by J. E. Taylor
I pressed my lips together against a scream of frustration. Alerting the guards would be an immediate death sentence for Aiden. I was angry with him, but not enough to put his life at risk.
I sat down on the cot, letting out a huff. A waft of Aiden’s sweet honey scent drifted from the thin fabric, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself a moment to relish his smell. It dissipated as quickly as Aiden had. I grinded my teeth together, lying back on the lumpy fabric while I waited for someone to uncover my duplicity.
Chapter 4
Shadow’s distant howl pulled me from a restless sleep. I sat up on the cot and rubbed my eyes, letting them adjust to the dank cell. The morning sunrise lit up the space.
I certainly hoped Aiden made it out of the castle, because no one inside these walls would spare the life of a wild bear.
The howling ended. My heart jumped into my throat. Had someone cut my wolf down? Tears stung my eyes.
The door at the end of the hall opened and light from a lamp illuminated the hall outside my cell. The sleek form of Shadow stopped in front of the cell and whined. When my father stepped next to him, the stoic expression on his face made me gulp.
His gaze traveled over the entirety of the cell before it landed back on me. His lips pressed into a thin line, and the red hue filling his cheeks and nose announced his aggravation as loud as a crack of thunder in a stormy sky.
“Where is he?” he asked in a menacing growl that made me glad a row of bars stood between us.
I shrugged. “Probably halfway across the country by now.”
He closed his eyes and his nostrils flared.
I bit my lip waiting for my punishment to be delivered. But my father just turned and sauntered down the hallway, leaving Shadow and me alone in the dungeon.
My wolf pup stretched out on the floor outside the cell and put his head on his paws. His sigh filled the stale air. I flopped down on the cot again and stared at the ceiling as the morning light shined brighter through the window.
I didn’t know how much time passed, but the room was at its brightest when Sheri snuck into the dungeon with a plate of food for me and a bowl of milk for Shadow. I nearly attacked the food through the bars. It had been more than twenty-four hours since I’d had a proper meal.
“I had to sneak by the old guard to bring this to you. Your father ordered that no one was to come in here,” she whispered.
“Thank you,” I said after I stuffed the last morsel into my mouth.
Sheri smiled, reached down, and picked up Shadow’s empty bowl.
Her words sank in. “Old guard?” The only time father put elderly guards to work was when he and the rest of his army were out of the castle.
Sheri nodded. “Aye. The king called his army together to go bear hunting.”
My heart nearly stopped in my chest and I gripped the bars. “You have to get me out of here.”
She stepped away from the bars, her eyes wide with fear. “I can’t. Your father threatened me. Told me that if I helped you in any way, he would have my head on one of the posts outside the castle.” Sheri hurried out of the dungeon.
I banged my forehead against the bars and let out a yell of frustration. The echo in the empty dungeon ran a cold shiver up my spine. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, holding on to the bars until my knuckles ached. Fury and fear played in my bloodstream making every fiber hum.
I released my grip on the cold iron and stepped back. I tilted my head to the ceiling and bellowed every ounce of anger in an ethereal cry.
The guard rushed into the cell and slid to a stop in front of my cage. His chest rose and fell in frantic gasps as he stared at me with wide eyes.
“Let me out,” I growled, sounding as feral as those wolves had last night.
He fumbled with the keys and dropped them on the floor before reclaiming them with shaking hands. He slid the key in the lock and threw the door open, then plastered himself against the wall on the far side of the hallway.
I stepped out of the cage and put my hand out. “Your sword,” I demanded.
He blinked and then undid his belt, handing it over to me with the sword still in its scabbard. I clasped the leather around my waist and stormed out of the dungeon with Shadow on my heels. Instead of exiting the castle through the courtyard where I would surely have been caught and detained, I went out the secret path that led to the woods on the far side of the castle.
I had no idea where I was headed, but an internal guide pulled me along until I stood just outside the forest staring at Stonehenge. My chest constricted at the sight of my father’s army closing in on the stones from all sides. I ran, unsheathing my sword. Shadow kept pace with me as we raced across the field. I weaved through the line, sliding under the arms that reached to grab me and broke free of the group, rounding the entry until I stood alone in the center of the great stones.
I turned in a circle as the rumble of footsteps outside the walls pounded up my legs. I stopped my inspection at the sight of the bear in the far corner, cowering away from the sound. His back and sides were protected by the rocks.
Shadow and I approached, bent on blocking the only way to get to him. His gaze moved in my direction now that I’d shifted position into a downwind draft. His eyes widened, and he backed into the rocks more.
I turned, thinking the guards had breached the rocks. No one had entered. With my heart beating so hard that the whoosh of blood in my ears drowned out sound, I turned back to the bear. Forcing my breathing to slow, I sheathed the sword and put my hands out to show him I was unarmed.
The beast’s reaction didn’t change. I glanced down at Shadow and he was looking up at me with his head cocked, like he was waiting for his next instructions. His gaze jumped behind me, and I turned, pulling the sword out, putting myself between my father’s army and the bear.
I held the sword at the ready, lightly bouncing on the balls of my feet. The guards parted, and my father stepped through the line.
A deep crease appeared between his eyes. “May?” His gaze traveled down my body and then back to my face.
I looked down at my thin nightshirt. The belt held my bodice tight against my breasts, and my legs were bare from just above the knee.
The men surrounding him shifted uncomfortably as they attempted to avert their eyes from so much bare flesh.
None of them were in battle-ready stances, but that did not sway me from keeping vigilant.
“Move out of the way,” my father said, recovering from his prior shock.
“I’m sorry, Father, I cannot let you or any of your men pass.” My voice was calm, despite my racing heart and dry mouth. There were too many of them. If they all charged at once, I wouldn’t stand a chance. But I was the king’s daughter and rightful heir to the throne.
His hands clenched, and his sharp glare sent a shiver over my bare skin.
“Leave us. Go back to the castle,” he commanded.
The army filtered out, leaving only my father and me with Shadow and the bear in the clearing.
The moment we were alone, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at me. “You really want to play this out?”
I took the stance he’d taught me. “When I win, you will pardon Aiden.” I had never bested my father in a sword fight. Hell, we’d never fought with real steel before, and I wasn’t as sure of myself as I projected.
He stepped forward, and so did I. Shadow moved between us, growling in an effort to protect me.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” my father said and lowered his sword as he stared at Shadow.
I used the diversion to my advantage and swung my sword. It was met with steel, the impact vibrating all the way up my arms. My father sneered.
The bear behind us roared. We both turned to see the thing rear up on its hind legs. It was then that its dark eyes struck me. Aiden’s eyes were blue, not brown like this beast.
I gasped and pushed backwards into my father’s chest. “That’s not Aiden.”
“How do you know?”
my father asked, moving so he was at my side.
“Because Aiden’s eyes are blue, even when he is in bear form.”
We both readied our swords, moving away from each other strategically splitting the bear’s focus. How I wished my father hadn’t sent the army away. We could use a little back up right now.
Shadow continued to growl, but this time his attentions were on the bear and not my father and me.
“Shadow, come here!” I snapped, and the wolf pup obediently took up residence at my side.
The bear thundered at us, its head swinging from side to side, trying to keep both of us in view as he stepped closer. His massive paw swatted in my direction. I dropped to the ground, grasping my sword with all my strength. The tip caught its paw, and the power of his swing knocked the handle right out of my grip. I rolled in the opposite direction from my sword, trying to put distance between me and the furious animal.
“Hey!” my father yelled, calling the bear’s attention away from me.
Blood dripped from the paw I’d sliced, and the beast swung it at my father. My father wasn’t as quick as I had been, and the bear’s claws caught his breastplate, flinging him against the rocks.
My father slumped to the ground.
The bear went after him.
“No!” I yelled.
It spun toward me.
Shadow growled. All the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. My little wolf pup was no match for an adult bear, and neither was I.
I scooped Shadow up in my arms and backed away, trying to draw the bear away from my father. My heart slammed against the walls of my chest as I calculated my dwindling odds.
My sword was too far away, and my father was just coming to in the far corner. Blood flowed down his face, and he rose on shaking legs.
The bear lumbered towards Shadow’s fearless growl. I backed into a rock, staring down the snarling bear. He cocked his giant paw back, ready to swipe his sharp claws from my crown to my toes.
A brown blur flew through the air and hit the grizzly before he could strike his death blow. The ball of fur rolled away in a pile of roars and howls of pain.
Blue eyes amidst brown fur flashed before another blow knocked him back. The fight raged, leaving me shaking and cowering behind my own little rock fort.
My father hid behind a boulder as well, and I caught his eye. He tilted his head towards the fighting bears. I nodded. He needed to know it was Aiden who had saved me yet again from a horrible fate.
The slam of bone meeting rock echoed. One of the bears went down hard. The remaining bear fell onto all fours and turned towards me, snarling, his brown eyes full of fury.
“No!” I dropped Shadow to the ground, sprinting to where my sword lay. Hot anguish and rage fueled every cell, and I slid, swiping my blade from the ground and bouncing to my feet. I spun towards the beast, holding the blade like a javelin.
The grizzly reared up with a roar. My scream matched his.
I launched the blade at the same moment my father appeared in the air behind the bear with his blade clasped in two hands over his head. The bear was not fast enough to knock my sword off target. It buried in his chest all the way to the hilt. My father’s blade sank into the base of the beast’s neck. Bone was no match for the metal and the snap of it resounded.
The bear took a shaky step towards me and then collapsed. I spun out of the way and when he hit the ground, it shook like a mighty earthquake.
My father stood behind the dead bear, looking more formidable than I had ever seen him. He gave me a nod of approval, even though his chest heaved from exertion.
My gaze fell to my blue-eyed bear, and I ran to where he lay. Shadow followed, whining as he sniffed the prone animal. He lay on his side with his face away from me. The rock his head lay against was stained red. My heart tripped in my chest, and my hand fluttered to cover my mouth.
I knelt next to the massive bear and touched the soft fur on his arm. Warmth still radiated. I leaned my ear against his back, and after moving a few times, I picked up his heartbeat.
I let out the breath I had been holding and glanced at my father. “He’s alive.” I climbed to my feet and circled around to his other side. Gently, I lifted his head, inspecting the ugly gash on his brow that still oozed blood. The ground underneath his abdomen was sticky with it, and when I lifted his paw to see the damage, I winced at the jagged slices running across his stomach. They were deep enough to provide days of discomfort, but at least he had not been disemboweled.
“He needs help,” I said, looking up at my father. My gaze turned to the pink and orange brush strokes in the sky. When the sun set, Aiden would transform. I had no idea of the extent of the damage or if it would transform with him.
My father said nothing, but the corner of his lower lip sucked between his teeth.
A burn started in my blood at his quiet study of the situation as if he were contemplating making me leave Aiden.
“He saved my life.” My harsh whisper brought my father’s gaze to mine. “He deserves amnesty.”
“How do you expect us to get a five hundredweight, unconscious bear back to the castle?
I glanced at the darkening sky again. “In a few minutes, he will be a man, and I’m sure between the two of us, we can drag him back to the castle before day break.”
His jaw tensed, and he glanced at the dead grizzly bear. “Fine,” he conceded in a tone that was anything but peachy. “But he is going to the dungeon. I don’t want an angry bear terrorizing the castle tomorrow.”
“The dungeon is no place for an injured man. He can stay in my room where it is clean, and I can dress his wounds.”
“And when the sun rises?” he snapped and crossed his arms.
“I’ll give him honey and berries and make sure he doesn’t break out to terrorize the castle.”
The last rays of the sun faded from the sky, and Aiden’s transformation took the form of a low glow. It wasn’t the spectacle of the other night. This time he shrank in place without the magnificent stretch or flexing of muscles.
He was just as unconscious as he was a moment ago.
My father’s eyebrows rose and he balked. “Ye didn’t tell me he’d be naked.”
“Does it matter right now?” I asked, exasperated. I didn’t want to argue with my father. All I wanted to do was get Aiden back to the castle and clean out his wounds. The longer we stayed here, the more likely he would come down with an infection. “Help me get him to his feet.”
I slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled him into an awkward sitting position. The dead weight was almost too much to hold, and I nearly toppled over.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what are you doing, child,” my father muttered and reached down, yanking Aiden’s other arm over his shoulder.
Together, we stood, both of us clasping our free arms around Aiden’s blood-streaked waist. We skirted around the dead bear and started the long trek back to the castle with Shadow at our heels.
Chapter 5
“What is that man doing in May’s bed?” My mother didn’t even try to keep her voice down in the hallway. “You know how dangerous having him near her is.”
“You don’t have to keep reminding me of my family’s curse, woman.” My father’s low growl came through the door. “I am well aware of what a MacMahon could do to Marigold’s descendant.”
I washed the last of Aiden’s wounds, and carefully covered it with clean cloth as best I could. The pile of rags at my feet told more of the story than I cared to digest. I pulled the sheets over him, picked up the blood-and-grit filled cloths, and marched to the door with the evidence.
I flung it open and nearly threw the rags at my mother. “Father had no choice. Aiden saved my life, and I wasn’t going to leave him to die out there. If Father hadn’t helped me carry him, I would have dragged him here myself.”
“What exactly do you think will happen when the sun comes up?”
I narrowed my eyes at my mother. “He is going to turn
back into a bear.”
“How will you contain him from terrorizing the castle?” My mother’s voice rose to a near hysterical pitch.
“Honey and berries,” I replied. We had had a long walk home supporting Aiden’s weight, and I took that time to figure out what I would do in the morning. An injured animal of any kind was unpredictable, and while there was danger in having him in a confined space, I was confident I had this under control. “I already sent Sheri to get as much of both as she can find before the sun rises.”
“We can have the guards bring him to the dungeon,” my mother said.
“No. I’m not having them put him in that filth. Not when my bed is available and clean.”
She opened her mouth.
“No.” I turned and retreated into the room, closing the door on any further conversation.
Aiden looked peaceful as he slept. The gentle cadence of his breathing brought a sigh to my lips. I glanced down at my bloody hands and crossed to the basin.
After my hands were scrubbed clean, I changed out of the dirty night dress into something clean and warmer than the night shirt. I moved my vanity chair to the spot next to the bed and reached for Aiden’s hand. My fingers traced his fingers, and the contact lit a fire deep within me. I turned his hand over and followed the intricate lines in his palm with my index finger. Each path led to his wrist, and there was an intimacy to my actions that left my breath shallow and my heart pumping.
The door opened, and I dropped his hand, pushing back in the chair while heat filled my cheeks.
Sheri stood in the doorway with a full tray of fruits and berries along with a large stack of honeycombs.
“Thank you.” I smiled and pointed to my dressing table. “You can put it there and then take your leave.”
“You don’t want me to stay, my lady?” Sheri asked as she put the tray down.
“No. While he isn’t any danger now, I’m afraid that will not be the case in the morning.” I met her wide-eyed stare. “But you can take Shadow with you for a while. I don’t think it is prudent to have a wolf and a bear sharing the room either.” I smiled.