by Kat Zaccard
“Lola has a point, Sara. They obviously found a way to get here, or they were already here. And yeah, it was definitely a freaking bloodthirsty monster, but his eyes … he looked so human. And, remember, he spoke.”
“Maybe our first step is convincing the council they’re here. Can’t you just call up your aunt what’s-her-name? Oh yeah, Aunt The Queen?” chided Hayley.
“I wish it was that easy. The council has made no formal statement, and Headmaster Giovanni practically threatened to expel me.”
Sara glared daggers at me. “But this is more important than that!”
“I know! But—”
“You’d sing a different tune if it were you, Sara,” Shea said, ever loyal.
“I don’t know about that…”
“You guys, stop. Maybe we can find a way…”
We continued to argue all the way back through the orchards. By the time we reached the freshly turned garden beds, we’d agreed to brainstorm everyone’s ideas further after dinner. Hayley was all for tracking the creature during the summer and recording evidence to present to the council. Lola wanted to research and to write a paper on the upyr, to which Hayley had grumbled she only wanted to stay nice and safe in the library.
The bickering continued over the next couple of days, but I was relieved to have told them. “A burden is easier to bear when shared,” my mom used to say. Jillian’s taunts continued, but bounced off a little easier. Until, that is, Friday morning. The paper had written up an article about the attack, and I guessed that even Headmaster Giovanni couldn’t stop good gossip like that. The article did not help my reputation any, and I was certain the anonymous student quoted in it was Jillian. I was taunted with jeers of “Princess Lunatic” the entire day.
By Saturday, I was exhausted from enduring it all. Incredibly morose, I dressed and ate breakfast in my room. I couldn’t bear to face the dining hall. I waited until the last possible moment and slunk downstairs to meet Shea, Hayley, Lola, and Sara. Our plan was to head to Dryden. We were out the door and heading down the steps, almost free, when Ms. Grissle’s voice rang out.
“Girls, one moment please.” We stopped short of freedom and turned. “As you know, you need an escort,”
“In case of deranged vagabonds?” I muttered. Sara kicked me, and Ms. Grissle shot me a cold look.
“Ah, here they are now. Ladies, Kulani and Sir Henry Rawling will escort you.”
“Hi, Kulani. Hey, Henry,” I said, recognizing the young, cute royal from patrols. Ms. Grissle growled in annoyance, but having no cause to delay us further, turned and left.
“Your Highness,” Sir Henry replied formally. I raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t challenge him on it. I hadn’t considered it before, but likely the patrols were also in a bit of trouble and under scrutiny for my unqueenly-like behavior.
We arrived in Dryden without incident and parted ways with Kulani and the girls, leaving them at the café, while Sir Henry and I proceeded to Nadia’s townhouse.
Finally alone, I asked Henry about patrols in general, and Olaf and Diego in particular.
Henry seemed reluctant to talk, but I finally cajoled a few details out of him. “It’s the strangest thing, Alice. On one hand, they’re telling us that Diego is too young to take his duties seriously and was only trying to impress a royal by elaborating the nature of patrol, but on the other hand, patrols have increased and they’re training us harder than ever. The new excuse is to make up for Diego’s embarrassment and because we are now protecting the future queen.”
“Poor Diego,” I said. Henry failed to cover his smile, and I blushed.
“Oh, it’s not so bad for him. We all know he’s no liar, though not everyone exactly believes him, either. But it’s Olaf who’d gotten the worst of it. As patrol leader, and for not actually being present at the attack, he got suspended.”
“Oh, no!” I gasped. “But it wasn’t his fault!”
“We all know that, Alice, and there’s nothing you can do. Don’t worry, this will blow over. Just keep out of trouble and keep up on your studies. Don’t worry about us.” He grinned affectionately, and I felt a pang of guilt and gratitude. I missed running patrols more than ever in that moment.
“Have you found anything at all?” I asked, curious if the increased patrols had turned up anything useful.
“No, not really. Occasionally we stumble upon a ripped up animal, though, and that’s a little unnerving. We can’t quite figure out what’s killing them.”
“Are they exsanguinated?” I asked.
“Exsanguinated?” Henry laughed. “No, Nancy Drew, they’re not totally drained of blood. They are ripped in half and mangled, but usually other animals have gotten to them before us, so it’s hard to say what shape they’re being left in.”
“Left? Like purposefully?”
“It seems unlikely, but it’s almost like a pattern where we find them. They nearly encircle the school grounds, except avoiding the north routes that go near Dryden. If I didn’t know better, I’d say something was scouting a perimeter.”
Henry’s update hadn’t been reassuring, but at least it gave me something else to ponder over other than my sinking reputation and a looming legal battle with a formidable royal family. Turning down the cobblestone street that led to Nadia’s family home, I felt my other troubles return as we approached the stately townhouse.
Although Sir Henry’s rank would have easily earned him an invitation to tea, he preferred to stand guard outside. He was nothing if not dedicated to the job. Having older sisters to take over the Rawling estate, Sir Henry was determined to make his mark among the ranks of patrols. He was well-respected among the other patrols, even if he was on the younger side.
Inside at Nadia’s and before she finished offering sugar, I pounced with questions about the upyr attack and the lack of response from the council. Nadia glared daggers at me as she dismissed her butler, then calmly offered me sugar again, ignoring my protests until I relented. “Fine! Two, please.”
She then reminded me of a few finer points of tea etiquette, as well as her duty to teach me to be a proper lady. Finally, after I was sitting taller and sipping daintier, did we return to the most pressing topic.
“And now, about this response,” she started.
I set my cup down with a clatter. “It’s unbelievable! I mean there’s actual evidence, not just my word for it. The woods were covered in blood! It practically bled out then and there, yet somehow managed to escape beyond our territory. And they still pretend nothing is going on!”
With a dark look at my teacup, Nadia, presumably giving up on Eliza Doolittling me, replied, “Well, they can’t very well just admit they’re wrong, now can they?”
“But I’m no liar!” I exclaimed. My hand went to my throat and the bandage that covered the wound on my neck. When I’d changed the bandage, I’d been startled by the perfect, human-shaped bite mark on my neck. The sharp marks were ragged and my healing skin stretched the wound uncomfortably. Still, it was clearly a bite mark, and all the proof I needed. Although it was vain, I was grateful the scratch on my nose had healed without scarring.
“No, of course not, and they’re not spinning it that way.”
It was my turn for dark looks. “I know, I’ve seen the paper. They’re acting like I’m either an idiot or a lunatic.” I could barely say it: the mocking title hung in the air.
“No, the paper never says you’re crazy, just confused,” she replied, and I crossed my arms, slumped back into the chair. “Chin up, Princess, this is not insurmountable. Bad publicity is still publicity. It’s when they stop talking about you that you have a problem.”
She caught my eye, and I laughed despite my mood.
“Besides,” she went on, “while this isn’t great for you as a monarch, this may help with your legal issue.”
“The betrothal? Have you heard more from Robert?” Robert Sanderson was the lawyer Nadia had introduced me to after she’d promised to help me nullify my marriage
betrothal to Logan. We’d met with him back in March, and while he didn’t fill me with confidence that we could dissolve the contract, he had given me hope that he would do everything in his power to find a loophole. Unfortunately, he had also said that, barring a mutual agreement from both parties to dissolve the contract, he was unlikely to find a legal alternative. As much as I enjoyed the fantasy of murdering Logan, I knew that was impossible. Yet, my commitment to morality had wavered after catching Logan and Jillian skinny-dipping at the waterfall last week.
“Put the spoon down before you bend it,” Nadia said, interrupting my swirling thoughts. I looked down to see I was gripping the sugar spoon so tightly, I’d marked my palm with the Osakura crest. Dropping the flatware, I motioned Nadia to continue.
“Robert informed me that while his first few attempts to negotiate were rebuffed, he has moved forward to draw up a formal suit against the family. He claims that the death of your parents prior to your coming of age revokes their right to mandate your future. It’s a flimsy argument at best, but with this upyr incident casting doubt over your reputation, perhaps the Dolph family will reconsider.”
I frowned. “So they’d let me off the hook if I was too crazy to be queen?”
Nadia had been true to her word, giving the cold, hard facts, but in this instance, I wished she could sugarcoat it. “I’m afraid it looks that way. When you returned to society, the Dolph family had renewed hope of an heir sitting on the throne. That particular family goal is priceless.”
I sighed. “Is there any hope?”
“The best I can give you is maybe. Robert assures me he has a solid enough case to petition for a hearing. He is hopeful it will be granted. At the next council meeting, we can gauge our support. We just need to carry the vote.” Perhaps Nadia was trying to sugarcoat it in her own way, but it was clear that while Robert was hopeful, she was less so.
After my further depressing chat with Nadia, Sir Henry escorted me back to the diner. He kept watch outside with Kulani while I went inside to meet my friends. I was disappointed when I saw no sign of Diego, but didn’t mention it aloud. Shea saw me looking around and smirked at me, to which I rolled my eyes. I still couldn’t explain to her how different I felt. I’d been attacked, and I’d nearly killed someone. And yes, it was an upyr—it’d been more of a “something” than a “someone”—but that face had been human. I blinked hard and rubbed my eyes to get the flashes of red fury-filled eyes and gnashing teeth dripping blood out of my mind’s eye.
Hayley was outlining our Sunday morning training schedule, and I focused on her voice grateful for her over-planning and minute details. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, then got up to leave. I smiled at Luciana when she caught my eye as I scanned the room one last time for Diego.
On the way home, we all felt more relaxed, though Henry and Kulani did not let down their guard for a moment. In fact, on the last bend before Mt. Henley’s orchards came into view, we heard a twig snap and Henry made us all gather together and be still while he investigated our immediate perimeter. Hayley giggled that Henry was showing off for us, which may have been wishful thinking on her part, since she seemed a little smitten with the handsome Sliver. Lola had shushed her, hiding behind her girlfriend and peering after Henry. Henry shifted when another twig snapped, and he darted toward the sound. He stopped just short of the tree line, refusing to let our group out of his sight. Kulani grabbed his torn clothes and circled us. After a few moments without incident, he escorted us the rest of the way as his wolf. He nodded goodbye to me when we reached the steps.
That night at dinner, we all were in higher spirits. I filled the girls in on Nadia’s theory that the crown can’t panic the people and doesn’t want to appear to be wrong or caught off guard, so they’re in denial of what’s really going on. After the attack, I was convinced there was more than one upyr on the continent. Despite Headmaster Giovanni’s warnings and the constant bickering, I was glad I’d told Hayley and the gang everything we knew about the upyr. Sara and Lola weren’t entirely convinced of the threat, but Hayley made everyone promise to keep quiet and train hard. We quickly switched to discussing the latest history quiz when Ms. Grissle decided to patrol up and down the tables, seeming to circle back to ours a little more often than the others.
Chapter 24
The next morning, Sir Henry and Kulani were there again to lead us to the arena for training.
“So I’m guessing you’ll be a regular fixture?” I questioned Sir Henry.
“Well, that’s classified,” he teased, “but yeah, Princess, I’d get used to seeing me around.”
“We’ll see about that,” I teased back.
“Now don’t make it hard on us, eh, Alice?” Kulani chimed in. I smiled at them both and promised not to try to lose my escort. I didn’t want anyone else in trouble on my behalf. And I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I did feel safer having a couple of seasoned patrols around.
“At least it’s the new moon, so I’ll have a chance at catching you. I know how fast you are in your wolf skin.” He smiled good-naturedly, and I grinned back.
Henry was a Sliver; he could shift when just a sliver of the moon was visible in the sky. He knew I had been training hard and was able to shift up to five days before the full moon. I had to pretend to add days slowly; Jack had warned me that it would be suspicious to improve too quickly. Since the attack, though, I hadn’t been out to run once, so just the mention of my wolf skin was making my human skin crawl. I was itching to run. I’d never tried to turn on a new moon; apparently it was impossible. But wouldn’t it be nice to have the cover of darkness to sneak in a run? I left Henry, Kulani, and my musings at the door as I went into the arena to train with the gang.
After our training session, I had complete confidence in Hayley to hold her own against any attacker. My shoulder was sore from hitting the mat so hard during our last sparring match, though I had managed to throw her off once, which was a huge improvement. We followed Henry and Kulani back to the Manor, laughing about Lola running away from Hayley. Sara tried to defend her, but even she was giggling at her girlfriend’s expense by the end of Hayley’s impression of Lola running to hide under the bleachers.
Lola was protesting, and the girls were apologizing when Henry stopped short. Then he called out, “Hey, Diego, that you?”
The girls fell quiet, then began whispering like starlings. I turned to see Diego step onto the path from the trees. He went to Henry and Kulani and spoke softly. I saw Kulani glance at me, then nod. She and Henry left to herd the girls along as Diego approached me.
“Hey,” he said, looking nervous. The sounds of Sir Henry, Kulani, and the girls faded away as they headed down the path and out of sight.
“Hey.” I’d been dying to see him for the last week, but now that he was here, I didn’t know what to say.
“Henry and Kulani said I could walk you back to the manor.” He looked around, but didn’t start walking.
“Look, I—”
“Are you—?”
We had spoken at the same time and stopped to smile at each other. He seemed to relax a little as he rubbed his neck sheepishly.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “How’s Olaf?”
“I’m fine, and Olaf will be back on patrol next week. They need all the Slivers they can get. The punishments were more for show than anything else. How are you? Are you still hurt?”
My hand went to my neck where the upyr had bitten me. Werewolves in general heal quickly, but the wound on my throat was taking longer. It was deeper than any cut I’d experienced before as a wolf, so maybe there was nothing unusual about it.
“It mostly itches.” He gently moved my hand away to examine the crescent bite mark, frowning.
“I’m sorry, I should have protected you.” He didn’t let go of my hand. His eyes held mine.
“You did protect me! And hey, I’m the queen-to-be, here. I’m supposed to protect you.”
He laughed. I’d not only broken the tension, but
also the spell. He released my hand, and I silently kicked myself for mentioning my status. Still, he smiled at me as we started to walk slowly toward the manor.
“So, how’s, you know, everything else?” I asked cautiously, curious, but not wanting to pry.
He chuckled. “Everything else is okay. I’ve been scouting with the patrols, and so far, I haven’t run into any of those things, and I haven’t, you know, changed into, er…”
“Yeah, we should come up with a name for your, you know, super shift, or … whatever.” He smiled, and I went on. “Have you tried to, uh, super shift?”
“No, I mostly try not to. It’s a little scary not knowing how to control something I was always so good at before.”
“Don’t worry, Diego, we’ll figure this out.”
He stopped again and looked at me. “We?”
This time I smiled sheepishly. “That’s what friends are for, right? Besides, you have to talk to someone,” I reasoned.
He took a step closer, and before I realized it, he hugged me. He held me tight, but let me go quickly. “Sorry, it’s just … thank you.”
I didn’t let go of his arms. I looked up in his eyes. “You’re not alone in this,” I said fiercely. Without thinking, I lifted up onto my tip-toes and kissed him gently on the mouth. He was startled and almost pulled back, but I leaned in, and he relented. The kiss deepened. He wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me into his warmth and strength. I kissed him with a hunger I’d never felt before, and a jolt of lightning passed through us. Suddenly, he let me go.
“What?” I asked. The hair on my arms stood on end as goosebumps rippled across my body.
His coal black eyes held mine, and an emotion I couldn’t identify, like a jolt of blue electricity, darted across them. He stepped back. “We can’t,” he said looking away.
I scowled, not sure what to say. Was it that bad? Hadn’t he felt at least a spark? My nerve endings sang like they’d been electrocuted.
“Alice, you’re the princess, and you’re betrothed.”