Once Upon a Twist (10 page)

After they had feasted on fruit, cheese and bread, they had abandoned their plan to sleep. They were far too wired from the evening’s events in any case.

It had been much more fun to lure more of the undead to the house.

Between them all, they had killed another two score of the creatures before the sun had made its ascent and the remaining undead sidled off to sleep.

              It had acted as an anesthetic and had allowed her to delay the time when she would actually have to think. And grieve.

Once James and his men were out of sight, she went back inside, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill.

Phillipe locked up and settled himself into an uncomfortable armchair by the front door.

              Yawning widely, she made for the cellar, figuring she would check out her old bedroom shortly and see if it was habitable. First though, there were some things she needed to collect before she closed the cellar door for the last time. One thing she knew for certain – after this, she would never step foot in that dank, moldy cellar again.

              She opened the cellar door.

“I’ll come with you.” Phillipe appeared behind her, making her jump.

              “No.” She placed a hand to her skittish heart. “Thank you but I shall only be a couple of minutes.” She wanted to be alone. Finally, she would allow herself to think. And to feel.

              “Then I shall wait here for you.”

              Everything was exactly how she had left it a short twelve hours earlier. Her meager possessions were heaped in a pile in the corner, her cleaning utensils neatly stacked together in another.

              Movement under her blankets caught her attention. Her heart nearly flew out of her chest.

              “Itchy?”

              Responding to her call, a tiny black nose appeared, followed by whiskers and an alert pair of ears.

              “Oh, Itchy, you made it home.” Ella sank onto her knees and held her hand out. With much more caution than usual, Itchy crept out of his hiding place and onto her open palm.

              She held him close and gently stroked his trembling back. A tear rolled down her cheek. Poor, poor Itchy. How heartsick he must be without Scratchy.

              “Phillipe,” she called out, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to sleep in here.”

              Yes. For one last time she would sleep in the smelly cellar with her faithful pet. Together they would mourn their brave friend and together they would pray James and his soldiers made safe passage to the palace.

              “It’s going to be fine,” she whispered gently into a furry ear, dripping another tear onto his cute face. “I’ll help you through it, I promise. We’ll help each other.”

              Taking extra special care, she placed him on the floor and then arranged the blankets into a bed for them.

              Snuggled down, sleep came quickly.

One Month Later

Ella gazed in awe at the red-bricked palace gleaming under the glorious sunshine, her chest filling with so many happy emotions it felt dream-like. She could not believe how wonderful everything looked considering the carnage that had taken place such a short time ago.

The pumpkin carriage came to a stop in the front courtyard.

              “Are you ready dear?” Linda asked, squeezing Ella’s hand.

              Ella nodded, for once too choked to speak.

              “In that case…” Linda waved her wand at the door and it sprang open.

Her two frogs, who Ella had named Favian and Ellard to denote their bravery, had been transformed by Linda into Footmen, an upgrade they were both delighted with. Their faces beaming with pride, they helped her down from the carriage, taking especial care with the train of her white dress.

Linda, resplendent in a shocking-pink dress, took her arm and together they walked into the palace.

About to step over the threshold into the ballroom, Linda disentangled her arm. “Hold on dear,” she said, patting her dress. “Have you seen my wand?”

“Behind your ear.”

“Ah, yes.” Removing it, she waved it at Ella’s chin. “There. Now you are spot free. Let’s go and marry your Prince.”

              The ballroom was, once again, full to the bursting. It seemed to Ella’s eyes that every living person in the kingdom was there, along with dozens of her animal friends who had returned to the kingdom. Row upon row of bodies were seated, all facing their newly crowned King James, whose father had died so heroically in the battle against the undead. Those looking closely would have seen the impatience on his face and the new worry lines etched in his cheeks and forehead. To her eyes they only made him look sexier.

              Merlin had worked wonders, overseeing the repair of the palace so it looked almost as good as new. Almost. Many parts were still uninhabitable.

              What Merlin had not been able to fix were the dead. Compared to other realms, their kingdom had gotten off lightly. It was estimated half the population had survived, which in context was a miracle.

              Those who had survived were united on that day, all determined to put aside their mourning and celebrate with much joy and love the union of King James and Lady Ella Tremalow.

              It truly was a miracle, Ella reflected, spotting her dear friend Rapunzel, who was sporting a newly cropped hair-do. They had survived.             

Izzy, who would be following her up the aisle, took her place behind her, holding Itchy in her hands. Ella kept hearing her wince as Itchy took sly nips at her fingers. Clearly Itchy had not forgiven her part in Ella’s captivity.

Poor Itchy. His one venture in human form had been enough. He’d declined Ella’s request that he give her away. She hadn’t asked twice – her most faithful friend would be there to witness the occasion. That was enough.

              Christell had been condemned to live the rest of her life in the tower. She had refused to break the enchantment. Ella had told James in no uncertain terms that if her stepmother should ‘happen’ to die, whether by fair means or foul, she would not marry him. She had meant it too. There had been enough death to last them all a lifetime.

She pretended not to notice that the small window in Christell’s cell gave her stepmother a perfect view of the Hanging Tree.

It had taken many days but Merlin had broken the enchantment and Ella had been freed.

And now she was going to marry the man she loved.

The music began to play and everyone rose to their feet, including the Queen who, as was tradition for those in mourning, was dressed in black. Merlin had given her a potion that would keep her alive long enough to witness her beloved son marry, and then she would join her husband in the afterlife.

As Ella walked closer to James, so gloriously handsome in his navy breeches and white ruffed shirt, she witnessed the lines begin to relax and that old sparkle return to his eyes. He even dropped her a wink.

She accepted the hand he held out for her.

“Are you ready for this?” he murmured, for her ears only.

Her eyes sparkled. “I think the pertinent question is, are
you
ready for this?”

“Oh yes, my darling. I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

And, barring the occasional clashing of wills that would see the King dispatched from the marital bed for the odd hour until the new Queen began to miss him and summoned him back, they all lived Happily Ever After.

The End.

About Michelle…

My love affair with books began as a baby when, according to my mum, I would throw my teddies out of the cot and cuddle my books instead. This love for all things wordy has never left me. I have always been a voracious reader, crossing all genres depending on my mood. Looking back, my first experience with romance was as a child devouring copious amounts of fairy tales. As my reading tastes evolved, encompassing amongst others Mills & Boon, Jackie Collins and Jilly Cooper, I discovered something special – that a book has the capacity to make my heart beat as if falling in love for the first time.

When not reading or pretending to do the housework, I love nothing more than creating worlds of my own featuring handsome heroes and the sparkly, feisty women who refuse to take crap from them. I hope my books can make my readers' hearts beat a little faster too.

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Other books by the author:

Tempted by Trouble – Available now

The Rings That Bind – Available for pre-order now

Reunited With Red

Many, many years later…

When Ruby visits her grandmother in the deep, dark forest, she stumbles into a nightmare. Her grandma’s been attacked by a wolf-like creature, and an ancient disease that turned people into monsters is back… and so is the cold-hearted ex she walked out on a year ago.

Now she has to either accept Jeremy’s help or face becoming a monster herself. Fighting alongside the man she once loved isn’t easy, especially when she discovers there’s more to Jeremy than the cheating bastard she took him for.

As they fight to survive the disease and save those they love, can they keep from falling for each other all over again?

Reunited With Red

by Aimée Duffy

Chapter One

Using her free hand to tug up her hood, Ruby swung her grocery bag in the other as she walked through the forest. Bushes grew wild along either side of the path and the thick canopy of leaves above blocked out what little there was left of the evening sun. She stopped at the fork in the road.

She didn’t have time to take the longer path on the left to Grandma’s house, not unless she ran the whole way, but if she followed the one on the right she’d risk seeing
him
. After a year of running away from the pain of her broken heart, she had come to the conclusion that she was better off without him—or so her therapist told her.

But the thought of bumping into him made her heart thrum out an unsteady, agonizing beat. She chose the left path. Maybe if she put her speed-walking to good use, she’d make it to Grandma’s before the sunset. The wind picked up and howled through the trees, accompanied by owls’ hoots far in the distance, but the subtle sounds of other nocturnal creatures in the forest was missing. The back of her neck prickled, sending a shiver down her spine. She slammed her feet down faster, breaking into a light jog, keeping a tight hold on the bag in her hand.

The closer she got to Grandma’s house, the darker the path grew under the heavy blanket of leaves above. If she hadn’t spent every other day of her life in these woods until her twenty-fifth birthday last year, she was sure she would have gotten lost. Sliding an arm around her stomach, she tried to hold back the guilt bubbling there, but it was no use. She’d run away and left Grandma, the only family she had in the whole world, because she couldn’t face
him
. And now Grandma was sick.

She saw lights glowing through the bushes up ahead. She let out a sigh of relief. Grandma was awake. Pushing her legs faster, she hoped the hulking shadows she passed were nothing more than small trees or bushes swaying in the breeze. Not men or monsters reaching out for her. Ruby shook off the thought. Monsters didn’t exist.

Breaking through to the small clearing, she darted a glance around. Her neck still prickled like she was being watched. Slowing to a walk, she opened the carrier bag, mentally tallying the medicine and herbal tea she’d brought Grandma. She hadn’t thought anything would have made her come back to this forest until Grandma had called her saying she had the flu. Especially not with
his
cottage so close. She hadn’t even come back when a buyer had asked to view her small apartment in town, choosing to have Grandma show him the place.

Nearing the door she heard muffled scratching, a low growl, and then a thud. Her heart bounced into her throat and she pushed the door open.

Ruby froze.

It took a second for her brain to register the sight before her.

A grey creature, bigger than a dog, loomed over a red-streaked lump on the floor in a puddle of dark liquid. The creature’s skin was hairless, flaking off in places, and covered in dark purple splotches in others.

Low growls rumbled from inside its throat as its teeth sliced into the object, again and again. Her gaze slid over its body, while her feet remained welded to the carpet. The creature’s snout dripped with the same stuff covering the lifeless lump, but when her attention focused on the mound on the floor, she realized the frilly pink nightgown she’d bought Grandma as a gift last Christmas covered the…her…body.

Ruby’s stomach shifted and turned, until acid launched up her throat. Gagging, she tried to swallow it down. Tried to stay silent. The thing’s ears kicked up and it turned its horrifying head to face her. Saliva mingled with blood dripped from the creature’s open mouth, and a wave of grief crashed into her chest so hard she dropped the bag and grabbed onto the door frame for support.

Eyes filling with moisture, she kept her blurry gaze on the creature, and it stared back at her with the intensity of an intelligent being—as if it were studying her.
Impossible.
Its snout crinkled as it pulled in blood soaked air through its nose. The thing lowered its body into position and sunk down on its skinny haunches. She knew that she was its next prey.

The creature pulled flaky skin back from its teeth in a terrifying grin. Then it pounced.

Ruby’s body unfroze. She jumped back outside and pulled the door closed behind her. It shuddered as the creature hit the wood. Mind blank, body numb, she stared wide-eyed at the door until the thing crashed into it again, the force this time causing a crack to split in the middle.