Inside, she trembled. King Larus. It couldn’t be real. But, as he came walking into the campsite several minutes after she did, Mina knew it was true. The men instantly stood and bowed to him. He waved them down, his eyes moving to meet hers. She purposefully hardened her heart, glancing away into the flames.
“If we shift, we can carry them back to Lycaon tonight,” one guard suggested. “We detect a vampire is near.”
“Lord Devlin,” Larus stated. Mina again glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at his men. At the name, the lycans seemed to relax their guard a little. They began talking once more in their native language and Mina could but watch, trying to decipher what it was they said.
After a moment, the men stood. Mina blinked, hugging Sophia closer. Larus came over to her, his face impassive. “We shift to take you to my castle. There you will have a warm bed, food and a bath.”
Mina looked up at him. She couldn’t speak. The feel of him was still too fresh on her body.
Larus knelt down. “Do you understand that we will shift to carry you?”
Mina nodded, not really afraid of that. Behind the king, the men pulled out of their tunics, unashamed as they brandished their nakedness about. Mina turned a bright shade of red and quickly looked away from the naked men. Larus glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. Some of the guards noticed her reaction as well. They, too, laughed, murmuring amongst themselves at her strange human modesty.
Mina didn’t move until she felt another presence close to them. Larus reached for Sophia, saying, “Fallon will take good care of her.”
Mina didn’t have much choice as Larus lifted Sophia from her and placed her carefully onto a black wolf’s back. Sophia sighed and automatically cuddled into him. Mina stood, dusting off her hands. She looked at the men turned lycan. They were picking up their clothes with their mouths.
“Ah, here,” she said, moving hesitantly forward to gather the clothing from them. Their wolf eyes blinked at her, but they set the clothing down. Several nodded at her, grateful. Mina gathered the tunics and boots up into her arms. Behind her Larus growled. The men looked at him. Those that could took their clothes back up before she could reach them. Others looked at her expectantly until she dropped them back onto the ground.
As the wolves ran off into the forest, she moved to follow them, trying to keep an eye on the one who carried her sister. Feeling a nudge at her leg, she glanced down. She’d know the tan wolf anywhere. She stared down into Larus’s green eyes and shivered. He nudged her leg, motioning his head for her to climb onto his back.
“I can walk,” Mina protested weakly. Larus growled, low in his throat, and again motioned for her to climb on. “What would your men think, majesty, if you were carrying a human on your back? I’ll walk.”
Mina tried to take a step. Larus jumped in front of her, bracing himself on all four paws. His fur lifted on his back and his head lowered in warning. She was a little scared of him in that moment.
“Fine,” she grumbled, relieved when he relaxed. He turned. She glanced around, picked up his clothes for him and moved awkwardly to sit astride his back like she would a horse. When her feet dragged along the dirt, she shifted her weight and lay down as Sophia had been placed. It felt strange being close to him when he was like this, surrounded by soft, warm fur. She tried not to think about it, tried not to admit that she didn’t care about his shifted form, that it didn’t bother her.
She held on as he moved, feeling the strong flex of his muscles beneath her. Soon he was sprinting, racing through the forest. Mina watched trees blur past. Her heart pounded with excitement. It felt as if she flew. Without realizing it was there, a smile curled her lips. She held on tight, never wanting to let go.
Chapter Eleven
The silver moonlight combined with the lit torches along the battlements. The lights made it easy to see Lycaon as they approached from the forest. The battlements circled around the bailey, disappearing in the distance. Square turrets were built in intervals along the outer face, standing tall as lookout towers. A stone house encased the gated entrance. Lycaon Castle was grand, like no other Mina had ever seen. Only a few guards stood within the outer bailey, between the inner and outer gates.
Larus took her through the front gate into a bailey yard before a tall castle. Stopping in the yard, he waited while Mina dismounted. She was too busy looking around to notice Larus had shifted and stood before her naked. He cleared his throat and she jolted in surprise at the sound. Blushing, she handed him his clothing. He artfully swung the tunic around his body and knotted it.
“Where is my sister?” Mina asked. Larus moved as if he would take her arm. She pulled back.
Frowning, he didn’t try to touch her again, as he walked through the inner gate. “She has been taken abovestairs to my personal wing.”
“You put her with you?” Mina questioned, suspicious.
Larus’s frown deepened and he turned his hard eyes to her. Through tight lips, he stated in a low voice as not to be overheard, “I put her in a guest chamber in my personal area, not in my personal chamber.”
“Oh,” Mina said, almost feeling bad that she had jumped to such a conclusion. Then again, he had lied to her about being royalty. The knowledge of what he was stiffened her resolve against him.
“You will be staying in my personal chambers,” Larus stated, once more walking ahead of her.
Mina shivered at the possession in his voice. She glanced over the empty bailey yard on her way to the castle entrance and debated whether or not to follow him inside. It was eerie in its nighttime quiet, as if abandoned. The gate behind her was wide open. She could at least try to make a run for it. She saw a subtle shift in the shadows and made out the faint outline of a soldier standing at attention as the king passed. Perhaps that wasn’t the best course of action. He’d only catch her before she made it beyond the outer gate.
So the king expected her to stay with him as his mistress? Even as the thought of being in a soft bed next to Larus brought her untold pleasure, she cursed him for the very idea. What had happened to her pride that she would even consider being compliant in this?
“I will stay with my sister,” Mina said quietly, as they came into a long hall. A raised platform for the nobles was on one side and lower tables lined a good part of the stone floor. The hall was empty, dark but for a gentle orange firelight.
Larus sighed, looking annoyed. “Mina, the men smell my mark on you. They know you are my... ”
“Mistress,” Mina filled in, tight lipped.
“Lover,” Larus said, his voice dipping softly at the word.
“It’s the same thing,” Mina answered.
“One night.” Larus nodded to her and motioned to the stairs.
“What do you mean, one night?” Mina asked. She hesitated, but in the end moved to follow his gesture.
“You may stay with your sister this one night,” Larus answered. “I’ll tell everyone you take care of her. They’ll understand.”
Mina walked up the stairwell, very aware of how close behind he followed her. She frowned. “I don’t care what they think, majesty. Their thoughts are no concern to me.”
“Mina,” he warned. They reached the top of the stairwell and he pulled her arm to stop her from walking down the wrong hallway. Mina stiffened, but he merely redirected her and let go. “I didn’t tell you who I was because I knew it would harden you to me.”
“Well, your highness, you were right. I am hardened to you.” Mina was tired. She knew she was just spoiling for a fight. Exhaustion, the fatigue of walking, the worry for Sophia--it all finally got to her.
Larus stopped. He looked over her features and lifted his hand, gently moving as if to cup her cheek. She stiffened. Instead of touching her, he moved his hand beside her arm and pushed open a door. Then, merely nodding, he turned and walked back down the hall. She watched him disappear down the hall that she’d first tried to go.
Sighing, she stepped inside the r
oom. Sophia slept on the bed. Her sister looked peaceful in her dreams and Mina realized it was the first time since coming to the magic realm that Sophia looked like her old self. The large fireplace burned brightly, casting the gray walls in a golden light. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. The room really was spacious, doubling as a sort of bower. Beautifully carved high backed chairs with plush cushioned seats were near a long slotted window. Next to the chairs was a carved table of dark wood. Strange rugs were lined beneath the window, made from what she assumed was wool.
Too tired to think of anything, she walked over to the bed and collapsed atop the soft mattress next to her sister. If she never got up again, it would be too soon. Within seconds, she let the darkness consume her, falling into a deep and much needed sleep.
* * * *
To Mina’s surprise, Larus didn’t come for her after that first night. She spent the day in the chamber with Sophia. They bathed, slept, ate, slept some more. Lady Rhiannon, a very beautiful human who Mina remembered as being mated to a lycan commander and the victim of Cupid’s mischief as well, brought them a change of clothing. The long sleeved undertunics were much like the ones they wore back home, but the long rectangle of soft material that served as a dress looked more like Larus’s tunic, as they wound it around their bodies and pinned them at the shoulders. Mina was surprised to find how comfortable the outfit really was.
Lady Rhiannon, or Rhian as she asked them to call her, didn’t stay long that first day, understanding their need for rest. After a second night of sleep, she came back, offering to escort them around the castle grounds. It really was a lovely place, richer than any castle they’d ever been to, and impressively big. King Henry’s palace was nothing compared to King Larus’s.
Mina couldn’t help but notice Sophia’s pale face as they walked. There were many fine looking men at Lycaon, many who showed an interest in Lady Sophia. Rhiannon admitted that the guards referred to Sophia as the unclaimed mortal and had sought an introduction. Rhiannon had told them no.
Sophia didn’t seem to notice the hot eyes and curious stares that were directed at her. If she’d been so inclined, she could have had her pick of any of the unmarried lycans in the Lycaon court. Mina would have been jealous except for the fact that the only hot stare she wanted to see belonged to the lycan king.
Rhiannon said the men wouldn’t dare to think of Mina now that she bore King Larus’s mark. They all knew her to be the king’s woman. Mina balked that her deeds were so widely known, but it seemed of little importance to anyone else.
Sleep had done much to clear her head in that regard. She might have been too unfair in judging Larus. In hindsight, she saw how her words would have kept him from telling the truth. She did harp on about royalty and he had tried to broach the subject, suggesting perhaps that lycan royalty wasn’t so bad. Top that with the fact that humans had killed his entire family, and it was unlikely he’d seduced her merely for a bed partner. The fact he wanted her, a human woman, had to be torture enough for his pride. She wanted to apologize to him, but Lady Rhiannon told her he left the palace with Lord Ilar to find Cupid.
They went to the hall to dine with Lady Rhiannon. There, a horde of little winged fairies took notice of the new women and buzzed around their heads, checking them out. They all wore beautiful gowns that glistened like stars. The pretty creatures furrowed their brows and wrinkled their naturally upturned noses in distaste. Mina frowned, not understanding their buzzing chatter, but could well make out the impertinence in their giggles.
Sophia was still dazed from her enchantment and wasn’t so immune to seeing the magical creatures about her head. She paled all the more, appearing extremely uncomfortable as she hunched down in her chair.
The swarm of pesky fairies began singing a childish tune the women couldn’t understand, as they moved to encircle Mina’s head like a floating crown. Some of the lycan men laughed. Mina was no longer able to ignore them either.
“Ah, off with you,” Rhiannon scolded in annoyance, swatting lightly through the air with her hand to scatter them. “Don’t mind them. I’m convinced they’re related to fleas, only prettier.”
“Oh!” came a high-pitched huff as one of the pretty fleas overheard the comment. She stuck out her tongue and flew off to report Lady Rhiannon’s words to the others. Rhiannon didn’t appear too concerned.
“They only tease you because you’re... you know, with the king.” Rhiannon smiled, tactfully.
Sophia made a weak sound of annoyance and pain. Mina had her sister’s assurances that she wasn’t jealous of what had happened in the forest and in fact didn’t want Larus for herself. Sophia was just having a hard time coming to terms with her own embarrassment over the enchantment. She was a proud woman, who clung even more desperately to her freedom now that she had it back. Mina hated to see the hardening in her sister’s eyes, but it couldn’t be helped. She only hoped that, in time, Sophia’s heart would soften.
“They look at me as if I’m naked.” Sophia frowned, her eyes turning over the hall with contempt. Many lycan men stared back at her, waiting for her eyes to stop favorably on them. They didn’t.
“I saw some of them naked,” Mina admitted in a low voice, hoping to cheer her sister up. Sophia couldn’t sulk about the enchantment forever--at least Mina hoped not. Her sister was never one to be told what to do and having her will taken away had to be a traumatic blow to her ego.
Rhiannon laughed. Sophia’s eyes got wide. “Mina!”
“They part from their clothes to shift. I nearly died when they all undressed as if it were nothing,” Mina said to the two human women. Sophia’s lip twitched at little, though she quickly controlled the look with one of even temper.
“I did the same first time I saw it. Can you imagine? There I was, standing in the yard, waiting for my husband to give some order to the men, and with a sudden swing of the arm, they all drop their clothes and before me stood an army of naked, handsome warriors. Thankfully my husband is understanding, because my jaw dropped and I stared overlong.” Rhiannon laughed louder. She really was a pretty woman with her long curly blonde hair and stormy blue eyes. But, it was more than the physical that made her attractive. It was the love in her gaze when she spoke of her husband and her life at Lycaon. She was truly happy.
Mina chuckled, understanding her shock. She’d only seen a small group of soldiers and couldn’t imagine a whole army. She wondered if the men were all shaped differently. If she knew Rhiannon better, she would have asked.
“The women strip like that as well. It makes me truly glad to be human. I don’t think I could stand bare in front of all these eyes,” Rhiannon continued. Her face fell a little, as she admitted, “not that they would notice.”
“What?” Mina questioned, diplomatically. “You’re beautiful, of course they would notice. How could they not?”
Rhiannon chuckled. “They are lycans, not humans. Once Ilar claimed me as his, they look at me with no more interest than they would show another man. Really, after the stunning blow to the ego goes away, it will be a relief. When I first came here under Cupid’s spell, they all wanted me--every single last one of the unmarried ones. I’ll take one man’s attention to a whole army’s, to be sure.”
Sophia made a derisive sound at the mention of Cupid’s name. “I can’t wait until we are back amongst our own.”
Mina’s eyes fell. She didn’t want to think about going back, but Larus had never mentioned anything about wanting her to stay with him. He might not even wish for her to. To be fair, she never really gave him an opening to talk about what he wanted, how he felt. All she knew was that, without him, she felt cold and alone.
“At least our men use proper deceit to woo a woman to their bed, not magic,” Sophia continued. “Honestly, Rhian, I don’t see how you bear it.”
“It’s really not so bad here,” Rhiannon defended, looking a little hurt by Sophia’s words. She picked up her goblet and sipped.
Sophia, even though bitter, had
the good sense to draw back her voice. “I just meant such things are not to my nature. Your life is truly one to be envied, but it’s not for me. This realm or my own, the truth is, I’ve never been suited to being a wife.”
“You mean, you,” Rhiannon paused, looking strangely at Sophia, “you fancy women?”
Sophia and Mina, both in the process of drinking, chocked and coughed. Rhiannon laughed at their looks.
“No!” Sophia denied when she could again breathe. “Truthfully, I may someday take a lover, but I’ve no wish for a husband.”
“Sophia,” Mina gasped at the bold claim.
“I say nothing that you yourself have not done, dear sister,” Sophia quipped. “I, however, will be more practical in my choosing. I’ll decide on a lover like I would a good stallion. Find a man with good teeth, decent bloodline, a fine gait and superior form. Someone wild and strong, but also someone I can break to my will with the right training. Then, when broken, like a good horse trainer, I’ll sell him for a profit and get me a new one.”
Mina paled. Her sister couldn’t be serious. A few men at the tables below must have heard her, for their eyes lit with desire and their stares became overbold. Some even reached to feel their teeth, baring them. Sophia ignored them all.
Rhiannon only laughed harder. “Mayhap you should stay in this world Sophia. From what Ilar has told me, women are scarce and many men would be willing to fight for the honor you just spoke of. If you like, we can have a tournament.”
“And risk being mesmerized to a vampire or doused with magic so I lose my will?” Sophia shook her head in firm denial. “No, I’ll take the human realm. At least there the odds will be fair. No enchantments, no mysteriously swirling eyes. I’ve been forced into love twice and I swear I will never try it a third time.”
Naughty Cupid Trilogy Page 26