clenched at the sight of it, and it clenched even more when Calys’ voice was hoarse when she said, “It’s very late.”

  His teeth gnashed. Goddammit, Calys. Weren’t you the one who told me that warriors didn’t cry? So why was she looking like that? He knew he was being unfair and unreasonable in his anger, but he didn’t give a damn. What he did give a damn about was figuring out a way to stop her tears.

  “Didn’t I tell you I don’t want to see you again?”

  He breathed hard at those words. It was her second time to tell him that, but it still made his chest constrict, the words choking the life out of him. “You did tell me that.” Green eyes clashed with blue. “But I’m choosing not to listen. Are you going to let me in or not?”

  “Whatever you have to say—”

  He snarled, “Is it true then?” His hand slammed against the wall, making her flinch as the cement cracked under his skin. “Are you looking for another fiancé?”

  She paled. “Where did you hear that?”

  “Answer the question,” he roared.

  She cried out, “Yes!”

  “Why the fuck would you do that?” he shouted back. “You already have me—”

  “No, I don’t. You’re no longer my Cavaliere—”

  “I am and I will be your damn Cavaliere for as long as I choose to—”

  “I don’t need you anymore, okay?” Her voice broke, but this time he didn’t feel pity. All he could feel was jealousy, rage, and desperation, and all three emotions had one objective: to make her realize that what she was saying wasn’t true. She needed him. She goddamn needed him as much as he had just realized he needed her.

  And it should be enough.

  Need should be enough.

  Calys was shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore—”

  When she tried to close the door – that was it.

  Alejandro’s control snapped.

  He snaked one hand in, firmly but gently pushing her to the wall as he kicked the door open. She let out a gasp, her shocked gaze flying to her guards. “Aren’t you going to do something?” she demanded shrilly.

  “We have been told by the Prince not to interfere in your personal affairs, Your Highness,” one of the guards replied flatly.

  The words had Alejandro laughing, but it was a humorless sound and it didn’t stop him from picking up a thrashing Calys in his arms. Kicking the door shut, Alejandro carried his struggling hellcat into the room.

  He threw her to the bed and followed her right after, not giving her a single second to escape. His body crashed down on hers, and he felt Calys freeze under him when his bulging erection throbbed directly against her wet heat.

  Her face was red with ill-concealed desire, her eyes hazy, and her voice weak as she said, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

  Looking down at her, he said in a hard voice, “I can’t believe you thought you could get rid of me that easily.” Alejandro expected her to protest, but instead Calys looked stricken.

  She whispered, “Of course I can.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, looking like she had a hard time speaking. “You taught me that when you did the same to me.”

  Alejandro whitened. “I never wanted to get rid of you, Princess.” His voice was rough with regret. “I just wanted you to see that what we have is more than what most people could ever dream of having in a goddamn lifetime. They could be reborn again and again, but not everyone can have what we have.”

  His hand shook as his knuckles brushed against her soft, tear-stained cheek. “What we have is a rational need for each other, an understanding that’s not blinded by logic—”

  Calys let out a teary laugh. “Do you hear what you’re saying? Do you really hear what you’re saying, Alejandro?
That’s love. That’s love, but without the L-word.”

  He said unflinchingly, “You can think what you want to think about it, but just know I will never give you the words, not in public, not in private, not ever.”

  Calys didn’t answer right away.

  And just when he thought she wouldn’t ever answer, she said in a pained whisper, “Do you know how much you make me want to say yes? I was raised to value myself, but you make me want to be good with second best.” She choked on the last words, and her lips started to tremble. “But I don’t want to. I can’t. I owe myself more than that, and that’s why I’m better off marrying someone else, someone who’s at least willing to try—”

  Alejandro’s vision went black as the full import of her words sank in. The image of Calys marrying another man, of another man claiming her body, ravaged his brain, and his entire body shook in wrath. His fingers curled around her hair, tightening in a symbol of possession as he growled down at her, “Never.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but this time he was no longer in the mood to hear her out. His mouth slammed down on hers, a wet, hard kiss so flagrantly carnal it had their bodies instantly flaming up in passionate heat.

  If all she had to say was about her belonging to another man, Alejandro thought savagely as he took hold of her nightgown’s neckline, then it was better to let their bodies do the talking instead.

  “Alejandro, no—”

  With one firm yank, Alejandro ripped her nightgown into two. The pieces of silk fell apart, exposing her silken body, and with another growl he moved down to cup one breast, squeezing it hard before his lips closed over her puckering nipple.

  She screamed, her fists hitting his chest hard even as her body arched in pleasure.

  “You can hit me all you want, but I won’t stop until I have you crying out my name.” As he sucked hard on her nipple, his other hand slid below her curvy body, squeezing one plump cheek of her bottom before using it to bring her body up. The action had his swollen cock rubbing insistently against her folds, and the contact made Calys shake her head as if in denial, her fisted fingers beating irregularly on his shoulders.