How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  Tears sprang to her eyes. How could she not love him? He was stealing her heart, invading her thoughts, and ripping into her soul. With each step he took toward her, her resistance melted away. Her pulse raced, and her skin flushed hot as if a fever had taken hold of her.

  “My lord!” A guard ran toward him and whispered some news.

  Leo stiffened, then motioned to her guard. “Jensen, get her to the tower now! Edmund, bring the general!”

  Edmund dashed toward the north gate, while Jensen grabbed Luciana’s arm and escorted her off the scaffold. A group of Vindalyn guards surrounded her, their swords drawn.

  Something had gone terribly wrong, but Luciana couldn’t tell what. All she could see was Leo running toward the dungeons as she was bustled back to her room in the tower.

  * * *

  Leo ordered his personal guard to step outside when the general arrived at the dungeons. There was no danger for them, since the other occupants were all dead.

  “What the hell?” General Harden surveyed the underground room. “I take it the third assassin did this?”

  “I believe so.” Leo shut the iron door, so he and the general could speak in private. “While we were focused on catching assassin number two, the third one used that time to eliminate any threats.”

  The general muttered a curse as he glanced down at the bloodied corpse lying near the door.

  “The first jailer.” Leo motioned to him. “Stabbed through the chest at close range. No defensive wounds. He was taken by surprise.”

  General Harden nodded. “He let the killer in. He must have known him.”

  Leo wandered over to the body of assassin number two. “This is the one who shot an arrow at Lady Tatiana. I chased him down, but he took poison before we could capture him. I had him brought here.”

  “Blue-and-white uniform,” the general observed.

  “One of Vindemar’s new recruits, just like we suspected. I was told his name is Dax.” Leo motioned to the dead body inside the jail cell. “Assassin number one, Willem. His throat was cut. The cell was opened with keys taken from one of the jailers.”

  General Harden grimaced. “He was still chained to the wall. Couldn’t defend himself.”

  “He must have known the identity of the third assassin, so he was silenced.” Leo sighed as his gaze shifted to the second dead jailer. “I warned them that this could happen. They weren’t vigilant enough.”

  “Obviously, the killer was someone they trusted.”

  Leo strode toward the second jailer’s body. “His sword is drawn. I figure he saw his companion murdered by the door, then he drew his weapon to fight with the assassin.”

  “A fight that he lost,” the general mumbled.

  “There’s some blood on his sword, so we know the assassin has been wounded. That should help us to locate him.”

  The general snorted. “There’s an easier way to—” He hushed when the door burst open and the duke strode into the dungeon with two guards.

  “Your Grace,” Leo greeted him. “You should remain in your quarters. The third assassin is still at large, and as you can see, he’s extremely dangerous.”

  The duke grew pale as he looked around the room. His gaze rested on the second assassin. “This is the man who made an attempt on my daughter’s life? Is she all right?”

  “Yes,” Leo replied. “She was escorted back to the tower.”

  With a heavy sigh, the duke knelt beside the body of the second jailer. “This was a good man. He was in my employ for over twenty years.” He glanced at the first jailer. “And he grew up here at Vindemar. His father was a soldier before him.”

  “We’ll capture their killer soon,” Leo assured him.

  The duke rose slowly to his feet. “I appreciate your help.”

  “You and your daughter will be my family,” Leo said quietly. “I will do everything in my power to keep you both safe.”

  “I will hold you to that promise.” The duke gave the deceased Willem a resigned look. “Captain Harden and his party have been spotted. They’ll be here shortly. They have Willem’s family with them.”

  Leo nodded. “The king’s men may have been holding them hostage to force Willem’s hand.”

  “I’ll look after them.” The duke squared his shoulders. “I’ll inform the families of the deceased and make arrangements for the funerals. Obviously, the festivities to celebrate your betrothal to my daughter will have to be postponed. Tonight, we will have a funeral feast to honor the two men who served me so well.”

  “I understand,” Leo murmured.

  The duke strode from the dungeons, followed by his guards.

  The general made sure the door was shut, then whispered to Leo, “The easiest way to catch the third assassin is to have Brody sniff around in here. He can catch the killer’s scent, then point him out to us.”

  Leo groaned inwardly. “Brody’s not here. I sent him on a mission.”

  “What?” General Harden gave him an incredulous look. “What the hell did you do that for? Bring him back. Now!”

  Leo clenched his fists. “I don’t have a way to contact him.”

  “Damn!” The general grimaced.

  Leo closed his eyes briefly. He should have done as Brody said and trusted Tatiana. But no, he’d decided it was more important to investigate her. He’d put uncovering her secrets ahead of protecting her. If something happened to her now, it would be his fault. “I made a mistake. I’ve been a bloody fool.”

  The general snorted. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. We’ll find the killer.”

  Leo shook his head. He should have trusted her. He’s not a Beast! Her shouted words had pierced him through. She believed in him. She’d taken his side against the crowd. Her heart was opening up to him. He could feel it.

  And he wanted her with a desperation that stole his breath away.

  He should have trusted her. Now Brody was gone, and it would take longer to discover the identity of a third assassin who had just gone on a murderous rampage.

  Tatiana was in more danger than ever.

  Chapter Twenty

  When Luciana returned with Jensen to the tower, they passed by the two guards at the ground-level entrance and began their climb up the spiral staircase. When they reached the floor where the privy was located, she excused herself.

  Jensen bowed. “I’ll go upstairs to make sure your room is safe.”

  Alone for a few minutes in the privy, Luciana’s thoughts fled back to that moment where she’d stood on the scaffold, announcing to everyone that her betrothed was not a beast, then realizing that she loved him. Even now, her heart raced when she recalled his reaction, the way he’d stalked toward her with that desperate, hungry look in his eyes.

  Her face burned with heat as she washed her hands in the basin. Was she being ridiculous to love a man who couldn’t touch her?

  As she left the privy, she heard an odd moaning sound emanating from the stairwell. Was that Tatiana? Was she hurt? Could a dead person even feel pain?

  She hurried up the stairs, then halted with a jerk midway up. Tatiana was moaning all right, but not from pain. Captain Bougaire had pinned her against the wall, and he was dragging his mouth down her neck as if he were devouring her.

  Luciana gasped. The captain was dead? She blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing this. Apparently, two ghosts could touch each other, and these two were heartily proving that fact. She grimaced when her sister grasped the captain’s rump and pulled him closer. He growled in response and yanked the bodice of her red gown down to expose a breast. Then his mouth latched on to her nipple.

  Did men actually do that? Luciana was so stunned she nearly toppled down the stairs. “By the godde—get yourselves to a bedchamber!”

  They broke apart. The captain scowled at her, while Tatiana merely looked annoyed as she tugged her bodice back in place.

  “Go away,” Tatiana grumbled. “Can’t you see we’re busy?”

  “How—” Luciana winced at
the gaping wound in Captain Bougaire’s chest. His white shirt was stained with blood. “How can you be dead?”

  He snorted. “How do you think? Your precious Lord Protector had me killed.”

  Luciana flinched. “No.” No, he gave his word that he wouldn’t kill the captain.

  “I told you we couldn’t trust the Beast!” Tatiana shouted.

  But she’d believed Leo. She’d trusted him. Luciana shook her head. “There must be some sort of explanation…”

  “Of course there is,” the captain growled. “The bastard had me killed because I told him you weren’t the real Tatiana.”

  Luciana’s heart lurched. “Ye—you told him that?” By the goddesses, had Leo believed it?

  The captain sneered. “I knew you were an imposter the minute I tried to kiss you.” He gave Tatiana a wry smirk. “She kisses like a dead fish.”

  Tatiana scoffed. “She’ll never know a love as glorious as ours.”

  The captain’s smirk twisted. “It could have been glorious. We could have had everything, dammit. Why did you have to get yourself killed?”

  Tatiana blinked in surprise. “Excuse me? You think I wanted to be poisoned?”

  “If you had just gotten pregnant, I could have convinced your father to let us marry. Dammit to hell!” Captain Bougaire slammed a fist against the stone wall, but his hand passed through. “Shit! Now I’m dead, and I have nothing!”

  “You have me!” Tatiana placed her hands on his chest. “We can be together now for all eternity.”

  He shoved her hands away. “You think it was you that I wanted? I was so damned close to getting my hands on the duchy. But you ruined everything, you stupid bitch.”

  Tatiana gasped. Luciana gasped, too, and watched with horror as her sister slowly realized the truth about her glorious love affair. As Tatiana’s eyes filled with tears and her body wavered, Luciana felt her blood surging hot with raw anger.

  The captain barked out a laugh. “It was ridiculous how easy you were to fool, how easily you spread your legs—”

  “Enough!” Luciana stepped between them so she was mere inches from his face. “Don’t ye dare talk to my sister like that. Ye were banished from Vindalyn, so ye’ll leave now and never come back.”

  He snorted. “Can you make me?”

  “Aye, I can,” Luciana growled. “I’ll find every living member of yer family in this duchy. Yer mother, yer brothers and sisters, yer cousins. I’ll strip them of their homes and every possession they own, and kick them out, penniless and starving. And I’ll let them know that all their suffering is because of you.”

  His face grew pale. “Y-you wouldn’t dare—”

  “Don’t try me,” she hissed. “If I ever hear of yer presence in my duchy again, I will unleash hell on yer—”

  “I got it! I’m leaving.” He lifted his hands in surrender and shot Tatiana a disgusted look. “It’s not as if I have anything to lose here.” His form vanished.

  With a muffled sob, Tatiana disappeared.

  “My lady?” Jensen called from above. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” Luciana took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Stay calm. Don’t let your accent slip again. “I’ll be right there.” Her hands trembled as she gathered up her skirts to climb the rest of the stairs to the top floor.

  Jensen eyed her warily. “Are you sure…?”

  How much had he heard? “I-I was pretending to fuss at the assassin who tried to kill me. I thought it might release some of the stress.”

  “Ah.” Jensen nodded slowly. “Well, it has been a difficult day for you. Perhaps you should get some rest.”

  “I will.” She stepped into her room. “And thank you, Jensen, for saving my life.”

  He blushed. “Yes, my lady.”

  She shut the door and locked it, then discovered her sister was pacing back and forth, her feet gliding noiselessly on the wooden floor.

  “I can’t believe it!” Tatiana wailed. “All this time, he was using me!”

  “I’m so sorry,” Luciana murmured.

  “I gave my virginity to that bastard!” Tatiana waved her arms wildly. “I hate him! I hate him!”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Tatiana whirled and planted her hands on her hips. “I hate all men!”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far—”

  “Even that Beast is a bastard! How dare he kill my Alberto!”

  Luciana winced. She didn’t want to think that Leo had broken his word. “I thought you hated Alberto.”

  “I do! He’s lower than swine. He’s the scum coming out of a privy pipe! I hate him!” Tatiana screamed as she swiped her arm across the table and sent the brass candlestick holder flying across the room.

  Luciana gasped. “Did you see that? By the goddesses, look at what you did!”

  Tatiana glanced at the candlestick holder rolling on the floor, then at her arm. “How—how did I do that?”

  Luciana picked up the candlestick holder. “I’ve never seen a spirit that could move objects before.”

  “Neither have I.”

  Luciana grinned. “You’re the most marvelous ghost ever!”

  Tatiana giggled, then curled a strand of hair around her finger. “Well, yes, I suppose I am.”

  “Can you do it again?” Luciana placed the candlestick holder back on the table.

  Tatiana swiped at it, but her hand passed through. “Oh, no. What happened?”

  “You were extremely angry before. Perhaps you should picture Captain Booger’s face on the candlestick.”

  Tatiana’s eyes narrowed. “You bastard!” She knocked the candlestick holder across the room. “I did it!”

  Luciana clapped her hands together. “You’re amazing.”

  Tatiana gave her a sheepish smile. “No, you’re the amazing one. You were right up in his face. Don’t ye dare talk to my sister like that. By the light, you were fierce!”

  Heat flooded Luciana’s cheeks. “Well, I can’t let anyone insult one of my sisters.”

  “I’m your only … oh.” Tatiana sighed. “I guess you miss your sisters at the convent.”

  “I do. But I’m very happy to have my sister here.”

  Tatiana’s eyes filled with tears. “I haven’t been that nice to you. I was a little jealous, I guess. You grew up with such close friends, and I didn’t. I had Christopher for a while, then…”

  “You could still be friends with him. And you have Mother. And me. Father, too. I’d be happy to relay your messages to him.”

  Tatiana nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m going to be the best spy in the world now. I’ll keep you and Papa safe. You’ll see.”

  Luciana blinked back tears of her own. “Thank you.”

  With a sniff, Tatiana’s form wavered and disappeared.

  * * *

  Feeling emotionally drained, Luciana stretched out on her bed. The day was only half over, but so much had occurred. She’d hardly slept the night before, too worried that if she did doze off, she’d miss the seals at dawn and her chance to send a message to her sisters.

  Other shocking things had happened, like the assassination attempt, but of all the memories of the day, it was the look on Leo’s face when she’d defended him that had struck her the most. If he were able to touch her, would he act like the dead captain had with Tatiana? Would Leo tear off her clothes and suckle her breasts?

  Images flitted through her mind, making her heart race, then with a frustrated groan she shoved the thoughts aside. Why bother to even imagine such things? Things like Leo’s mouth nibbling down her neck, his hands roaming her body. It couldn’t happen. Not unless there was a serious drought. Was she supposed to wish failed crops and starvation for the Eberoni just so she could be kissed?

  She punched a pillow. She shouldn’t allow herself to become lovesick over a man she hardly knew. Could he truly be trusted? What if he’d had Captain Booger killed? What if he knew she was an imposter? Would he turn her in to the king? Thoughts swirle
d in her mind till she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

  When she woke, she slowly became aware that she’d curled into a ball, for the room was chilly. And she was being watched.

  With a jerk, she sat up, and her mother’s ghost retreated across the room with a smooth glide.

  “Don’t go!” Luciana jumped out of bed.

  Her mother, Ariana, hovered by a window, gazing at her sadly.

  Tears welled in Luciana’s eyes. “Please don’t leave. I’m so happy to see you.”

  A tear rolled down Ariana’s face. “My baby girl. You’ve grown up to be so brave and beautiful.”

  Luciana’s heart squeezed and her tears overflowed. When her mother’s form wavered, she reached out her hand. “Please stay.”

  Ariana grew solid again. “Forgive me. This is difficult. When I think about all the years that you must have thought you were abandoned…” She wiped tears from her face. “If only I could have let you know how much you were loved.”

  “I do know now.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be with—”

  “Don’t say that!” More tears poured down Luciana’s cheeks. “I’m the one who’s sorry. You died giving birth—”

  “Hush now.” Ariana whooshed toward her and framed Luciana’s face with her hands.

  Luciana reached up to touch her mother’s hands, but her fingers passed through to her wet cheeks.

  Ariana sighed. “I wish I could hold you. I held you when you were a baby, and I thought my heart would burst with joy.” Her gaze grew more stern. “Don’t you ever for a moment blame yourself. You were an innocent child, born from love. And I am so proud of you.”

  Luciana pressed a hand to her mouth as a sob escaped.

  “Shh.” Her mother passed a hand over Luciana’s head as if she were stroking her hair. “You must be strong now. You’re in grave danger.”

  Luciana sniffed and nodded.

  With a sigh, Ariana glided back a few steps. “My poor Tatiana was killed, and now they’re trying to kill you. How could Lucas bring you here? I’m so upset with him now. You were supposed to always be safe.”

  “He begged me to stay on the Isle of Moon. But I couldn’t once I learned the truth. If Father fails to do as he was ordered, he’ll be executed.”