Rumpel's Prize

by Marie Hall

  Gripping the bedpost, forehead pressed against the cool wood, she moaned. “No. I don’t feel well.”

  Suddenly the curtains were flung wide and the sun poured through the room. Dalia was framed by sunlight and wearing a glower. “You don’t feel good because ye keep yourself locked away in this room like it’s a tower. You don’t read, you don’t eat, ye barely even wash yourself. ’Tis a crime!” Her voice grew shrill at the end. “Up, up, up, and I won’t be hearing another word about it.”

  Hissing, Shayera narrowed her eyes, but the beautiful demone was not to be cowed.

  She lifted a thin, ebony brow and shook her head. “Ye are forgetting who I work for, miss. Now, I order ye to bathe, to get to the garden, and to do your damn best to impress Rumpel.”

  “What?” She wrinkled her nose at the last part, a little shocked, not the least of which was because the girl had not only sworn at her but was telling her to seduce the very man she’d warned her away from. “Why in Kingdom would you tell me that? Weren’t you the one urging me away? I should have listened to you.” She rubbed her nose, wanting nothing more than to crawl under the sheets and go back to sleep.

  “Shayera Caron.” Dalia planted her hands on her hips. “I like ye, nay, I’ve come to look at ye as a bit of a sister, charms notwithstanding.” She gave a mischievous wink. “And I’m telling ya that ye’ve got very little time to make a lasting impression on the master that will decide your fate.”

  “What fate?” She rolled her neck from side to side, wincing at the tightness on the right. “I begged him to tell me what he has planned. He never does. Keeps his thoughts locked tighter than Pandora’s box.”

  “Eh.” Dalia gave a wide grin. “I know Pandora, she’s a right cheeky lass and should never have been in charge of sumthin’ so powerful as that box, but no matter.” She waved her hand. “Point is, I’ve changed me mind. You must seduce the master.”

  “No.” And on that she would not budge. Bad enough that she suffered the dreams every night, at least her days belonged to her. “You were right; I should stay far away from him.”

  “No, miss, I was very, very wrong. You affect the master. In ways I could never have imagined. Ever since the night of the feast, he’s been a beast. Growling and snapping at all of us. I never see you two together anymore, why?”

  She sighed. “It’s private, and… I can’t forget about that wolf. You said that bowl would show me wonder and joy, but Rumpel has brought me nothing but misery and suffering.”

  Nibbling on the corner of her lip, the maid looked around as if anxious that no one hear and whispered, “The master’s no wolf, miss. Royal blood cannot assume an animal familiar.”

  Relief warred with a very minor twinge of disappointment. Not that it would have mattered anyway. Shayera had never had any intentions of pursuing any sort of a romance with him.

  Absolutely not.

  Never even crossed her mind.

  She ignored the tiny voice that called her a liar.

  “Now c’mon on with ya.” Dalia yanked on her hand and finally, finally Shayera consented to stand.

  “Fine, fine,” she grumped. “I’ll bathe and I’ll even let you do my hair, but ask no more of me.”

  “Your wish is my command.” Dalia crossed her arms like a djinn and nodded her head.

  The two laughed and Shayera kept to her end of the bargain. Dressed and showered and smelling a million times better, she made her way to the dining hall for a late meal.

  Cook had left a tea tray out for her. Smiling, she took a few finger sandwiches and wrapped them up in a doily. It was nice out and suddenly she longed to eat out by the lake and watch as the birds flew overhead.

  In no time she was sitting and eating and immediately the soothing calm of nature brought a smile to her lips.

  “Miss,” a sweet boy’s voice cried out, and she turned just in time to see Kai running full tilt her way. He waved cheerily and then flopped down beside her. “I thought I saw you headed out this way a second ago.”

  “Kai, hello.” She gave him a small shoulder bump. “Hungry?” She showed him the last cucumber sandwich.

  Taking it with a nod of thanks, he ripped into it. Hugging his knees to his chest, he pointed. “I was thinking of fishin’ today. Right there. Me da says they’re biting.”

  “My dad says, and yes, that would be lovely.”

  “My dad says, and good.” He gave her a gap-toothed grin and before long Shayera was laughing and smiling and the memories of the nights were almost completely forgotten.

  They whiled away many happy hours as he mostly chatted about what new water vessels he’d be crafting soon. They caught no fish, but catching fish wasn’t usually the point of fishing anyway. At least not with Briley. It’d always been about sharing and talking and catching up.

  “Good-bye, miss. I think I hear Mum callin’.” The sun had settled lower in the sky and he waved.

  “Come find me anytime you’d like, Kai. I’m always happy to see you.”

  With a final wave, he turned and trotted off.

  “And would you be as equally happy to see me?” A voice she’d not heard in weeks shivered like silken honey down her spine and made her gasp.

  Twirling, heart dropping to her knees, she blinked. “Rumpel, what are you doing here?”

  “Spying.” He grinned, giving her a heated once-over. “What does it look like?” When his eyes finally joined hers, they didn’t smile.

  In fact, once her shock wore off, she realized he didn’t look well. His skin was still that golden, beautiful bronze, but he seemed tired. Less vibrant.

  “You don’t look very good,” she whispered and then caught herself and shook her head.

  “No.” He held up a hand as she made to move back. “I don’t feel well. I pace these halls for any glimpse of you. I’ve missed you, Carrot.”

  She swallowed because just that one word made her feel needy and weak. Brushing her fingers across tree bark, she twisted her lips, the demon and angel on her shoulders waging war. Sighing, she nodded. “I’ve missed you too.”

  “Come away with me.” He held out his hand and stepped out fully from behind the tree he’d been standing beside.

  He was dressed in jeans and a faded black shirt with the letters CBGB printed on the front of it.

  “Where?”

  “Genesis needs my attention. I’ve neglected her sorely since your arrival. Come on a ride with me.”

  The urge to go was strong, but… “I don’t know if that’s wise.”

  Golden eyes snared her. “I will show you that I can be a gentleman. No games. No innuendos. Come with me.”

  “You know I cannot touch you. Not unless you show me your true form.”

  Why had she said that to him? Was she still hoping to see him? She was shutting him out, expunging him from her life; it was why she’d kept to herself for so long. Why she’d purposefully hid. And yet, the truth won out. Because hiding didn’t work either.

  “Shayera,” he breathed and closed his eyes for a fraction of an instant. “I will make you a vow today.”

  Her heart leapt. “Have you ever made a vow to anyone?”

  His lips stretched into a half grin. “Not often. In fact, you’re the first denizen of Kingdom I’m making one to.”

  Warmed to the tips of her toes, she whispered, “Oh.”

  Invading her space so that their bodies very nearly touched, he forced her to gaze on him before he spoke again. “If, when this is all over, you still wish to see my true form, I will show you. But in showing you, I might very well be damning you.”

  “How do you mean?”

  His jaw clenching highlighted the golden stubble on his cheeks. “A royal only shows his body, his true body, to his mate.”

  Brows twitching, stomach in knots, she shook her head. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that if I show you, I own you. Forever.”

  She laughed. “You cannot be serious.”

  But he was not lau
ghing. In fact, he was the opposite of it—so serious that she could not doubt him. The laughter died on her tongue.

  “You are serious?”

  “In Kingdom, a mate exchanges vows of Veritas and that is how two souls are twined. In my realm, if the sentiment is the same, then we unmask ourselves.” He closed his eyes. “I know I said no innuendo and I meant it, but if I asked you to close your eyes now, would you do it?”

  She licked her lips. “I cannot have sex with you, Rumpel. As much as I do want it.” Shayera was shocked by her boldness, but being apart from him for so long and now seeing him so close, having him present and smelling his scent of cloves and whiskey, it brought all the feelings back in such a rush that she had no filter.

  “I wish only to touch your hand.” And holding his own up, he spread his fingers, and the meaning was clear.

  She closed her eyes.

  Sulfur and smoky cherries embraced her and then she shuddered at the first touch of his flesh upon hers.

  “Carrot.” His voice grew impossibly deep and he pulled her into his arms, wrapping his own around her waist and just holding on.

  She was lost in him. In his scent and the strength of his body. In the feel of him. Moaning, she dipped her nose into the hollow of his throat.

  “Do not move anymore,” he rumbled. “I am on a knife’s edge and ready to toss you to the ground, but it is important that I prove I can be a man of my word.”

  Wanting to share in his body desperately but understanding that what he did now meant so much more, she nodded. “Then tell me when you’re ready to let me go.”

  They held tight to each other for what felt like an eternity, breathing in and out, reconnecting and reattuning themselves one to the other.

  Finally, with a heavy sigh, he kissed her forehead. “Let’s go then.”

  She held his hand, and neither one of them spoke as he led her toward his bike, but silence when in the presence of someone special was a conversation of souls, and theirs spoke loudly.

  Shayera was terrified of what she felt, of what this forced separation had shown her. No matter how long apart or how far the distance, Rumpel was in her heart.

  The path they took was a straight one and when he stepped away and she smelled the sulfur again, she knew he’d changed. Opening her eyes, she blinked into the light.

  They stood beneath a large wooden hangar where Genesis was parked. Now he wore a leather jacket over his shirt and had his hair gathered into a knot. “There is your gear.”

  He pointed to a spot where a pink helmet, pink leather jacket, and leather pants rested. She smiled. “You knew I’d say yes?”

  “I’d hoped.”

  “Turn around,” she ordered.

  His lips pressed together and she could tell he really didn’t want to turn, but she lifted her brow.

  “Yes, mistress,” he drawled, gave her a dramatic bow, and then turned his back.

  Latching on to her bottom lip to contain her happy smile, she pulled off her dress and quickly yanked on her clothes. They fit perfectly.

  “Rumpel,” she said as she zipped up her jacket, “you didn’t give me a shirt to put underneath this.”

  “Forgot.”

  Snorting, she rolled her eyes. “I’m just sure you did.”

  Laughing, he straddled the bike and it purred immediately to life, its headlight glowing a deep, crimson red.

  Walking up to it, she patted the seat. “Genesis, may I please sit?” She remembered to ask this time.

  “Once she’s given her okay, you need never ask again.” He glanced at her over his shoulder.

  “Oh.” Hopping on, she planted her hands on his shoulder. “How do I strap this helmet on?”

  “Here, let me.”

  Twisting, he helped her slip it on and then patiently directed her on how to thread the strap through to snap it in place. Holding out her arms, feeling a little claustrophobic inside the heavy shield on her head, she asked, “How do I look?”

  She expected to hear all sorts of nonsense. I could eat you. Or ravishing. Or like a lollipop I wish to suckle… Really, it was Rumpel and he had a tendency to say the most dirty and raw things.

  “Beautiful.” He smiled. “Now hang on to me tight.”

  The moment she looped her arms around him, they were flying. Literally flying. The bike took off into the clouds, reaching speeds that made her dizzy. They sailed among the birds and she laughed as the clouds passed them by. She understood why he’d made her dress as she had. Not even a hair on her head was loose or able to hurt him as they flew at speeds beyond sound.

  Content being right where she was, Shayera watched as the land rolled by, the twisted, knotted forest of Wonderland. The Seren Seas, the hills of Under, on and on Kingdom scrolled past like a dream. The old witch’s forest. The fairy gardens. The French hamlets.

  Eventually she felt their speed decrease, but only once they’d dropped through the clouds did she realize they were descending. Rumpel finally parked them beside an enormous white coliseum.

  It was a ruin, an exact approximation of Zeus’s temple, built by an old stone gnome. Smiling, she jumped off the bike and quickly undid her chinstrap, breathing deeply when the suffocating helmet finally came off.

  “I’ve always wanted to see the ruins.” Running up to the temple, she traced the pomegranate carvings.

  Rumpel hung back, watching her as she hopped and skipped through the stones, gazing up and down in awe at the fine craftsmanship.

  “Maybe someday I could show you the real one,” he said, and her heart caught in her throat when she realized he’d materialized right beside her.

  “I didn’t even see you move.”

  “We princes can be very surprising.”

  “Yes. You can.” She smiled. “So you travel to Earth then?”

  “I make deals across all galaxies.”

  She couldn’t imagine the sights he must have seen. Kingdom was so vast, but to think he’d gone beyond it—what more was out there?

  “So what is all this for, Rumpel?”

  “An olive branch, Carrot.” His hand lifted and he held it motionless by her face, as if he wanted to stroke her again, but this time he didn’t do it. Taking a seat on a toppled pillar, he patted the stone beside him. When she sat, he turned to her. He was hunched over with his elbows on his knees, his hair still in that messy bun.

  She had to employ every bit of willpower she had left not to loosen it. She loved to see it long and free on him.

  “I wanted to talk with you, away from the prying eyes of the castle.”

  “Prying? I rarely see a soul. Except for Dalia, and on occasion Giles.”

  “And Kai. Do not forget the boy.”

  “I hope you don’t mind that I played with him,” she said softly, afraid the boy might now be in trouble.

  He sighed. “I’m not heartless. I know the reputation I have, and I’ve earned it. But I’m not soulless, Shayera. I do feel. A lot. And when I feel the hardest, the meaner I become. For that I’m sorry. Dalia told me of your affinity for children, so I sent the boy to you.”

  Melting like wax on the inside, Shayera began to question everything she’d ever thought of Rumpel and his demone ways.

  He inhaled, squeezing his eyes shut, and with the halo of sun hitting his golden head, he appeared like an angel, beautiful and yet so sad. So burdened. She could feel it as if the emotion were her own and she was drowning in it.

  “Thank you,” she breathed, wishing she could touch him. Could show him with actions and not just words what his admission meant to her. “Why do you send me away? After we’re intimate. Why?”

  It was the one question that bothered her more than all the others.

  His eyes cracked open and his gaze was intense as he said, “Because the things I feel when I’m with you terrify me.”

  She moved into him just a little, just enough that their knees barely grazed. She wished there were no clothes between them.

  “How do I make you feel?”


  “You make me laugh.” He smiled. “You make me want. And you make me desperately confused.”

  “Why should it be so difficult?”

  Sitting up, he shoved his fingers through his hair, slipping the bun free, and she couldn’t help but smile when it tumbled across his shoulders.

  Rumpel was a male Venus de Milo. How many hearts had he broken, even unwittingly?

  “Because that is my life. I am an exiled prince and there are…” His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed as he stared straight ahead.

  The coliseum was situated on the flat slope of a tall mountain. The heavens stretched out before them and the clouds were a pale orange as the sun began to set.

  “There are things that I cannot speak to you about. That I want to with every fiber of my being.” He looked at her. “But you still have one test left.”

  “I do not like those tests,” she finally admitted it to him. “I’ve tried to be brave and not show you what I feel, but I hate the games. What they make me feel afterward. Even knowing it’s not real, my senses are so drugged, so involved, that I cannot separate fact from fiction. Why must I continue to play?”

  His eyes grew hooded. “It is not so simple an explanation. The games have begun and so they must end.” His breath shuddered and she sensed that he grappled with this. “Tell me, what would you do to save the life of someone you loved?”

  Her heart raced—she’d gotten her first real clue. “Is that what this is about? To save a life? Is that why I’m here?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Licking her lips, she spoke from the heart. “Rumpel, whatever it is that you need from me, I would do it.”

  “But you do not know what is even required, and what if at this point I’m not sure I’m willing to allow it anymore?”

  “Are you willing to allow it?”

  A robin sang a sweet melody as crickets chirped, and the air was alive with the scent of life. The sun was warm upon her face and for the first time she felt hope, a sense of purpose even.

  “You must face the final challenge.” He looked over her shoulder. “And then judgment will be passed.”