ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (39 page)

“Well, I don’t exactly have an audience with his majesty, do I? And with my reputation, I’d be killed on sight. Besides I’m a bit… tied to these woods. I don’t aim to leave their safety for long.”

It was my turn to furrow my brow. The Rebel reputation made sense, but the rest? What an odd reply.

“What is it you want from me?” I asked.

“Nothing is expected of you, Princess. Though it would be a nice thank you if you’d tell us of any plans you may have overheard in your father’s house.”

My face flushed again. What if I told them and then they killed me? Was it foolish to trust them so easily? It was my father’s own fault.

“What guarantee do I have that you won’t be rid of me when I’ve served my usefulness?” I asked, crossing my arms below my breasts. I’d forgotten that I was wearing only this thin, white shirt and it drew Connell’s stare.

“Princess I can think of many ways you can continue to be useful.”

I smacked him again. But this time I was instantly surrounded by every person in the camp. I swear one of them was growling. I screamed and fell back into Connell’s arms, ducking my head into his chest.

He held me tight. “Stand down. She did the right thing. She should fight back when a man says something as idiotic as that.”

I peered up at him, ashamed that I’d so easily jumped into his arms, yet unwilling to leave them. He was smiling down at me, still holding tight. “I deserved that.”

“Yes you did,” I said, still holding on for dear life.

He laughed, shaking a bit against my body and a warm and electrifying sensation swept deep into my belly.

“I don’t have proof to offer you other than my word. You are free to come and go as you choose, but I hope you choose to believe me because I like you and I’d hate to see you end up treated like a canary when you’re more of a hawk.”

I swallowed and noticed Keavy glance at me with a flash of jealousy in her eye.

“He traded me,” I said, quietly, so only Connell would hear. “To Lord Worthby in exchange for money and knights to fight you. There were eighteen. I suppose seventeen now.”

“Worthby?” Connell’s grip tightened and I heard a rumbling as I pressed against his chest. “his reputation is worse than that of the Duke. Did he touch you?”

“No. I ran. That’s why they sent all the knights after me.”

“That explains a lot. So  he’d trade his own kin just to eliminate us.”

My tears flowed hot and heavy, soaking the edge of his shirt. He tipped my chin up to look at him. “Have no more fear, Princess. I won’t let either of them near you again. On my life.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why would you protect me like that?”

“Because your scent is honest. And intoxicating if I may say so.”

This time I didn’t slap him. Instead I closed my eyes as he leaned forward, his breath mingling with mine. My scent? It was again so odd to say, but then again wasn’t his scent something I felt the same about? I smelled it now, wrapping me in a blanket of sweet comfort.

“Sir!” A man’s voice interrupted the moment and Connell jumped to his feet. “The lookout just spotted ten men headed this way. They’re suited up and close to where the attack happened last night.”

“Thank you, Greig. Get everyone ready. Princess, please come with me.” He offered me a hand up and this time I took it. He hoisted me effortlessly, steadying me about the waist.

“Where are we going?” I asked, as he led me through the camp and back around to the twisted tree.

“Shh. Speak softly if you must,” he whispered. “The element of surprise is our biggest ally. I’m taking you where you’ll be safe. If something happens to us, wait until you think it’s clear, then wait another hour before fleeing to the village. They will take care of you.”

“But—”

Connell rested a finger against my lips, wrapped an arm around my waist and leapt straight up into the bottom branches of the tree. I gasped and grabbed onto him as he climbed, one handed up into the brush, finally setting me down on a thick, curved branch. He brushed my cheek with his hand and leaned in.

I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my mouth to his, unsure how to do it properly, but dying to try. He gently parted my lips with his tongue and kissed me gently, and deeply, cupping my head in his large hand.

When he drew back, I longed to pull him in again, but bit my swollen lip instead. He winked and dropped down through the branches so fast I had a throw a hand over my mouth to prevent another shriek.

Chapter 3

Wolf

It was only after he left that I realized I’d never seen any weapons on the rebels. I couldn’t understand it. How would they fight off men in armor? Especially the women! I pictured tiny little Keavy being captured by one of the lascivious men from the night prior and I knew I could not stay in the safety of the tree.

Sima was right. It was far easier to maneuver in these clothes – freeing, even fun despite my sore ankle and side, as I descended the tree, dropping carefully from branch to branch until I was at the lowest part of the canopy of leaves. Below I could hear sounds, but made little sense of it. There was metal clanking (armor I supposed), thunks of swords, growls, and yelps, as though there were dogs or other animals in the mix. Could it be that the wolves had come?

My pulse sped up. It would be easier for such an animal to attack Connell or one of his rebels than bite through armor. Before I could form a plan, a man in armor came hurtling below, smashing into the trunk of my tree. I clung to the branch, watching in silence as he stood, backing away. A wolf, different from the one from last night, approached slowly, with a low growl in its throat. This wolf was smaller, but equally fierce as it barred it’s teeth. Its fur was golden in color except for a bright spot of blood that matted the area over its hindquarters. Indeed it seemed to be limping as it approached the knight.

Just as it neared the trembling man, three others approached from all sides. The wolf’s head darted around to find every threat from the ambush. They each had swords drawn and ready.

I think it was the wolf’s whimpering that made the difference. Or maybe the idea that her kin had saved me last night. It didn’t make sense in hindsight. The big black wolf would have eaten my heart as well had Connell not intervened somehow. But I hated the thought of being cornered by this lot.

Grasping the end of a smaller offshoot, I pried loose the stick and dropped to the ground near the wolf, nearly stumbling on my injured ankle. The reality of what I’d just done hit me as one of the knights lifted his helmet, leveling his sword at me.

“If it isn’t the Duke’s girl. One night in the forest and you’re a wild girl, eh?”

“Don’t kill her, Boyd. I want to see how wild she is first,” said a second. The one named Boyd sneered and poked at my sleeve with the tip of his sword. Beside me the wolf growled. Low and angry it lifted it’s haunches and pounced on Boyd, tearing at the opening in his helmet.

I screamed at the sight of blood shooting from what used to be his face, but as another knight rushed the beast, I swung my stick as hard as I could at his ankles and tripped him to the ground where I scooped up his broad sword.

The weapon was far heavier than it looked, and it took both my hands to hold it steady with the wolf beside me, teeth barred and dripping with the remains of Boyd. When did I become so insane that I’d stand beside a wild animal with no fear?

Maybe it was the least of my worries in this situation.

The remaining two knights laughed beneath their helmets, swinging their swords menacingly as they approached. Both the wolf and I backed up until we hit rock wall. We were trapped and the third knight, whom I’d tripped, was back on his feet, beating the stick into one of his gloved hands.

“Go ahead and laugh if it makes you less nervous!” I yelled. “If you weren’t worried, you’d have lifted your own helmets by now.”

That stopped their advance momentarily.

The knight with the stick said, “I’m going to whip you within an inch of your life, girl. Then I’m going to slit your dog’s throat before I teach you what you’re good for.”

I swallowed, glancing around. Next to me, the wolf whimpered a little as it miss-stepped with its injured leg. Great.

“I’d rather die than let you touch me,” I said.

“Funny,” said the knight. “I don’t recall giving you a choice.”

That’s when he lunged and I swung the weapon hard, stepping quickly to my left. I missed and threw myself off balance, toppling to the ground. Luckily he missed as well and by the time he turned toward me, the wolf was on his back, gnawing at his armor.

But the knight with the remaining sword wasted no time and stabbed downward at the beast.

“No!” I screamed, but I couldn’t reach it on time. The animal yelped as the blade sliced between its shoulder blades. Its head swung wildly from side to side, trying to reach the impaled sword and the knight stepped back out of the way even as his companion beneath the wolf was trampled to the ground.

I barely noticed as the other knight dropped my stick and dragged me to my feet, one arm around my neck and the other about my waist as I screamed in response to the pain the poor animal was suffering.

“She’s loony,” he said, flipping up his helmet. “Must’ve been bewitched by a willow the wisp in the forest last night.

“But look at her. She’s dressed like a rebel,” the other knight answered, opening his helmet. “Either way we ought to take her back to Castle Glen. Worthby will be wanting to get his hands on her for running away and embarrassing him.”

“What about our turn?” the other one asked, groping my breast from behind as I continued to struggle and scream.

“If she’s a maiden still, he’ll know what you done.”

“What if it wasn’t me? What if it was the rebels what gone and stolen her maidenhood?”

I stopped struggling for a moment and caught a breath. “I’ll tell him the truth either way. No matter how beaten I am.”

The man holding me thrust me to the ground and kicked out catching me in my injured side. I rolled over, clutching myself as stars shot through my vision.

“Not if I cut out your tongue you won’t.” He started undoing the armor plates around his mid section as the other knight put a foot on my shoulder to prevent me leaving and stuck the tip of his sword in my face.

“It’s not like Worthby will care if his wife can talk. Hell, I’ll be doing the bloke a favor.”

I glanced over at the wolf that’d stopped flailing and lay on the ground, eyes fixed on me. It blinked and I shuddered, wishing for its own sake that it would die quickly.

The sword in my face slid down over my chest and tugged at the tie on my shirt, loosing it easily. The knight flicked the material away from my chest with the tip of the sword barely grazing my skin and a thin line of red opened on my abdomen.

“Hurry up, Dand. I’ll have a go too when you’re finished.”

The wolf suddenly let out a loud howl that shook my very soul. The man pinning me leapt off and slit open the poor things throat, ending the tortured sound once and for all.

I cried, scooting back into a sitting position. I hadn’t even succeeded in helping the poor beast and now I was going to suffer just as bad.

“Damn thing was noisy,” The one who’d slit its throat said.

“Never mind that, just throw her over a rock or something for me would you?”

I scooted as far back as I could as the other one came for me. He’d grabbed my ankles and started to drag me back toward the other knight, when from behind I heard a deep growl, which I instantly recognized. Terror registered on the man’s face before the huge black wolf leapt gracefully over me and pinned him to the ground, tearing his face to shreds as his body spasmed on the floor.

Another wolf leapt from beneath the trees. This one was the same midnight black as the large wolf, but was smaller in stature. It bounded over to the knight who’d all but completely disrobed and tore into his neck, tossing him from side to side like a piece of meat until he’d been completely decapitated.

The big wolf stared at me, one paw on the corpse beneath him. His eyes… bright emeralds next to his raven hair. I stood, and gestured toward the golden wolf on the ground behind him. Only it wasn’t a wolf anymore.

It was poor little Keavy. Naked and bloody, sprawled on the ground with head turned, blank bloodshot eyes staring up at the pines overhead. I knelt down beside her body, a hand covering my mouth, tears pouring from my eyes. She’d tried to save me as much as I’d tried to save her.

I felt both black wolves flank my sides, their fur bristling against my arms. Whines came from their throats as they nudged at her lifeless body.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I tried. I wish I knew how to fight. You were right, Connell. I was silly girl. An empty vase. But no more.” I put a hand against the side of the large wolf. My wolf.

I heard the sword behind me, released from it’s sheath with a metallic swish. The wolves turned, their eyes opening in surprise. I stood, grasping hold of the hilt of the sword impaled in Keavy’s back and spun around, slashing out in a circle with a cry from deep in my chest.

The blade met resistance then swung clean through the throat of the knight behind me. His head, still in helmet, rolled to the ground while his body, sword ready to stab Connell’s side, froze before collapsing.