Bruins are practical creatures. Samuel was interred this morning, and Georg’s coronation is this afternoon. Just a few minutes to go, but I’m still in my chambers, deciding what to wear. I’ve been moved to the king’s wing, a stone’s throw from Georg’s new quarters. I’ll miss my old rooms. But it’s not all bad.
I’m much closer to the library.
My lips turn up, then down again when I catch sight of the two dresses on either side of the mirror. Gowns for the coronation. Agatha brought them up earlier. She hugged me when she dropped them off, which was sweet, if a bit alarming. She couldn’t stay. As the soon-to-be king’s own blood, she will be on the dais with Georg today. Unlike me.
I tell myself that’s for the best. The last time I was in front of a crowd of bruins, it didn’t go so well.
I can’t decide between the dresses. It shouldn’t be so hard. They’re both beautiful. One is blue silk, with layers and layers of diamond-dusted chiffon and a sweetheart neckline embroidered with flowers. It’s gorgeous. A fairy-tale dress.
The other dress is a bit bolder. It’s a fairy-tale dress, too, but in screaming red lace that will cling to my every curve. Intricate, heart-shaped panels form the skirt, their points forming a long train.
It’s a dress fit for a queen, but I am no one’s queen.
With a grimace, telling myself to stop pouting, I glance up and catch my reflection in the mirror.
Except it’s not my reflection at all.
A pretty blond woman in a black T-shirt is staring back at me intently through dark-framed glasses. Her eyes are very blue, and there’s a vitality about her that seems to make the room a little brighter.
“You’re Alice.” She brushes that wavy golden hair out of her face. There’s a streak of pink in the gleaming strands.
“And you’re Persephone.”
She smiles. “Clever, just like Jett said. You don’t look a thing like her, you know.”
I frown. “Like who?”
“Alice in Wonderland. I was half expecting a blue pinafore and tights.”
“Excuse me?”
“Jett was a little vague on the deets, but you do know you’re a fairy tale, right?” She cocks her head, blowing at that pink streak. “I mean, kind of a fucked-up one, but then again, we all are.”
“And once upon a time, Georg wanted his to end with you,” I say quietly, folding my arms.
She blows out a breath. “You know how he is. The damn bruin gets something in his head and it’s like pulling basilisk teeth to get him to see sense.”
I hate how that one statement proves how well she knows him—but at the same time . . . truth. My heart gives a sharp, little twist. “You’re saying you never loved him?”
Persephone sighs, blue eyes bright. “Of course not. I’ve always loved Georg—” The edges of the glass start to cloud on her side of the mirror, almost the way windows go frosty in winter.
“Quit it,” she hisses at someone I can’t see. “I’m making a point here.”
“Make it fucking faster then,” a masculine voice rasps.
She glares over one shoulder, but her lips are twitching when she turns back to me. “—but there’s love and then there’s love. I always knew he wasn’t for me. Deep down, I think Georg knew it, too.” She grins. “He sure as hell does now. Girl, word is he was going to abdicate for you.”
Also true.
Georg let her go a long time ago. Now it’s my turn.
“You may have been his first love,” I say softly, “but I will damn well be his last.”
Quiet as my words are, the woman in the mirror hears them loud and clear. Her smile widens. “Hell yeah. Now get out there and give those bears the finger.”
“Finger?” I frown.
She winks. “Just get dressed, Alice. And for god’s sake, wear the red.”
“Because it’s braver?”
“That, and because it will make the bastard suffer. Old World bruins like their pomp and circumstance.” Her smile is smug. “It’ll be hours till he can rip it off you.”
I choke, then a slow grin twists my own lips as I reach for the hanger. “I like the way you think.”
She taps her temple. “See? I had a feeling we were going to get along just fine.”
28
Where the hell is she?
So many familiar faces are here. My old brothers from the Den—Stephen, and both the twins, Ajax and Dominic. Agatha, of course. They’re almost ready to put the damn crown on my head and Alice is nowhere in sight. I’m kneeling next to Markus, facing out over the crowd that stretches across the whole of the grounds and probably through the damn portcullis and down the road.
The coronation is being held back on the mountain, right between the waterfalls, on a stone dais carved into the mountain itself. All morning it’s been overcast and dreary, but the sun is finally peeking out between the clouds, like a bright-faced toddler playing peek-a-boo. The people before me look solemn, as well they should. We said goodbye to a great man this morning. I’ll miss Samuel for the rest of my life, but I plan to do right by the ones he left in my charge. It’s the best legacy I can give him and the only one he ever wanted. The weight of my choices has never been heavier than it is today.
Then Alice steps between the twins standing in the front row next to Stephen and everything lightens. All that dark hair is piled high on her head, her grey eyes soft as she regards me from under a few wayward tendrils. She’s stunning in a red dress that has my bear growling in approval and my throat going tight. Everything else fades away.
It’s not that she’s beautiful—though she is that, too. And it’s not that her smile is blinding and lights up my whole world. Though it does that, too.
It’s that Alice simply is and that I’ve found her at last.
That’s my woman.
Mine.
She belongs at my side. Not when, or if, the rest of the bruins accept her. Right fucking now. I keep telling everyone, including myself, that I believe in these people. Yet I haven’t trusted them with this, the most important part of my world.
That is about to change.
I catch her eye and stab a finger at the steps. Alice frowns, those elegant brows drawing together. When I do it again, she glares at me and steps behind Ajax and Dominic. With my bear chuffing in amusement, I get off my knees. Taking a hasty step back, Markus fumbles the crown and it falls.
The entire crowd gasps, watching it spin toward the stone steps, light flashing off the hammered silver and gold leaves. I catch it in midair. The metal is cool and sharp against my palm as I set in back on the fancy velvet cushion to a collective sigh of relief.
“One moment.” With a smile, I turn my back on Markus and the crown.
Then I walk down the steps. Whispers begin around us, winding through the crowd like a capricious breeze through the forest. The rustling stills when I pull Alice from behind Ajax and wrap an arm around her waist.
“I see we need a reminder about obeying,” I whisper in her ear. Her cheeks flush to match the shade of her dress.
“What the hell are you doing?” she whispers back.
“Putting you in your place.” With a smile, I haul her up the dais.
All around us, several thousand bruins go still. Standing between her and the crown, I clear my throat.
“A good king has to trust his instincts. But more than that, he has to trust his people. You’ve heard Alice Liddell called my mistress.” Alice’s hand trembles in mine. “But I’ve also heard you call her Medeinė.” I smile down into that beautiful and slightly confused face. “She won that name because she saved you when I couldn’t.” I lift my head and stare back out over the crowd. “That’s what a queen does. It doesn’t matter what she is, except this—Alice is my true mate. Her and no other. Forever and ever.” I link my fingers with hers as Markus breathes out a stunned curse. “If you’ll have me as your king, you’ll have her as your queen.”
When Georg stops speaking, the crowd is utterly silent. I can hear the tick
of Papa’s watch in his pocket. The tears in the back of my throat start to burn. I’m terrified he’s made another mistake. That’s he’s just lost everything because of me—exactly the way Kolya said he would. I’m shaking—
Wait. That’s not me.
I stare down at my feet. They seem to be vibrating. Is this some kind of earthquake? Maybe it’s Konstantin coming back to finish us off. Markus’s hands tighten on the cushion he’s holding, his lips pinched. My eyes find Georg’s as I realize it’s not the ground shaking or an enemy attacking.
It’s his people cheering.
The rumble comes from the back, low at first, then gathering strength and power until it engulfs the whole crowd.
My mouth falls open as I finally make out what they’re saying.
“Medeinė, Medeinė. The king and Medeinė!”
Georg grins at me before thrusting our joined hands into the air, lifting me to my toes. “Told you,” he leans over to whisper in my ear, the words clear over the ever-growing roar from the crowd. “Bruins may be a bunch of self-righteous, demanding and possessive asshats, but we’re also romantic self-righteous, demanding and possessive asshats.”
I laugh and cry and laugh some more. Then Georg is kissing me. The sounds of the people surrounding us drift away until it’s just me and him. Once again, I can’t tell dream from reality.
Because now they are one and the same.
29
Six months later
The streets of the unfamiliar city are bright, windows shining with multicolored lights and dazzling displays. All around us, snow is falling, great, billowing sheets of it, but I’m not cold. Especially when Georg tucks me firmly into his side and walks a bit faster.
“Hey,” I protest. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”
He snorts. “You don’t even need a potion for that anymore.”
It’s true. I barely have to concentrate these days to access the magic, and the watch has become superfluous, though I still like to keep it close. I’m growing stronger at an alarming rate. Agatha doesn’t think there’s anything alarming about it. She calls me the bruin’s secret weapon. Kolya has started joking that they’ll soon be able to do away with the palace guard entirely, especially once Georg and I make it official. Now that we can get married, I find I am in no rush to do so. I’m enjoying finding my place in his world.
It’s safe to say things have changed—faster than Georg ever dreamed. No, it’s not perfect. Markus and the Elders have been difficult at best. They challenge Georg in ways we both know they wouldn’t if it weren’t for me. But that’s okay. Walls don’t come down overnight. They come down stone by stone.
I should know.
Because really, what is a prison? Is it bars, four walls and a lock? Or is it just a place you can’t escape—even if that place is nothing more than an imaginary box your own mind shoves you into?
Maybe that was Konstantin’s problem. He never had anyone who really believed he was good enough. It’s sad, really, and despite all the hell he put me through, I hope he finds that someday.
Just not anywhere near me and mine.
Thinking of Konstantin makes me nervous. We’re so far from home and way out of my comfort zone. Georg squeezes my fingers and growls lightly.
“It’ll be fine.” Sometimes he knows my feelings better than I know them myself. Of course, it’s easier these days. Ever since that moment on the dais when he claimed me in front of everyone, our connection has become a living thing. That’s part of why we are here. I insisted, because whether he wants to admit it or not, he’s missed this place and the people in it.
As much as he loves Hearthstone, a part of him will always be tied to this place and these people. Yule seemed the perfect time to visit, despite the cold. Of course, my bear is very good at keeping me warm.
Georg glances down the hill to where a great frozen lake stretches out into the night. His hair stirs in the wind, some of the dark-gold strands catching in his beard. I reach up and brush them back, going to my toes to steal a kiss.
It’s meant to be quick and soft, but the heat of his lips is such a delicious distraction, I linger longer than I should. He palms the back of my head and pulls me closer with one of those knee-weakening growls. His tongue strokes mine, a velvet-rough possession that reminds me who I belong to. The layers of clothes between us don’t even register. It’s like we’re skin to skin, heart to heart. It’s always like this with him.
Every damn time.
When we finally pull apart, I have to hold on to his coat to keep my balance.
His hand slides from my hair and for the first time all night, I shiver. He doesn’t bother to hide his grin. Arrogant bruin.
I give him a shake, but his smile only widens.
“So, you know anywhere in Duluth to get a drink?” I lift an eyebrow. “I’m partial to margaritas.”
He laughs and steers me down the street toward a bit of neon flashing up ahead. “As a matter of fact, I know just the place.”
Afterword
A conduit can be a bridge too. A give and take between two worlds.
All those stories, women lose themselves. I don’t want to lose myself, especially since I barely starting to find out who I am, and who I want to be.
Feeling my way blindly.
Konstantin, this world is meant to fall
About the Author
Heather R. Blair wrote her first book in the first grade and hasn't stopped since. Back then it was all about horses, now it's pretty much the dark, sexy and shivery.
She lives in the frozen north of Minnesota, near that big gorgeous lake called Superior and enjoys hiking when the snow melts. She also does murals, rides herd on four monsters(otherwise known as children), is slightly obsessed with Martin Freeman, British television and things that go bump in the night.
Also by Heather R. Blair
Toil & Trouble
Sixpence & Whiskey
Blackbirds & Bourbon
Roses & Rye
Threescore & Tequila
Deja Vu & Gin
Magpies & Moonshine
A Curious Twist of Lime
Celtic Elementals
Smoke In Moonlight
Blood In Fire
Lightning In Sea
Phoenix Inc.
Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Fallen
Phoenix Broken
Stand Alones
Cupid’s Bow
Short Story Collections and Anthologies
Shivers
Embraced By Darkness
A Curious Twist of Lime Page 19