The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  Something caught my eye to my left. There was something purple floating unnaturally in front of yellow and green flowers running up a wall. It almost looked like a hummingbird, but I didn't think there were ultra-bright purple ones. I walked to it and saw that it was a faerie. I bent down to look at her. She was floating with her wings moving soundlessly, even to my sensitive ears.

  She looked at me and smiled, but then her face clouded over. "Why do you cry, Sonnast?"

  Did everyone know who I was? Only the humans were clueless. "I miss someone."

  "Is it Master Cliff?"

  My eyes lit up. "Yes. Do you know where he is?"

  She nodded. "He's the one who sent me here."

  "How is he? Is he still with his parents? Does he—?"

  "Slow down," she said with a smile. "Follow me."

  "Is he here?" I almost didn't want to hope it was true. I didn't think I could handle being disappointed.

  "Follow me."

  I nodded and followed her out of the garden and down a path that led to a dark part of the woods, after looking to make sure that nobody was watching me from the castle. I hoped that this wasn't some kind of trick. I didn't trust Alrekur, even though he'd promised to leave me alone in my "state." He was surprisingly unbothered by my pregnancy despite the fact that I was supposed to be his one true love. He claimed to be supportive of the tenth line.

  The faerie took a sharp turn to the left, and I squeezed my belly through some bushes and saw a little cottage hiding from the world.

  "Is he in there?" I whispered.

  She nodded. "Enter. It's safe."

  I stood in front of the little cottage, staring. I clutched my stomach and looked over the structure. It was like something out of a fairy tale, ironically enough. I wondered if it really was safe or if I was being stupid and putting my baby at risk by following a tiny flying person through the darkest of woods. I was beginning to consider turning back when I heard the door open. I almost ran off before seeing who it was, but I paused with baited breath.

  Cliff walked through the door, although I almost didn't recognize him. I stared at him instead of running into his arms. His hair was long and messy and he had so much stubble that it looked like he was growing a beard. There was a hardness on his face that didn't fit him. I was used to him being clean-shaven, with perfectly pressed clothes and a soft, kind look on his face. Well, except for the times that he had been angry with me.

  We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before he walked slowly out the door and through the tall grass, stopping in front of me. His eyes softened when he reached me. He ran his hand along my face without a word. I stared into his eyes. What had happened to him over the months that we'd been separated? It had obviously taken its toll.

  "Let's go inside," he said.

  I nodded and he gently grabbed my hand, leading me into the cottage. Everything was very old fashioned, but it was well kept. I recognized the Icelandic style of the home and the furniture, similar to many rooms in the castle.

  "How did you find this cottage?" I asked.

  He motioned for me to sit on a love seat. I sat down and he sat next to me, still holding my hand. "I found this place when I was going through my transition," he said. "I wanted to get away from everyone, so I was looking for a place to hide in the woods when I stumbled upon it. There were faeries in the area; they'd been keeping it up for centuries. They told me it used to belong to Hella, the ninth Fyrsturae, before she was killed. They told me that she hadn't been fond of the castle and had preferred this small cottage that she'd had them build for her."

  "She didn't like the other Fyrsturae?" I asked. "She and I will probably get along."

  "You don't like the others either?"

  "Svana's not so bad. I just don't want anything to do with them. It's because of them that you can't be there with me. Are you staying here?"

  He nodded. "The faeries are waiting for Hella to return. They trust me and told me that if I took care of it, I could stay anytime I wished."

  "Can I visit you anytime I want?"

  He smiled, looking like my Cliff again. "Nothing would make me happier. We have to be careful though. Nobody can follow you. It's imperative that the cottage is kept a secret."

  "I hope that nobody followed me here," I said.

  "Don't worry. There were other faeries keeping watch. Nobody saw a thing."

  "I can't believe that I'm in the same room as you! I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. I hate Alrekur for sending you away."

  "I don't blame him," Cliff said, looking genuine.

  "What?" I exclaimed.

  "He's been waiting for you for three thousand years, Alexis. Legend has it that he was never able to fall in love, although apparently only the Fyrsturae and those from his line knew why that was." A scowl formed on his scruffy face. He had to have been bitter about the false prophecy stating that we were destined to marry. "I know what it's like to wait for you. Fourteen years was torture. I can't imagine three thousand."

  "It was only two thousand," I said, as though it actually made a difference. "He was dead for the last thousand. But I don't care. I only want you. We're going to have this baby. He's ours and nobody can change that. We—"

  "It's a boy?" Cliff asked, his face softening even further. "We're having a son?"

  I thought he was going to cry. I looked down at my hands and then up at him. "I'm sorry. I forgot you didn't know. Dr. Robinson from the hospital is at the castle waiting on my every need. My parents would have me get an ultrasound daily if he would allow it. I'm so glad I haven't had the baby yet. I didn't want you to miss his arrival."

  He looked at my tummy for a moment, and then rubbed it tenderly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I have eyes in the castle and will be alerted immediately when the process begins."

  "You do? Who is it?"

  "The less you know, the better."

  I looked at him curiously. I wanted to know, but I trusted him.

  "I probably can't stay long," I said. "My parents have servants all over the castle watching me. Can I sneak out tonight to see you? Will you be here?"

  He leaned close, closed his eyes, and placed his roughened lips upon mine. I grabbed his face and kissed him with everything I'd been holding in over the months of our separation. He returned the passion and as his hands started to move from my belly, he pulled back. Breathlessly, he said, "We'd better wait, my sweet."

  I nodded. "You're right. I couldn't help myself."

  "Me neither. You're even more beautiful than before." He closed his eyes again and placing his hands back on my stomach, gave me another kiss. I kissed him back, not caring what was for the best. He was back and that was the only thing I cared about. I pulled him as close to me as possible with a burgeoning belly between us. He moved his arms behind me, adjusting his weight so that he was leaning on me without putting any weight on my middle. I breathed his scent in deeply and allowed the reality to set in that we were actually together.

  "Let's run away," I said.

  "What? Are you serious?"

  "Why wouldn't I be? Everyone else thinks I should marry Alrekur because of the stupid mark on my neck. Your parents hate me. Let's go into hiding. You've said that vampires go into hiding all the time. Let's do it."

  He smiled. "Let's take this one step at a time."

  "I want to be with you now. I don't want to wait."

  "You're meant for more than living a quiet family life in hiding and you know it. Do you remember telling me that you originally never wanted to get married?"

  "That was before I met you…before I was carrying our baby. This," I looked at my tummy then back to him, "is what I want. Nothing else matters, only the three of us together."

  "If you trust me, give it time, my princess."

  I pouted and begged him with my eyes to change his mind.

  He laughed. "Don't try to change my mind. I'm going to stand firm against your pleas."

  I feigned anger by crossin
g my arms and glaring at him. "Fine!"

  He laughed again. "You're such a faker. It's good to laugh again. I haven't laughed since we've been apart."

  I rubbed his stubble. "I can tell. It's hardened your face. I need to get you laughing again so that I can have my sweet Cliff back."

  "Let's meet tonight. I have a feeling that your parents are going to be looking for you soon."

  I frowned. "Don't I know it."

  He gave me a quick kiss. "I'll be waiting for you."

  "I want to hear about what you've done these past months."

  "If you only want to talk, we can talk," he said with a wink.

  I gave him a shove as I stood up.

  "You're getting around well," he observed.

  "I'm still one of the strongest vampires alive. This isn't so hard. Yet everyone treats me like I'm going to break. I'm not a freaking porcelain doll."

  He nodded, trying to cover a smile. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

  I glared at him, but broke into a smile. I grabbed his hands and pulled him up. Turning my belly to the side, I pulled him as close as possible and squeezed him as hard as I could. "I've missed you so much. I don't ever want to let you go again."

  He returned my embrace. "You know I've missed you just as much…right?"

  I looked into his eyes. "Of course. Take care of yourself, okay? I'm not giving up on us. I'm going to fight to the death if I have to."

  His eyes saddened. "Don't do that. I would rather you be alive, even if we aren't together."

  "I would rather die than not to be with you. Our whole lives, we've been kept apart. It keeps happening. I'm sick of it. I'm willing to go into hiding for thousands of years if it means that we will be together and everyone will stop interfering."

  He cupped my chin. "Let's get through this first. I don't want you to have to live in hiding."

  I searched his eyes and saw that he really meant it. "Okay. But, I'm coming back the first chance I get. You'd better be here."

  "I'm not going anywhere, beautiful." He walked me to the door and kissed me on the forehead before closing the door between us.

  I sighed in frustration. I knew I should have been elated, but I was tired of constantly being separated.

  The little purple faerie flew up to me. "Are you ready for me to show you back to the castle, miss?"

  I nodded, afraid to speak. I could feel the tears threatening to break free.

  She led me through the woods and before we had gone far, I saw something moving from out of the corner of my eye. "What was that?" I asked.

  "The unicorns are returning."

  "That was a unicorn?" I whispered.

  She nodded. "They're very skittish until they trust someone."

  I stood still, hoping the unicorn would reappear. When I didn't see anything for a few minutes, we walked the rest of the way back to the edge of the woods.

  "I can sense that your parents are looking for you," she said. "I'll wait here for now. I'm going to keep an eye out for you, whenever you're ready to return."

  "I think I can find my way," I said. "I'm used to traveling in forests."

  "It's for the best that I assist you. You can discuss it with Master Clifford tonight."

  "Well, I'll see you tonight then." I took a deep breath and walked towards the castle. If they were looking for me, I was sure to receive a lecture.

  I went in through a side door, hoping to be able to walk to my room unnoticed. I had no such luck, as expected. I barely made it down two hallways when my father saw me. "There you are!"

  I tried to hide my irritation. "Here I am."

  "Where were you? Somehow you snuck off without anyone noticing!"

  Smiling, I said, "I discovered that the unicorns are returning to the woods."

  "So, you were off chasing unicorns? In your condition!"

  "Look at me, Father. I'm fine."

  He tilted his head to the side. "Your hair is messed up."

  I was glad that I couldn't blush. "Whatever. It probably got tangled in the bushes."

  "Let's eat dinner. Your mother was very worried, you know."

  "You know I can take care of myself. All this resting only drives me crazy."

  "Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror?" he exclaimed. "Daughter, your stomach is huge—as it should be. You're carrying our grandchild, the only descendant of the tenth line. There's never been a tenth line before. Do you know what that means?"

  I giggled.

  "What's so funny, child?"

  "You and Mother barely look old enough to enter a bar, and you're talking about your grandchild. It's funny."

  He sighed. "You know we're thousands of years old. I was discussing the importance of the tenth line."

  I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "What's so important about the tenth line, aside from there never having been one before?"

  "That's exactly it, daughter. It evens everything out because it's a complete number. Everyone has spent three thousand years waiting for this."

  "So Cliff and I really were meant to be. I couldn't have had a child in the tenth line with Alrekur since our children would be of the first line."

  "Let's eat dinner. Your mother's waiting."

  "You know I'm right."

  We walked to the dining room in silence. My heart dropped when I saw my mother eating with all of the awakened Fyrsturae.

  Alrekur looked up at me. "The Sonnast returns." I blinked and he was at my side. "Where were you, my sweet?"

  I tried not to glare at him. I hadn't seen him in weeks and suddenly he had an interest in my whereabouts? "I was watching some unicorns."

  "The unicorns are making their way back. That's wonderful news. Sit and you can tell us all about it."

  I looked at my father, hoping he would stop the insanity. But it was clear that my parents had cooked up this get-together. Alrekur pulled out a chair for me and I sat without a word. My stomach rumbled so I dished food onto my plate, hoping that everyone would forget that I was there.

  "How's your health, my love?" Alrekur asked.

  Halldor laughed. "You call her love when she carries my descendant in her womb?"

  "Oh, brother, you be nice," Svana said, setting down a cup of blood.

  I tried not to look at any of them because their beauty was so intoxicating. They were all more beautiful than anyone else that I'd ever seen. As far as I could tell, their magnificence drew people to them, making it easy to seduce their prey. I was one of them, yet I wasn't immune to their charms. I didn't see how a human could escape. Perhaps their effect on me would wear off over time.

  "Listen to your sister, Halldor," Alrekur said, without looking up from his meal.

  "Remember, we're all on the same side," my father told them. "There's going to be another werewolf war and we all need to be united if we're going to come out victorious. We need to wipe them out completely this time."

  "This time, it will be a victory," Alrekur said.

  "Are we any closer to finding Asdis?" my mother asked. I noticed that she hadn't looked at me since I'd entered the room.

  "I've got vampires looking into some clues, as you know," Baldur told her. "I would join them if I could."

  My mother said, "We'll all go together when the clues are solid. I wish one of you knew where she was. It was so much easier finding the rest of you."

  "Of course it was," Halldor said, slamming his drink on the table. "Your daughter's fiancée killed two of us himself! He knew where we were."

  Alrekur slammed his drink on the table too. "I wouldn't have had to kill you, Halldor, if you hadn't killed my brother!"

  "Soren had it coming after what he did to my sister!" Halldor said, glaring at Alrekur.

  "My brother did not kill Svana!"

  Svana smiled devilishly. "No, he didn't, but I'd gladly have more of Soren's children."

  Halldor glared her. "Don't talk like that, little sister!"

  Svana turned to me and winked. "Wait until you see Soren. You'll
see what I mean." She fanned herself.

  "Of course he's handsome," Alrekur said. "He is my brother."

  Halldor looked like he was going to explode. "Svana, you will have no more of his children!"

  "Brother, don't worry about me. If you harm Soren again, though, you're going to have to worry about me hurting you."

  "You threaten me, sister?" Halldor demanded.

  My father shook his head and muttered to my mother, "You had to say something, didn't you?"

  "We have plenty reason to be mad at someone at this table too," my mother said, looking at Alrekur and Halldor. "Dagur killed our Ida, if you remember. But, we're willing to let thousand year old bygones be bygones."

  I stood up. "I'm finished eating. I need to rest, as pleasant as this meal has been."

  Alrekur looked up at me. "You'll meet me in my billiard room in one hour." It was not a request.

  "Fine," I said and left the room before he could say anything else. The pregnancy didn't tire me out, but the Fyrsturae did. At least they weren't at each other's throats, as they'd been at first. They could benefit from family counseling. I wasn't sure how my parents expected them to band together to fight in a war.

  When I got to my room, Mattie was cleaning. She smiled. "How are you doing, child?"

  I sighed. "The Fyrsturae are exhausting."

  She laughed. "They are. They got along a lot better when their parents were all alive. But with them gone, they don't have the incentive to get along."

  "Do you mind if I lie down and rest? Alrekur wants me to meet him in an hour."

  "Get some rest. You'll need your strength to deal with him. That boy stresses you out."

  "You know exactly why that is," I told her.

  "Of course I do. Would you like me to leave you alone?"

  I climbed onto my bed. "No, you're fine. Your presence is very comforting."

  She smiled and I lay down smiling too, thinking about Cliff.

  FOURTEEN

  An hour later, I was sitting on a bearskin rug in front of one of the fireplaces in Alrekur's billiard room. He liked having a fire in the evenings, regardless of the weather. I found it comforting myself, so it didn't bother me. He was playing some ancient game with Baldur, the one awakened Fyrsturae brother that he hadn't killed.