A small cloaked figure rode forward, causing a stir among the other riders as they tried to surround the smallest of their number. Almost like guards, Ursula thought. Was this the crown prince?
"Oh by all that's holy, shut up. Siward said to reforge the alliance, and find out what they want from us to keep the valley on good terms to allow a free flow of trade." The girl ripped the hood from her head and stared avidly at Ursula and Bernard. "Are the stories true? Do you have bears?"
The crown princess? Ursula wondered. She looked younger than Ursula herself.
The miffed-looking gentleman bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
This girl wasn't old enough to be a queen, surely. She slid off her horse and bobbed a careless curtsey. "I'm Rosamond. The queen from over the mountains. My father, King Almos, had trade agreements with Berehaven. You protected the trade route with your bear army, and held our goods and gold in trust when snow closed the passes. Before the Wall, while my mother lived, your valley was part of our kingdom, and paid a tithe every year, I understand, until the year my mother died and all that ended. We're willing to declare you an independent ally if you have not pledged your loyalty to any neighbouring king while we were…closed to outsiders, as it were." She lifted her chin. "So, who is your king?
"King Siward, like King Almos was," Ursula said slowly. "We kept your tithe for a while, until it became clear that you were not coming to collect it, so we sold it. For fifty years we've done this, and kept the gold in trust for when your tithe collector came. There is berry wine, too, which is not from here."
Rosamond waved her hand as if fifty years' worth of food was nothing. "Keep it. Consider it a gift, a reward for your loyalty. An ally has no need to pay us a tithe. Now, what percentage will you ask for trade passing through your valley? We have a lot of wine to export – fifty years' worth, I believe – and we hope to move much of it over the mountains before the summer is over. Safety from bandits and thieves is something our northern neighbours cannot provide right now, but you…" The Queen gave a little excited bounce. "Please, can I see the bears? Even just one…I have heard so many stories!"
Bernard glanced at Ursula, and she gave the tiniest nod.
"Stand back, Your Majesty." He concentrated, then swelled into an enormous monster, towering over the little queen.
She clapped her hands. "Oh, magnificent! You are more than even I imagined! Can you understand me? If you can, walk across the bridge and back."
Bernard inclined his head, and did as she asked. Even as a bear, he limped, and Ursula winced in sympathy. Bernard might forgive her for it, but she would never forgive herself for the pain she'd caused him.
"Is it just me, or is he favouring that leg?" Rosamond asked Ursula.
"It is an old wound that did not heal properly, Your Majesty," Ursula said.
"Oh, we can't have that. A spell for a spell is only fair, Baroness, don't you think?" Rosamond dropped to her knees and Bernard had to pull up short to avoid stepping on her. The girl dug her fingers into a clump of grass and seized Bernard's injured leg in her other hand. Then she bit her lip and closed her eyes.
Bernard shrank from bear to man in a moment, staring down at the crouching girl. "What are you doing?"
Rosamond didn't answer. Finally, she released Bernard and the grass, which was now knee high, and said, "There. That should do it. Try walking again, Baron."
He took a tentative step, then another, and his eyes widened. "What did you do?"
Rosamond rose and dusted off her knees. "Heal you, of course. I don't do bears, like your wife. I heal and play with plants." She smiled. "Now. What duty must our traders pay to pass through your valley?"
Bernard didn't seem to be capable of speech, so Ursula ventured, "Whatever you feel is fair, Your Majesty. I would pay every piece of gold in our treasury to anyone who would heal my husband, and you have done it. We are in your debt, now." She dropped a deep curtsey. When she rose, she met Rosamond's eyes. For all her youth, her eyes told a different story. "Perhaps we should go inside and discuss things over some refreshments, Queen Rosamond."
Rosamond's eyes lit up. "Tell me, do you still make Berehaven cheese? It's been more than fifty years since I tasted it, but there was no finer stuff anywhere. It's the mountain milk, my mother told me."
"We do, Your Majesty, and I would be honoured to send some home with you," Ursula said. "Consider it a gift."
Rosamond looked at her. "You know, you remind me a little of my mother. She would have been your great-great-aunt, I believe. Her sister was the one with the Gift, though, so Mother left and she stayed. The bears have been here longer than our kingdom has existed, she said. Women ruled then, queens in their own right, but the old ways fell away, and men gave this place a Baron, a man to lead the bears. But there would be no bears, if not for the Lady of the Valley, for the Gift is hers alone to give. Is it true what they say – that the Lady cannot leave the valley?"
"I've never tried," Ursula admitted. "But why would I want to?" She squeezed Bernard's hand. "Berehaven is my home. Bears and all."
Afterword
Would you like a FREE fairytale? Get your FREE copy of Enchant: Beauty and the Beast Retold HERE.
If you'd like to read Rosamond and Siward's tale, you can get Awaken: Sleeping Beauty Retold HERE.
If you're looking for more of Demelza's medieval fairytales, you can find the rest of the series HERE (http://www.demelzacarlton.com/fairytale/).
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton’s Place at:
www.demelzacarlton.com
A Cougar’s Longing
The Shifters of Eclipse: Book 1
By Evelyn Lederman
Copyright @ 2018 by Evelyn Lederman
All rights reserved
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Editing by Tina’s Editing Service
Cover Design by Fiona Jayde Media
Box Set Edition
Titles by Evelyn Lederman
Worlds Apart Series
The Chameleon Soul Mate: Book One
The Crystal Telepath: Book Two
The Warrior Woman: Book Three
The Mind Control Telepath: Book Four
The True Ruler: Book Five
Nightshade Saga
Nightshade: Book One
Feral Nightshade: Book Two
Lethal Nightshade: Book Three
Deadly Nightshade: Book Four
Drake’s Nightshade: Book Five
The Shifters of Eclipse
A Cougar’s Longing: Book One
Zaratan Trilogy (Young Adult)
Selected: Book One
Chosen: Book Two
Designated: Book Three
Kindle Worlds novellas
S.E. Smith’s Magic, New Mexico
A Touch of Patience
A Touch of Prudence
A Touch of Harmony
Eliza Gayle’s Southern Shifters
A Twist of Fate
Stand Alone Novellas
The Ultimate Act of Love
Chapter 1
Samantha Harper threw her playing cards on the table in frustration. Her bridge hand was crap, just like her non-existent love life. She only had o
ne face card, a queen of hearts. How ironic! Her reaction was born out of the fact that at forty-two, she was still alone.
Her eyes explored Elle Thomas’s living room. She had been there hundreds of times and always considered how she’d redecorate it, if given the chance. The room contained a mismatch of furniture purchased over the years, no piece seeming to go with the other.
“Pass,” her hostess said. “The Franklins are divorcing. She told me yesterday when we ran into each other at the grocery store. I thought wolves mated for life.”
Shocked by the news, Samantha hesitated in retrieving her cards. Beverly Franklin was a substitute bridge player and she considered her a friend. She was closer to her bridge friends than the extended family she had in the area.
“They do,” Nancy Simpson replied. A tinge of frustration was evident in her voice. “We should never have opened our town to outsiders. One club.”
Eclipse, California, had been settled by a pride of cougar shifters in the late nineteenth century. Samantha was a descendent of one of the original settlers. The remote community had given the cats the ability to run free in their animal forms without fear of being shot by an unsuspecting human.
In the early twentieth century, a wolf pack settled in the area. Rather than running off the dogs, the town embraced them. The pride leader believed their strength would help safeguard the community in a quickly changing world. No one saw the invention of motorized vehicles and the intrusion of roads, even into mountain communities.
“Gerald Franklin was having an affair with his secretary,” Elle Thomas informed the group. “I know it’s so cliché. Beverly didn’t have a clue.”
Samantha sighed, yet again, disgusted by her pitiful hand and the disturbing news. “Pass. Isn’t his secretary a bear shifter?”
Although a variety of shifters called Eclipse home, the multiple species didn’t interbreed. Each shifter community throughout the United States and Canada coordinated events to bring together young adults in order to expedite the joining of mating couples and prevent isolated communities from interbreeding. Samantha had attended numerous events, but never found a boy she was interested in. She had never been willing to settle to pacify her parents or the pride.
In college, she lived in a house populated by cat shifters. She became good friends with a number of the boys, but there was never a connection between anyone in particular. When she experimented with sex, it was with human boys. A shifter would have read too much into the act at that age. They were under as much pressure to mate as the girls.
Nancy’s face reddened. “Are we going to play cards or talk?”
The wolf shifter was clearly angry. Nancy and her husband Dave were against the continued growth of Eclipse. They lobbied against new restaurants and inns that continued to attract tourists. Each new establishment received great reviews on tourism websites, driving more people to Eclipse. The newfound wealth dominoed into more popular ventures starting up.
If Samantha had a best friend, she figured it was Nancy. Samantha’s business and Nancy’s growing family had caused them to drift apart over the years. Nancy’s once brown hair was now gray. Her golden brown eyes were still bright and welcoming. Samantha always felt Nancy’s eyes were her finest feature. The triplets she gave birth to inherited her friend’s eye color.
At one time, she had spent every holiday with the Simpsons. She loved the boys, particularly Barry. He was a mischievous little devil. Over the last twelve years as her business grew and she traveled so much, she no longer attended holidays with Nancy and her family.
“I have a crappy hand,” Bernice Andrews announced. Color drained from her face, making her appear ill. “That affair did more than destroy the Franklin’s marriage. The secretary, Francine Clark, is married and has two small cubs. Our den is in turmoil. I thought playing cards was going to be a welcome break.”
An awkward silence fell over the group. Samantha squirmed in her chair, unconsciously trying to get comfortable. She tried to think of a positive subject to bring the group back together.
Nancy laid down her hand. “Barry is back home. He has two weeks before he starts his residency. I’m hoping he becomes attached to his nieces and nephews and forgets the insanity of becoming a doctor. Eclipse has too many medical professionals as it is. He would be better off working with Dave and his brothers at the hardware store.”
Although Samantha hadn’t seen Barry in more than a decade, she respected his decision to break free of Eclipse. Shifters could live anywhere in the world where there were ample forests to allow their animals to roam free. Even as a child, he had the type of personality that required distractions beyond what a small town could offer.
Samantha kept her mouth shut. There was no sense in alienating Nancy on a subject she had no business involving herself in. She hadn’t even taken the time to see the grandchildren her friend fawned over.
“Are there any eligible wolves who could tempt Barry to stay?” Bernice asked. Her now rosy cheeks indicated she appreciated the change in the topic.
A sly smile blossomed on Nancy’s face. “A matter of fact, I’ve invited Lara Jacobs to dinner tonight. She’s six years younger than Barry, but she is adorable. The girl has completed two years of community college, which should impress my son. I can envision the beautiful pups they’ll have together.”
How many times had Samantha imagined the children she would produce? Her twin sister had met a lovely boy at one of the retreats and had moved to Idaho. They had six children and Lynda had just become a grandmother. She rarely visited her sister. There was little she shared with her twin. The last time they were together, there was a palatable awkwardness between them.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Elle Thomas asked.
Elle was a horse shifter who became a widow a year ago. Her husband had died in a car accident. Beverly Franklin substituted in their weekly bridge game for the six months after Elle’s husband’s unexpected death.
Samantha had been blindsided by the question. She hated when people assumed women couldn’t be happy without a man in their lives. Men took too much time. Her work fulfilled her, but a couple of children would have been nice.
Besides, every relationship Samantha had ended in disaster. If there was such a thing as a weak male magnet, she was it. She needed a man who wasn’t threatened by her success.
“I’ve been too busy,” Samantha answered. There was an edge to her voice. It annoyed the hell out of her to be asked that particular question.
“What about Ian Perkins?” Obviously, Nancy hadn’t gotten the hint she didn’t want to continue on this subject.
Samantha’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That two timing bastard?”
At one point, Samantha had actually convinced herself she was in love with Ian. She looked past his explosive moods and excessive jealousy. They had even moved in together.
Their relationship ended when Samantha came home from a job early and found Ian in bed with another woman. In her bed. The creep had even blamed his infidelity on her. She kicked the bastard out of her house and told him to never come near her again.
“You get a ring around his finger and Ian will be faithful,” Elle replied. “My Jeffrey was the same way. But once we were married, he didn’t so much as look at another woman.”
Samantha bit her tongue. There was no reason to bring up the rumors surrounding where Jeff was returning from when he had the fatal accident. The last thing she wanted to do was strike back in anger a poor Elle. The widow still hadn’t bounced back to her old self.
“I’m too old,” Samantha finally replied.
Nancy grunted loudly. “Now you’re thinking like a human. Samantha, you are a beautiful woman in the prime of your life. You will be fertile for another twenty years. What I wouldn’t give to have your honey blonde hair and your tall, lean figure. I imagine you still experience heat.”
Samantha blushed at those last words. Yes, her body still went haywire every month with the desire to reproduce. Th
e uncomfortable burn was upon her now. Her Friday afternoon card games were a welcome distraction when she entered this phase of her monthly cycle.
However, today, her friends only brought to light she didn’t have a mate to help her through what she now viewed as nature’s punishment. It reminded her of what she didn’t possess. All her professional successes now dwarfed to her biological need.
She needed to get laid and relieve the inferno building inside her. For several months she had been toying with the idea of online dating. Shifters had their own sites and she had already received the necessary password from her alpha.
It was time to take the bitter pill and admit she didn’t want to be alone any longer. Nancy was right. She was capable of reproducing for another two decades. All she had to do was find a man to father a litter and she’d be set.
When she returned home, she was going to do something she swore she’d never lower herself to do. Internet dating was a means for busy professionals to quickly find a comparable partner. She didn’t want to admit the life she had built for herself was less than perfect.
Chapter 2
Barry Simpson played with his triplet brother Nate’s twin boys. They were in their wolf bodies and adorable. He could use a fraction of the energy the pups exhibited while they rolled on his parents’ living room carpet.
His internship had been exhausting. He returned to his parents’ home to get some much needed rest and be pampered by his mother. In two weeks, he would return to Colorado and start his residency.
Nate picked up one of the boys who was biting his brother a little too hard. “You can have some pups of your own.”
“One day,” Barry replied. “I have too much I want to accomplish in the meantime. It’s great you and Marc have settled down and started a family. But it’s not for me, at least for now.”
20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection Page 14