A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable (13 page)

Resigning myself to not kissing him non-stop until midnight, I steered our conversation to the summers we spent in the woods. We filled each other in on the last three years and, eventually, we worked up to the here and now.

“Is your dad really forcing you into getting married or was finding a wife your idea?” It was probably a dumb question, but I had to know for sure.

Remy chuckled. “Throwing a ball to find a bride wouldn’t have been
my
idea. Besides, I was waiting for you.”

I sighed happily and snuggled closer to him against the balcony.

We’d been standing there for a while, gazing out at the ocean. Aunt Mina was probably wondering where I’d wandered off to. Or maybe she knew. Maybe she’d peeked through the French door windows and saw me kissing the prince. I felt my face heat up. “I have to go.”

“No, you don’t.” Remy swooped, pressed me against the balcony wall and we were kissing again. Refusing just wasn’t in me, not when we only had these last moments together.

“Miss Marsten,” a voice boomed from behind Remy.

Oh, no! We’d been caught kissing. Please let whoever had come outside not be Remy’s father. That would be too embarrassing.

I slowly turned. Heat flooded my cheeks and I gently pushed Remy away. I’d seen the king once, years ago as he’d waved from a second story window. I’d been far away, but with my werewolf vision, I’d been able to make out his face. Even if I’d never seen him before now, I’d know him instantly. He looked like an older, slightly taller version of Remy.

“Your Majesty.” I managed a curtsy, although I was pretty sure I’d gotten it all wrong. I was just relieved I didn’t trip myself as I brought my leg back and bent over. “Please, call me Cydney.”

“Thank you. I will.” From the open door, he stood over the threshold and watched me until my gaze wavered. Guards stood close behind him.

What should I say to him? Somehow I didn’t think ‘Your son is such a good kisser and I’m crazy about him’ would go over well. Why did I feel this overwhelming desire for Remy’s father to like me? I had to shake it. Girls like me didn’t get to keep the prince.

What did the king want anyway? Oh, no! If Dunston knew about me, maybe the king did too. Did he intend to punish me for nearly killing his son? My breathing quickened and I picked up the scent of musk and fur, thick and heavy. Werewolves. On an island so heavily populated with werewolves, I expected to get a whiff now and then. But this almost smothered me.

Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe the scent came from inside the ballroom and had followed the king. Maybe I was extra sensitive, because he’d just seen me plastered all over his son.

The king chuckled softly and took a step closer to his son. “Well, I hope to see more of you now that you and Remy have reunited. Do you mind if I borrow him for a minute?”

I nodded and they moved toward the French doors.

Something wasn’t right. The scent of musk and earth assaulted my senses again. The king whipped around, his elbow inadvertently slamming the door shut behind him and locking out his guards. The same instant, a wolf bounded from the rooftop and landed onto the balcony. My instinct kicked in and I morphed into a wolf. The king backed up against the door just as I leaped in front of him to meet the jaws of the werewolf. Claws scraped my chest and teeth sunk into my shoulder. My yelp turned into a growl as flesh tore from my hip.

Three werewolves… then four. Like a wild animal, my jaws snapped at each of them as they struck out at the king. Remy would survive a werewolf bite. But the king was more human than any of us. I had to protect him.

More werewolves jumped onto the balcony. Yelps shrieked in my ears and in my peripheral vision, Remy fought several wolves at once. They backed him against the wall. The smell of blood invaded my nostrils. My blood. Black swirled around me and I snarled at a movement next to me, making a last effort to kill the intruders before I suffered the same fate.

“Cydney!” Remy shouted. “It’s okay. It’s me.”

Remy. He was alive. But how? They’d had him cornered. I blinked and my vision began to clear. The only movement on the balcony was the rise and fall of the king’s chest. Remy stood behind him, his white shirt ripped and bloody. But he was standing and that’s what counted.

“Cydney, are you all right?” the king asked, dropping to his knees. He picked up Remy’s tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around me. “You’re safe. You can shift to human now.”

Damn those synthetic fibers that didn’t morph with me. In a moment, I’d be naked. I considered bouncing off the balcony, but I wasn’t ready to leave Remy yet. Besides, I didn’t think I had the strength to run anyway.

I morphed back into a girl and the king tightened the jacket around me.

“You’re torn up pretty good, Cyd,” Remy said. “You’ll be weeks healing this kind of damage and you can’t go to the hospital.”

Oh, God. How bad was I hurt? Suddenly, I was so sleepy. My lids lowered and my muscles turned to jelly as my energy drained from me.

“It would be a lot faster with vampire blood,” Remy said.

“Listen to Remy,” the king said in a soothing voice. “You don’t want to get involved with lab tests, since most of the hospital staff are human.”

“Drink vampire blood?” I croaked. A week ago, I would have been grossed out. But taking from Remy would require my mouth on him. That didn’t seem creepy at all.

“Yes, sooner, rather than later,” the king urged.

Remy winced and the next moment his wrist was pressed against my mouth. I opened, then swallowed. And swallowed again. Mmm… it tasted like my blood the last time I bit my tongue. Metallic. But there was something else, too. Sweet and tangy. It flowed through me and my nerves endings came alive.

Remy gently moved me until he had me cradled in his lap. And I didn’t let go.

The French doors burst open. “What the bloody hell happened out here? Your Majesty, are you alright?” Dunston asked, turning the king from one side to the other while he checked for injuries.

The corner of the king’s mouth curled up. He jerked his head toward the sky, but from the ground, I couldn’t see what Dunston could. “Send guards up to the roof and around the palace to search for others. Make sure no one leaves the grounds yet, but be discreet."

They were right. Vamp blood had magical properties or something, because I felt much better. Knowing Remy had been injured before I drank from him, I didn’t want to take any more than absolutely necessary. I sat up and pushed his wrist away.

Oh, but I would’ve loved more. It made me feel like I had a part of him even though I knew I’d never have all of him.

Dunston bit into his wrist, leaned over and offered it to Remy.

My hands trembled. The cold probably wouldn’t have seemed so intense if I’d been properly dressed. Of course, the shaking probably wasn’t from the cold, but that my body needed to finish healing. Remy pressed me against him with one arm, his other hand still clamped onto Dunston’s wrist while he fed.

I glanced around the marble balcony floor to see four bodies — either dead or unconscious. This was so not your average Friday night date — unless you live on Ile de Paix. “There were more. So many. The rest of them escaped?”

“They didn’t get away. And I don’t think they anticipated the trouble you’d cause, Cydney.” The king’s smile turned into a scowl. “You two shouldn’t have been out here unprotected.”

“The guards were just a few feet away, on the other side of the door. They would’ve been able to help us if the wolves hadn’t backed you against the door,” Remy said, relinquishing his hold on Dunston’s arm, but he stayed on the cement floor with me. “How’d these guys get by your security people anyway? That’s a lot of werewolves to go unnoticed.”

The king glanced up, his eyes fixing on something beyond the balcony wall. “They must have come in as human, either as guests or staff, then shifted when they saw Remy go outside.”

“I don’t understand,” Dunston growled. “With that many werewolves, you were outnumbered. What happened?”

That’s what I wanted to know. Everything was kind of a blur.

“Cydney sensed them before Remy and I did,” the king explained. “She kept them away from me, which gave me enough time to form a shield. While she fought the ones who’d gotten through, I strengthened the barrier and Remy plucked them off one by one.”

“So…” Dunston’s eyes turned to slits. “You’re saying that if she hadn’t acted so quickly, the werewolves would’ve overpowered you?”

“That’s exactly what he’s saying.” Remy turned to me. “And never once did you turn on my father or me and hurt us. You were… spectacular.”

I was? Well, it’s true I hadn’t hurt either of them. I’d been thinking clearly enough to know that I needed to protect Remy and the king. And when the danger was over, I easily became myself again.

My throat thickened, but I didn’t want the emotion that was choking me. I didn’t want to like the king and I was uncomfortable with the fact that Dunston no longer seemed like such a bad guy. I sure as hell didn’t want to become even more attached to the prince.

“How are you feeling now? Should we find a place for you to rest?” Remy asked.

“Almost good as new.” I stood. Until I could sort out my feelings I needed to get their focus off me. “Do you know who was behind the attack?”

“I’d been about to update Remy when the werewolves attacked,” the king said. “We matched the DNA of the human. Some teacher at the high school.”

“There will always be others and no doubt someone will rise up to challenge me again.” The king gave a careless shrug. “Their numbers are crippled enough to no longer be a threat, for now.”

“Let’s get Cydney inside.” Dunston reached for the knob on the French door.

Panic filled me. Remy’s jacket covered all the important stuff, but I was still practically naked. “Wait. Uh… I’m a little underdressed.”

Dunston coughed. “Of course. We can’t have you rejoining the guests without your gown on. And you’ll need to clean up. Remy, please find Annalise. Tell her to bring her emergency kit.”

“I can’t leave you out here, Dad. What if the werewolves come back?” Remy asked.

“They never left.” The king pointed beyond the stone wall, just several feet from us. At least fifteen werewolves hung in mid-air, limp.

“That depends on sentencing, which is handled by the council. Cydney, in order to get a conviction, I may need you to give a statement. Which means you’d have to testify against your own kind.” The king’s voice softened. “Are you alright with that?”

“I don’t care if they’re vampires, werewolves or hyenas. It’s not a matter of species. It’s about right and wrong. If they commit a crime, they should pay. They were trying to overthrow you and you don’t deserve that.”

“Thank you, Cydney.” The king smiled. “I hope that you and your family will stay with us the remainder of the weekend, so I can show my gratitude for saving my life and my son’s.” His commanding tone didn’t give me a choice.

But I didn’t want a choice. Any doubts I’d had about Remy and me had vanished. Remy wasn’t in any danger around me and neither was anyone else. I had no reason to stay away. And I didn’t want a reason. I just wanted him back — royalty and all.

“Oh, my!” Annalise’s eyes widened when she saw me. She immediately let her miracle box — the one that held her tools to fix my face — drop to the floor. Her gaze fell on the discarded pile of green fabric. She nudged the king aside and picked it up the dress. “A little dusty, but no blood.”

Annalise rose and began barking orders at the men. Apparently, ranking higher than her as the royal family didn’t matter one bit when it came to girl stuff. Making the men go away would’ve been easier while I got dressed, but after the recent attack, the last thing I wanted was to be left all alone on the balcony.

Soon, they all formed a wall around me, facing away, and I stepped into the dress. She zipped me up, then spun me around to face her. “Minimal damage. I’ll have you fixed up in no time.”