“Omni,” someone whispered, only to be repeated several times.
“I like this one!” a vampire yelled. “She’s entertaining. Not the usual stuffy princesses you guys marry.”
“What?” Lisbetha screamed. “No!”
Rachel circled overhead. William pushed his way into the crowd, following her as if he would catch her when she fell.
Douglas turned his attention to the sister witches. “What else can you tell me? Who did this?”
“It’s an old recipe, but not too old. Jimson weed was originally found in the Americas. Maybe 1600s,” Julianna answered.
“Old family magic,” Bella added. “This is not a commercial blend. No one uses blood anymore. Too unsanitary. Too unpredictable.”
“Some do,” Julianna countered.
“Well, yeah, some.” Bella gave a look of distaste as the sisters shared a private moment.
Rachel cried out, the kind of noise a bird of prey made before they attacked. She swooped towards the crowd. The vampires clapped and shouted. Other creatures ducked and scurried out of the way.
“Some help,” William yelled up at tiny fairies. They didn’t seem to mind the bird as they flew after it, more playful than trying to actually capture Rachel. Their buzzing laughter rained down over those below.
Douglas noticed Magda in the doorway, looking up at the ceiling. Just as he was about to charge at her and demand justice, she turned to look at Lisbetha. Her eyes narrowed on the woman and she charged forward.
Rachel screeched again. Suddenly, she stopped flying and dropped. The fairies behind her scattered. William dove to catch her. Her wolf body fell against him and took him to the ground. They slid on the wet floor into the wall. Now, deadlier than before, she snarled. William held on tight. Douglas dove forward to help subdue her. Rachel’s teeth caught William’s shoulder. He cried out but didn’t let go. His blood smeared on the marble as they fought to control her. Damn, but Rachel was strong.
“What did you do?” Magda yelled. Douglas tried to look, but couldn’t take his eyes off Rachel.
“Whatever do you mean?” Lisbetha asked in affront. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking—”
“Shut it!” Magda yelled. “I have evidence of you breaking into my room.”
“What? No, that’s not possible.” Lisbetha gave a nervous laugh.
“I have you recorded. I always keep my security on,” said Magda.
“Best ball ever,” a vampire declared, only to be shushed by his companions.
“It’s not what you think,” Lisbetha said.
“The guards searched your room. We found the cauldron under your bed. Now what did you do?”
“Jimson weed,” Bella supplied, happy to infuse the situation. “A potion to cause uncontrolled shifting.”
“No, no, shut up, you hag!” Lisbetha yelled. “That wasn’t me. I just gave the American something to make her doubt herself, and her feelings, just a little Doubting Thomas in her food. Just a small amount. That’s all. I was only doing what you and everyone here wanted. I just wanted her to go home.”
“Lies, lies,” Bella chanted. “You don’t need a cauldron for that potion.”
“Please, let us talk about this elsewhere,” Lisbetha insisted. She backed away from the crowd, shaking her head in denial. “Magda, you know me. I’m a lady. I couldn’t do this.”
Rachel growled low in the throat. Douglas and William held on tight. She lost a bit of her struggle.
“Your shoulder?” Douglas asked William when he winced.
“Fine,” William answered, though clearly the wound was bleeding profusely. He gave a small, humorless laugh, and mumbled, “Right now I almost prefer she was a trout.”
Douglas chuckled and held on tighter as Rachel tried to throw them off her. He drew his head back, barely missing the snap of her jaws as she tried to take off his nose.
“I know your family has connections to the late Mr. St. Joan,” Magda said.
“So do a lot of families. That stupid little uprising was a long time ago.” Lisbetha gave a little dismissive laugh. No one joined her.
“Guards,” Magda ordered. “Take Lisbetha Rue into custody for treason against our clan, and against the future chieftess of the shifters.”
Though it wasn’t much of a surprise, this was the first time any official announcement had been made. The gathering cheered, despite the current state of the future shifter queen and the chaos of the dance floor.
“Treason? No! I am a lady. I deserve to be queen. I did everything you asked of me, Magda! Everything!”
“I never asked you to betray our people,” Magda defended. “Guards, take her!”
As the shifter guards made a move to go through the crowd, Lisbetha screamed. She reached for her skirt, lifting it as she ran towards Rachel. When her hand withdrew from beneath the red material, she held a knife.
“None of this would have happened if you would have just died in America like you were supposed to!” With deadly precision, she threw the blade. Douglas pushed up from the floor, twisting Rachel out of the way. The knife struck his back. He cried out as the white-hot pain took hold of him.
“Help them,” King Kristoff ordered. The young vampires who had been enjoying the show instantly obeyed. Fangs bared, they swarmed forward to help subdue the future shifter queen. Douglas let go as her weight pulled from him. He collapsed onto the floor.
“No,” Lisbetha screamed, kicking as the guards forced her out of the room towards the prison hold below the manor. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Douglas fought for concentration against blood loss. He heard Magda ordering that the lazy ass of a doctor be roused out of whatever drunken corner he’d fallen into. Kristoff ordered his vampires to help bring the angry queen to the safety of an iron cage.
*
“We like you. You are strong.”
Rachel blinked heavily before jerking her arm back from the witch who held it. She vaguely remembered meeting her at the ball, and her mind only recalled that much because she had an exact replica of a twin next to her. The “cursed sisters”, Douglas had called them.
“And you are very hexed,” the other twin added. Rachel couldn’t tell them apart.
She was in a jail cell on a cot. Stone walls surrounded them. There were no windows, only fluorescent lights flickering overhead. What the hell happened?
“Am I under arrest?” Rachel asked. Even to her own ears her words were slurred.
The witches laughed. The one on the right turned around and asked, “What all did you give her?”
Rachel sat up on the cot. For a prison, the mattress wasn’t bad. She saw Lisbetha sitting in an adjoining cell, her red dress torn. At Rachel’s attention, she glared.
Rachel leaned in to one of the witches, “Did I get into a drunken brawl?”
Again the sisters laughed.
“If we would have been allowed to brawl fairly, I would have won and you would be dead,” Lisbetha hissed.
“Fair?” Magda appeared in the stone entryway. “Doubting Thomas to create uncertainty. A tincture of human papillomavirus to give warts. Jimson weed in a blood spell to cause uncontrollable shifting—no doubt to expose her as a trout before the court. And payments from your father’s account to St. Joan. I would hardly call the way you fight as being fair. Though, if the future queen would like, we can enact the old laws and let you two fight to the death. However, after seeing Lady Dunne’s talents, I doubt you would want to accept such an offer.”
Lisbetha looked pale and pressed her lips tight.
“I thought not, little bird.” Magda turned her attention to Rachel. “I suppose we are in the sisters’ debt now. They have taken very good care of you.”
“No reason to sound so surprised,” one of the sisters answered. “As we told you, we like this one.”
“She smiled at us and took our hands without hesitation when we entered the hall,” the other sister added. “Such kindness is rare from a shifter nob
le. She was not frightened by our curse.” Then to Rachel, she said, “At your service, lady.” Rachel smiled, confused but not wanting to hurt their feelings by admitting so much. The sisters stood. “Watch her for a few days. She’ll be too weak to shift, but after that there should be no ill effects.”
Magda opened the door to her cell and the sisters left. Rachel pushed weakly to her feet. The door was left open for her, letting her out.
“You are very lucky,” Magda said. “I suppose there is some sign in that.”
“I don’t take you as someone who believes in signs.” Rachel leaned against the prison bars, trying to catch her breath. She ached deep inside.
“I don’t.” Magda didn’t offer her arm, but she did wait patiently.
“What exactly am I missing? You had Lisbetha poison me, but now changed your mind?” Rachel really hoped the older woman didn’t attack. She wouldn’t be able to defend herself.
“If my chief questioned my motives, it can only mean I failed to carry myself well. I regret that. However, I have always only acted in the best interest of my clan. Lisbetha acted alone. She hired St. Joan. She laced your gown with poison so that it would be activated by the heat of your body and absorbed through the skin.”
Rachel looked to where Lisbetha sat quietly glaring at her.
“It is over. She will be punished.” Magda glared back at the woman. “Her father is already being informed.”
Lisbetha gasped and instantly shook her head in denial. “No, not my father. You can’t—”
“It is done,” Magda stated. She silently urged Rachel to walk beside her.
“You can’t send me back to my father’s keeping!” Lisbetha yelled.
“She’s not going to be…?” Rachel glanced back to Lisbetha who held tightly to the bars.
“Treason means either death or exile. Since you were not officially queen when she acted, it is exile. In this case, to her father’s keeping. He is a gentleman scientist in the Amazon. For a lady of the court, it is as far from civilization as we can send her. If she comes back to Europe, she will be killed.”
“Magda.” Rachel stopped and leaned against the wall outside the prison. The long, stone corridor was cool and led to a row of stone steps in the distance. She took a breath. “What happened? I don’t remember anything after Lisbetha asked William to dance.”
“After my anger cooled, I decided to check the footage from my private security camera I have hidden in my suite. It’s a closed circuit, and Lisbetha could not know I set it up. When I saw her snooping through my computers and filing cabinet, I knew she was to blame. The guards checked her room and I checked her personal bank accounts.” Magda quickly recounted what had happened at the ball, adding, “Lisbetha has always been ambitious, but I did not think her capable of this level of deceit. It is my fault she was able to access my room without suspicion. I have known William since he was a boy. I had my suspicions about why he was going to America, though he tried to hide them. Lisbetha read my notes and must have sent St. Joan to watch the mountain sanctuary—the most natural place for the chiefs to stay while trying to keep a low profile overseas. It was my decision to give her so many responsibilities and to put her forward as a candidate for royal marriage. Chief William is quite right to insist I retire.”
If it had been anyone else, Rachel might have tried to say something comforting. Magda’s expression did not welcome such sentiments. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry your loyalty was questioned.”
“Thank you, lady,” Magda answered. “Now, if you don’t mind, I believe your presence with your grooms would be beneficial. The doctor has stitched them both up, but—”
“Where are they?” Rachel forced her sore legs to move up the stairs. She held onto the wall but didn’t stop even as her muscles burned. Her heart beat in worry.
“Chief William’s wing,” Magda said.
It took all her energy, but the idea of William and Douglas in trouble propelled her forward. She should have known something was wrong when she woke up without them. No amount of duty would have kept them from her side. She was sure of that fact.
Her shoulder dragged against the wall as she neared William’s room. She heard the low sound of voices inside and didn’t bother knocking. Douglas lay on the bed, a bandage around his chest. William sat on a chair next to him, his shoulder completely covered in white gauze. At her entrance, they both made a move to get up.
“Don’t you dare move,” she ordered, limping towards the bed. Relief filled her to see them awake.
“Rachel,” William said, “sorry we couldn’t go to you and you had to wake up in a prison cell, but the sisters sent reports of their success. The cell was for your protection until the poison wore off.”
“It’s fine.” Rachel held on to one of the bed posts for support. “How are you? What happened to you two? Magda said a doctor had been sent for?”
“You bit me,” William said.
She pursed her lips together. “I don’t remember…”
William gave her a small grin. “It was kind of sexy, so I don’t mind. Plus, you owed me one. We’re even.”
“And you?” Rachel sat on the bed, too weak to stand.
When Douglas didn’t answer, William said, “He took a knife meant for you.”
“That is what Magda meant when she said Lisbetha tried to kill me tonight. I thought she meant the poison dress.” To Douglas, she asked, “What did the doctor say?”
“To not get stabbed,” Douglas answered wryly. “I will be fine. He ordered we both rest for a few days until we’re well enough to shift.”
Rachel touched his arm before making her way along the bed. She touched William as she passed him. “It’s over, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” they both said at the same time.
“Good,” she mumbled tiredly, “because I can think of only one thing I want to be doing right now.”
Douglas grinned wickedly, even though his features were pale. She frowned. “Not that.”
“But…” he protested.
“Sleep,” Rachel said, crawling next to him on the bed. She left enough room on her other side for William to join them. She patted the bed and gave him a meaningful look. “Lots and lots of sleep. And I won’t be able to rest unless we’re all together.”
William made his way slowly, gingerly lying next to her. She touched both of them, able to relax now that she was surrounded by the men she loved.
“But after we’re healed…?” Douglas asked.
Rachel gave a short laugh as she closed her eyes. “Yes. After.”
Epilogue
Rachel looked at her two husbands and grinned. How could she have ever doubted her love for them? Even with the Doubting Thomas potion Lisbetha had used in her food, she should have known her heart. The very idea of not being with them caused an instant tear to choke her.
Lisbetha had been shipped off to her father in chains, completely disgraced and bitter. Though William apologized for his accusations and offered to let her stay in her current position, Magda insisted on retiring. She did not trust her own opinion after misjudging Lisbetha. The older woman did, however, offer to come back and be the caretaker of the future royal children. Rachel wasn’t so sure about the idea.
“It’s done,” William said, handing a rolled parchment to his contractor. The man left the royal trio alone. “They break ground on our new home immediately.”
Rachel grinned. It was the only condition she’d had on marrying them. She wanted a joint home where they all lived together. She didn’t want to split her time between the two men. She wanted a strong family unit. She wanted to raise her kids under one roof. She also wanted to join the clans in a way that didn’t demand the sacrifice of a joint marriage. Though, seeing her current situation, she didn’t think a joint marriage was so horrible. Still, one lucky, royal marriage did not make up for all the not-so-good ones that came before.
Rachel pushed up from the chair in William’s study. Now that they were all t
hree alone, she moved to sit by Douglas on a small couch. William instantly sat next to her. It was a tighter fit but none of them minded. Sighing in contentment, Rachel closed her eyes and said, “I do hope the house is done in time.”
“In time for what?” Douglas asked absently as he stretched out his feet next to her. William angled his body so she fell against his chest. Douglas pulled her legs onto his lap, turning her. He rubbed her calf muscles.
“In time to start a family.” She gave a soft smile and didn’t move.
“Family?” William asked. His fingers skated absently along her arm.
“Don’t tell me you both are really so dense? We’ve had sex how many times without protection?” Rachel chuckled.
It took the men a moment to react.
“Yes?” William asked, stiffening behind her.
“You are?” Douglas demanded, dropping her feet on the floor. He reached to touch her stomach.
Rachel nodded happily.
The men looked at each other in excitement and said in unison, “We’re going to be fathers.”
“We’re going to need supplies,” William said. “Diapers. Milk. One of those jumping things that hangs from the doorway.”
“We’re going to need a bigger house,” William countered. Rachel fell onto the seat as he abruptly stood. “I need to catch the contractor.”
“But our house is already going to be huge,” Rachel said, shocked as William ran from the room. To Douglas she began to speak, but he cut her off.
“I can’t believe he’s worried about the contractor at a time like this,” Douglas said.
Rachel gave a short laugh. At least one of them was going to stay with her and celebrate.
“Especially when there are things we need to get first. We need a bike, and a nightlight, and one of those children parks. The kid is going to want a petting zoo. All kids love animals.” Douglas barely glanced at her as he rushed after William. “William, wait, we need to talk about the petting zoo!”
Rachel slowly closed her mouth as the shock of their reaction wore off. Then, shaking her head, she stretched out on the couch and smiled. She touched her stomach, whispering, “Ah, little baby, I do love those two. You come from very strong roots and I’m going to tell you all about mine someday, starting with my Auntie Elvie and the best advice she ever gave me, ‘let the wild out’.”
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