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All the knights had been slaughtered, but it did not mean we were alone. Wolves may have once ruled these lands, but since the Cardinal King began hunting us, other monsters had risen to take over. Flesh-eating ghouls would already be dragging their bodies to the feast.
I shifted, a bright burst of pain that eased quickly as my limbs transformed and my body returned to that of a man. The cold air hit my naked skin, no longer carrying fur to protect against it.
The blood of our friends hung deep in the air, piercing through the sharp tang of the fallen humans and the sweet scent beneath me.
I bent down to the princess, kicking away her sword before lifting her into my arms. I noted how delicate she was, how easy it would be to carry her back to our den or snap her body in two.
“Take care of them,” I said to Lucien.
He nodded, remaining in wolf form. If any still lived, the timeless magic of the forest would prevent their deaths, stuck in eternal suffering until some creature devoured them. When their hearts no longer beat, they would be free, death granting release from pain. We may be killers, but we weren’t monsters.
And we needed to bury our friends.
Ros, Nero and Suva were from a neighbouring pack further north, one of the few left in the forest. I did not want to be the one to tell their mates that they had fallen, but it was necessary. Lucien could hide their bodies until their pack came for them.
I shot him a final look before I took off into the forest. Humans could only travel the main road, but we had lived here for over a decade; we knew the secret paths that wound through the trees, protecting us in the darkness, and spelling doom for any who strayed.
We had to lock the princess up while she was still unconscious. Tales had been told for centuries of the powers of the Scarlet Queens. They could bewitch with one look, compel with their voices, command a nation with their power. The Cardinal lands had swelled since the queens began to rule, once rivalling even the Indigo Empire in size. Only with their blood could the Cardinal Kingdom continue, and she was the last of their line.
Though she was light in my arms, I could feel firm muscle under her clothes. Her cap fell as I ran, unveiling a shock of blood red hair that curled over my arm and swept my naked hip.
Her skin was so pale, her lips dark red, her cheekbones highlighting her startling beauty.
I forced myself to look away and focus on the path. My human eyes weren’t as sharp in the dark, but it was enough to dart through the thick groves of birch and brambles, the tall oaks and beeches marking the way towards our home.
She was already pulling me under her spell, warmth flowing through me at the feel of her against my chest. Her breaths were light puffs, her chest rising and falling, her hands curled into her stomach. I wanted nothing more than to hold her closer, bury my nose in her neck, and inhale her scent. One glance at her form and I was captured. She was a dangerous one, indeed.
There were only three of us in our pack. Although none of us were related, we took my surname, Reinhart. Lucien and Fillian, our youngest, both gave me the strength to resist her through our pack bond. If she was this powerful now, we may stand no chance of following through with our plan.
I looked down at her again, concern over her broken leg pulling me from my task. She was my enemy. She had murdered other wolves. Yet, I couldn’t forget how she flinched as she fixed her attention on me, despite the fierceness in her eyes. She’d shown no fear as Lucien leapt for her, and my wolf bristled with pride at her courage.
I reached the river that signalled I was nearly home. I pulled her closer to my chest, merely adjusting her and in no way admiring how soft her skin looked, or the way her lips parted as she sighed, calling me to take them.
Lust had no place here. This was revenge, pure and simple.
From the easy pace of her heart, I was sure she was still asleep. But the darkness of the forest hid the fluttering of her lashes. I made the mistake of looking down the moment her red eyes opened, ensnaring mine.
I thudded to a halt between two arching beeches, their leaves whispering in the soft breeze as the world fell away and she absorbed me. The princess groaned as she stretched, her muscles tightening over my hands. She cried out as her legs moved, her ruby lips parting as the pain of the break returned.
Her arm shook as she reached up, her elegant fingers brushing my throat. My heart exploded in my chest as her magic consumed me, and she seized every one of my senses.
I gasped as my body jolted. Falling to one knee, my body numb, clutching her, overcome by how deeply I needed to be inside her. A snap rang throughout my body and a groan ripped from me. There was no chance, no warning that it had been coming. All I knew was that the Blood Princess was mine, forever mine, and I had to claim her.
Her breath caught in the back of her throat, her soft nails denting my skin as I dragged her scent into my lungs. Her regal face, high cheekbones, a delicate jaw feeding to luscious lips that were calling me. She moaned again, but this time, I knew it wasn’t from pain.
I bent over her, lifting her up, leaning towards her lips as we drowned in each other’s eyes. I had to taste her, mark her, bond with her so all who saw her knew we belonged to one another.
Until she suddenly passed out. Her eyes closed, her body going limp, her hand falling back to her stomach as the spell broke. Cold shuddered through me as I was released, my body becoming my own again. I leant over her - too close - panting, scanning her face. Though it had been no more than a moment, aeons had passed within me as fiery rage bloomed. There were so many tales of how the vampire queens could control men with a simple glance, yet I did not imagine how truly powerful it was.
My wolf howled in protest, trying to free himself from inside me and force me to shift back. He demanded I return to her, that I obey her, that I brand her with my scent. I growled, quieting my wolf’s insistence that she was my mate.
“Valko,” Lucien singsonged, cutting through from behind me, acting like he caught me misbehaving.
My arms trembled with the power she had held over me. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was our enemy.
“We must return to the den and lock her up.” Even my voice shook. “She is too powerful. She has already caught me once.” It was my plan to take her, to draw out our revenge, to make her pay for every death she had caused in her life. But it was already failing.
“Hmmm, well…” He grinned. “At least we have her now.”
