by Kris Black
“Well, it’s nice to see that some things won’t change.”
Alina had to prove that she could walk unaided, by doing laps around the parlor, before leaving Elizabeth’s rooms by herself. She waved down a passing pack member and asked them to show her the way to Charles’ room.
“He only just woke up today,” Molly said. “The first change is always the hardest on the newcomers. It gets better.”
Alina nodded absentmindedly as she followed Molly down corridors and into one was as familiar to her as breathing. It was the same one her bedroom was in. Had he been this close to her since she arrived?
“He’s just across the hall from your old room, Milady,” Molly said, pointing to the door across from her gilded one. “He was awake the last time we checked on him, but he is still slipping in and out.”
“Thank you, Molly, I’ll keep that in mind.” Alina walked over to the door and lightly rapped on the solid wood.
“Come in.” Charles’ rough voice called out.
Steadying herself, Alina opened the door and let herself into the room. The curtains were drawn up, letting in the light. Charles’ room was almost the mirror opposite of hers, only a tad bit smaller. The furniture was made of light oak and the draperies were sage.
“Alina? Is it really you?” Charles called from his bed. He moved the covers off to get up.
“Please, stay in your bed Charles,” Alina begged as she rushed over to him, pulling the covers back on his legs. “You need to rest.”
Charles grunted in protest but said nothing further. Alina sat on the side of his bed. “I am glad you kept your word.”
“So am I,” he sighed. “I fear you are right, and I would not have survived the transformation on my own.”
Alina reached out and put her hand over his, squeezing it gently.
“What did the king summon you for? He seemed to be in an awful hurry to get you to the castle.”
“You should brace yourself,” Alina warned. “The story isn’t exactly a happy one for our family.”
“Is everyone okay?” Charles asked.
“Yes, they are all fine. Staying at the castle, in fact, when I left. All in perfect health.”
“Then tell me, sister, what happened.”
Alina told Charles about their family, and what had occurred, glossing over parts that she, herself, didn’t want to examine yet. She didn’t want to get him worked up when he had to conserve his energy.
“You’re the princess?” Charles asked in shock when she had finished.
“Yes.”
“The king’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
Charles frowned, processing it all. “And father had no idea?”
“If he had, do you think he would have subjected himself to living in squalor instead of appealing to King Belmont for aid?”
“Fair point, well made.” Charles sighed. “I always knew you were too good for the rest of us. Too pretty, too kind, too ethereal.”
“Charles.”
“You never thought of yourself, we saw that. There was something special about you since the day Mother brought you home to stay. I think that is why Abigail took such a dislike of you. Everything she wasn’t, you were. Still, that doesn’t excuse what she did to you. I hope she is punished for it.”
Alina said nothing, just continued holding her brother’s strong, tanned hand. Had they not lost their fortunes, he would not have the callouses and work-worn hands he had now. He would have been brought up a gentleman and have taken up business with George or started his own venture. Charles had always been the most quick-witted of all the siblings. He would have gone far as a merchant.
“Regardless of all of that nonsense, you are still my favorite sister,” Charles declared. “Princess Alina. Who would have thought?”
“Please, don’t call me that.” She breathed in through her nose, forcing air past the lump forming in her throat. “It’s Alina. Just Alina.”
Charles pulled at her hand, pulling her onto the bed and into a tight hug. “Okay. It’s just Alina.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rose Garden
Christian had asked Alina to meet him, dressed for the weather, before dinner. Curious, Alina agreed. When she descended the grand staircase, she saw Christian waiting at the foot, bundled up like an iceman waiting for her patiently.
“I have something to show you,” he grinned up at her. “As an apology for our argument earlier.”
He reached his hand up to hers and she took it. Following him to the large door, the frigid wind hit her when it opened. She pulled her scarf up to hide her face more, guarding against the chill.
“You couldn’t have apologized to me in front of the fire?” She huffed out a breath that formed billowy white smoke in front of her.
Christian chuckled but continued to lead her. The door shut behind them, taking any promise of warmth with it. Still, Christian pulled her through the snow-trodden pathways that the pack had cleared. Footprints stamped the snow down into a hard, icy layer. They walked past Alina’s familiar haunts and to a place she had steadfastly refused to visit since she had arrived at the castle almost half a year ago.
“Christian?” Alina said hesitantly, but he refused to slow.
When they arrived at the archway leading into Christian’s beloved rose garden, he slowed to a halt. “It’s not a greenhouse, but it’s the closest thing I have.”
The thought struck Alina with a pang. “You were watching me then, through the mirror?”
“You thought I wouldn’t?”
“No. I knew you would.” Alina’s eyes roamed over the arch. Rose vines encircled the entire thing, making the original structure almost unrecognizable through the twists and tangles. “I hoped you would. I didn’t want you to worry about me. I wanted you to see I was safe.”
“I wish I had been watching the night you returned.”
And there it was. Alina’s heart seemed to stop dead in her chest, and she drew in a breath of air. Her whole body tensed in an unexpected reaction. She didn’t want to go there. Not yet. Not now.
“You don’t need to tell me,” Christian said and placed his hand on her chin, pulling her eyes up to his. “Whenever you’re ready, so am I.”
Alina nodded, trying to relax her body again.
“Let’s forget about all that,” he smiled at her, calming her. “I brought you here for a few reasons.”
“I thought you said it was to apologize,” accused Alina.
He carefully picked one of the still-blooming roses from the bush nearest to him. It was amazing how full of life it was in the dead of winter. Carefully, he ran his hand up the stem, removing all the thorns expertly with a tool he had removed from his pocket. He turned back to her with a sly grin and held the rose out to her.
“I’m sorry about the argument earlier, and that I didn’t tell you what I suspected about your parentage,” he said. Alina hesitated, staring at the bloom stretched out before her. “I promise I won’t abduct you for it again.”
Alina shot him a dry look and reached out, taking the rose. She remembered when Edward had first brought the rose home to her. That whole month she had spent admiring it and taking intimate care of it. It had been the most beautiful rosebud she had ever beheld. Now, she was surrounded by a wealth of the same and for months had rejected and steered clear of their beauty.
“What are you thinking about?” Christian said, noticing her pensive stare.
“Just about how this was all started by one little flower.”
Christian got a dark look on his face. “This started long before that.”
The curse would have drawn them together. It had destined them to meet since her infancy.
“Thank you for the rose, Christian,” she leaned up and gave him a freezing kiss. “For both of them.”
“You accept my apology?”
“I think we were both being headstrong.” Christian opened his mouth to reply before Alina warned: “You may want to just l
eave it at that.”
He barked out a laugh and grabbed Alina’s hand once more, pulling her into his sanctuary. It was more magnificent than she ever expected. A lot of the roses here, like on the archway, were in full bloom and covered in patterns of snowflakes. There was a small fountain in the middle, empty in the dead of winter to prevent freezing and cracking. It amazed Alina, the beauty of it - that Christian could make something like this. He had acted so contrary to someone so gentle and loving when they first met. She knew better now, but the proof was overwhelming.
“How are some of them blooming still?” Alina questioned in a reverent whisper and she walked through the garden. Christian followed behind her, saying nothing. She reached out and touched a bloom, it’s cold silkiness like a lover’s touch on her skin.
“I bred them to be heartier in winter,” Christian replied. “I would like to say it is all my care, breeding, and maintenance. But I believe not a small part may be magic.”
Alina grinned at him, not believing magic had anything to do with these miraculous flowers. No, she touched one and sensed the difference. He cared for these buds like a mother cares for an infant. They bloomed for Christian because they loved Christian.
They walked a while longer in the cold, biting air as Alina took in the entire garden. Nearly frozen and nearing the end, Christian spoke up again.
“You found comfort in the greenhouse.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I did. My father built it for my mother. I understand why she loved it so much.”
“Because you yearn to be one with nature. Because you are part-faerie.”
Alina frowned. “Is there somewhere you’re going with this, Christian?”
“Yes. No.” He frowned and sighed. “No. It’s my issue. I spent so many years hating faeries, hating Maeve, that it is hard sometimes to remember that you are one of those beings. To remember that you are Maeve’s niece.”
“Niece or no, that didn’t stop her from cursing me. Or stabbing me. Don’t think ill of an entire species because of the actions of one.”
He barked a laugh again and leaned down, kissing her forehead. “How wise, Princess.”
She recoiled, flashes of memories running through her brain. Her breathing started to race. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe. Dead eyes looked up at her. Princess. Princess.
Christian’s eyes widened in panic as he reached out and stopped her from falling into a rosebush and getting a whole body full of thorns. Trembling, she removed his arm.
“Don’t call me that, please,” she whispered, looking away.
He didn’t ask questions, just furrowed his brows and nodded as she attempted to collect herself.
“I’m okay,” she said out loud, more for herself than him.
“I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“Can we go inside now?”
“Of course,” Christian said emphatically and put a hesitant hand on her back, steering her towards the archway. She tried not to make eye contact, embarrassed at herself. She couldn’t shake the last image of him out of her head. How his heartbeat for a few moments after it was ripped from his chest.
Princess. He always called her that. She didn’t want to ever hear it again.
If she had been looking at Christian, she wouldn’t have noticed it. She may have walked right by it. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a bush she hadn’t seen when they were walking, as it was off the beaten path. It had no blooms, only stems, and thorns. She paused before turning and starting to make her way over to the bush. It almost seemed to cry out to her. Some stems were a healthy green, some a withering gray-brown of death.
“It got hit hard in the last storm,” Christian supplied. “I am afraid there isn’t much I can do to save it.”
Alina bit her lip and listened to the roses wind-like cry. The roses that Christian adored, who adored Christian. Her hands came up tentatively, placing one on the green, healthy stem and one on the decaying one. Alina closed her eyes, reaching out to the plant, sensing its life and the slow death creeping up on it like a shadow.
“What are you doing?” Christian asked, but Alina ignored him and focused on the plant.
Slowly, very slowly, she felt the bush react to her. White light seemed to flow through her feet, up through her body and out into the stems of the roses. It was a state of euphoria. Her body was singing, the plant was singing. They were one, and it was ephemeral.
“Alina. Alina!” A voice called from far off. “You need to stop now!”
Nothing would stop her. She needed to bloom.
Someone tore her from the plant and she landed on the cold, hardened snow. The ice shards jabbed into her skin, waking her from her daze. She looked up at the plant she had just connected with.
It was blooming! It was alive and blooming as though it were full summer!
Alina beamed at the bush, singing in its joy of being alive and happy.
Then she looked at Christian. He was standing over her, his chest rising and falling in anger. His nostrils flared and his jaw flexed. Alina wasn’t sure why he was so angry. She had just saved one of his precious rose bushes. She felt alive. She felt powerful.
She stood.
She felt weak. Blood splattered to the snow. Alina brought her hand up, catching the thick, scarlet current trickling from her nose.
“Oh!” She managed out before her breath knocked out of her body and she promptly fainted into Christian’s arms.
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset. I’m fine. I just exerted myself a little too much. I’m not used to giving so much.” Alina rolled her eyes. She felt fine now.
“Using your powers, untrained, is not only stupid it’s dangerous,” Christian growled out. He had only stopped coddling her after he was sure she had recovered and they were sitting in his study. “You do not understand how your magic works or what it does to you.”
Alina fought the urge to yell. She understood how her powers worked, well, mostly. She wasn’t the complete idiot her mate seemed to think she was. Not only had she been practicing, but she sensed her magic underneath her skin now. She felt like it was one with her, like kindred spirits - even if she wasn’t always at the helm.
She didn’t want to argue. Especially with William and Louis in the room. William was pacing while Louis leaned against the wall opposite.
“Well, it isn’t like I can just walk down the path and find someone to teach me!” Alina countered, furious at herself for getting carried away. “I’ve been practicing in the greenhouse. I thought I had hold of it.”
Christian crossed his arms. “I won’t do it again, I promise. When we find the faeries, I’ll see if they can train me.”
“We need to find the faeries and bond in whatever rituals they have. That’s what your mother said, right?”
“Yes.” Alina bit her lip. The memory of Breena was a bittersweet - the one and only time that she would see and speak with her mother. At least, some version of her mother.
“The hard part, I suppose, is getting off these lands. Then, finding the faeries.” Louis pondered aloud.
“But, how are we going to do that?” Alina turned towards him.
“I’m sure it’s simple, given that they completely disappeared about two decades ago.” William scoffed. He continued pacing back and forth in front of the window like he couldn’t sit still. Since learning how to break the curse from Alina and Christian, he had been grumpier and more obtuse than usual. “We don’t even know if you can leave the grounds, sir.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“Remember what happened last time you attempted it?” Louis’ voice was a warning and a rumbling growl emitted from William’s chest.
“Wait. What happened last time?” Alina sat up a little, starting down her mate.
“It wasn’t anything too concerning.” Christian shrugged his shoulders.
“It threw him ten feet into the air and knocked unconscious for three days.�
� William was a stern commander, per usual. “We weren’t even sure if he would wake up.”
“It was an experiment that we learned from. Well, I won’t run at it full speed again, and neither will anyone else.”
Alina rubbed her temples with her head, her headache starting to come back. “So, our plan is to what - wait until the next full moon and try to walk out of Prydell?” The name seemed to send a jolt of electricity down the men, who all jumped a little. “What? I learned a thing or two in my time away.”
“I suppose you have an accurate idea of the plan.” Christian settled down back into the settee.
“And what if it doesn’t work? What’s our plan then?”
“Pray that it works.” William finally stopped pacing and stared out the window. It had begun to snow.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Greater Good
Jamie plowed into Alina when she joined the pack for lunch, nearly knocking her off her feet. “I missed you!” He grinned up at her. “You were gone for a long time and everyone acted funny when I asked when you were coming back.”
Louis caught up with his young son then, hefting Jamie onto his tall, lean shoulders. “It’s good to see you again, Lady Alina.” His gaze flickered down to the bite mark exposed on Alina’s neck and she flushed.
“Good Lord, we can’t take our eyes off this child for one minute!” Mary exclaimed as she made her way over. “You would think there were ants in his pants the way he is constantly moving.”
Mary shook her head at her son, pulling Alina into a crushing hug. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Your mate has been a nightmare since you left.”
“Mary!” Louis gasped out.
“It’s no word of a lie,” Mary snorted and pulled back, looking Alina in the eye. “I am happy to have you back where we can take care of you.”
“I’m glad to be back,” Alina smiled.
“Well, come sit with us. Tell us how you’ve been since you left us.” Mary ushered Alina over to their table and forced her to sit.